3 Day Refresh Review {Day 1}

Today was Day 1 of the 3 Day Refresh and I lived to tell about it.

Some background: I said I would never EVER do a cleanse or a detox. I'm a firm believer that cleaning up my diet would do all the work I needed it to do. But, I was not kind to myself in December, and dropped a lot of my healthier eating habits. I came out on the other side of the new year bloated, uncomfortable, and carrying around a few more pounds than I would have liked, and I was totally disappointed in myself after all the hard work I had put in with T25.

Add in a Daniel Fast with my church starting January 10 (you can read more about that here) and I was looking at a whole world of hurt coming up.  Hence, 3 Day Refresh. I thought this would give me the best chance to prepare physically for the fast, as well as spend some quiet time in prayer leading up to the fast.

As a quick recap, the 3 Day Refresh is a three-day program of shakes, healthy meals, and snacks that serve as a way to jumpstart healthier eating habits, drop a few pounds, detox, and feel better in general. I am getting rid of the junk, and getting back into the groove.

I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park, but I did take some steps to prepare myself for the Refresh to make it less of a blow. I made sure I drank my Shakeology every day this week and I made sure most of my meals comprised of lots of fruits and veggies to acclimate my body to the upcoming increased fiber intake.

Once my kit came in, I put together "Mini 3 Day Refresh Kits" for each day of the Refresh consisting of a Fiber Sweep Packet, a Vanilla Fresh packet, and two tea bags --since I'm either at the office or out and about, it will help to keep what I need on hand while I'm away from home since I can toss this into my purse and go, and plan my meal timing wisely. I also decided to eat the same things for all three days to make it a little easier on myself, so I did all my prep last night.

3 Day Refresh on the go

Here's a rundown of my Day 1. I promise I won't bore you with the details on Days 2 & 3, but instead I'll give a general rundown of how I'm feeling and some general thoughts for the remaining days.

5:45 AM - I drank 10 oz. of water right away, followed by more water, this time hot with lemon. You CAN have coffee during the 3 Day Refresh if you absolutely have to, but it has to be black (yuck). The hot water with lemon was my coffee substitute and it wasn't horrible. I didn't miss the coffee too much. 

6:30 AM - I'm hungry already, which is odd because I usually don't feel any sort of hunger until 8:00 AM at the latest and that's usually when I have my Shakeology for the day.I guess drinking water first thing in the morning really does help get your body moving! I'm supposed to have the Shakeology 1 hour after waking, but I'm usually running around getting myself and Peyton ready for the day, so it looks like I'll have to rearrange my morning routine to fit my Shakeology in before the hunger kicks in. No one likes to start the day hangry.

8:00 AM - I made my Shakeology at home and drank it in the car between school drop-off and getting to work. Chocolate Vegan Shakelogy + 10 oz. water + 1/2 frozen banana. This is my usual go-to, so no big changes there. I just need to remember to drink my Shakeology earlier in the morning for the next two days so I'm not famished at this point.

9:00 AM - slight headache, but I am chugging water to compensate for it. I'm up to about 40 oz. so far--which is almost half of my daily goal on a normal day. I am aiming for a gallon of water (128 oz.) each day of the 3 Day Refresh, so I still have quite a bit of water left to drink. The bathroom and I are good friends today. I wish I had worn my step tracker today, because I am pretty sure I'd get 10,000 steps in just running back and forth to the bathroom to pee (sorry for the TMI, but I did promise the good, the bad, and the ugly!)

9:30 AM - Morning tea break. I'm drinking Tazo Refresh Mint blend, which is decaf, but this particular blend is a nice little pick-me-up. I'm kind of liking the tea break and I can see myself incorporating this into my daily routine. 

11:00 AM - Fiber Sweep. I had read a lot about Fiber Sweep online and the general consensus is that it isn't the most pleasant, and the program guide really reinforces the fact that you have to drink it quickly. I mixed it up and drank it as fast as I could. Surprisingly, it wasn't that bad, and I think it helps that it was only 8 oz. so it went down quickly. Definitely tolerable to only do once a day for three days.

The infamous Fiber Sweep.

12:30 PM: I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited to finally chew something at this point. I had 1/2 apple, green beans tossed with coconut oil and seasoned with red chili flakes, and mixed up a Vanilla Fresh shake. The shake was pretty darn tasty, and it reminded me a lot of cake batter.

1:30: I am up to 85 ounces of water by now. I feel like I am floating.

2:30: Snack time! One serving of veggies (cucumbers), and one serving of healthy fat (2 tbsp. hummus).

4:00 PM - Afternoon tea break! I still have a teeny tiny headache, but nothing unbearable. I thought I'd be hungrier than I am, so that's a nice surprise. 

6:00 PM - I've had an entire gallon of water today, and now it's time for dinner. Another Vanilla Fresh shake, this time blended with cinnamon, one cup of veggie broth seasoned with oregano, basil, and red chili flakes, and steamed coconut veggies. The recipe in the program guide calls for cauliflower and I forgot to pick some up, so I subbed in green beans and it was pretty darn good. 

Don't mind the background clutter, I'm keeping it real over here ;)

Tonight's plans call for some 21 Day Fix Yoga, a warm shower, an at-home mani & pedi, and some quality Netflix time with a side of chamomile tea.

Overall, Day 1 was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I'd say the worst part of all of it was the slightly annoying headache I've had all day, but I guess that is to be expected with no caffeine. I am a tiny bit bloated, but again, I was kind of expecting that. 

Other than that, I'm feeling good and ready to take on Day 2!