Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Medifast. Opinions are my own.

I began my Medifast journey in October and followed it for 3 months. I remained realistic about losing weight for my age (40's) throughout the whole process and learned a whole lot. As I'm typing this and critiquing my before and after photo, my 16 year old came up behind me and said, "Wow, that's a big difference." To me, the most noticeable difference is when I look at my side profile before and afters and it makes me realize that hard work has paid off. Then I started looking at pictures of me from the holidays and for once, I am happy with how I look. Typically when I take a photo, I'd say "Only take it from mid-chest up" because I was embarrassed about my weight (do you do this, too?) But you can tell from the smile on my face that I genuinely felt confident in my own skin. See for yourself:

My brother and I when I visited him in Utah.

An "ugly sweater" that made me look super cute!

My husband and my boys!

My final results were that I lost 6 pounds and 14 inches. I think you can see from the photos that 14 inches lost makes a big difference! I mainly lost it in my bust, waist, hips and butt. I literally pulled my belt so tight that I had to create new holes just to keep my jeans up! Some things I have learned is what Medifast is really like - the food is good, it sets you up for success and it's not as difficult as it seems. I learned that you can absolutely discover new ways to maintain your diet through the holidays, but that if you have a momentary lapse in judgement due to complete temptation, that you can still sometimes cheat on your diet and lose weight. Lastly, I learned that any time of year can be your motivation to lose weight, not just January 1st. I'm really happy with my results over 3 months and to be honest, it's given me the boost I need to keep going. If you jump onboard, I strongly encourage you to take pictures of yourself along the way. You look at yourself every day and may not realize the weight melting away in different places on your body. But slap up a side by side, and just like me, you'll notice that it is all making a difference. Try 30 days of Medifast with 7 Days of Free Meals included in the first month's order with a renewal plan. Offer expires April 30, 2018 or get $15 Off orders of $150+ with promo code SAVINGS15 at checkout! Some exclusions apply. Offer expires April 30, 2018. Leave a comment and tell me how you did! Here's the complete journey: How to Lose Weight at Home What the First Few Weeks on Medifast are Really Like How Medifast Works How to Stick To Your Diet During the Holidays Can You Cheat on Your Diet and Still Lose Weight? 5 Tips to Lose Weight Right Now *Average weight loss for Medifast Direct® customers using Medifast Go™ is 11 pounds. Medifast Direct customers are in weight loss, on average, for 8 weeks. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! beauty blog. Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! Or check out our natural bath and body line!