Day 24 Ya'll!! Woop woop!! WE MADE IT! I apologize for leaving you hanging for SOOOO long, and for skipping a few days there at the end, but as you can imagine, LIFE got it the way of (blogging) progress. Nevertheless, the results are in and I have to say that I am VERY pleased!
Although I'm a bit reluctant to share these images with you, I want to post them as motivation for myself. I want to remember that even though the progress may be slow, it is in fact, still progress, and bit by bit I will remove the fat that I've slowly put on over the years.
Here are my before and after photos. I really tried to use similar posture and angle so that it wouldn't seem as though I'd used fancy camera tricks to emphasize progress. Honestly, I've got a lot left to do, and the pictures really don't do it justice. All I can say is how AMAZING it feels to be able to pull my size 14 jeans off without unbuttoning them, and to have some of my favorite t-shirts feel baggy.
Another result I've noticed is my strength and muscle tone. I've been going to my Crossfit classes 3 times a week, and my progress there has really increased during the challenge. I used to be so sore after classes that I'd barely want to get up and go the next morning. The Catalyst worked really well in repairing my muscles after workouts, and giving me the extra energy I needed during class. Catalyst is actually an add on product for the Challenge, but I can't imagine my workouts without it anymore.
One unexpected result was the elimination of my (almost) daily heartburn! I used to eat so may Tums in a week that the inside of my stomach probably looked like the end of one of those Color Me Rad 5ks! I love spicy food, but I certainly wasn't eating it every day, so I never understood why I was in constant discomfort. Then I started reading around, and realized that it isn't ONLY spicy food that causes heartburn. Gluten, alcohol, and dairy can all contribute to acid reflux! WHAT??? You mean three of the five things we cut out for the challenge contribute to heartburn?!?! Now, I'm certainly not going to permanently cut out these things, because, well, you know. However, it will be much easier to limit these items after realizing how good I feel without them in my system.
I really can't speak highly enough about this experience. I'm so happy that I finally found something that works for me and that is actually easy to do and maintain! I know that my journey is no where near over, but I'm finally feeling very confident that I can meet my wellness goals. Make sure and stay tuned, because this may have been my first challenge, but it certainly won't be my last.
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