Back in December, I did a full body reset cleanse called The Ultimate Reset. My husband and I have done a handful of cleanses over the years and this was by far the gentlest, and least disgusting (LOL), cleanse I have experienced. Jonathan just recently decided to try out The Ultimate Reset as well so I thought I’d share how I prepared for him to do this cleanse.
Meal Planning for The Ultimate Reset
No matter what you are trying to incorporate into your eating habits, I think meal planning is key. The Ultimate Reset comes with a meal plan all laid out for you, shopping lists to go along with each of the 3 phases, and recipes as well. I sat down with the guide book and customized my plan based on foods we already had on hand, meals we already know we like, and recipes that looked interesting to try. I also took mental note of the general concepts so that I could swap food items around a bit if I found good deals at the store.
My favorite tool for meal planning (and ALL other types of planning) is Trello. I literally organize my life with Trello! If you’re a sticky note person, this free tool is for you. You can create checklists, to – do lists, schedule tasks, add attachments, collaborate with other people…all in one place. I seriously recommend checking it out!
Finish up any foods that aren’t on the plan or get them out of the house
The day before I did the reset, I baked an entire batch of Cinnamon Rolls! Maybe not the best decision in the world, but I wanted one more splurge before going on such a strict diet for 3 weeks. What this meant? I got to watch Jonathan indulge on those rolls every single day until they were gone! This time around, Jonathan wasn’t as dramatic. He didn’t ask for any special treats. We just picked a start day for him and then finished up whatever we had around the house that wouldn’t be on the cleanse.
Biggest challenge is going to be snacking; find healthy options
This is not a starvation cleanse. However, as your body adjusts to a new way of eating, you will feel hungry and you will want to snack. The meals are laid out for you pretty well, and they provide snacking suggestions as well, but I still found snack time to be the most challenging. Make sure you have nuts, a little dried fruit, hummas dip with veggies, and other healthy options ready to go! You don’t want to end up hungry and find that the only easy to grab items are not cleanse approved.
Decide you’re going to do it and don’t decide again
Honestly, if you’re going to invest in a cleanse like The Ultimate Reset, you really don’t want to throw that investment away for the sake of a few tasty bites of food. About a year ago I read “Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives” by Gretchen Rubin. The best thing I learned from this book? The hardest part of creating a habit is the decision. Deciding over and over again to do the right thing is EXHAUSTING! So, decide not to decide…..and don’t decide again. Just do it. Do it for you.