Wednesday, June 13, 2012

What is The Ultimate Reset?


Many of you may be aware that the company that brought you such great workout programs (that I love) like TurboFire, P90X and Insanity has released a new 21 day program called the Ultimate Reset. I have received a couple of inquiries as to what is the difference between this program and an Isagenix program. And although I am the biggest fan of Isagenix, I will do my best to keep this totally objective. Here is what I've discovered.

Cost
I have been watching my friends who have done and yes, they sure did lose some weight and inches (just like with Isagenix) however they did it at a great expense. The program itself has a starting price of $229.95. That comes down to $10.95 per day. Not too bad, right? What do you get for that price?

  • a guidebook (cool)
  • a supplement caddy (kind of like a purse for your supplements... ok)
  • 2 DVDs - 1 explaining the program, 1 showing you how to cook the reset meals (alright that works)
  • a Reset bracelet (whoa! cool right?)
  • And the key... 6 different supplements - some liquid, some powders.
That sounds great and all however... lets look at the other cost of this program. The following picture was posted by a friend of mine on Facebook after her shopping trip for week 1. Keep in mind, for this Reset you want to use organic foods because the point is to help remove toxins - not add more. At our health-food store, this buggy-full would easily run me over $200. That comes to $28.57 per day for groceries + the 10.95 of daily supplements = $39.52 per day for week 1 of the Ultimate Reset.
Lawren's Shopping trip for Week 1 of the Ultimate Reset

So let's talk about week 2. The picture below was posted by another friend for her second week's groceries.  I don't know about you but my fridge won't hold all that stuff... and it's for one person. Again, we're looking at a potential shopping trip costing anywhere from $125-$175. Let's assume the lesser value of $125. That comes to $17.86 in groceries daily + the $10.95 in supplements = $28.81 per day for week 2.
Mandy's shopping trip for Week 2 of the Ultimate Reset

I have yet to see anyone post pictures of their third week of grocery shopping. I wonder if the expense got to be too much? Let's assume another $125. So for 21 days the cost of this program looks like this-

Week 1 groceries     ~$200.00
Week 2 groceries     ~$125.00
Week 3 groceries     ~$125.00
Total grocery cost  ~ $500.00 (or $23.81 per day)
Program cost              $229.95  (replaces no meals, $10.95 per day)
Complete program   $729.95 (or $34.76 per day)

So what about an Isagenix cleansing program? The most popular program is the 30 Day Cleansing and Fat Burning program. The retail on this program is $382 ($12.73/day)

What do you get in this pack?
  • 4 canisters of  IsaLean Shake meal replacements (replaces 56 meals)
  • 2 containers of Cleanse for Life (replaces 12 meals)
  • 1 container of Ionix Supreme minerals
  • 1 bottle Natural Accelerator capsules
  • 1 bottle of IsaFlush capsules
  • 1 bottle of Isagenix Snacks! wafers
  • 4 sticks of Want More Energy electrolyte drink mix
  • Pack Guide with CD
What do you NOT get in this pack? Groceries for 26 meals between 400-600 calories and light snacks (apples, celery almonds). When I first started this program in February 2010, I did not take pictures of my shopping trips but my grocery bill ran only near $250 for the whole 30 days. So let's break this down---
$12.73 daily + $6.67 for groceries daily = $19.40 per day for the whole system including groceries. And that is at a retail price. 

Most people using Isagenix DON'T PAY RETAIL. It's like Costo, for an annual fee you can get a wholesale membership and purchase all Isagenix products at a discount. If you want to get the products automatically shipped to you home you get even more discount. Here are some more numbers.

30 Day Cleansing and Fat-Burning Program Breakdown:
RETAIL@ $382 = $12.73 daily + $6.67 for groceries daily = $19.40 daily 
*WHOLESALE@ $307 = $10.23 daily + $6.67 for groceries daily = $16.90 daily 
**REWARDS PRICING@ $268 =$8.93 daily + $6.67 for groceries daily = $15.60 daily 

*Wholesale membership cost: $39 annual, no monthly fees
**Rewards membership cost: $29 annual, no monthly fees

But doesn't Beachbody offer discounts as well? Yes, they do. Similar to Isagenix you can receive a discounted rate for being a Team BeachBody member as well as a better rate for signing up as a coach. So here is how it breaks down again but this time with the discounts. We'll assume the standard Coach discount is still 40% (which is was when I was a BB Coach).

Ultimate Reset Breakdown
RETAIL@$229.95 = $10.95 daily supplements + $23.81 daily groceries = $34.76 daily 
*TEAM MEMBER@$206.96 = $9.86 daily supplements + $23.81 daily groceries = $33.67 daily 
**COACH Pricing@$137.97 = $6.57 daily supplements + $23.81 daily groceries = $30.38 daily 

Too bad grocery stores won't give a discount on food for you being a coach since that is where the bulk of your expenses come from.


*Team membership cost: $2.99 per week 
**Coach membership cost: $40 annual, $14.95 monthly fees


Time
This is a biggie for me. Being a teacher, wife, and (soon-to-be) mom I don't have lots of time on my hands. I'm sure most women would agree. Part of the reason I chose Isagenix was because of the ease and convenience of the program. Two times daily I mix up a shake (8oz of water, ice if I want it and 2 scoops of shake). I put it all in my Magic Bullet, blend for 5-10 seconds and I'm done. Simple. I only have to worry about 1 meal a day and those were mostly salad based meals that I prepared at night for the following day's lunch. Throw some lettuce and veggies in a storage container with some grilled chicken or drained tuna, grab some dressing on the way out the door in the morning and BOOM. Done. Snacks between meals? Why yes! Grab an apple, some carrot or celery sticks or some almonds. Easy. 

Just looking at the pictures of the grocery trips my friends have taken and some of the meals they have made while on the Ultimate Reset tells me that you will have to invest your time into cooking these meals everyday. If there is one thing I've learned, it's that busy people don't have lots of time to invest (although it might be totally worth it to cook every meal everyday) it's just not feasible.

Workouts
I love to workout. I love to sweat because I feel so good afterwards. The Ultimate Reset guides tells you NOT to workout for those 21 days since your body is working to remove the junk. I don't like this at all. 

The Isagenix program guide encourages you to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily with the exception of full cleansing days. In particular, cardio exercises cause the blood to circulate through your body at a more rapid rate therefore actually speeding up the removal of toxins as it passes through your liver and kidneys. Why not use that to your advantage?

Results
So the burning question - is there a difference between the results with The Ultimate Reset and the Isagenix 30 Day program? Doing a simple Google image search of "The Ultimate Reset results" led me to a lot of before and after pictures. From what I could see, the average weight lost by participants was approximately 15 lbs in 21 days. That's not too shabby if I do say so myself. Their success stories can be found here.

This quote from the Isagenix 30 Day informational website, "An unpublished 2008 university study showed a statistically significant weight loss of seven pounds during the first nine days of the Cleansing and Fat Burning System." I have recently been coaching a new cleanser on the Isagenix 9 Day program and she personally released 6.5lbs and 11.25 inches in the first 4 days. To see more Isagenix results you can visit this page.

Other comments:
This is what the Ultimate Reset website reads, " The BeachBody Ultimate Reset is NOT your typical cleanse. No starvation diets. No harsh laxatives. No running back and forth to the bathroom all day long. The Beachbody Ultimate Reset doesn't punish or deprive your body—it feeds your body with all the nutrients you've been craving.

I have this question - If this IS indeed a cleanse, HOW is it cleansing the body? There are two primary means by which the body removes toxins - through the kidneys and urinary tract and the colon. So if you REALLY are cleansing shouldn't it be expected that you may visit the mens or ladies room a little more frequently? If you aren't then I question whether or not this is actually a cleanse or just a means to drop weight through eating better. Anyone can quit eating fast and junk food and switch to raw foods and veggies and lose weight. By no means am I saying that Beachbody is covering up a healthy diet plan by means of calling it a cleanse. I just want to know HOW it is promoting the body to cleanse and through what means?


Final Summary
Just based on the figures, the financial and time cost of the Ultimate Reset is just too much for the average American living on a budget. While I still absolutely LOVE the Beachbody workouts I have to say that is probably the one thing they really got right. The Ultimate Reset just doesn't cut it for me (or my checkbook). The results are similar however is you break down the price per pound lost... I am still convinced that Isagenix is a better buy.

If you are considering doing a cleanse program, please consider Isagenix. You can find out more in this short video, "Are You Toxic?" 



There are other Isagenix programs available in addition to the 30 Day Cleansing and Fat-Burning program and I would be glad to help you find what will fit your lifestyle and your budget. Please contact the independent associate who may have referred you to this site. If you do not have one, please feel free to contact me to get started on your health transformation.

To read my personal Isagenix story, please view this blog entry from May 2012.








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