I was first introduced to Arbonne through my Zumba instructor as a healthy lifestyle option.  And there’s a story behind that.  Of course there is.

I had lost almost 25 pounds over the course of roughly 6 months, simply by not cooking or eating the same ways anymore.  Smaller portion sizes, increased veggies, making (what I thought) better choices.  Then, I had an incredibly stressful 4 months.  And gradually, the weight starting creeping back.  Nothing I did was working.  No matter how hungry I went, no matter how healthily I ate, no matter how much I exercised. 

I started researching sluggish weight loss and learned about gut health, probiotics and digestive enzymes, from several fairly reliable sources.  It made sense.  But I didn’t pull the trigger.  About a month later, I attended the Arbonne presentation, and learned about the product line, as well as the 30 Days to Healthy Living and Beyond program.  The science made sense.  A lot of the same information I had already learned was coming from yet another source.  Seemed to add up.  Seemed legit.  So I decided to take that leap of faith.  I mean, I had spent far more money on far dumber things, I couldn’t use that as a justification to NOT give it a go.

I ordered the kit, and knew I’d be starting upon my return from vacation to Mexico in a few weeks’ time.  My kit arrived about a week later and I found myself so excited.  Decided I’d go ahead and start using some of the products beforehand, to be sure I liked them and to be sure nothing was going to upset my tummy or cause me big problems.  I enjoyed them.  The protein makes yummy shakes, which I happily subbed in for my Dunkin’s breakfast sandwich each morning.  The fizz sticks are a great addition to the water bottle throughout the day.  The detox tea took some getting used to, but I didn’t mind that, either.  OK, I can do this, I thought.

Off to Mexico we went.  Left the products at home–gonna start when I get back, I’ll take a break.  Ate and drank my body weight a million times over.  But felt pretty good.  Got back, 10 days later.  Took a deeeeeep breath and stepped on the scale.  Couldn’t believe my eyes.  I didn’t gain a single pound.  Not one!!  Somehow, that couple of weeks of products helped prepare my body for the ensuing onslaught of mojitos and all the foods.  

So then came THE day.  Day One.  I weighed myself, took my measurements and got to it.  Followed the program to the letter.  Felt fairly good.  Confident I had made the right decision.  Day Two.  Deeeeeeep breath.  Stepped on the scale.  FOUR POUNDS.  In one day???  Wow.  Needless to say, Day Two went even better than Day One and I was ecstatic.  That was a Tuesday, one of my Zumba days.  I remember going into class and telling my instructor, “I feel fantastic…can this really be truly legit, or is it just in my head?"  She was 2 weeks ahead of me, following the same program and she agreed…nope, it’s legit.  Every day that followed was easier and easier and although they tell you not to weigh yourself every day, I did.  And I lost something every single day.  I was amazed.  I was dumbfounded.  

Day Thirty.  Stepped on the scale.  17 1/2 pounds GONE.  Inches everywhere GONE.  Energy levels through the roof.  Sleep quality phenomenal.  Ability to handle stress at an all-time high.  Nothing hurts anymore.  At 49 years old, that’s pretty remarkable.  

And as a result, I decided to not only continue with this healthy lifestyle, I agreed to become part of my Zumba instructor’s team of consultants.  Because I believe in this product line.  Because it’s not just a quick fix with promises that seem too good to be true.  Because I want everyone to feel as great as I do.

To date (12-10-18), I have lost 39 pounds.  And I continue to lose.  And I’m never going back to the way I ate before.  Do I indulge on occasion?  Of course.  Do I indulge for longer periods, like vacations?  You betcha.  But what I’ve found is that 1) I make better choices during those times, making sure it’s really “worth it", 2) I don’t end up gaining a ton of weight or bloat because my body is functioning at it’s highest level of efficiency, and 3) even if I do gain, it doesn’t take me more than a day or two of being back on track to undo any damage.

And so I’ve chosen this as my lifestyle.  A way to strike an even balance that I had obviously been lacking for a long time.  And the information I learned has armed me with the knowledge and ability to make better choices in what I’m putting in my body as well as ways to still eat the things I love, in a healthier version.

http://TaraJackson.arbonne.com/