Hey Guys!
For those of you who started the 28 Day Reset with me on Jan 2nd, CONGRATS! We made it! I know it wasn’t easy. There were days when we all had temptations…but then…we got over the hump and well, look at us now.
28 days without gluten, dairy, alcohol, processed food, and added sugar. To be honest, I feel so good I kinda don’t want it to end. (Don’t you secretly feel this way too?)
I have NO ACNE right now and I feel sooooo confident with my skin that I don’t wear any concealer or foundation most days! I feel so much leaner all around, especially in my belly area. PLUS I have tons of energy. I love this feeling!
But…what now?
Today I’m gonna talk about how to transition back into “life after Reset” and how not to lose all of the hard work you just did!
I believe it’s a balance between what you want most, and what you want right now. If you can learn the difference between those two, set some boundaries for yourself, and remember all you learned about food, omissions, bloat, energy, sleep and fat loss, you’ll be able to keep your eyes on the prize, and not the fries.
TIPS FOR LIFE…AFTER THE RESET!
TIP #1: Decide which foods, if any, you want to slowly incorporate back into your life.
If you’re dying without Greek yogurt, nothing says you can’t add it back in (provided you’re not affected by dairy), and still be eating clean. No, you won’t technically be on the Reset anymore, but you don’t have to comply 100% to remain a fat-burning machine!
Follow the reset guidelines to food re-entry. Start with one food item and chart how you feel after adding it back in for one meal, then two meals, then throughout a day. Take a few days to do this before adding in another food item. This helps you discover any sensitivities.
If you’re in the clear, but you still want to stay, “mostly Reset,” decide which food(s) you’ll allow back in so that you’re specific. If you say: Greek yogurt and string cheese are the two dairy items I’ll add back in, and Ezekiel bread is a gluten I’ll allow, and chocolate rice cakes are a food with some sugar I’ll add in, you can live day-to-day within your own set guidelines.
You can eventually add more to your list, and even add in a few “occasional” foods like dark chocolate. But if you aren’t specific, life will seem like a Willy Wonka-house just waiting to be eaten.
TIP #2: Decide which percentage of your day, or week, you want to keep Reset.
If you want to stay 90% on plan, you’ll have to figure out which food item you’ll add back in, and how often. If you want to be closer to 50% – decide what that looks like for you.
Many people find they are just fine without dairy, for example, but can’t live without a little pasta from time to time. If gluten isn’t an issue for you, you can still build in a healthy pasta dish once per week, especially if having that meal keeps you from devouring a loaf of bread every Friday night.
50% for others of you might mean a few smaller indulgences, like 1/2 an ounce of dark chocolate every night and a low-carb tortilla at lunch so that you can have wraps instead of salads. If the rest of your day is Reset-friendly, there’s nothing wrong with creating a percentage and sticking to that goal from here on out.
The good news is, if you find yourself gaining weight, or feeling a little bloated, you can update, or improve, that percentage to give you the sweet spot, which is: clean eating + a bit of indulgence = the life you want. Remember how great you looked and felt while on the Reset! Less bloating, feeling lighter, clearer skin, flatter tummy, no stomach distress….those results happened in just 28 days! So ask yourself, is it worth it to go back to how you were? Or can you find a happy medium?
TIP #3: Ponder the question: “what do I want most?” and act accordingly.
Occasionally, what we want now is a bucket of French fries. But the majority of the time, what we want most is a happy, healthy body.
We battle with, “what we want now,” because it conflicts with what we want most. Our choices don’t always honor what we supremely want. Allow yourself a few, “right now,” decisions if in that moment it’s worth it, and truly what you want; agree to let the other wants go. So, if you’re out to dinner and everyone is raving about the gelato, and you really want to take part, do it. But if you’re at home wondering if you should eat peanut butter out of the jar for dinner, or make scrambled eggs with spinach, choose the latter, because chances are, you’re just hungry. And if you can hold out for 5 minutes and get something in your stomach, the 400+ calories-worth of peanut butter won’t seem worth it.
TIP #4: Learn how to order at restaurants.
Most places nowadays accommodate just about everything. If your firm desire is to eat out healthfully, then pick a place with a relatively clean menu, or with options!
You can always get a piece of protein grilled or sauteéd. Even fast-food restaurants offer grilled chicken salads or wraps. If you’re at a nice restaurant, ask for a grilled piece of fish or chicken with vegetables or a salad. Flavor things with mustard, salsa, hot sauce or vinegar. Pass on the bread and chips. They are empty calories.
Have tunnel vision for the healthy meal you wish to eat. Don’t cave in when you walk in and see nachos. Know that the healthy food you’re ordering will be special and different because you’re not cooking it for a change!
TIP #5: Decide if it’s a YOLO meal, and do it all the way without regret!
Sometimes, you’ll go to a restaurant or event where you just plain don’t want to eat clean, and that’s okay too! YOLO meals are part of life. They bring joy, celebration and experience to your life. But nothing sucks the joy out of a good YOLO meal like…regret.
One “bad” meal won’t make you fat, just like one healthy meal won’t make you skinny.
Life is about balance. If you’re doing better on most days than not, chances are, you’ll be just fine. We only run into trouble when we bargain away our goals and turn one YOLO meal into 12, while allowing sneaky treats in throughout the day. Constantly check your percentage goals to keep you on track.
TIP #6: Log it!
If you need accountability, log your meals and all foods consumed into an app, or the Blogilates Meal Prep Planner. Just get it down where you can SEE it every day. Ink doesn’t lie, so if you need a “check yo-self before you wreck yo-self” moment, write down every bite you eat for one week and find where you need or want to fine-tune.
TIP #7: Stay away from the bad-stuff though, ok?
There are some foods that just aren’t good for you, and even though I believe in moderation, I think some foods are better off just left alone because they either set up a domino effect of poor choices, or, they really are just BAD.
Soda, in my opinion, is just straight up baaddd! Even diet soda guys – sorry! The chemicals and fake sugars they use serve no purpose, other than to make you crave more. I feel the same way about all sugary drinks, high-fructose corn syrup and GMO snack foods.
Do your best to draw the line somewhere. For you, it might mean all whole foods and everything organic. Others of you might allow in some non-organic produce but will say no to refined sugar. Some of you will struggle to give up your daily diet soda. But the key here is to find the line you will not cross, maybe take a few steps past it towards the cleaner side, and stick to it.
TIP #8: Know that food is life, but it doesn’t have to control your life!
Yes, we need it to survive. But we do not need to let it control every choice we make. If you’re constantly declining invitations to go out with friends based on food, you really need to ask yourself if it’s an issue keeping you from leading your best life, and if you’re unhappy as a result.
If you feel good about staying home Friday nights to cook healthy because you want to be up bright an early for your POP Pilates class, then stay home in your fuzzy slippers and OWN that decision. The trouble lies in how we feel about what we are doing.
If it feels good, and you’re making the choices you sincerely want to make. It’s very different than feeling trapped, scared, isolated or controlled.
If fear of making food choices, ordering, social engagements and eating in general, cause you to suffer emotionally, or physically, you may need to talk about your feelings with someone to ensure you have a healthy relationship with food. It’s very easy to allow guilt to creep in after triumphantly finishing a program such as the Reset. But we were not made to live in guilt, so identify your feelings and how they dictate your behavior, for better or for worse.
TIP #9: Eat before you go.
I know this sounds cliché, but sometimes you just have to go places with a satisfied tummy, especially if your friends pick a restaurant where everything is fried or covered in cheese. If you truly don’t want to eat what’s on the menu, eat before you go so that you don’t make a bad choice out of necessity.
Failing to plan is planning to fail. The kicker here is: don’t decline the invitation just because you don’t eat chicken wings. You can still go and have a great time! Maybe there’s a hummus appetizer you can try. Or maybe, you’ll just have fun with meaningful conversations. Regardless, don’t make the night about the food, make it about the company!
TIP #10: Stay active in the POPster community!
When you started the Reset, you joined one of the best communities on the planet. POPsters are here for the long haul! Continue trading your questions, best recipes, successes and failures with a group that lifts you up. Share your Reset-friendly finds with other POPsters, talk about your favorite lunches that fuel you until dinner, discuss meal prep and hold each other accountable. You have all the tools, PDFs, emails and grocery lists, so save them onto your computer, or print them out and put them in a folder to refer to any time you need a pick-me-up.
I am so proud of you all! I have no doubt you can, and will, continue on the Reset-friendly journey of your choosing if you believe it is possible!
Let me know how you guys did! Be sure to upload your before and after from the #28dayreset so I can see! Just tweet me or post on IG!
PS: Anyone who is reading this who hasn’t tried the 28 Day Reset Challenge – download my free PDF here.
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