3 Day Refresh Results

I have been slacking on my nutrition and hydration lately.  I know this.  Yet, I have been too lazy to honestly make any real changes.  I needed to make a clean break from my bad eating habits and do something to kick start my healthy eating.  I decided to try out beachbody’s new 3 day program called the 3-Day Refresh.

This program is only 3 days long.  I figured I could do anything for 3 days, right!?

The refresh is a fast, clean break.  A way to drop a few pounds in a hurry (in a healthy way) or break some bad habits.

The 3-day refresh consists of three daily shakes, a fiber drink, plenty of filtered water, plus a wide array of fresh fruits, vegetables and healthy fats throughout the day to keep your energy and metabolism going strong.

I had to muster up my will power, make a plan to have the right food in the house, and commit to do it.  I was committed.  I could do it.  I would do it!  I did it.

I shared on instagram my food for each of the three days.  I made sure to plan ahead with my portion sizes and containers labeled for snack/lunch/dinner.  This helped me when I was hungry and it was the mad rush at meal time.

I was hesitant to follow the lowest calorie guide (some people claimed they were only consuming around 900 calories of food).  I don’t like to restrict my calories THAT low… so I did my best to stay low and within their guidelines… while trying to get atleast 1110 calories (still low).  I ended up adding an extra fruit or veggie on most days.

Day 1 Meals and Snacks on the 3 Day Refresh

Wake: 10 oz water with lemon
Breakfast (w/in 1 hour of wake): Vegan Chocolate Shakeology w/ half banana
Mid-Morning Snack (10): Fiber Sweep
Lunch (hour after snack): 2 veggie (snap peas/carrots)  + 1 fruit (grapes) + healthy fat (2 tbsp hummus) + Vanilla Refresh Shake
Afternoon Snack (2): 1 veggie (snap peas) + healthy fat (2 tbsp hummus)
Dinner: Spinach salad + Vanilla Refresh
Water: Gallon of water

I was HUNGRY… but not starving.  My body was just used to eating more food (junk).  I was committed and found that changing my scenery and chugging more water helped curb those hunger pains.

Day 2 Meals and Snacks on the 3 Day Refresh

Wake: 10 oz water with lemon
Breakfast (w/in 1 hour of wake): Vegan Chocolate Shakeology w/ half banana
Mid-Morning Snack (10): Fiber Sweep
Lunch (hour after snack): 2 veggie (snap peas/carrots)  + 1 fruit (grapes) + healthy fat (2 tbsp hummus) + Vanilla Refresh Shake
Afternoon Snack (2): 1 veggie (snap peas) + healthy fat (2 tbsp hummus)
Dinner: Cucumber/Cherry Tomato salad + Organic Vegetable Broth + Vanilla Refresh
Water: Gallon of water

I was a bit more hungry today (I went on a 3 mile hike with my boys that morning).  I also had a BIG space between my afternoon snack and dinner… so by the time dinner rolled around I was VERY hungry.  After dinner I was stuffed to the brim!

I learned that I need to pay close attention to how far I space my meals/snacks.  I need to eat every 2 hours or I get hangry.

Day 3 Meals and Snacks on the 3 Day Refresh

Wake: 10 oz water with lemon
Breakfast (w/in 1 hour of wake): Vegan Chocolate Shakeology w/ half banana
Mid-Morning Snack (10): Fiber Sweep
Lunch (LATE): 1  veggie (snap peas)  + 1 fruit (apple) + healthy fat (1.5 tsp almond butter)
Afternoon Snack (4): Vanilla Refresh shake + 1 fruit (half banana)
Dinner: Spinach Salad (tomato/red pepper/cucumber) + Vanilla Refresh
Water: Gallon of water

I did  have a slight slip up after cleaning up from snack/dinner.  I was getting ready to toss T-man’s plate and kept watching his puffy goldfish snack.  Uneaten.  Calling me.  I wasn’t hungry.  I don’t even usually like this snack.  But I succumbed.  I ate 5 puffy goldfish. It was heaven in my mouth.  No joke.  Guilty.

Seriously. SO happy to be done.  No kidding.  It was tough.  But not as tough as I thought it would be.

Final thoughts and reflections of the 3 Day Refresh

• Plan ahead.  Know what you will be eating for snacks and meals.  Measure and sort those into separate labeled containers.  Knowing that when it came time for snack or lunch/dinner you just had to go to the fridge to grab your food.  Already pre-measured and ready to eat.
• Trust the process.  If you are hungry, drink more water or change your scenery.  It is only 3 days.  You can do it.  Trust the process.
• Fiber Refresh… drink it fast!  It isn’t gross.  It isn’t yummy.  It is very gritty with a lemon taste.  I mixed it and chugged it fast.
• The Vanilla Refresh is much better mixed with a banana and a dash of cinnamon than only water. Just saying.
• I never felt like I was starving… too bad.
• This process made me realize I was not drinking enough water.  I feel so much better when I drink a gallon of water!
• I slept AWESOME!  I woke refreshed!
• I still craved the naughty foods… but it wasn’t a huge temptation to give in.
• I found myself craving my sugar snap peas and looked forward to snack time because I got to eat them!

I lost 5.6 pounds and 1.75 inches around the waist.

I gained knowledge about healthy eating habits, proper portion sizes and confidence.

I enjoyed challenging myself these past 3 days.  Focusing solely on nutrition and hydration.  I did no exercise or real physical exertion.  The only exercise I did was going on walks with my boys.  These were slow and relatively short in duration… not too taxing.

I can not say, at this point, that I would do it again.  Perhaps I would do it when I feel that I need a refresher or healthy tune up.  Maybe a jump start to blast past another weight loss plateau.  For now, I am going to focus on portion sizes, healthy whole food choices, and upping my water intake.

You can check out more information about the 3 Day Refresh HERE to see if it would be a good fit for you.

Have you ever done a detox or low calorie diet before?