Review - Usana Reset

Its been a while since i wrote here, but I thought this would be the best place to host my review.

What is the Usana Reset?  according to their website:

Reset is a 5 day Jumpstart that is a nutritionally balanced, low-calorie system to help you kick carbohydrate cravings and lose the first few pounds and find the motivation to keep working toward your total weigh-loss goal.   Reset helps people jumpstart healthy eating habits and begin to make a clean break from unhealthy, high-glycemic foods.

Reset is meant to be followed up by a 2 month program that tapers off of their food product and into a Low GI diet.   

This review is specifically about the 5 day reset.  Here is how the week shapes up:

You can buy the products online but they recommend you buy the actual reset package that includes a DVD and other extra's.

I have a close contact who sells Usana and they just bought me the items I needed to complete the days.

Lets take a look at the different things my week was made up of:

Three of these a day...yum yum

To make sure you have enough nutrition, you take supplements twice a day

I chose to buy 5 pieces of fruit and 5 servings of veggies and then cut it up so i had an assortment all 5 days

I am not a fan of strawberry and vanilla flavours so i did Chocolate all 5 days, three shakes a day

The best way to do the snacks is to either customize your reset box or share with a friend so you get some of each

If you are really hungry you can use the Fibre to extend the staying power.    Most of my shakes had this.

If you are starving its says you can add another veggie or you can have a low GI meal.    I did have a hard boiled egg half of the nights which is ultra low GI and filling enough.

This was my saviour....just the ability to have a real food other than the fruit and veggies

 I wanted to do the reset because I noticed that i was "treating" myself with sweets WAY to often and that i was eating a lot of processed foods and doing so mindlessly.   Its so easy to fall into bad habits and not even notice.   I was looking forward to seeing if this actually broke the craving.

So lets break it down....

Day 1 - The shake was grainy and by the time 3pm rolled around i was unable to stay awake.   I actually nodded off at my desk.    When i got home i was exhausted and was fast asleep by 8:00pm.   The supplements are stinky and make my pee NEON yellow....i mean like i ate a highlighter. hahaha.

Day 2 - Added more ice to the shake in the blender, not totally enjoying the one at lunch with no ice.  Again so exhausted i fell asleep twice.   Woke up with a low grade headache and was gumpy as heck.

Day 3 - I think i got this iced shake thing down.   I use the bullet blender and fill the large cup up to the second line (approx 1 1/2 cups of water) and blend.    if you put the powder then the water it doesn't mix as well.   Still not enjoying the lunch shake,  Less tired today but still hungry at night.   I don't think its habit, my tummy is rumbling so i ate a hard boiled egg.   Headache seems to have passed by this evening.

Day 4 - Do you have any idea how many tv commercials are for food?   i would have knocked over a toddler to steal a steak.  Actually feeling pretty good but getting a bit sick of the shakes.   Finding that i am not having my normal cravings.   Don't want pop or bread or candy....really really really want meat!   Having a hard time swallowing the stinky supplements but they go down and stay down.

Day 5 - I made the perfect shake for breakfast, of course i did....its the last day!   Full energy but still not consuming enough food to keep off the hungries.   Not needing much more but maybe i am just burning to many calories during the day?   Went shopping to pick up some groceries for the next few days and was starving, which is always a bad time to shop.  but i walked down the candy aisle and didn't want anything, no pop, or chips or crackers.   What i wanted was veggies and some meat!!!   I picked up a few nice steaks and some chicken!

Pros:

• Dropped 5 pounds in a week
• Not craving sugar at all
• Feel confident about starting a reduced calorie "diet"
• Got really excited about some veggie recipes
• REALLY liked the protein bars - all three are yummy, peanut is AMAZING!
• I appear to be sleeping better.

Cons:

• My pee was NEON YELLOW
• The supplements smell bad
• The shake without ice is grainy
• Even with the egg its just over 1300 calories per day - hard if you are doing physical activity
• Made me tired.
• Kind of expensive....but that being said i would likely have spent as much or more if i bought food and vitamins for a week.

Conclusion:

I would actually recommend this reset.   Though it was hard to start, It was a good way for me to become conscious and intentional about what i want to put in my body.  The 5 pounds lost is lovely but likely water weight.

I think if you have the money to do this, you should do the next two phases.  The transform phase you do two shakes a day and lasts 28 days.   The Maintain phase is another 28 days with only 1 shake.   Your meal choices need to be Low GI, and you can find a TON of amazing recipes online.

My advice is to Blend the shakes with ice and make a slurpee out of it it was actually really yummy when you get it right!

Whats next?

I am not dieting, I want to make life change and i want to eat healthy.  I am trying to stick to nice lean protein and fresh veggies and much less carbs/starch.   Trying to make the right choices.  

• I will not beat myself up for eating something i want
• I will be kind to myself
• Each day i will tell myself three things i like about me that day
• I will eat less and move more
• I won't give a number on a scale power over me

thanks for reading....let me know if you want to try the reset...I can hook you up!

T