For the past 6 weeks or so I have really been slacking on my nutrition. I eat well most of the day and then I have binge sessions at night and on the weekends, coupled with too much alcohol intake. The scale was starting to move in the wrong direction!
I ordered a 3 Day Refresh from Beachbody a couple of weeks ago, and finally decided after this past holiday weekend that it was time to use it. I typically am very against “quick fixes” when it comes to health and nutrition, but for multiple reasons I decided to try this program.
1. As a Beachbody Coach, I have had several people ask me about the 3 Day Refresh and I felt that in order to give a fair and true assessment of it I needed to actually complete the program.
2. There are no artificial ingredients. No fake sweeteners, no dyes or artificial coloring. You get to eat real food. No pills to swallow. – I am very against artificial sweeteners and chemicals in food products and before I decided to try the 3 Day Refresh I inspected the ingredients of the shakes I would be drinking and felt good about the quality.
3. Its only 3 Days! – I can do anything for 3 days, and I definitely needed a reset from the overeating and poor choices I’ve made lately.
What is it?
From the Beachbody Website: “3–Day Refresh is a straightforward 3–Day program to lose weight; get a clean break from bad nutrition habits; and feel immediately cleaner, lighter, and more healthy…without starving!”
Each day on the program looks like this:
Breakfast – Shakeology + fruit
Mid-morning – Fiber Sweep
Lunch – Vanilla Fresh Shake, 1 fruit, 1 veggie and 1 healthy fat
Snack – 1 veggie or fruit, 1 healthy fat
Dinner – Vanilla Fresh Shake and 1 dinner recipe from the booklet
Optional Evening Snack – Broth
Preparation:
I really didn’t feel like there was much to do to prepare beforehand for the 3 Day Refresh. I thought because it was only 3 days there was no need to make elaborate “meals”. I basically ate the same few things each day. I already had a few fresh veggies at home, so I stopped by the store for some fresh fruit, hummus (my choice for healthy fat), green tea (black coffee is also allowed) and gallons of water. I normally don’t buy gallon jugs of water, but I felt that for this short process it would be easier to have a new gallon for each day. My husband did the 3 Day Refresh with me, so I also bought enough for him. I spent about $30.
My concerns before I started the program were that I was going to be tied to the bathroom for 3 days and that I would feel weak/dizzy, etc. Neither one of those was the case at all. Of course I also worried that I would be STAAAARRRRVIING.
I will say that I was the hungriest between breakfast and lunch. I typically don’t drink my Shakeology for breakfast. I normally have it as an afternoon snack, so that was different for me. Each day I chose to put my morning fruit serving into my shake, so I didn’t actually eat anything solid until lunch time. After lunch I was fine the rest of the day though, no hunger. The biggest challenge in the afternoons was not snacking out of boredom.
Ways I “cheated” the program:
There were a few things that I chose to do throughout the 3 days that are not 100% according to the programs guidelines, so I thought I would make mention of these “cheats”.
1. I ate pickle spears between meals when I was hungry. I also added a couple to lunch each day.
2. I did not measure my veggie servings according to the serving sizes in the booklet. I felt that the serving sizes were too small (example: 2 brussel sprouts or 12 green beans). I cooked my veggies without fat (unless I used it as my healthy fat for that meal) and didn’t worry about serving sizes. I ate until I was satisfied but not stuffed.
3. After Day 1 I did not drink my Vanilla Fresh with my lunch and dinner food. I had it about an hour after each meal. I realized on Day 1 that I was too stuffed …. and then too hungry later. So I essentially turned it into a snack.
Thoughts & Results
Overall I’m really pleased with the experience of the 3 Day Refresh. It wasn’t easy, but it was manageable and none of the concerns I had before starting posed a problem. I did not exercise during the 3 days at all. I could probably have done some light yoga or gone for a walk and been fine, but I wouldn’t recommend strenuous exercise during this program.
I think this is an excellent occasional “reset” after an indulgent weekend, holiday or vacation, or a quick way to lose a few pounds before a big event. I would definitely do it again (and plan to!)
I lost 6.8 pounds over the 3 days and my husband lost an even 7!!
If you are interested in trying the 3 Day Refresh, I would love to be your Coach and accountability partner. Please contact me at eat2live2run@beachbodycoach.com or you can find the program at: www.teambeachbody.com/eat2live2run. The 3 Day Refresh Challenge Pack (including a month supply of Shakeology) is currently on sale for the month of September and can be found under “Beachbody Challenge” on the site.
Eat to Live, Live to Run 