23 inches gone from my body!

For the three-month benchmark this week, Jackie decided we should assess how far I’ve come since day 1, and the results were pretty astonishing. For once, the numbers were actually on my side.

As you’ll recall from Monday, I lost 42 pounds. That’s a 4-year-old, to help put the number into perspective.

Today, we took my measurements. When I started this in January, Jackie measured my chest, waist, abs, hips, thigh and bicep. As of today, I’m down 23.25 inches overall. I’ve shrunk 2 feet!

The funny part is where most of the inches came from. My chest? Down about 5 inches. (Greeeat.) My waist? Another 5. Abs? A whopping 8.5 inches!

Remember a few weeks ago when I wrote about how my booty is always the last to come around? That I always lose from my mid-section first and the ol’ derriere hangs onto the chub as long as possible before finally giving in?

Well, I definitely know my body. Listen to these numbers in comparison to the big’ns above. Hips: 2.75 inches. Thigh: 2 inches. Bicep: a measly 1 inch. (Ho-hum.)

Jackie says we’ve been strength-training my thighs and arms so vigorously that the lack of inches lost has to do with muscle gain. I’m more cynical. I think my body is as stubborn as a Minnesota winter, and it enjoys toying with my emotions.

Regardless, I can’t complain too much about what I’ve achieved. My plateau seems to have finally broken, and judging by my week’s progress so far, I’m on track to lose another 5 pounds by Monday. That would put the total at 47 pounds lost, which means by the following Monday, I’ll have surpassed the 50-pound benchmark.

Amazing what a person can do for their health in fewer than four months, isn’t it?