I’ve fallen into very bad eating habits lately – Uber Eats almost every night, at least 3 cups of coffee a day, lots of candy to keep me going etc. etc. I felt like I needed some kind of intervention. So when I read some  of the Beachbody Ultimate Reset reviews, I decided to give it a try. Read on for my honest Ultimate Reset review.

Note: I’m in no way affiliated with Beachbody On Demand. I’m not a Beachbody coach.

Lose weight, lower your cholesterol, have more energy, or take your workouts to the next level. Promises to flush your body of toxins and improve digestion.

What is Beachbody’s Ultimate Reset?

Ultimate Reset is a detox program that last for 21 days. It promises to eliminate toxins from your diet, clean up your system, relax the nervous system and provide antioxidant support for the immune system. Note that Beachbody has a disclaimer on the website that says that these statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and that Ultimate Reset “is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease”. So I’d take Beachbody’s claims with a healthy does of scepticism.

The program includes:

• the 21 Day Reset meal plan
• 6 types of supplements (Power Greens, Optimize, Soothe, Mineralize, Detox and Revitalize) that have to be taken at certain times of the day. Just a word of warning – the Power Greens supplement (which contains kale, spirulina, cucumber, celery, spinach, and chlorella) tastes vile!  I never got use to that disgusting taste.

The program is broken up into 3 phrases:

1. the Reclaim phase where you gradually remove certain foods such as meat and eggs from your diet (this is the easiest stage!).
2. the Release phase where you transition to a fully vegan diet.
3. the Restore phase where you mostly eat fruits and vegetables.
   

You can watch a Beachbody introductory video here:

What is the meal plan like?

The meal plan focuses on clean eating and the meals are meat and egg free (after week 1). It is deficient calorie diet so if you follow it carefully, you should lose weight, even without exercise.

You can get a feel for the meals by checking out the Beachbody’s Ultimate Reset meal plan blog.

What’s the cost?

The Ultimate Reset Complete Kit cost US $199.95 plus shipping.  On top of this, you need to buy all your food for the 3 weeks plus Shakeology (if you want to use it).

What are the benefits of Ultimate Reset?

Well, according to the Beachbody website, Ultimate Reset can:

• help your body’s detoxification process
• help you lose weight safely
• help improve energy
• help improve key measures of good health; and
• help support regularity.

However like I said above, these claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

Who is Ultimate Reset best suited to?

I feel like the program would be great for anyone stuck in a rut with their current eating/ lifestyle and who want to be told exactly what to do to get back on track.

It would also be good for people who want to drop a bit of weight quickly. Although Beachbody claims it is not a weight loss program, the eating program is so restrictive that I’d be surprised if you failed to lose weight if you followed the program carefully. I feel that the program is designed for fast weight loss rather than sustainable weight loss however. So it would be perfect if you had a special event coming up like a wedding and wanted to lose a bit of weight beforehand (but weren’t overly concerned about the weight creeping back on later on).

Also if you want to lose weight but hate exercising, this might be the program for you as only gently exercise (like walking and yoga) is permitted.

Who is Ultimate Reset not suitable for?

I’m not a doctor, but presumably such a restrictive eating plan is not suitable for everyone. I’d be very wary of doing it if I was pregnant for example or had any other health issues.

Cons of the Ultimate Reset

It’s time consuming!

Part of the reason I had fallen into such bad eating habits is that I am time poor.  I also don’t have much bandwidth to plan meals in advance. But with 21 Day Reset you definitely do need to plan ahead. You need to think about what you are going to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus snacks and shop in advance for all the ingredients. If you want to get a feel for just how many ingredients you need to get, see Beachbody’s shopping list here. I got to admit that there were a couple of days where I had to cheat when I was at work and didn’t have time to pack my lunch. I just tried to pick the healthiest option on the menu.

Also, if you like eating out you obviously aren’t going to be able to do that on the program.

I also cheated a bit to save time.  The meal plan has a different set of meals for each day, with different ingredients. I ended up just picking a couple of recipes I liked for the week and repeating them each day for lunch and dinner.

Another issue I had with the Reset is that you have to take the supplements 30 minutes before eating. So you really do need to plan when you are going to have your meals. If you have a busy job/ life, it can be difficult to follow this closely.  I’ve read that other people set alarms to remind them when to take the supplements. I didn’t do this but it does show you the amount of planning you need to do if you want to follow the Reset perfectly. Overall I did however like the supplements – just not taking them! It might have just been the placebo effect but I felt like they definitely made a difference to how great I felt after a few weeks of doing the Reset.

It’s not cheap!

Not only do you need to pay for the Ultimate Reset, plus Shakeology if you are into that, you also need to buy all the ingredients. And healthy ingredients aren’t cheap.  I managed to save a bit of money by just picking a couple of recipes each week and repeating them. That way I was able to batch cook them but if you were following the meal plan properly, you’d definitely notice an increase in your grocery bills.

But on the other hand, I think the cost may have made me more motivated to stick with the Reset. I wanted to see it through because I had paid $200 plus for it.

No caffeine

I really, really struggled without caffeine. Grabbing a cup of coffee on the way to work is part of my morning ritual. I also have a major diet coke addiction. It was very hard for at least the first week to do without it.

I’m not much of a drinker so not being allowed alcohol was no big deal for me. But if alcohol is your poison, the Ultimate Reset will be an extra challenge.

No meat

If you are a meat lover, you need to be aware that meat is banned on the program (except for a little bit in the first week).

The dreaded Shakeology is part of Ultimate Reset.

You are allowed to substitute some of the meals/ snacks with Beachbody’s vegan Shakeology. You need to purchase Shakeology separately – Shakeology is not included as part of the $200 outlay.  I’m not a fan of Shakeology – you can read my thoughts on why I don’t like it in my Beachbody on Demand Review.

You need to drink a lot of water

Before doing the reset, I didn’t drink much water. I pretty much only drank it after a workout when I was very thirsty. But this program has you drinking heaps of water – well mineralized water to be exact which is distilled water mixed with Himalayan pink salt.

It’s really hard if you have a family to feed

If you’re family aren’t doing the Reset with you, it’s super hard to serve up tasty food for them while you’re eating bland, boring food.

Beachbody don’t recommend that you exercise during program

Actually you can do some gentle exercise, like yoga and walking but I need to do some cardio to get the endorphins flowing.  21 days was a long time to go without doing much more than a walk around the block. However for people who want to lose weight without exercising, the Reset might be just what you are looking for.

My tips for getting success on Ultimate Reset

Tip 1 – ditch the caffeine a few weeks before doing the Ultimate Reset. I had migraines – presumably from caffeine withdrawal for the first few days of doing the program. I honestly felt like quitting before the first week was over. It is hard enough to adjust to the restrictive diet without feeling like crap while doing it. In fact Beachbody recommends doing a ‘coffee fade’  a couple of weeks before doing the Reset so that you gradually reduce your caffeine rather than just going cold turkey on day 1 of the Reset.

Tip 2– cut out soda and alcohol and start increasing your water intake before you start the Reset.

Tip 3– meal prep in advance if you can even if is a total pain. It is so much easier to stay on track when you know your lunch or dinner is already prepared. I’d also recommend getting some plastic takeout containers to put all your meals in so you can sure you are getting the right portions each meal. I got these meal prep containers from Amazon which were pretty cheap.

Tip 4-There is a lot of chopping of vegetables and fruit etc. If you find you love a particular recipe, make double so that you have leftovers for the next day. If you are really time poor (or a picky eater), I recommend just choosing one or two of the options for breakfast, lunch and dinner in each phase and repeating it over and over again, even if this means you are not strictly following the program. You might also want to get a vegetable dicer to make all the meal prep a bit easier.

Tip 5– Before starting the Ultimate Reset, look at your calendar and make sure you don’t have any fun events (such as birthday parties) coming up that might derail you. I’d also recommend not doing the program if you  know it is going to be a busy time at work.

Tip 6 – Get rid of all the unhealthy snacks in your house before starting the program. This can be hard if you have kids or a partner who likes junk  food.

Tip 7– If you can convince your partner or a friend to do the Ultimate Reset with you, it will probably go a lot smoother. For about $350, you can get a Dual Kit which has everything you need for 2 people to do the Reset. If you can’t convince anyone to do it with you, I’d recommend joining a free Facebook group for people also doing the program. I’ve never used a Beachbody coach but presumably they would have resources to keep you motivated if that is what you wanted.

Tip 8– If you can’t convince your family members to do the Reset with you and you still need to cook for them, consider making their meals ahead and then freezing them.

Ultimate Reset FAQs 

Can I drink coffee during the Ultimate Reset?

No, you can’t drink coffee on the program. Which means I had to also ditch my beloved diet coke too.

Can I drink alcohol during the Ultimate Reset?

No, you can’t drink any alcohol.

Can I drink Shakeology during the Ultimate Reset?

Yes you can drink the vegan Shakeology for either breakfast or for your snack.  Note that Shakeology costs extra. It is not included in the Reset kit. I didn’t use Shakeology because I didn’t want the extra expense but I can appreciate it may have been helpful to have Shakeology for the times I was just too busy to think about food.

I didn’t feel hungry at all, especially during week 1 when you can eat some meat and dairy. My main problem was eating food I didn’t feel like eating. But I felt this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It got me out of the mindset that eating should be pleasurable all the time, rather than just being for sustenance.

What is the calorie count for each week of the Ultimate Reset?

Beachbody don’t actually tell you the calorie count. Somebody in the Facebook Ultimate Reset group tracked the calories on myfitnesspal as follows:

Week 1 – avg 1200-1300 cals per day (depending on whether you have the snacks)

Week 2 – avg 1050- 1150 cals per day

Week 3 – avg 900-1000 cals per day.

Can I workout during the Ultimate Reset?

Not really – the Ultimate Reset only allows for gentle exercise – like walking, easy stretching and yoga.

What’s the difference between 21 Day Reset and 21 Day Fix?

21-Day-Fix is a dual program of workouts coupled with a restricted eating plan called Ultimate Portion Fix. 21 Day Fix is focused on weight loss. It also aims to correct unhealthy eating habits by educating people about portion control by using color coded containers to measure your food into. To find out more, read my 21 Day Fix Review.  Sugar, caffeine and alcohol is permitted on 21 Day Fix.

The 21 Day Reset is more focused on cleansing and detoxifying the body rather than weight loss and exercise.

What is the difference between Ultimate Reset and 3 Day Refresh?

The 3 Day Refresh is similar to the Ultimate Reset – the main difference is that it only lasts for 3 days. It is also significantly cheaper at $69.95.

Are there any side effects from doing the Ultimate Reset?

According to the Beachbody website, the negative side effects you may experience while doing the Ultimate Reset include:

• physical weakness
• body aches
• digestion changes
• sleep irregularity
• menstruation changes
• possible slight dip in lean body mass because you can’t do vigorous exercise
• water retention
• emotional ups and downs.

The only negative side effect I experienced while doing the Ultimate Reset was a headache, presumably from caffeine withdrawal.

So is Beachbody Ultimate Reset worth it?

I’m glad I did the Ultimate Reset – mainly to prove to myself that I could get through it. And while I did lose some weight and my skin definitely improved, I highly doubt I would do it again. Not only in the program expensive, it is just too restrictive for me. It was also challenging to have to think about the program all the time.

If you are looking for a detox, I’d recommend just eating a clean diet with whole foods, although if you want to be told exactly what to do with everything you need delivered to your door, Ultimate Reset might be right for you.

If weight loss is what you are after, I’m pretty sure you will achieve results on  Ultimate Rest but I’m sceptical that you will be able to keep it off long term.

Court Williams

Courtney has a passion for all things fitness on a budget. She loves home workouts and trying out different fitness gear.