I am usually all for the everything in moderation mentality and not living a life of feeling deprived BUT I also believe in the need to start fresh. With a clean palette per say.

​This summer , like every summer, has been filled with parties , vacations , celebrations , bonfires , fairs .... and one thing that they all have in common is lots and lots of FOOD and drinks. Not that eating lots of food is a bad thing, if it's the right foods. But I can confidently tell you that I don't think all of my choices were made with my physique in mind. ;)

​Normally I feel like I handle all these occasions pretty well and try to stay on top of my eating habits, but 6 weeks ago our daughter was in an atv accident , while my husband and I were in Nashville.... 8 hours away. So after we rushed home to Children's hospital ( as much as you can rush an eight hour drive ) we reunited with our daughter who had suffered a broken jaw, eye socket and multiple facial fractures. ( She is doing great and actually as the surgery to remove all hardware from her jaw tomorrow, hurray!! ) So needless to say our emotions were high and on top of the normal summer struggle , stress and emotional eating was added on.

​As Labor Day weekend approached I KNEW something needed to change. No matter how hard I tried to get back on track all I wanted was junk. I was addicted to sugar and salt. The spinach that I usually ate with my eggs appalled me and the avocado I used on my toast was replaced with butter. Day by day I was undoing all my hard work and falling into old habits.

​In comes the 3 Day Refresh.
​

This was actually my 2nd time doing the 3 Day Refresh , the first time was 2 years ago and I remember getting great results and thinking it was not bad at all! It so happens that the refresh must be like labor...... with time you forget the pain and how hard it was and only remember the sweet baby (results ) you left with.......


​So lets get down to it, what IS the 3 Day Refresh?!

​Basically it is strict vegan and shake based diet. It does allow actual food , mostly veggies, fruits and healthy fats. No meat , grains , sugar etc. Pretty much quitting all the crap cold turkey and bringing your body back to the basics. This is what a typical day on the refresh looks like......

​Wake up : Drink 8 oz. of water. ( this gets things movin' if you know what I mean... )

​Coffee  is a "no no" but I'm a rebel and incorporated it back in on day two....but I like it black so I am only half rebel....

Breakfast : Shakeology and fruit ( serving sizes are laid out for you in your meal plan )
You can either add it to your shakeology or eat it separately...... um OF COURSE I ATE IT ON IT'S OWN, I NEED TO CHEW ATLEAST SOME OF MY FOOD!

​Midmorning : Fiber Sweep : Don't let the name scare you this is not a "run to the bathroom all day" kind of cleanse... I didn't even notice any difference with this , but I also have been drinking Shakeology daily for 2 years so let's just say me and my family are very regular people. p.s. the texture of the fiber sweep....um ya...

​Lunch : Vanilla Fresh shake which is a packed with protein and nutrients , 1 vegetable serving , 1 fruit and one healthy fat serving ( I opted for almond butter ).


The servings are pretty stingy so choose your foods wisely.... Like either 1/2 a banana or 2/3 cup blueberries.... It took me until the second day to realize I would much rather have 2/3 cup blueberries....it was like heaven!
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​                                 Fin thought so too....Hands off kid I already measured out my portion.......

Afternoon Snack :: 1 vegetable serving , 1 healthy fat

Dinner : Vanilla Fresh Shake and a dinner option for the meal plan. For me I didn't plan ahead and we live about 25 minutes from our grocery store so I made do with some of our garden veggies and a bag of shredded cabbage , carrots and broccoli my husband had in the fridge with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.


 

You can also add in a cup of vegetable broth , DO IT! Seriously... eat every morsel of every food that is allowed. I threw in some cilantro and it actually was tasty, but I think at this point anything warm would taste amazing...

There is also the optional green tea in the morning and non caffeinated tea in the evening. Besides chugging water all day/night I incorporated sleepy tea at night to help me from digging into anything in sight.  I had been becoming a night snacker as of late so this was the harder time for me. Not going to lie it felt like my stomach was eating itself the first night. We tend to stay up to 10:30 -11pm at night because once all three kids are in bed and sleeping it is just too peaceful to go to bed right away. So I was pretty damn hungry.

​Day two .... Same meal plan , physically I was EXHAUSTED. I honestly could have napped at any point of the day if I didn't have a 1 year old home with me . It is not recommended to do intense workouts during the Refresh and honestly I couldn't see how you would have the energy. I did get in some light yoga. I was pretty much useless that evening and went to bed early.

​Day three.... I woke up feeling AMAZING! I was already down 5 lbs , I know this because I have no patience and weighed myself everyone morning. ​ ​ I cleaned all morning, worked on photo sessions , went to our 8 year olds Dr. apt , two hours of dance, a pampered chef party of a friend's and stayed up past 10pm.

​Woke up on Day 4 , weighed in and was down SEVEN lbs! Sure , some of it was probably water weight, but it was water weight that had been hanging on for a month.  I was ecstatic , suddenly those last three days didn't seem so bad. I wasn't starving and I was craving good , healthy food again. That for me was what it was all about, sure the pound loss was great but for me it was snapping my body and mind out of the funk it had fallen into.

​So all in all , yes , it was worth it. If you would have asked me on day 2 in my hangry state I would have said  "HELL NO! " My family probably would have said the same. HA!

​Now to the nitty gritty... the BEFORE AND AFTERS!

​I am quite embarrassed of the before picture seeing as I am a health and fitness coach but I didn't become a coach because I am perfect and have 6 pack abs... obviously . I became a coach to show others just like me that who struggle and aren't perfect that it is possible to acheieve their goals and to lead a healthy lifestyle.  So here it goes!



​I was completely SHOCKED when I saw these side by side . If you are like me and totally analyze before and afters and say " whatever they are just sucking in or pushing their stomach out... I tried my best to take the pictures at the same angles, same clothes , same time of day and same lighting because I wanted to see the most accurate comparison too. I wish I was pushing out in the befores haha!

​My final two scents .... The Refresh is not for those thinking they can do this and then just go back to eating like crap and keep the pounds off ( I doubt you will want to anyways after ridding your body of the sugar/salt ) but for those looking to shed the bloat and extra few pounds after a trip or weekend of indulgence or for an upcoming event or to reset your body from craving the junk food  it is definitely worth it. I feel lighter , more energetic, and my clothes went from starting to feel a little snug to being comfortable and even loose . I feel like I am back in the game and ready to kick some ass!

​Curious about the Refresh? I am an open book and would love to help you decide if this is the right thing for you! Plus I can show you how to get the best deal ( because who doesn't love saving some moolah !? ) , email ( [email protected] )  or find me on facebook, I would love to support you through these 3 days of ..... fun?? :)

https://www.facebook.com/alissa.uttech
https://www.facebook.com/alissauttechcoach/
​www.teambeachbody.com/auttech