The Body Transformation Challenge: What I Learned the Hard Way

It was April of 2024.

By that point, I had already lost 30 pounds and honestly felt like I had already been through a major transformation. I was feeling stronger, more confident, and more at home in my body than I had in years. So when my trainer, Isaac, called me and told me about a Body Transformation Challenge happening at another gym where he worked—and then told me he thought I’d be the perfect candidate—I was skeptical.

I told him flat out: “I’ve already had my body transformation. I’m not the right client for this.”

But Isaac insisted.

And here’s what I’ve learned over the past 2.5 years: when it comes to knowing what’s best for my strength training and my body, Isaac always knows best. So eventually, I said yes.

Next thing I knew, I was standing in a different gym being weighed, measured, having my BMI calculated, and getting progress photos taken.

Here we go.

Now, if you know me at all, you know this: I’m competitive. Very competitive. And once I committed, I didn’t just want to participate—I wanted to win. Not just for myself, but for my trainer. I wanted to make him proud.

During the six-week challenge, I went all in.

I increased my strength training with Isaac from 2 days a week to 3. I kept up my group classes twice a week. And almost every night after dinner, I headed out to get 10,000 additional steps.

I also gave up alcohol completely during the challenge.

And here’s where I’ll be honest—really honest.

I cut my calories way too low.

At the time, I thought that was what I needed to do to win. Looking back now, with what I know about nutrition, macros, and muscle building, I’m confident that I either lost muscle or failed to gain muscle during that time because I simply wasn’t eating enough. Especially protein.

The challenge lasted six weeks, and by the end, I had lost almost 17 pounds.

Yes—I won the challenge (women’s division).

And no—I didn’t go about it in a way that was 100% healthy.

So would I do it again?

Damn right I would.

But I would do it differently.

Given what I know now, I would never let my calories drop that low, and I would make protein non-negotiable. At the very least, I’d ensure I was getting 100 grams of protein every single day to support muscle, recovery, and long-term strength.

That challenge taught me something important: weight loss and body transformation are not the same thing. True transformation is about building muscle, fueling your body properly, and playing the long game—not just chasing a number on the scale.

Winning felt great.

But the lessons I took away? Those were even better.

Mytrainer, Isaac and me, after I won The Body Transformation Challenge.