Heather Shriver Burns: Beachbody 3 Day Refresh Review: The Good, The Bad, & The Results

I've had the 3 Day Refresh kit sitting in my pantry for about 3 months. I ordered one when I was at a plateau with my postpartum weight loss and super frustrated. Plateaus STINK! I took the kit out at least 10 times, read through the booklet, talked myself into it, and talked myself out of it for one reason or another over the last 3 months.

SIDE NOTE: Since my little guy is breastfed, I had some concerns with doing it and possibly decreasing my milk supply. (That's been a HUGE concern of mine throughout my entire postpartum weight loss journey). I always recommend talking to your doctor before doing any change in your diet or regimen.

Fast forward to Thanksgiving. Let's just say that I didn't make the best choices. I ate WAY more processed foods, sweets, carbs, and yummy deliciousness in 3 days than I have eaten combined in the last 7 months. YUCK! I felt like complete garbage and my insides were yelling at me. I could barely get off the couch and felt so sluggish. WERE YOU FEELING THE SAME?!

So, last minute Sunday night, I decided to bust out the 3 Day Refresh and read it over...again. I did a little more research on breastfeeding mamas using the 3 Day Refresh, talked to a few other coaches that did it while nursing, and of course used my own knowledge about caloric intake for nursing mamas. So, with a few modifications, I decided it was time! Here goes nothing...

Now, let me be FIRST to say, this cleanse is not about a quick fix like ones you see the celebrities doing. The 3 Day Refresh is about cleansing your body of all the garbage you've consumed and starting fresh for healthier eating habits. Another perk is you will lose some weight in the process!

DAY 1
I decided to start on Monday because I felt like that would fit with my schedule the best. Today, I woke up and was anxious to get started! I weighed myself and couldn't believe I had gained about 3lbs from Thanksgiving week. YIKES! I've been working SO hard toward getting back to me pre-baby weight (I've currently lost about 50 of the 57 lbs) and this week certainly did not help which was all the more reason I had to do this 100%.

8:00am - I drank my normal Shakeology meal replacement for breakfast and ate 1/2 banana! YUMMY! I was SUPER excited I could still have my Shakeo since it gives my 70+ nutrients each day and I'm slightly obsessed with it.

10:30 - I drank the Fiber Sweep. I know what fiber does and THIS made me nervous and the smell of it didn't make me excited...but I chugged it as quickly as possible. Surprisingly, it wasn't AS BAD as I had anticipated.

**I AM HAPPY TO REPORT, I HAD NO DISCOMFORT AND NO SURPRISE OR MESSY BATHROOM TRIPS!

12:00 - I drank my first Vanilla Fresh which is actually YUMMY and I enjoy better than Vanilla Shakeology. I also got to eat another 1/2 banana, 1 healthy fat options, and 1 veggie. I chose hummus and broccoli. Who knew broccoli and hummus are delicious together? I sure didn't but it's something I'd eat after this because it was so yummy!

3:00 - Surprisingly, I wasn't hungry at all but I knew it was time to eat. I ate my afternoon snack and had an apple. I REALLY wanted peanut butter with it but I controlled my peanut butter obsession.

6:00 - I drank my 2nd Vanilla Fresh and had my dinner of green beans cooked in coconut oil. Technically, this wasn't the recipe in the booklet but I made an executive decision to be able to use coconut oil. I also had 3 servings of green beans because I wanted the extra calories. There are several recipes you can choose from in the booklet and a couple I would have tried if I had the groceries. That is ONE thing I recommend that I did not do. I did not go shopping specifically for this because I had enough choices that were allowed.

I can honestly say that I wasn't hungry at all after my first day. I did want to hit my hubby when he busted out Trader Joe's Cookie Butter! I refrained and went to bed.

DAY 2
I'm a creature of habit, so I really liked knowing the next 2 days were going to be the exact same as Day 1. I followed the same routine and even ate the exact same foods because I had it available and enjoyed it the day before. The less I have to think about options, the better for me. I will say that I was really thirsty every day. I typically drink a ton of water but I feel like I drank even more water the day before...which means more trips to the bathroom.

I will say, the Fiber Sweep was EXTRA gross today for some reason. It seemed extra thick and actually made me gag. Blah!

I'm sure you're wondering if I had any major effects from the Fiber Sweep. Let me answer that for you...NADA. BUT as an FYI, I have improved my digestion SO much by drinking Shakeology, prior to doing the 3 Day Refresh. (This might be TMI for some of you but I've had a baby and have no pride in this area anymore. We are all human, right?) Shakeology makes you have THE BEST POOS EVER. You feel SO cleaned out and amazing every. single. day.

Today was definitely the toughest for me. I was a little more tired than normal, a tiny cranky, and I wanted to have a sandwich. I added some extra calories today by eating more hummus, broccoli, and green beans than the program called for but I didn't eat any chocolate! WIN.

Day 3: I couldn't wait to have my Shakeology. It is definitely my favorite part about the 3 Day Refresh. Imagine that!?

Today, I stood over the sink for the Fiber Sweep because I was worried I might gag again. I didn't. It was fine today. I made it with really cold water, stirred it really well, and chugged it super fast. DONE! I continued the day like normal...fruit, veggies, Vanilla Fresh, and today I added a spoonful of peanut butter late in the afternoon. YUM! Day 3 was easier than day 2. I was still SUPER thirsty and found myself drinking even more water than the day before.

I felt good but was ready to get back to my regular routine of working out and eating clean prior to my Thanksgiving debacle. I loved that my tummy felt flatter and all of my bloating was gone. I was excited to go to bed so I could weigh myself in the morning and see if I at least lost the 3 lbs I had gained over Thanksgiving.

Day 4: I couldn't WAIT to wake up and weigh myself. I LOST 4.8 lbs! WOWZA! I haven't been able to get lower than 125 since I started my postpartum journey and I FINALLY DID! I also couldn't believe how flat my tummy was. I felt so good and had to take a picture of my tummy because I saw abs!!!

I was really happy with my results considering I am 10 months postpartum this week!

The picture on the left is from Nov 3 and the picture on the right is Dec 4. I really wish I would have taken a before picture right before the 3 Day Refresh but I had no idea I was going to see these results AND I actually weighed about 126 in the picture on the left and weighed 128.2 when I started the 3 Day Refresh. So, I was 1-2 lbs heavier when I started this 3 days ago. I'll be sure to take pictures next time!

SUMMARY: Overall, I thought the 3 Day Refresh was easy and I'm thrilled with my results! I mean, you get to eat on it. So many cleanses you starve yourself (I've done The Master Cleanse for 13 days before...that's for another post or maybe a happy hour conversation...). I highly recommend it and will be doing it again the first week of January to re-set my system right after Christmas and the New Year. I don't feel hungry or like I have any major cravings and think it did exactly what I wanted it to do. I'm ready to start fresh for the month of December and end 2014 with a bang!