8 Months Without Soda, Day 36 IsaBody Challenge

When I started this journey 8 months ago, I anticipated a grueling battle. I thought the hardest part of it would be giving up soda. That part proved surprisingly easy, and each change that I made for the better made choosing to give up something new easier. It boosted my confidence, but it didn't produce the results I wanted. I wasn't losing the inches or the weight I expected.

For the first time in my life, I dieted. I stopped putting sugar in my drinks and I started counting calories. It took me six weeks of that before I saw a very small movement on the measuring tape, although nothing was moving on the scale. It was frustrating and defeating.

Thirty-six days ago I said yes to an offer from my little sister to try out a program she'd been using successfully. I wasn't expecting much. The first day, I wanted to pack it back up and send it back to the company she'd bought it from. The shakes they wanted me to take didn't taste "delicious" as advertised. I thought, "If they aren't honest about how this stuff tastes, how can I trust them in any other aspect of their business?"

However, there was the Isabody Challenge. I could potentially win myself $25,000 just for putting myself on their system for 30 days and seeing how it went. I asked myself whether I would be willing to do this on a dare if there was $25,000 involved - and I had to admit that the answer was "YES!" That's when I knuckled down and decided to give it my best. After all, at this point, I didn't have anything - except unwanted weight - to lose.

I've only lost 5 lbs in the 30 days I've been on this program. However, what I've lost even more of than pounds is inches. By my husband's advice, I'm going to reveal before and after pics as well as a inches comparison chart.

	Day 1	Day 35	Inches Lost
Neck	14.25	13.75	0.50
Upper Arm - Left	15.50	14.25	1.25
Upper Arm - Right	15.00	15	0.00
Chest	42.50	39.5	3.00
Diaphragm	38.00	34.5	3.50
Waist	39.50	34.75	4.75
Abdomen 6" Below Waist	46.75	44.5	2.25
Buttocks 9" Below Waist	44.50	42.75	1.75
Upper Thigh - Left	26.50	24.5	2.00
Upper Thigh - Right	26.75	24.75	2.00
Calf - Left	17.50	17	0.50
Calf - Right	17.75	16.75	1.00
Upper Knee - Left	17.50	16.25	1.25
Upper Knee - Right	17.75	16	1.75
Total Inches	379.75	354.25
Total Inches Lost		25.50
Weight	195.00	190
Weight Lost		5.00

After struggling so hard with little to nothing to show for it, I feel so good about my results that I can't help but share it. It's not just that I love the way the numbers are dropping, it's how I feel and how my clothes fit. I'm comfortable in a size large for the first time in several years. 

I still have a sizeable gut, but I have literally been watching it shrink over the last month. My gut depth is at only 2". When I first thought to measure it, it was at 3 1/2". That means I'm not just losing weight - I'm getting healthier, too. Oh! And one more thing - I can now go 70 seconds of planking. It's tough, but I can do it.