Day 2 Recap

With Day 1 behind me, I woke up really excited to start off Day 2.  Realizing the amount of prep work involved with the daily meals, I've resolved to get up earlier than normal each morning.  I want to make sure I have the time I need to prepare, physically and mentally, for the day ahead and still try and maintain my normal routine.  I'm really hoping that this habit will eventually evolve into freeing time for workouts while I'm in maintenance with UR.  

I started my day with 32 oz of water (mineralized and Oxygenized) and took my Optimize pills.  I then worked on getting my delicious breakfast ready.  This ended up being one of my favorite meals - flavor and simplicity.  I bought instant, plain, organic oatmeal.  Ideally I would have non-instant, but given it's organic, and since time is always going to be precious, I feel good about my choice.  I mixed in about 3/4 cup of fresh organic blueberries, and mixed the remainder 1/4 cup with my organic plain yogurt.  I used a small amount of honey in the yogurt, and it was delicious.  I also added a couple of tablespoons of chopped walnuts to the oatmeal, and it helped bring the flavor alive.  I'll be honest, I don't love oatmeal, and I can get bored of it pretty quickly - this is why I loved the idea of adding nuts and berries.  It was a new twist that kept it interesting.

After feeding the kids, I packed up my lunch and headed to work.  I was glad I decided to prep my lunch the night before.  Getting C and A out the door is always a challenge, and having to prepare a lunch would have made my schedule tight.  I had to get the kids to school then go to a doctor's appointment so there was no time to space.  Ultimate Reset talks about "conscious eating", or, being mindful about what you're eating.  I think that extends to scheduling - this program demands "conscious scheduling", and I think can ultimately make people more organized as a result.

I started drinking water after my doctor's appointment, as 2 hours had passed and I wanted to make sure I'm staying hydrated.  A gallon is my goal, and frankly, if I can get more I will.  I've been reading posts on the support network about headaches, body aches, etc.  That may still come, but I have to imagine people are not hydrating, and having serious caffeine withdrawals, and may not be used to "smaller" portions (but, I got to say, these aren't small portions AT ALL). 

I ate my lunch at my desk.  I had cut up the romaine and bagged it, then put the toppings in a container, and brought a small amount of dressing.  Make sure to bring a bowl/plate to work if they don't provide.  I threw it together on a plate, and loved it.  I savored it - this is the last meat for awhile.  The cucumber, pine nut, tomato, and homemade dressing came together really well.  The recipe is flexible, 1 or 2 hearts of Romaine, and I went with 2.  It's A LOT of romaine, but the cucumber, tomato, and chicken is hearty too so I was definitely full from this meal.  I didn't get a picture since I was at work, but borrowed this image from UR website.  It's pretty close to what I had, times 2 ;-)

In the afternoon I did my Alkalanize and hydration before my snack.  I've read lots of complaints about the Alkalanize - I think your tolerance will depend upon your palate.  I'm starting to actually find it tasty - someone described it as salty steamed spinach flavor.  I love salty flavor, and while it's earthy, I enjoy it.  30 minutes later I had my snack, a simple sliced green apple and 12 almonds.  

After picking up the kids and getting home, I did my final Oxygenize and Optimize for the day and starting prepping dinner.  Making the brown rice the night before was clutch - for this meal all I needed to do was heat up some beans, measure some spices, and slap it on a tortilla, and the main dish was done.  Simple black beans and rice with seasoning was tasty - add some fresh corn, salsa and guac (organic, fresh made at Whole Foods, fan.tas.tic.), and fold as a taco.  I once again practiced eating slowly - chewing more, savoring the flavors, and waiting to swallow until my next bite.  I think it makes a huge difference - in my busy life, I'm typically eating while standing, scarfing down as fast as possible.  The slower you eat, the more you chew, the better your digestion, AND your "fuel gauge" is more accurate so you don't overeat.  The side dish, steamed kale with lemon and toasted pine nuts, was great.  You can't really go wrong with lemon, it makes anything taste good.  I'd had kale before in juice, but this was my first time eating it.  The first bite was a little bitter, but the more I ate, the more I liked it.  Before bed, I polished off the gallon of water.

Reflections

These recipes are solid, I've really got to compliment the chefs that designed the menu.  The idea of vegetarian diets never appealed to me - what's a meal without meat??  But the reality is, if you combine the right ingredients, spices, and flavors, the food will be great and complete (pyramid eating).  The portions are generous, and this is coming from a serious "eater" (you know, like putting away a whole pizza).  For at least these two days, I haven't had any hunger pangs, and that's a big deal.  

If you're going to do this program, you have to be ready to commit 100%.  This is going to be a recurring theme, but it's true.  You've got to figure out how to manage your schedule to follow the regiment.  You will make sacrifices, and you have to be okay with that.  If you're not ready, don't spend your money on it until you are.  

Today was a huge test.  I got a text from our friends about coming over for burgers for dinner.  Here's the facts:  you're going to have to be lame for a few weeks.  However, that doesn't mean you can't enjoy good company.  I ate my dinner, then headed over to their house to hang out.  No food (damn those burgers looked good), no alcohol (ahhh, nice cold beer), and not even water (since I needed to wait a couple hours for my final hydration).  This was serious temptation - I stood strong, and I had a good time catching up with my friends.  

Last, I'm looking forward to the next few days.  I know that it's going to take a few days for the supplements to start doing their work, and I'm looking forward to feeling healthy - I miss it.

What a great feeling it was to start this program.  I'm in decent health, but my eating habits definitely needed a re-boot, and my body isn't in prime shape.  40 is around the corner.  My kids and wife are the most important aspect of my life, and I want to ensure I'm in great health and fitness.  This program is amazing, and I'm glad I found it and I'm excited to get started.

What impressed me the most is the emphasis on healthy eating and natural supplements.  In order for me to get serious about eating well, I needed a plan and this plan lays it all out - 3 meals a day, and all the simple recipes.

Day 1 Recap
For Day 1, I woke up early to start prepping food for the day and for the following day.  Eating healthy comes with a price - you're going to take more time and you're going to spend a little more.  However, you can't put a price on good health.  Sure, you can go for convenience, but the food will be high in fat, processed, and toxic to your system.

Anyhow, after drinking 32 oz of distilled, Mineralized water along with my 2 Optimize tablets and 15 drops of Oxygenize, I waited 30 minutes and served up a great breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs, 2 slices of whole grain toast, and steamed spinach with a few pine nuts, Himalayan salt, and Spike (no salt) herbal seasoning.  It was filling, and it was great.

I waited a couple of hours then began to steadily drink water.  At noon I added Oxygenize to my water, took my Optimize pills, and finished out my 32 oz bottle of water.  I waited 30 mins, then had a fantastic salad.  It was so dense and filling, I really enjoyed it.  I added tomato, cucumber, jicama (which added a great crunchy, sweet flavor), broccoli, red bell pepper, and fresh basil to the baby greens.  I made the standard vinaigrette dressing, and used 2 Tbsp. Again, this was a winning recipe/meal, and I was very satiated.

After lunch, I did some work and in between did some other prep.  I made brown rice for the following day - I knew I wanted to capitalize on working from home because the rice takes about an hour to cook.  I also cut up the potatoes and prepped the asparagus for the evening.  I also through chicken breast on the grill for Tuesday's lunch AND chopped the veggies, so it would be ready to go in the morning.

2 hours following lunch, I decided it was time to take my first supplement of Alkalinize.  After everything I read, I have to admit I was nervous.  People posted about throwing up, gagging, etc., so I didn't know what to expect.  I poured a couple of ounces of water in a small cup, mixed in the pack, and chugged away.  I had a lemon slice to suck on after.  Here's the thing - it's not that bad!  It was a little salty, and has a moderate flavor, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.  We'll see if my opinion stays the same throughout the program, but I'm really not fearing it moving forward.  After the Alkalanize, I finished off the remainder of the 32 oz of water, and waited 30 minutes for my snack.

My snack was old school - 3 celery stalks and 1.5 Tbsp. of all natural peanut butter.  It was good timing - I wasn't terribly hungry, but it was good to hold me over until dinner.  I know the snack is optional, so depending upon how my weight changes, I may decide to cut the snack.

I waited another 2 hours, then had my last Oxygenize and Optimize for the day.  I drank about 24 oz of water, saving 12 oz for bed time.  This will likely be my daily routine - I love to have some water before bed.

Dinner was awesome - steamed asparagus with lemon zest and fresh lemon squeezed on top, boiled baby reds with a touch of Himalayan salt and Spike, and baked salmon in a fresh herb, garlic, and lemon marinade.  The salmon tasted like butter - all the flavors of the marinade came together so well and not one ingredient dominated.  Little C even liked it, and I was happy to share.

Overall, it was a great Day 1.  A couple of take-aways:  (1) I made sure to eat slow - the tip of putting your fork down in between bites was great.  I'm always scarfing down my food, and it was nice to take some time and enjoy it.  (2) It's all about timing - be sure to read ahead and know how long certain things take to cook.  If you wait until it's time to eat, you might be in for a surprise and end up eating later than you want.  I was fortunate enough not to have to worry about this today, but I can see it being an issue if you're not on top of it.

 Day 1 - not just of the Ultimate Reset, but hopefully the rest of my life.  A new start to health.