3 Day Refresh: Resfreshing more than just my diet

I have been on a roller coaster the past couple of weeks.

After a summer of travel, I finally found myself back in my home-- though still without the most important piece of our little family, my husband.

We are getting close to the end of his deployment, but not nearly close enough, and as I started to settle back into my routine I felt alarmingly alone.

I spent the summer with my family and friends in my hometown and while it was wonderful to get some quality time with the people that I love, it was completely exhausting emotionally.
I went to weddings, on vacations, to parties, bars, restaurants-- all without the one person in the world that I wish could have been with me.
You can only be the 3rd wheel on so many occasions before you want to pull out your eyeballs. 
And there are only so many times that someone can ask the questions "How are you doing?" before it sends you into full on breakdown.
They don't understand how loaded that question is, and I can't expect them to. So all I can do is smile, try to give the best sugar coated answer available, and try not to cry.
Was I fine? Sure. I was fine. And most days I really am fine... but on other days I'm that cheesy definition of what "FINE" is -- F-reaked out I-nsecure N-eurotic E-motional

When I got back to my home after being gone for almost 2 months, it was like a sigh of relief in a lot of ways.
I had my own space again. It was quiet. There weren't 18 people pulling me in 20 different directions at once... there was actually no one. 
Well, except my animals, but if you know me at all you know that those dudes aren't exactly the picture of "active."

The swing from one extreme to the other had me on my head.
I was trying to balance catching up with my friends here with trying desperately to get back into my own routine and reset my priorities with my health, my business, my own self development, and trying to not pay too much attention to the void left by husband still not being here.

Needless to say, it hasn't been the smoothest transition and I was finding myself splurging on food and drinks much more than I wanted to.
I am a stress eater; it's something that has always been an issue on some level for me, and it's something that I generally have a pretty good handle on. I have had enough practice with it at this point that I can find healthy options to supplement the really "bad" things that I want, and I usually feel fine about it.
Gosh, I just couldn't kick it though. It was like 2 solid weeks of not sleeping well, feeling sad, wanting to stuff my face with fatty fat fat cheese and pepperoni (what can I say? I'm Italian) and I just had this feeling like I was losing control.

So.
What did I do?
I bought the 3-Day Refresh to jump start me back into my healthy habits that I felt were slipping by the wayside.
That may possibly have been the most drawn out explanation anyone has ever given as an intro to why they chose to do a cleanse, but hey, thought you should know.
This was about way more than me eating crap for a couple of days-- I needed a full attitude REFRESH and I was hoping that this program would be just the thing that I needed!

For those of you who don't know, the 3 Day Refresh is a Beachbody product that is designed to do a quick cleanse of your insides to help you jump-start healthy habits.
It consists of a few fruit, veggie, and healthy fat servings every day along with Shakeology for breakfast, 2 high protein shakes during the day, and a mid-day fiber sweep.

Reviews of this product are really inspiring! People lose weight, bloat, really get a good colon cleanse and feel empowered to restart their nutrition.

Now, I wasn't trying to lose weight by doing this. I am very happy with my weight as it is, but I figured I had some bloat to lose and figured that I nice quick cleanse of the intestines would be a great idea. It also was going to serve as a reminder to me that I DO have control over what I eat, and that making good choices will drastically improve the way that I feel throughout the day....

So, what happened?

I spent 3 days consuming less than 1/2 of my normal calories.
I drank that fiber sweep, ate my fruits and veggies and hankered down for the "intestinal distress" to follow.


Day 1 I felt fine. I joked with my friends at the pool that I might have to run to bathroom at any moment when the fiber sweep finally set in... but it never did.

Day 2 came and went, and while I felt a little bit weak, I had no noticeable changes in digestion, energy, bloat, really anything.

Day 3 was the same... but I was pretty hungry throughout the day.... which I thought maybe meant it was finally setting in for me! ...But then nothing happened.

I rattled around with my feelings about this for a couple of days. I mean, I spent money on this product that was supposed to flush out all the gunk that was stuck inside of me and help me get to my optimum health.
Was it a waste?
Was it a trick?
Should I feel regretful that I bought it?

Not at all. 
I just wasn't their target client.

As I read through the nutrition facts of a couple of the shakes on day 2 (as I wondered why they weren't having an effect on me) I saw that the "fiber sweep" shake that is intended to cleanse through your system had 8 grams of dietary fiber.
That's a great number. What's the problem with that though?-- The Kashi GoLean cereal that I eat at least a few times a week has 13 grams of fiber.
I make it a point to get to 20-30 grams of fiber every day, so obviously that sweep wasn't going to sweep me out. I guess I'm already swept-- too bad I can't keep the floors as clean as apparently I keep my intestines ;) ...just another reason I need my hubby to get home!

Despite the fact that I didn't have some life altering experience while doing the 3 Day Refresh, I'm really that I followed it all the way through because I learned two valuable lessons:

1. I'm doing alright. 
I may feel like I'm falling down on my game sometimes, but I need to remember that I do a really good job of making healthy choices in my life. My "bad day" nutritionally is when I've eaten an extra serving of carbs and cheese and only gotten 100 ounces of water instead of a whole gallon... I can probably cut myself a break.
We could ALL probably cut ourselves a break.
We have to do our best... this is the only body that you've got, so you better gosh darn start taking care of it. But at the same time, a few indulgences here or there aren't going to set me back in the grand scheme of things.


2. I don't have any food allergies or intolerances. 
After 3 days of only fruits, veggies, and vegan protein and having no noticeable differences in any aspect of my life, I can confidently say (which I already thought to be true) that there are no food groups that I must avoid on the basis of health reasons.
I have always firmly believed in moderation in all things, and I am very pleased to know that my body feels the same way.
I eat dairy, and bread, and meat, and fat. I have coffee every morning and wine most nights, because I love it and life's too short to not enjoy the things you love.
To live a full and happy life, it must be balanced.


This refresh was about much more than losing a few quick pounds for me, and while I'm not sure that I will do it again, I'm really glad that I did it once.
It was a valuable lesson in perspective for me, and I definitely would recommend it to anyone who wants to check in with their own habits.
It's 3 days, the vanilla shakes suck, but plug your nose and chug ;) You'll be okay.


If you'd like more information about the specifics of the cleanse and if maybe it would be a good thing for you to try out in your own life, or if you're looking to jump-start your own fitness & nutrition and would like to join one of my challenge groups, I'd love to connect!
Shoot me an email at bestselfprouctions@gmail.com or connect with my via one of the social media avenues on the left side bar and let's make it happen!

It's time for all of us to take charge and become the healthiest and HAPPIEST versions of ourselves!

-B



ps. For those of you results centered people... here's the "before and after"... I lost 2.5 lbs, 1/4 inch from my waist, and am thinking that maybe I should see a chiropractor? My abdominal section seems a little swoooopty when I see that picture straight on haha... add it to the list!

before....................................after