An Overview of the Body Reset

All right, so let’s get down to it. First off, as I’ve already mentioned, throughout these initial 15 days, you’ll get into the habit of eating five times daily to maximize the efficiency of your metabolism. Five categories of ingredients, 5 minutes of prep time, five meals daily—that’s my highly successful formula.

On the Body Reset, I’ve even further simplified both the categories of ingredients and the time it takes to make a meal out of them. With the help of a blender, you can make a whole meal in 2 minutes flat, including all prep time. I promise you, there is NO easier way to make amazingly delicious and good-for-you meals, to enjoy either at home or on the go.

Whether you’re having a smoothie, a solid meal, or a snack, you will always be eating five times a day, at intervals timed to keep your blood sugar stable and your metabolism at its most efficient.

The Three Phases

The Body Reset Diet is broken up into three distinct 5-day phases lasting a total of 15 days. You’ll be alternating nutritious, delicious, and filling smoothies with a number of snacks and meals, all of which you can toss together in 5 minutes max.

Harley’s Reset Template

You’ll:

•  Eat five times a day to rev up your metabolism.

•  Follow specific nutritional criteria for each meal.

•  Build each meal around the same categories of ingredients.

•  Prepare each meal in five minutes or less.

After you complete the 15-day kick-start, you will follow a much looser long-term version of this plan. By this point, you’ll have learned the benefits of

•  Eating five times a day

•  Moving consistently from morning till night

•  Preparing your own meals

You will also be looking and feeling so good that you’ll be motivated to continue this plan on your own. But for the first 15 days, I’m going to hold your hand and tell you exactly what you have to do and why you need to do it.

PHASE I

Diet: In Phase I, between Days 1 and 5, you’ll be drinking three smoothies a day and eating two snacks. This period will be the greatest adjustment for your body and brain, but don’t worry, this is the reset portion of the Body Reset. The meals are high volume, which means that you’ll feel like you are eating a lot of food throughout the entire plan.

Movement: During these first few days, you’ll give up your spin class or boot camp and simply walk—a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, a very achievable goal you can track with the help of a pedometer, a tiny device that counts the number of steps you take a day. (Trust me—it will become your favorite new toy! See page 104 for tips on picking out the perfect pedometer.)

PHASE II

Diet: By Phase II, between Days 6 and 10, you’ll still be eating five times a day, providing your body with a steady supply of fuel, but now you’ll be drinking only two smoothies and having one solid—nonblended, but still healthy, delicious, and extremely easy to prepare—meal a day, plus your usual choice of snacks between the meals.

Movement: In addition to continuing to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day, you’ll begin a super-simple 5-minute at-home fitness routine 3 days a week to tone your changing body. These exercises will be extremely easy to do and require no equipment, and I’ll offer a variety of modifications to suit different fitness levels.

PHASE III

Diet: In Phase III, you’ll have just one smoothie a day, plus two meals and two snacks.

Movement: Continue to walk throughout your day until you’ve logged 10,000 steps. Your strengthening routine will be a slightly extended version of the super-simple resistance exercises I introduced you to in Phase II. In addition to keeping up your regular walking, you’ll be alternating between two 5-minute circuits of resistance training 5 days a week. You can do these simple exercises in any room in your house, and with little to no equipment.

THE REST OF YOUR LIFE

Diet: You’ll still be eating five times a day, but in combinations that you design yourself. You’ll have one smoothie a day, two snacks, and two solid meals. And twice a week, you can enjoy “free meals,” when you hit the town (or fridge) and eat whatever you want.

Movement: Keep up with the 10,000 steps a day! This I want you to do 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for the rest of your life. This simple modification to your daily habits will transform you from a couch potato to a fit, energetic person—and all you have to do is walk. Five days a week, you’ll be doing a slightly increased version of your A and B resistance-training circuits for a total of 10 minutes a day, or less than an hour a week (i.e., less time than you used to spend on a single punitive exercise video).

So there’s your cheat sheet—sound pretty simple and straightforward? Trust me, it is.

“When I was at my heaviest, I thought that I was as comfortable as possible because I gave into every bad craving and let myself rest and relax whenever I wanted to. ‘I deserve it,’ I told myself. Adjusting to exercise and clean eating was a challenge at first, but as I embraced the uncomfortable and the weight fell off, I felt more alive than I ever have in my whole life. My eyes brightened, my skin got clearer, I slept better, I had enough energy to bounce off the walls, and I had a better sense of structure and discipline to be more productive. I feel healthy now and it’s the sexiest, most comfortable feeling ever! And I deserve it!”

—Cherie Nicole, lost 9 pounds in 15 days