Transformation Gallery

[smasty]

When you finish a challenge, here's the place to have a permanent record of your results. As Bellibean put it:

Put your transformations here! Share your hard work with us. You've earned a place in the light, so bring them in! Pay it forward and inspire someone to find their way to a healthier life.

[smasty]

Here's Holly's C2 result posted 3/27/02:

Challenge results from C2:
Well, I'm going to enjoy my week long break! whew! I need a rest.
I'm looking forward to starting my C3. I will be doing 6 weeks of the Body Sculpting Bible Advanced program, and then 6 weeks of either BFL workouts or another BSB workout program. I will be continuing with BFL nutrition, keeping carbs at about 100-110.

I think it is difficult to see the changes from the end of C1 to the end of C2 in the photos, but my hubby and I can tell the difference. I am much firmer. I'd like to build more muscle, but my main focus in C3 will be to lower my body fat and to shape up my hips, butt and upper thighs...

I don't own a scale, so I don't know how much I weigh, but here are my measurements from the end of C1 to the end of C2.

Bust: 34 1/2"....34" lost 1/2"
waist: 27"......25 1/2" lost 1 1/2" (yea!)
upper abs: 28"....27" lost 1"
hips: 34 1/2"....34" lost 1/2" (yea!)
thighs: 18 1/2"...18" lost 1" total

Total inches lost in C2: 4 1/2 inches!!

Here are the photos of my challenges, from left to right:

Before C1, After C1, and After C2 http://community.webshots.com/user/peritz

So I am very happy!

Thank you all sooo much for your support and friendship! You all have really inspired me and kept me focused on my health.

I am hear to cheer all of you on! we have so many finishers this week and next week!

Holly

:

[smasty]

Here's Shaz's report from 3/27/02

Here's my pics.
If anyone wants my story, I'll edit this and add it later.

Edited with my story - 2/April/02

This is the story of my journey back from obesity to something resembling normality. I still have a way to go but I know now that I shall get there.
Oooh, this is scary. Here goes – there are things here I have never told a soul – hope it helps someone, somewhere.
I never had a weight problem in my teens, twenties and early thirties. I exercised, ran cross country, played hockey and ladies football (soccer), swam, circuit trained for fun, danced all night, ate what I liked (although I have never had a big appetite) and never gained an ounce. Far from it, I was so skinny and slim, I despaired of ever being able to put weight on, to have a cleavage, to be curvy.
By the time I was 23, I had already been in a very destructive, violent relationship and although it was a positive step and took all the courage I had to break away from it, I lost all my self esteem in the process and it took me quite a long time to snap myself out of it. I am 5'6” tall and at this time weighed between 112lbs (8 stone - far too thin!!) and 130 lbs (9 stone 4lbs). My weight seemed dependant on my happiness level - the more miserable I was, the less I weighed. I began to totally neglect my eating in favour of those old standbys and comforters, cigarettes and alcohol (sorry OASIS, I was 20 years ahead of you on that one!!).
At 112 lbs, I had already been told I was underweight by the doctor and my periods had stopped (never a good sign). Fortunately for me, it was at this time that I met my future husband and my happiness level increased considerably almost instantly. Within about six months I had gained a huge 8lbs without even trying (not bad for someone who hardy ate). I was this weight when I got married and varied by only about 10 lbs for the next 10 years.
Then 2 things happened. I was still smoking, about 20 a day, and decided to give it up. I expected to put weight on, but I did not expect to get glandular fever at the same time (horrible, depressive illness for which there is no treatment, you just have to wait till it leaves you). I said goodbye to my metabolism and said hello to obesity. I ballooned up to about 190 lbs (13 stone). After almost a lifetime of being so skinny, I felt like a barrel.
I could not do anything until I got over the glandular fever properly, which took about a year. After that I spent the next few years on the cycle of diet plans any one reading this will be familiar with - Weight Watchers, Slimming World, Rosemary Conley (low fat), Slimfast, you name it and I tried it. I would lose and then put it all back on again almost at once. I went to France in 1993 and the video and photos were just awful. I sat and cried to think that such a short time ago, I had a skinny figure and now I was so big and fat. I had also been diagnosed with asthma (a result of years of smoking plus dragging all the extra weight around).
I went back to Weight Watchers and did it by the book. I lost about 30lbs and stalled. I started exercising again. I did not lose weight but I toned up and got myself down to a UK size 14 dress size, which I felt quite good in. I would probably still be doing this but I broke my toe and couldn't exercise for a few weeks. Guess what - I never went back. About this time, for some reason I cannot understand, I started smoking again after over 4 years’ abstinence. The smoking kept my weight down but how stupid can you be? My stupidity was brought home to me in the most awful way imaginable - my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 1998 (and he had not smoked for 15 years). I was with him and held his hand when he died. After that mind-numbingly awful experience, I finally gave up again, only this time the weight gain was even worse, slowly creeping on until I was way over 200lbs. I stopped weighing myself at 214 lbs - 15 stone 4lbs - but I know I ended up weighing more than this, about 220lbs - 15 stone 10lbs- before I finally decided to do something about it. I was officially obese and I hated it.
I decided to try Weight Watchers again and after 1 week of following the plan to the letter, I GAINED 2 lbs!!!! I was devastated, I thought I would remain like this forever, even contemplating starting smoking again (despite the raw memory of what happened to my dad) if it got my weight down.
The moment that changed my life was when I picked up a copy of Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution in WH Smiths one bleak Saturday afternoon in January 2001. Yet another diet plan, I thought dismally as I thumbed through it, pausing here and there to see what it was all about. But soon I was enthralled. The good Doctor was talking about ME - I recognised my self from the examples he quoted and having studied cell biology I knew what he was saying about ketosis and fat loss was right. I bought the book and read it from cover to cover that night. I made my shopping list and started it as soon as I could.
I lost 30lbs on Atkins and got down to 190lbs. Then I stalled. I didn't gain as my eating habits had by now changed forever but equally I didn't lose. I was good on holiday (tried to keep to the plan and did not drink) and felt quite trim, even wearing a bikini (believe me, there were plenty around the pool who were even bigger than me wearing them!!). But it was the photos that really bugged me when I got them back from developing. I still looked flabby and obviously needed to lose some more weight. I had lovely clothes I could not get in to, even my leather trousers looked better on the cow. Once again, I felt really low and also here was some aggro at work which didn't help. It ended up (through no fault of my own) that I had to relocate to a different office at very short notice. Once again, I despaired of ever losing any more weight and my biggest fear was that it would all slide back on again if I did not do something about it soon.
I had bought the Body for Life book in May 2001, when interest first started on the Lowcarbfriends Bulletin Board (where I lurked endlessly) and tried it, albeit half-heartedly, for a couple of weeks before my holiday. It seemed good but was in danger of being forgotten in my book case until all those fabulous transformation photos started to appear on the board. I read the book again and decided to do it. I had a gym membership but no matter what I did, I never felt or looked any better. I realised that if it was going to be, it was up to me. I realised also that I am not one for "group" activities like communal exercise so I cancelled my gym membership and invested in a bench and weights. I set up my little gym upstairs at home and began transforming my life.
The official end of Challenge 1 is 31 January 2002. There will be other challenges as I have some way to go before I can transform myself in to what I want to be. I hope this is helpful to those who read it and that it does not appear self-indulgent. I am genuinely grateful for all the encouragement and support I have received from the LCF board and more recently, the new MSN board, and hope that you did not find my story too boring!!
Stats – 5’6” tall, aged 46.
Starting – Bust 41, Waist 35, Hips 45, Thighs 26 – weight 190lbs – BF 41%
Finishing- Bust 37,Waist 31, Hips 42, Thigh 24.5 - weight 183 lbs - BF 32.8%
Lost 17lbs fat and gained 9 lb muscle!!!

------------------
Shaz - C2/W8

***C2/W6 progress pics uploaded 14/3/02***

**FITTED IN TO GOAL JEANS 10/3/02!!**

****FINISHED BFL C1 30.1.02**** Started C2 Mon 4 Feb 2002
My progress pics - ***End of C1 pics now uploaded*** http://community.webshots.com/user/sharon_d

[smasty]

Here's Leenie's story from 3/27/02

Heres the link to my C1 & C2 before/after pics:
http://www.community.webshots.com/user/amc_58
It was dark, cold and lonely as I sat in the car with the engine running and all of the doors closed. I had just been beaten by my husband and was ready to end it all. I sat there and cried, wondering how I got to this place in my life. I was afraid to walk back into the house, was too embarrassed to ask for help and had no money of my own to leave. Everyone on the “outside” thought of me as strong, dependable and in control. I was nowhere near that. On the inside I was totally out of control. I had no self esteem left. I felt worthless, useless and did not think I could make it through another night. My husband told me how worthless I was and eventually I believed him. He also never hesitated to tell me how fat I was. He would tell me to go ahead and leave, no one else would have me looking the way I did. I was at an all time high of 225 pounds.
I sat there for a few minutes, wondering how long it would take. Then my thoughts turned to my parents (both are deceased) and my children. I thought how disappointed my parents would be. I remember my religious upbringing. I then saw the beautiful faces of my two children. I knew then that I had a reason to live. I turned off the car, walked through that garage door and never looked back. From that night on, I promised myself I would take care of ME. The year was 1997.

I have had a battle with my weight my entire life. My father was 6’2 and was probably around 270 pounds and my mother was 5’5 and barely weighed 100 pounds because of health problems. My dad was a “meat and potatoes” man. The normal meal in the evening was beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and bread. My dad had a “sweet tooth” so dessert was common at every meal. He was a fabulous baker so it was normal to have cookies, pies, cakes and homemade ice cream around the house. Fortunately I was involved in sports, so my weight stayed somewhat manageable until high school.

About my junior year I had put on a few pounds (I probably weighed around 160 then) and I was talking to my mom about going on a diet. She insisted that I see a doctor to make sure is was OK so the appointment was set. He took one look at me, handed me a paper with a 1000 calorie diet on it and then gave me a prescription for diet pills. I lost 30 pounds in about 2 months. I maintained that weight loss through high school.

I got married in 1979 and weighed 135 on my wedding day. I remember trying on wedding dresses and thinking I was fat. In 1982 I got pregnant with my first child. Fortunately I had an easy pregnancy, unfortunately I felt too good and ate too much. I gained 65 pounds and weighed 200 the day my son was born.

I lost part of the weight initially, but the demands of having a baby and working full time left little time for myself. Our diet was the same as what I grew up on with the addition of fast food take out. In 1985 I got pregnant again, weighing 200 at the beginning. My wonderful daughter was born later than year and somehow I managed to only gain 16 pounds during that pregnancy.

After 1985 I tried countless diets to lose the weight. You name it I’ve been on it. I went to a doctor again (because it worked so well the first time) and got diet pills. I again lost 30 pounds in a couple of months but didn’t keep it off. I went to Nutri Systems, Weight Watchers, bought every diet book there was (including Atkins) but never stuck with anything more than a couple of weeks.

In 1989 I went through a divorce, decided to lose a few pounds again so got more diet pills. I lost that 30 pounds again, met the man that would be my second husband and during our courtship gained it all back. We married a few months later and I weighed about 200 again.

The abuse started right away. Same old story, he promised it would never happen again and I believed him. My weight became a huge issue with him. He had lost weight (he was 50 pounds overweight when we got married) and never stopped “putting it in my face”. He looked at me with disgust.

Around 1995 I decided to try Herbalife. A friend of mine had success with the program and told me how easy it was (are you getting the picture here I was always looking for the “quick fix”) I bought the package, started taking handfuls of tablets 3 times a day and lost 50 pounds. I got down to 165 and felt like I was on top of the world. I stayed there about one day. I thought I had the problem licked so stopped taking the pills and since I hadn’t changed my eating habits, the weight quickly came back.

The problems at home were becoming increasingly difficult, I was having problems at work, we had tremendous financial difficulties and my mother was dying of cancer. My ex had a gambling and alcohol addiction; during the next couple years he was at his worst. I ate my way through the pain, up to 225 pounds.

The night I walked out of that garage, I realized I had choices. I realized I was the one with the control and the power. He could strip me of everything EXCEPT ME! He could not take my heart and my soul.

I woke up the morning after the garage incident and started making plans. It was going to take some time to save up the money to leave without him finding out, but I would find a way. I also began taking care of myself for the first time in my life. I started walking in the evenings, rather than sitting in front of the TV eating. It took some time but in 1999 I was able to leave him for good.

I continued to focus on taking care of myself and my children. I lost 40 pounds over the next 2 years. I didn’t count calories or fat grams, I just concentrated on eating only when I was HUNGRY and not for any other emotional reasons. I started writing down not only what I ate, but why I ate what I did when I did. Even though I was divorced and away from my ex, he still tried to control me by nearly destroying me financially. Each time something happened, I fought through it. Yes I had days I resorted to emotional eating, but they were getting fewer and farther between.

I found out about “Atkins” from a wonderful man I had met and was dating. He had shared with me that he lost some weight by following this plan. I remembered I had the book at home from one of my earlier weight loss attempts (I had never read it) . It was May 2, 2001 and I was ready to hit it hard and finish getting this weight off. I went home that night, dusted off the book and read it cover to cover. I told him I was going to do this and set a goal to lose 25 pounds. I weighed 185 when I started Atkins.

I committed to following the two week induction period completely. I remember those first two weeks! By day four I felt horrible! I could tell how “addicted” to sugar I was. I made the commitment to do this though, and was not going to give up. By the end of the two weeks I had lost 14 pounds. I had been on Atkins about two weeks when my fiancée found this website and sent me the link.. I spent hours reading and found so much information, support and encouragement here. I joined the challenge group “Labor Day Challengers” and those ladies helped me stay on track through the summer. I reached my goal of 25 pounds gone, then changed the goal to 40 pounds.

I was excited by the weight loss but knew I needed to start a serious exercise program. Some of the ladies in the challenge group were exercising and it helped motivate me to start. In July I started the “Couch to 5k” 8 week program. Again I committed to following the 8 week program. That first week I could barely run for the 60 seconds but I did it! Each week I got a little stronger and was able to go a little further. By the end of the 8 weeks I could run for 30-40 minutes. I was hooked!

I reached my goal of 40 pounds lost, but was still unhappy with my body. The running helped with the weight loss, but I just became a smaller version of my former self. In other words, I needed to change my pear shape! I had heard about “Body for Life” from a friend, and saw there was a thread on this bulletin board about it. I started lurking , gathering information and went out and bought the book. In September I made the commitment to follow the 12 week program beginning October 1st.

I spent a week before I started, making my goals, planning my meals and workouts and purchasing the equipment I would need to set up my home gym. I was terribly afraid to add back in the carbs as I had been so successful with Atkins. However, I decided to commit to following the 12 week program as written.

I started Body for Life at a weight of 149 and today I am at 143. I’ve gone from a tight size 10 to a loose 8 and some 6’s. I am beginning to change my overall shape. More important though than the physical changes is the mental ones. This program is not easy, it takes determination and patience. It takes believing in yourself every single day. It takes fighting through those tough days and the obstacles to achieve the goals that were set in the beginning. My journey has taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to. I have the power and control over my choices every single day.

I need to thank a few people here for helping me with my journey. Thank you Bill for your support, encouragement and love. I was truly blessed the day you walked into my life. I’d like to thank my two beautiful children who have also been very supportive and have never complained about the lack of their favorite foods in the house or where we could or could not go out to eat at. Thank you to Carol and Dawn for your support and encouragement while at the office, your friendship means so much to me. Thank you to the wonderful people on this bulletin board, especially the “Celebrate You in 2002” group. You are an inspirational and positive group of women and have helped me so much these past few months. Thank you BLFers for your inspirational stories and encouragement. You are an awesome group of people I am proud to know. And I thank God for the strength He gave me to turn off that car engine on that cold, dark and lonely night, giving that precious gift of life back to me.

A poster hangs on my wall at my office: GOALS “If you want what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done”. I am 43 years old and am doing what I’ve never done before and I must say I’ve never felt better in my entire life. Bring on challenge 2, the sky is the limit!

[smasty]

The first thing I want to say...Is that my success is completely humbled by those of you doing the challenge that have kids and jobs. Those of you getting up at 4:00am (or earlier) to do your workouts, or going to bed really late because you stayed up to do your workout...you are the ones I bow to (I know that sounds corny, but it's exactly how I feel). Most of you know that I've failed 3 previous challenges...that's not counting the times I ordered a challenge packet and never started. It's thanks to all of you that I finished this challenge, and opened a new chapter in my life. Thank you to each and every one of you that has allowed me to come here every day for friendship, inspiration, support, learning, and laughing.
Challenge Details: I did not miss one workout and my one and only cheat was 1/2 a SF chocolate bar in week 5 (not on a free day). I started with modified Atkins (lower fat, 30-40 gr carb a day) for the first 5 weeks, then switched to BFL eating for the remainder. BFL eating made me stronger and faster with my workouts, and gave me more stamina. I added extra cardio on weight days starting on week 10. At week 6-7 I dropped my calories from 1700 to 1500. Weeks 10-12 I stayed closer to 1400. My BMR is 1500. I still have at least 25 pounds of fat to shed in upcoming challenges.
Here's my stats:
Starting date 1/7/02, weight: 202.5
Finish weight: 190.5, loss of 12 pounds
Body Fat % (updated): approx 38-40% / approx 34%
% of Fat lost: 15.8%
Fat pounds lost: 15.67
Lean pounds gained: 3.67
Chest: 42/39
Waist: 32/29.5
Belly: 42.25/33.5 (CLA!)
Hips: 44.75/42.5
Thigh: 27.375/ 25.25
Inches Lost: 27.375 (14 measurement points)
Here's the pics (I'll move it over to webshots soon):


Here's where I'm at now in Oct 2002, 1/2 way through C4, about 180 pounds, 25% body fat

[smasty]

Here's Joyce's report from 4/3/2002

Ok...here goes...and Shaz, you're right! Our stories *are* similar! Heavy hitters unite!
In May 2001, I weighed 230 pounds. I looked awful. I felt awful. I'd been yo-yo dieting for years--NutriSystem, Slim-Fast, the cabbage soup diet, Cybergenics, the Hollywood Miracle Diet, the low-fat, low-cholesterol diet…you name it, I tried it. And you know the story: I'd lose some weight, then gain it all back--with interest.
I just didn't get it. I drank skim milk; I used Promise Ultra Light instead of butter; I baked or broiled and NEVER fried foods; I snacked only on unbuttered "light" popcorn (or didn't snack at all); I never ate red meat and trimmed all visible fat off my chicken breasts. Still I'd kept packing on the pounds, feeling guiltier and grosser with each passing year. I was lethargic, constantly ravenous, and felt like a failure.

Then came the REAL wake-up call.

My brother Steve had a massive stroke. He was essentially brain dead, so my brother Wayne and I had to make the decision to unhook Steve from life support. Steve was only 51.

I shouldn't have been so stunned. Our Dad, a Type 2 diabetic, had died of heart disease at age 56. The whole family was obese. Wayne, at 40 and just two years older than me, now confessed he had just been diagnosed with adult onset diabetes. When I got home from Steve's funeral, I had a long, hard look in the mirror and saw my own early death staring me in the face. My FAT face.

That did it. This was no longer about vanity--this was about my LIFE.

A few years earlier, my significant other's father had lost 50 pounds and gotten off hypertension medication by following something called the Atkins Diet. It was plain to me that low-fat eating wasn't helping me. So I figured, "What the heck--I've got nothing to lose," and so I started on a diet that flew in the face of all the conventional wisdom. Maybe something radically different was exactly what I needed.

To my astonishment, I started shedding weight immediately. Certainly this was water, though. But after a few more days, I started feeling something I hadn't felt in aeons--energy! Oh my God, I felt…GOOD! Better still, I didn't feel hungry. Food cravings went away. At the end of the two-week Induction Phase of the diet, I'd dropped 7 pounds, and I swear I think even my IQ went up. Seriously--I was mentally sharper and didn't have the brain fog I'd had when I consumed too many carbohydrates.

Over the next six months, I dropped a total of 40 pounds. This is fairly slow to moderate for Atkins--my CCL was a stunningly low 25 grams of carb daily. So we are talking serious insulin resistance. Still, I plugged along.

But then I seemed to stop losing weight at all, except at a very snail's pace. In addition to this maddening stall, when I looked in the mirror, my body looked pretty much the same to me--yes, I was a smaller blob, true, but I was still a blob. I started thinking about exercise. In the "Exercise" folder here at lowcarbfriends, one day someone posted about Body for Life and how rigorous an exercise program it is. Not for them, they said. My curiosity piqued, I popped over here to the "BFL" folder to sniff around.

I liked what I saw: a close-knit group of serious athletes cheering each other on. The one thing that did concern me, though, was the BFL nutrition. Though it's lower carb than the standard 9-11 servings of carb recommended by the AMA, it's still too high-carb for me. So I decided to stick to the Atkins Diet and do just the BFL exercise program…and I hoped this would knock me out of my stall and perhaps start changing my body shape.

It did.

In 12 weeks, I went from 42% bodyfat to 34%, losing 13 pounds of scale weight (but in actuality losing 16 pounds of fat and gaining 8 in lean mass). I went from a size 18 to a size 14. Yes, I am still fat! 34% bodyfat is still obese. So please don't expect to see a thin babe in my "after" photos (what you'll see instead is better defined cellulite on my hamstrings, LOL). I definitely have at least one, and more likely two, more challenges to complete. But it's indisputable that I am looking better. Most important of all, I'm healthier.

I want to thank everybody here for all the great support and the inspiration to stick to the program. Particularly Week 9 was difficult for me when I found out my third (and last) brother, Harvey, had lung cancer. Geez, are there bad genes in my family or what?!? It would've been easy to quit in disgust then, figuring that no matter what I do to prevent it, I'm going to die an early death myself, so screw it. My brother Wayne surely has--he just laughs and says he'll never see his own retirement.

I am hoping that I can inspire Wayne to think differently--that my succeeding with Body for Life can change his mind. Thank you to everyone here for helping me to lead by example.

And now for the pics (be nice ) : http://www.community.webshots.com/user/jluck777

Joyce

Here's an update on Joyce's C3, posted 12/10/02
Challenge 3 Results!!!







I'm very pleased this time with my results! I went from 163 pounds to 148 and a size 14 to a size 10. Body composition went from 29.83% bodyfat to 24.92%. Other stats:

waist: 31.5 to 29.5 (-2")
lower belly: 39.5 to 37 (-2.5")
hips: 38 to 36 (-2")
bust: 39.5 to 37 (-2.5")

I estimate I still have about 10-15 more pounds of fat to lose and then I'll be "done." Most of the fat at this point, as you can see from the photos, lingers on my tummy and upper thighs. I'm already planning to do a 4th challenge beginning January 6th!

Joyce

[smasty]

Here's Louise's report from 4/4/2002

Here are my C1 results!
I lost 10.81 pounds of fat, and gained 4.81 pounds of muscle. Body fat went from 27% to 20.3%.

My main inch loss came from my midsection.

hips 36.5 to 35 inches
waist 29 to 28
under boobs 29.5 to 27
boobs 36 to 35 (they had actually been at 34 at one point??)

here are the links to my pics

before http://www.amandajetmore.com/pictures/all.jpg

after http://www.jetmore.org/amanda/pictur..._all_after.jpg

[smasty]

Here's Roro's C1 report:

This was my first BFL challenge. Here are my before & afters:




My BF% went from 27% to 18%. I lost 13 pounds of fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle.
Here are my measurements:
Start/Final/inches lost:
Bust 36.5/37.5/gained 1 (they LOOK smaller tho)
chest (under boobs) 33/32/1
waist 28/26/2
stomach 33/31/2
hips 37.25/36.5/0.75
butt 38.75/37.5/1.25
thighs (together) 37.75/36/1.75
thighs(each) 22/21/1
thighs(lower quad) 17.25/17.25/0
calf 13.25/13.25/0
bicep 11/11.5/gained .5
Here are the answers to my questions:

1.What were your reasons for accepting the Body-for-life Challenge 2002?
The main reason I accepted this challenge was to improve my health. I am a flight controller for the hubble space telescope, and the servicing mission was approaching. I suffer from hepatitisC, CFS, and post-lyme symptoms: fatigue, a weakened immune system, and painful joints. I feared I’d get sick during the mission, and heard that strong muscles protect joints and strengthen immune function.

2.What inspired you to stay on course throughout the 12-week Challenge?
My on-line support group is very inspiring. I couldn’t do the nutrition by-the-book, due to dietary restrictions set by my doctor, and a few said I wouldn’t get good results. I wanted to prove that BFL can work for ANYONE, regardless of their limitations. One day when the mission & BFL seemed like too much. I saw the astronauts exercising on NASA TV. If they can keep that up being in space and all, then I could too!

3.What obstacles did you have to overcome? What adversity did you transform into positive energy, in order to complete the 12-week Challenge?
My biggest obstacle was joint pain. Knee braces helped me to increase my weights. Week 7, the mission began, meaning 12 hour shifts for 16 days straight. I got up every morning and went to the gym before work, proving everyone has time to exercise. My walking partner (a yellow lab named molly) tore her cruciate ligament, requiring surgery. It was very traumatic for us, but she is recovering fine.

4.How did you measure your physical progress from “Before” to “after”? (Bodyfat percentage/body composition; pant size; dress size; scale weight; health indicators, such as cholesterol levels, blood pressure, etc.) Please describe your physical improvements in terms of how you measured them.
My biggest accomplishment is how I feel. Fatigue is gone, I feel strong and confident, and haven’t been sick ONCE! Although I still have joint pain, it now only hurts from a killer LBWO, not from a walk around the block like before. I was very weak and fragile before, and I have increased my weights a lot. I started leg press with 50 lbs; now I do 200. I started calves with 10lbs; now I do 150! I have gained 9 lbs of muscle and lost 13 lbs of fat; my body fat has decreased from 27 to 18, but that is just icing on the cake!

5.Which EAS supplements (HP, Myoplex, Piranha, Simply, Results, or Avantage) do you feel were the most important to your success and why? Would you recommend EAS Supplements to others to help them achieve their goals?
The myoplex low-carb strawberry shakes are absolutely YUMMY. The myoplex low-carb cookies and cream bars are to die for! The first couple weeks, I didn’t use the meal replacements, and I felt tired and weak. I prefer to eat real food, nothing processed. During the mission, I had no time to cook, working 12 hour shifts, and I started using the bars and shakes every day. The result was a huge boost of energy! I use them all the time now. I also took CLA, and I really think it helped to reduce fat around my tummy.

6.How has your life transformed by improving your physical condition-by deciding to accept the Challenge and sticking with it from start to finish?
My confidence has skyrocketed! I don’t feel like a chronically ill person anymore. I am now healthier than the average person, all things considering, despite my health problems. I am also a lot stronger, which has made me more independent. I can change the big 5-gallon jugs on the water cooler. I can go grocery shopping alone instead of waiting for my son to go with me because I couldn’t carry the groceries. I can do things I used to love: rollerblading, hiking, dancing. I feel I can be a better mom.

7.If you could inspire only one person to follow your example-to experience all the positive changes you have over the past 12 weeks-who would that one person be; why would you choose that person; and how would you help that person succeed like you have?
If I could inspire one person to complete a challenge, it would be a co-worker of mine. He is obese, and has many health problems related to his weight. I would choose him because 4 years ago, when I was very sick, he helped to save my life by motivating me to look into alternative therapies for my illnesses. I would help him by sharing my food with him (he doesn’t cook) and encouraging him to go to the gym with me.

------------------
30 pounds lost on atkins!
I am putting the scale away
size stats 16/6/4 (6's are loose, some 4's fit now)

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJ...tml?Owner=roro

started BFL workouts w/ atkins woe 1/10/02, finished C1, on to C2!
I am getting younger every day

[smasty]

Here's Marden's report:

OK here it is! I finished my last HIIT today. It is certainly not fantasic like so many who have gone before me, but I have learned and I have also improved.
I never missed even 1 workout - I am very proud of myself for that since I did run into some difficult days along the way. When my baby was in the hospital for a day, I did my workout the next day on what was supposed to be my freeday. I also had bronchitis for a week and a bad cold for another week. I worked out all the way through those, just not as intense. In the past I would have never considered working out if the slightest obstacle came my way. So I have become committed to this! I was far from perfect on the nutrition and did my share of cheating, but I learned from it and have stopped beating myself up over it. I know this is a very long road ahead for me so I am focused on progress and eating wrong at times wont change that. It will probably just take me longer because of it. I didn't take pictures because I knew it would only make me feel bad and I can't risk becoming depressed and quitting. So maybe somewhere down the road(maybe C3) I will do pictures. I apologize for this because I know how much everyone loves looking at everyone elses pictures, myself included. Thank you again everyone who has posted them! I am not sure of BF% because I dont think I measured right with the calipers in the beginning. Measurements:
arm - same
chest -2 1/2
waist -1 1/2, BB -1/2
hips -1 1/2
saddlebags -1/2
thigh -1/2
calf -1/2
I lost a total of 7 1/2 inches! This I am happy about, but also know I could have done better if my calories had been lower. The scale is down only about a pound or 2, but I understand why(muscle weighs more etc.) I believe I look better than before, definitely tighter. Instead of fat and blubbery now I am fat and firm.
I have reached unbelievable levels of fitness. I can run at 5.2 miles per hour and not be gasping for air. I can use 15# dumbells and my kids can't! They couldn't even carry them to the car when I bought them and they play sports etc. I am stronger and healthier. So I feel pretty good about that.

I have also realized that everything they say about most of the changes happening in the last 2 weeks is true. I feel so much different just this past week! All of my clothes fit much better and some things are too big. I can fit in a size smaller on some things.

I don't consider this the end of anything, only a check point. Next is C2 starting Monday(I can't take a week off or I will lose momentum). For C2 I am planning to do a combination of BFL and BSB making the best of both plans work to my benefit. I will be focused much more on weight loss. I know I have gained alot of muscle so I would like to maintain that as well. I will be doing cardio 6 days a week, 3 HIIT days. I will do BFL weight work outs 3 days a week. I will lower my calories and do calorie cycling. I will still do freedays but try not to do free-for-alls. But for now I am going to spend the next 3 days taking a well needed rest and indulge a little in some favorite foods. Thank you to everyone in here for all your support, encouragement and help. You are the best group of people I have come across in my 39 years!

[smasty]

Here's Staceybee's report:

I finished!! I am so thrilled with my results--much more so than I thought I would be. I had to limit all cardio in week 10, 11 and 12 due to a disc injury, but did twice as much strength training. Overall, my results are as follows:
arms start 11", finish 11"
bust start 38", finish 36"
waist start 27.5", finish 26"
hips start 36", finish 35"
bf% start 20%, finish 18% (approx, averaging calipers, and 2 websites, and protein power formula!!)

I do not post much on the site, but read several times every day. I cannot tell you how much it has meant to be able to see the progress of others and read their suggestions. I just never feel like I have much to say

I am on to the 14-day BSB starting a week from Monday. With the limitations of my back injury I am a little worried about the cardio, and may simply have to do brisk walking. I love how the plan targets in several directions the same muscle for more growth.

Another problem--I don't want my quads any larger! So I will have to deal with that--any ideas out there?

Here is the link to my pictures-- Thanks so much for the help you unknowingly gave this "lurker"

Click HERE for my BLF Pictures

Stacey

[smasty]

Here's Chicabelle's report:

If it was easy, it was not a challenge. That’s very true. For me this first challenge has been very challenging.
Some of my challenges was that I am not a morning person. On cardio days I have been awakening at 6:00am and at UB and LB at 5:30am.
The eating part was and is also hard. I started body for life at Induction level of Atkins, and then started adding carbs. My 4th weeks results were excellent. I started telling to myself that I need to eat extra carbs because of the type of exercises I was doing and I started adding more carbs, then totally stalled and decided to cut back the carbs. It has been a struggle and a constant battle.

At my 7th week I got the flu, went to the doctor and my blood pressure was so high (180/120). Dr. told me to stop lifting weigh because it was so dangerous but I decided that it was the only thing actually working for me and in no way I would stop. Stop meaning gain weigh and lose the muscles that I have making with so much sacrifice and that my high blood pressure was caused because of my obesity. So I took the chance, didn’t tell anything neither to my DH and continue with my exercises. Actually my blood pressure is ok due to the medicaments and I hope that when I lose all this fat, my blood pressure became ok without the medicines.

I had to review my goals and my whys almost everyday, look at my pictures and have faith in the program because I still view the same person at the mirror. At times, I had to literally drag myself from bed to make my exercises. Every time I needed some encouragement I look at my after pictures and it makes me strong. I do not want to look like this again. It was an eye opener because after BFL I avoided look at myself at the mirror. Now I love to look myself at the mirror. I know they are still lot of work to do with my body but, for the first time in my life, I have muscles.

Even that I know I will need at least 2 or 3 more challenges, I am very happy with my results so far. My confidence has returned, I spend less time choosing the clothes that I will wear. I even started buying new underwear’s (see Sarah Jessica Parker at Sex and the City) because mine was not sexy at all. I am noticing that I am not so flat butt only that I need to work those muscles very hard (hamstring and gluteus). My arms are not amorphous, like I use to think. Believe it or not, under all this fat, I have beautiful arms.

I am very proud of myself for finishing this challenge. I really need to thank you all. Without you I would never have make it. I have to confess that I am addicted to this board. Even at lurking mode I received so much support.

I did a mini challenge and I am in my free week now because I just returned from vacations.

I don’t Know if this will work but my pictures are at: http://community.webshots.com/user/chicabelle

START END
WEIGHT 173 / 171 / -2
BUST 46.5 / 43 / -3.5
WAIST 36.5 / 34.5 / -2
BELLY 44 / 41 / -3
HIP 42.5 / 38 / -4.5
TIGHT 23 ¼ / 22 ½ / -3/4
CALF 13.5 / 13.5 / =
ARM 15.5 / 15 / -.5
Bf% 42 / 34.93 / -7.07
Lean 99.64 / 111.26 / +11.62
Fat 73.35 / 59.73 / -13.62

[smasty]

Bellibean's report:

What can I say? I felt like the person looks in the first pic, I found all the wonderful people here - lifted the weights, ran the miles, ate the food (less of it at the end) - and felt a thousand percent better! The inside changes are bigger than the outside ones. When I got married I weighed 40 lbs more than in the first pic, and that's the road I was heading back down when I found this board. I know the habits that take me there, it's not the place I want to spend my life. I owe a lot to everyone here - we laugh, we cry, mostly we help each other fight the good fight. This is an awesome place to be if you're ready to change your life!

[smasty]

Here's Gwyneth's C1 report:

I'm here, I made it, I pushed through, I kept my promise to me and I did it the HARD way!!!!
Wooohooo!!! I'm so proud of me!! Thank you all for the wonderful support, I love you guys!
I want to share my journey with you.
My journey to self appreciation, discipline, health and living my life to the max!
I've never been fat, in fact I've always been slender, a pretty girl with a beautiful body, I just never saw it.
Since my parents didn't raise me a very strong person on issues like self acceptance, emotions, being ok or even beautiful as you are and making me believe that I could do anything I'd put my mind to, I was easily influenced by how I thought people thought about me. They never learned or told me that I was funny, likeable, pretty, smart or good at whatever I was doing.
So I focussed more and more on being pretty, thin, wearing nice clothes or nobody would like me and I would not be part of the group.
I never believed people would like me for who I was, I thought I had to be perfect then they would like me.
I started dieting when I was 14, not knowing that that did more damage than good.
All this resulted in anorexia when I was just 17 and it got worse and worse when I moved away from home when I started studying at the university. I yo-yo ed like crazy, my weight was never the same for a week, my skin couldn't keep up with that and was starting to look worse and worse.
I never got hospitalized, but ate nothing but gum and drank diet coke for days, only to binge when I was home for the weekends.
Finally I got caught up so much in being unhappy, not knowing what to do with my life and seeing everything go wrong, that I decided: this has to stop, I want to eat and live like a normal person. I want to be healthy.

I got into therapy for my eating disorder and decided to stop starving, binging and purging myself.
During this therapy, the very root of my problems was never dealed with. So even though for a few years I didn't binge and purge or starve myself, I still had an unhealthy relationship with food and was scared to death to ever gain weight.
In the summer of the year 2000 I decided to start therapy again, because I kept having my down and depressing days/weeks and my eating disorder (now bulimia) came back again.

Well at first all the painfull and hurting stuff that I never dealed with during my childhood came to the surface. I felt like I fell in a deep black hole.
But I struggled and fought my way out of it, facing all the pain and hurt and anger, going through all that again, feeling everything I never felt when I should have.
It took me 10 months and I still consider myself growing, but I'm more proud of having done this than I will be about anything in my entire life.

All this therapy didn't leave any energy to deal with the food problems, which was a symptom of what laid beneath.
I found out about Atkins, a godsend for me at the time. It helped me to eat regularly without feeling guilty.
But after a year, it's use was no longer there, I knew I had another step ahead of me.

So after months of reading all the BFL posts I bought the book, read the first chapter and thought no, I put it away and in January read it again, every page of it.
Then I knew I was ready to make the commitment, the self promise. I knew for me this was the only way to not only get the body I wanted but to learn about all the things I stated above: self appreciation, discipline, health and living my life to the max!
I wanted to change, I wanted a healthy relationship with me and I wanted out of the mess I was in.

So when I decided to do this (not try or to just do my best) I knew there was no turning back. Stopping was not an option, because I knew exactly what I was getting myself into. So now when things are hard or when I'm feeling blue, I go to the gym anyway, not that it's easy, but I know passing on my promise to me is not an option.
I know that when I do pass on me, I'll go back in that ****hole deeper than I have ever been before and I don't want that. I want out, I want to live my best live, being the best me I can be. And I know I can, I won't let anything hold me back.

Was it easy? Not in a million years!!
Was it satisfying? So much more than that!
Did I like it all the time? Absolutely not, there were days that I really don't know how I did drag myself into that gym.
Was it a powerful experience?
The most powerful one I've ever had!

What I've learned:
* That I still have a lot to learn when it comes to appreciating myself for doing the things I don't like at a certain moment and afterwards applauding myself for staying focussed on my self promise.
* When my slump hitted, I stood my ground, pushed through my slump and as a result got my groove back!!! It really is like Pam says: act as if.
* Planning really unbelievable workouts works fantasticly. As I sat there writing down those numbers, I thought: now way, this ain't gonna work. But at the same moment I thought: Yes, it's my last UBWO, I'm gonna kick it's ************!! And most of the time I did! WOOHOO, I kicked some major ************. Upped my weights big time! So I learned I can lift more than I think is possible, but the mindset is very important. On a slump day it might not happen, but on a fantastic happy woohoo day I would rock!!
* I still have issues to work on and to learn not to cope with them by eating and rewarding myself with food. I'll work on that in my C2!!

What I really want to share:
There is so much more possible than you think or even can imagine or dream about right now. There are no limits!!
We are professionals in holding ourselves back, let's become stars in achieving the impossible!

Go beyond your dreams, beyond your passion, beyond your wildest imaginations!! And give yourself the most wonderful gift you could ever give yourself.
Know that anything, truly anything is possible if you just believe!

Now about results:
You have to understand that even though I'm young and I'm tiny, the years of abusing my body and yoyo dieting have completely ruined my skin. There was cellulite and sagginess all over the place.

After 12 weeks:
My saddlebags have disappeared!!!!!! That was so weird: they just were gone one day!?!?!
My tummy is ready for my bikini!! I love how flat it has become and the cottage cheese on it is gone. When I sit, there are no rolls anymore! It has never looked as good as this in my whole life!!!
My arms have lost their flappiness and have slimmed down a lot, but I'm not perfectly happy with them just yet.
My jawbone is tight and visible!! I love my face now.
My butt has transformed dramatically, it has shrunk, tighten up big time and has gotten nice and round. I now love my butt!!!
My back has gotten quite muscular and their is practically no fat left there.
Cellulite has decreased majorly, but still some left.
I finally have calves! But still want them bigger.
I love my legs too, I think they've gotten so beautiful.

Here are my results:

Starting – Bust 31.1, Waist 27.2, Tummy 34.3, Hips 37.4, Thighs 21.7 – Right arm 11.22 - weight 130.0lbs – BF linear: 24.37%, Gym: 21.9 %
Finish - Bust 29.9, Waist 25.19, Tummy 32.3, Hips 36.4, Thigh ** - 21.2 - Right arm 10.8 - weight 127.8 lbs - BF linear: 20.48%, Gym: 17.9 %

Lost 5.5 lbs of fat and gained 3.4 lbs of muscle.

My pics are here: http://communities.msn.com/bodyforli...s/gwyneth.msnw I'm so happy I made pictures, it's crazy to see how fast you 'forget' how different you looked and get used to how much different you look in the mirror.

I'M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!! BFL ROCKS!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT C2 BRINGS!!

Nobody succeeds beyond his or her wildest expectations unless he or she begins with some wild expectations." - Ralph Charell

[smasty]

Here's Kiwi Girl's report:

Firstly I would like to thank everyone here who has posted – these posts have encouraged me to start and continue my journey to a healthier me!!
I didn't post a story or any pictures after my first Body for Life challenge. I was having a major phobia about posting my oversized butt over the Internet for all to see, but over this last challenge I’ve come to realise that posting my photos may help someone else who is a “Heavy Hitter” start their own BfL journey. I have also tended to lurk more than post so will have to change that too! It’s amazing how the changes seem more profound on the inside!!
I’ve fought my weight all of my 44 years. I actually joined Weight Watchers at the age of 16 and managed to lose around 20kgs (44lbs). I had gained this back plus another 5kg (11lbs) by the time I was 19. Again I went back to WW and got back to my goal weight of 62kgs (137lbs) by the time I got married at the age of 21. After 24 very happy years of marriage, 4 children and many unsuccessful tries of WW and other low-fat diets my weight ballooned to an all time high of 112kgs (247lbs).

During this time my mother who had followed the low-fat regime all her life developed high blood pressure and Type II diabetes. She died about a year after she was diagnosed with diabetes from a sudden major heart attack. My doctor informed me that I was certain to go the same way. Talk about a sudden wake up call!!!

At the end of May 2001 I saw an infomercial about the Atkins Diet. I went out and bought DANDR and my husband Dave and I started the Atkins WOE on 1 June 2001. Unfortunately I seem to be one of those slow losers and by the time November 2001 rolled around I had only lost 12kg (26lbs). I also searched the Internet and found LowCarbFriends and was very interested when people started talking about the Body for Life book. After another trip to the bookstore I came home with the book and started reading. Even though I was the biggest exercise hater around I couldn’t seem to argue with those before/after photos and on 13 November 2001 Dave and I both started BfL.

I did my C1 “by the book” including BfL nutrition while Dave continued with Atkins nutrition. Our first challenge ended at the beginning of February 2002 and even though I only lost 2kgs (5lbs) in scale weight I could see the postive changes in my pear-shaped body and I felt absolutely wonderful about finishing the challenge. We only had about 3 days rest before we started our C2.

I decided to go back to Atkins nutrition for my C2. For the first 2 weeks I found it really hard and was very tired, but then I guess my body got back into the swing of getting its fuel from my fat stores rather than the carbohydrates I was eating. My results were even better. I’ve dropped another 6kgs (13lbs) in scale weight and notice the change most in my side-view photos.

Dave and I plan to start C3 in about two weeks time – more of a delay as we have a conference to attend in Sydney, Australia. We still do cardio and have been mucking around with weights and new machines at the gym so we can decide on our plan of action for C3. After reading this BB I’ve also decided to purchase the BSB book – it’s not available here in New Zealand yet, but I’ve ordered it especially so I don’t know how long before it arrives. We will certainly start C3 with BfL and I know I will have to do C4 so the BSB book will be a great investment.

Chris

Anyway here are my stats:

Height: 5ft 5in
Age: 44

Atkins: June – November 2001
Weight: 247/218
Chest: 48/44.5
Waist: 44.5/40
Hips: 53.5/50
Thigh (R): 32.5/31
Calf (R): 18/17.5

C1: November 2001 – February 2002
Weight: 218/213
Chest: 44.5/42.5
Waist: 40/39
Hips: 50/48
Thigh (R): 31/29
Calf (R): 17.5/17

C2: February – May 2002
Weight: 213/200
Chest: 42.5/41.5
Waist: 39/35
Hips: 48/46.5
Thigh (R): 29/26.5
Calf (R): 17/17

Chris Photo Gallery

[smasty]

Here's Toni's report

Hi all,
I don't often post here, but lately have
been so inspired by everyone that I have taken courage to post my BFL C1 stats and (gulp) pictures for all to see.
Just to let you know who I am . . . my name is Toni. I am a 45 year old single mother of an 11 year old boy. We live in So. Cal and I work as a social worker at a local nursing home.

I have been fat most of my life and this past year has been so great with Atkins diet and now BFL. I have lost in total: 65 pounds!

I did not enter the contest or follow BFL nutrition but I did each and every workout -- killer! I am now doing BSB 14 day workout and loving it!

Starting 2.20.02~Ending 5.19.02

Biceps(L/R):15/15.5 ~ 14/14.5
Calves(L/R):18/18.25 ~ 16/17
Chest:42 ~ 39.5
Forearm(L/R):12/12 ~ 11.5/11.5
Hips:53 ~ 50.5
Neck:17 ~ 16
Thigh(L/R): 29.75/30 ~ 27.5/28
Waist:46 ~ 41
Bust:51 ~ 44
Bodyfat%: 45 ~ 41
Weight: 252 ~ 238 http://community.webshots.com/user/tonil2

Thanx for letting me share with y'all!

[smasty]

Chantel's report:

Even tho I already posted my results and pictures, I thought I would add them to this thread for newbies.
I did C1 and lost 9.7 pounds of fat and gained 3.7 pounds of muscle. Before B4L, I had already started my weight loss journey and lost alot of weight. I weighed over 240 pounds and my preggie pix shows it.

One question that I always keep in the back of my mind when I wanna give up is: Where do you wanna be in a year? Do you wanna be fat or do you wanna be fit? Don't give up when you fall of the wagon. Just start again and you will see success.

Thanks to this board, I have learned so much in the last 3 months!! Really a great place to be involved with.

Chantel
who is enjoy free week and eating ice cream today!lol

------------------
http://community.webshots.com/user/chantel143

[smasty]

Here's Karen's report:

Well everyone... it seems like this journey had just begun.. and here I am 12 weeks completed... I guess 12 weeks compared to the rest of your life is pretty short.....
Thanks to everyone here on the board that listened.. urged... and provided support and expertise for us new grinners 12 weeks ago. You're all very special people and your support is worth more than words can say.
Before Challenge 1... I'd always been a big person... going up and down for the last 20 years... 1981--207lbs... 1984--145 lbs, 1990--198 lbs, 1995--130 lbs... you get the picture.. In January, 2002.. when I saw 193 on the scale I decided it was time to get ahold of my life...and my waistline... I tried Carb Addicts diet for a couple of months and lost 10 lbs in January but stalled in February. So, March 3rd, 2002 I started BFL (after hearing a friend of mine here at work talk about all the transformations and looking at this web site)... and here I am....

About Challenge 1... I wasn't perfect (like Sue).. I wasn't perfectly bad... but whenever I fell down, I got back up and started again... I missed very few exercise sessions... I can count them on one hand. I was very good w/ extra cardio until weeks 9-12 when spring hit and I ran short on time and my extra cardio stalled. I started CLA somewhere between week 4-8 and continue to take it. I complete my workouts on a Bow-Flex at home.. and my HIIT normally is inside on a small trampoline. I normally worked out (HIIT and Weight Training) first thing in the morning before work and food... For a last few weeks I took the Hussman advice and added a small portion of protein immed after my w/o session (about 10 grams) w/ water and 1-2 ounces of juice.

Here are my results... I'm very happy with them and I'm looking forward to C2, or a modified C2 beginning next week.. this week I'm going to continue to eat clean and w/o and evaluate my C2 direction... BFL, BSB, ??

Thanks again everyone... for your help

--C1----3/2/2002----5/24/2002
Scale---183.0----170.5----lost 12.5 Scale
BF%-----44.0-----38.5----lost 5.5% BF
Fat lbs---81.0----66-----lost 15 Fat lbs
Lean lbs---102.0----104.5---gained 2.5 muscle
Chest----43.0-----39.0----lost 4 inches
Waist----36.0-----33.5----lost 2.5 inches
Hips----46.0-----43.25----lost 2.75 inches
Abs-----44.75-----41.0-----lost 3.75 inches
Thigh---27.0-----25.0-----lost 2.0 inches
UArm----13.75----13.0-----lost .75 inches
Neck----15.0-----14.5-----lost .5 inches

Total inches lost 16.25 !! Scale lost 12.5 !! I wore a size 12 dress to my sons wedding this weekend... I was wearing 18-20 before BFL !!

Sorry.. no pictures this challenge... I have them locked in the safe at home... hee hee !!

Thanks again everyone for all your help !!
Karen

[smasty]

Here's Annette's report:

BFL C1 Results…long!!!
Guys, I am the most pleased I’ve been in over 15 years!!! 15 years!!!! I’ll try to make this brief; though I hardly know where to begin. I guess I’ll start with the irony. As a child I was always teased because I was to skinny (dare to dream). I used to be jealous of girls with “curves”. Though I did have a decent shape I wasn’t what you’d call voluptuous. I had the hourglass, but with not much sand in the right places, if you know what I mean. When I married my DH in September of 1985 I was a size 4. Since we’d been dating since we’d grown up together and dated all through High School, he was quite use to and happy with my body as was I. 14 months after our wedding (November of 1986), I had our first son at age 23. My body hasn’t been the same since! For 15 plus years I’ve felt like he really got jipped (sp). He dated and married one “body”, and less than 2 years later she’s gone. I gained 65 lbs during my first pregnancy and never saw single digit sizes again; over the next six years I had two more beautiful sons. Having never dieted before, I didn’t know what to do. So, using a variety of low fat diets including Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers I have been flabbily (if that’s even a word), hovering between 150 and 182 pounds and sizes 12 through 20 ever since, and usually at the high ends! That is until now…

In June of 2000, I found Atkins; I was like the clouds cleared because I perfectly fit into the metabolically resistant profile. Having had 3 gestational pregnancies really made sense too. I read everything I could get my hands on regarding low-carb. The science made sense. Much of it was like recalling Biology and Chemistry classes from long ago about how carbs are ultimately converted to sugar. Prior to Atkins I usually at 1 meal a day (usually some sort of fast food value meal), and drank regular sugar laden coffee and regular Pepsi throughout the day. That, along with my frequent snacks of microwave popcorn and snickers bars. After I started Atkins I lost 20 pounds in 3 months going from 182 to 162 and from an 18 to a 16. I was ecstatic about the loss because I never felt hungry or deprived and had the most energy I’d had in my adult life. I went on maintenance and maintained the “weight” for 18 months. Still I was not happy with my “shape”. It was like air that had been let out of a balloon that still holds it shape. In January I read BFL. Once again the science made since. Like with Atkins I started doing research, research, and more research on body shaping and sculpting. On Friday March 15th, I re-inducted with Atkins and started BFL! For me, there’s no better Dynamic Duo! Hopefully, the results below will speak for themselves!

3/15/02 – 6/10/02
166.5lbs……..152lbs (lost 14.5 net pounds)
41% body fat……….32%body fat Lost 9% body fat
(lost 19.63 lbs. body fat/gained 5.13 lbs muscle)
Size 16……….Size 10
Lost a Total of 28.875 inches!!!
3/15/02 6/7/02 Loss/Gain
Bicept-R 11.000 10.750 0.250
Bicept-L 11.000 10.500 0.500
Calf-R 14.000 13.250 0.750
Calf-L 14.250 13.250 1.000
Chest 36.750 37.750 -1.000
Forearm-R 10.750 10.000 0.750
Forearm-L 9.750 9.625 0.125
Hips 41.000 38.750 2.250
Neck 14.750 13.500 1.250
Thigh-R 23.500 21.500 2.000
Thigh-L 23.500 21.500 2.000
Waist 34.000 30.750 3.250
Tummy 41.500 32.500 9.000
Bust 41.500 37.750 3.750

In closing I must mentally and emotionally apologize to all of the Success Stories where I read people saying that the weight loss was only a small part of their successful feelings; that the self esteem, and since of accomplishment were equal factors in how good they felt. I was so desperate and ignorant at the time, that I thought those kinds of statements had to be B.S. I know now that they’re true. I still have a ways to go, but I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how far you go if you’re not on the right road! For me that road had to start with the truth…Bill Phillip’s chapter on crossing the Abyss helped me find that truth. It’s about finding your passion, and finding out what it will take to not ignite your flame (we ignite flames all the time), but how to keep the flame burning. And he’s so right when he say’s, and I’m paraphrasing, that the reasons for this undertaking better be good ‘cause you’re gonna need ‘em! I finally figured out that in order for them to be “good”, they had to be “true”. I mean raw true, face your fears true, naked in the mirror true, “ouch” true! What did I want? Then it hit me! I didn’t want to lose X pounds of fat; I wanted to look good! I didn’t want a certain body fat percentage; I wanted to be sculpted! I didn’t want to get breast reduction surgery; but I did want my back and shoulders to stop hurting. Losing weight, reducing my body fat, is not what I wanted; it’s what I needed to do, to get what I wanted! And that’s what I’m doing now…that’s my motivation…the truth!

Thank you all for your support and inspiration! This board is so much more than a resource! Thank you all so very much!

Annette

Edited to add a Link to my BFL C1 Pics

[smasty]

Here's kari's report:

[quote]
measurments, start/finish/+ or -
weight 139.5/140/+.5
Body Fat % 24.1/19/-5.1%
LBM 107.8/115/+8.2
Fat 34.2/25/-8.8
Waist 33/31.5/-1.5
Hips 38.25/38/-.5
Butt 38.5/36.25/-2.25
Thighs 21.5/17.25/-4.25
Calves 14/13.75/-.25
bust 35.5/32/-3.5

here's the links to my pics
BFL Book Front... <A HREF="http://http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jun/20026256106869099296643.jpg"
BFL Book Back... [URL=http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jun/20026255647658216325999.jpg
[/quote]

[Dana]

Ok, we have finished the challenge, whipped out the measuring tape, taken the pictures, had a nice breakfast of sausage and eggs, and now C1 is OFFICIALLY over! Here are our final numbers:

**************************************************


CATMAN

Weight 172/163.5 -8.5
Body fat 19.49%/14.64% -4.85%
Trimmed away 2.5 inches from the waist!

I guess the most significant part was losing the fat off the muscles! Legs still “birdy” but firm and you can see definition (not too good in the pictures). I missed doing abs and missed several workouts due to the broken ribs in Mexico, so I will work those muscles soon! I missed doing the abs ‘cause with the fat melting off, they looked pretty good!

I can run harder and faster and further than I ever have. Weights increased throughout the 12 weeks. I feel great!

I am going to stick with Atkins. I changed back to it about 3 weeks ago. There was NO way I could eat 2400 – 2600 calories a day on BFL. I had a real hard time with the quantity of low fat food it took to get there…it was physically more than I could eat! In fact, I really think I lost a little more weight than I wanted to. I can easily do 2600 “bulking up” calories a day on Atkins! So that’s what I am going to do.

**************************************************


DANA

Weight 158/150.5 -7.5
Body fat 34.27%/27.92% -6.35%
Lost 12.13 pounds of fat and gained 4.63 pounds of muscle
Total inches lost 16.75 (specifically 2.25 under the bust, 2.75 off the waist, 4.5 off the abs, 2.5 off the hips and 1.25 off each thigh)

The 150.5 equals my all time low weight since beginning low carbing, and puts me at 100 pounds lost from my all time high weight (pre-Atkins). While I believe MAJOR things have changed over the last 12 weeks, the result of being SO overweight for so long still linger. It will take time for my loose skin and all the body fat to go away.

My plan is to go back to eating low carb and doing my next challenge on a modified schedule….two days of cardio minimum and only two days of weights. This better fits my lifestyle and the demands of family, church, household responsibilities, and work. In 12 more weeks, I hope to show an improvement in fat loss, so that these new found muscles can SHINE!

I truly was one of those SLOW to show results, but in the end I am pleased with my efforts (having never missed a workout or cheating the food plan), happy with the changes and am proud to be a finisher.

**************************************************


We both want to thank everyone for all the support and encouragement these two veteran lowcarbers received while pursuing this new adventure! You guys are great!

Our pics are posted at the following link:

http://texasbfl.freeservers.com/photo.html

[Stevie Renee]

^^^^

[Stevie Renee]

^^^^

[Shauna]

I finally got my pictures developed from C1. Sorry it took so long.

I don't have a long story except that I just let my body go. I ate when I was stressed. I had two children and have never lost all of the weight from them. I use to play sports in high school, but haven't really seriously exercised since then.

I have been clean for the entire BFL challenge. I did not miss a workout and did not cheat once on my eating. This is one of my goals that I met from day one. I ate whatever I wanted on free days, sometimes paying for it the next day.

Starting/Ending
height- 5' 10"
total weight- 210/188 (-22 lbs)
fat- 71.9/41.2 (-30.7 lbs)
lean muscle- 138.1/146.8 (+8.7 lbs)
bf%- 34.2%/21.9% (-12.3%)
neck- 15"/14.5" (-.5)
bust- 43.5/41.5 (-2)
waist- 37.75/33 (-4.75)
abdomen- 40/36 (-4)
buttocks- 44/40 (-4)
right thigh- 28/23.25 (-4.75)
left thigh- 27.5/23 (-4.5)
right calf- 18.5/17 (-1.5)
left calf- 17.75/16.5 (-1.25)
right arm- 14/12.75 (-1.25)
left arm- 14/12/5 (-1.5)
total inches lost- 29.75

Thanks for everyone's support. I couldn't have done it without you all.

Shauna



For those interested, I have more cruise pictures at the link below: http://community.webshots.com/user/shaunarae216

[SilkAsha]

Things I have gained;
A belief in my ability to have apositive, goal oriented relationship with my body
An ability to know weather I am gaining fat without relying on the scale (a device which is inherently UNreliable)

Things I have lost;
Beginning End Difference
Weight 154 147.5 6.5
R calf 15.375 15.125 0.25
R thigh 23.5 21.75 1.75
Hips 39.75 37.75 2.0
Low Abs 36 33.75 2.25
Waist 29.5 27.25 2.25
High Abs 31.5 29.5 2.0
Bust 37.5 36.375 1.125
R triceps 12 10.75 1.25

BF% 20.98% 16.21% 4.77%


June 23rd, 2002 was My two year Atkinsversary, and I wanted to share my story.

I was always a chubby kid. Or at least that’s what everyone told me. I look back at pictures of myself as a little girl and I wonder how I ended up thinking of myself as “too fat”. I remember a ballet recital at age 5 feeling I was too fat to be pretty in a tutu….

About the time I entered puberty, things started to get worse. I’d always been a big eater, and abnormally fond of sweets, even for a kid. I was lucky if the Halloween candy lasted 12 hours. I had a brief phase of shoplifting, and what do you suppose I stole? Candy, of course.

IT BEGINS

About 6th grade I had a slumber party, and found myself complaining about being fat. One of the girls said, “Just make yourself throw up”

Now, I knew about anorexia (wished I had it myself at the time), but I had no idea what bulimia was. Even when I learned it was serious disorder, I already had a romanticized image of it. Isn’t that the life the media tells us we’re supposed to have? Stick thin, eating pasta in Italy (think credit card commercials), stick thin having the time of your life at McDonalds, stick thin, having an orgasm over a Hershey’s chocolate bar… how are you supposed to achieve that without bulimia?

It took a few years, but I finally got the hang of it. By the time I was 17 I was a full-blown Bulimic. I spent the next 10 years on and off diets, getting down to a reasonable weight, purging whenever I overate, then seeing my weight creep back up. The only time I was “clean” was during my pregnancy. Problem was, although I could convince myself not to purge for the sake of my baby, I couldn’t control my binging. I gained 90 pounds while I was pregnant, topping out at 280.

I lost a bunch with the delivery of my beautiful son, and stabilized around 220. It was still the heaviest I’d ever been. Breastfeeding didn’t help a bit. Luckily, I was too busy bonding with my kid to worry a lot about my weight. Also, DH was just happy that my body had been able to deliver this beautiful child, so was not judgmental about my weight gain (in that respect I feel VERY lucky). I stayed pretty sane during breastfeeding as well, with only the occasional retreat into purging.

As soon as I weaned my son, I started using appetite suppressants, and I dropped another 35 pounds. I was pretty happy at 185, my pre-pregnancy weight, but I was using appetites suppressants and purging to maintain it.

ROCK BOTTEM

Then the inevitable happened. My weight started to creep up again. I was stuck in a stressful job, and having a hard time settling into momhood and wifehood as my son passed through the terrible twos. Almost every day, before I picked my son up from daycare, I would spend 20-30 dollars on junk food , binge on it and then force myself to throw it all up. I had food wrappers hidden all over the house.

But it didn’t stop there. Eventually I found myself doing it even while my son was in the house. I would put him in front of a video so I could go throw up, rationalizing that he didn’t know what was going on… that I wasn’t hurting anyone but myself.

This is very hard for me to talk about, even after two years of recovery. Anyone who thinks a person can’t be addicted to food is fooling themselves. I hated myself every minute of every day for what I was doing to my family, and myself but I didn’t know how to stop. The compulsion had such a terrible hold on me that NOT binging made me feel like I was going to jump out of my skin. There were days when literally, the only thing that would calm me was food, and the sweeter and starchier, the better.

The amazing thing to me, in retrospect, was that my husband didn’t suspect a thing. He didn’t find out what had been going on until I finally told him, about 2 weeks into low carbing. It resulted in a drastic change in our relationship – for the better. I hadn’t realized what a strain my secrecy had been putting on our relationship. It may seem obvious to someone on the outside, but my need to keep that secret made me feel I couldn’t share many other things with him either. And I think a part of me felt resentful that he DIDN’T notice. I have had to come to terms with that – it didn’t mean he didn’t care, but no one could save me except me.

COMING INTO THE LIGHT

I had tried Atkins two times in the year prior, just another in a long string of diets. At the time, I believed, like so many people have, that this couldn’t possible be a healthy way to eat in the long run. In June of 2000, things had spiraled completely out of control for me. I hated myself and had no belief that I could make anything of my life. My addiction to food was making it impossible to move forward. Worse yet, purging wasn’t doing me any good. In the course of 9 months, I had gone from a low of 175 (after my first, month long try at Atkins), to 204 pounds.

About that time I saw an associate of mine at a potluck dinner. She looked great, and I heard she had lost the weight with Atkins. She announced that night that she was leaving our organization to start her own business. I was shocked, angry… to this day I am not sure why it impacted me so strongly. Maybe I suddenly realized I wasn’t going to make anything of my life as long as I was stuck in this cycle of obsession over food and my weight.

While I believe that weight shouldn’t stop people from being successful, I realized at that time that I couldn’t get past my weight. People around me would tell me I was talented, successful, even beautiful. I was even lucky enough to have a dear husband who thought I was the sexiest woman alive.

But I didn’t believe in me. And it wasn’t even so much the 204 pounds. It was my addiction to food and my inability to enjoy my body.

I knew Atkins had helped me to lose weight, so I started thinking back on it, trying to figure out why I couldn’t stick with it. I realized two things;

In both cases, one bite of a sugary treat kicked me off the wagon, back to bulimia. The first time it was a tootsie roll midgie at Halloween. The second time one lick of frosting from a slice of birthday cake (always a trigger food for me).
On Atkins I lasted a whole month without purging – the longest time ever!

This was huge for me – was I addicted to sugar? Could it be that I had a problem in much the same way as an alcoholic or heroin addict? I later learned, after taking a job working with those with addictions, that sugar stimulates many of the same parts of the brain as alcohol and heroin. It is indeed possible to be addicted – and you are at higher risk for binging, and for bulimia if a first degree relative was an Alcoholic – in this case, my father.

I started Atkins for the third and final time June 23rd, 2000. Within two weeks of being “clean”, I realized I needed to quit my highly stressful job. My resources were being abused there, I didn’t deserve it, and I had the strength and skills to demand MORE!

I took awhile to lose all the weight. I stabilized around 180 through the holidays that year. It was more than fine with me – with the help of recipes for legal treats, I made it through the holidays without a single cheat, proving that it was possible to make this a Way of Life.

In late January of 2001 I decided to get serious again. I realized that losing the rest of the weight was going to require counting calories in addition to counting carbs. By now I was used to low carb eating, and I realized that cutting carbs made it POSSIBLE for me to eat less – fewer cravings, etc. When I eat sugar and starch, the idea of “moderation” is a complete joke. On Atkins, I find I can easily stop at one serving (except for PMS – I let myself have one or two days a month where I could eat as much as I wanted)

I finally hit my goal of 150 in late July of 2001. All along I focused on staying “clean”. The weight loss was very important to me, but my health, and battling my addiction were the real reasons for this Way of Eating. I also made sure to check my cholesterol levels, twice during the process. They were stellar both times.

MAINTAIN?

I continued to lose and hit 145 by Thanksgiving.

Then the holidays hit again. I didn’t have as much time to exercise, (or maybe it became less of a priority) and I was eating a little more. By April, my weight had crept back up to 149. Worst of all, the size 8s were getting tight. I was still in goal range, though… so what was wrong?

Turns out that foregoing exercise had caused my bodyfat to jump 4% in those 4 months. OUCH!

CROSSING THE ABYSS


Enter Body For Life. I’d first heard of it on the Atkins Friends BB, but felt very intimidated by the intensity it seemed to require. At this point, though I realized I had been losing muscle mass – something had to be done.

When you are heavy for many years, you build a bit of muscle just carrying around that extra weight. If you are active at all (I was), it’s like weight training every day. When I measured my bodyfat near the beginning of Atkins, I was at about 38%, not bad for someone weighing in at 200 pounds. So my lean body mass was about 128 lbs. After being at a lower weight for several months without adequate resistance training, my LBM had dropped to 120 pounds, EVEN THOUGH I WAS STILL EXERCISING.

I started BFL April 6th of 2002. I continued with Atkins eating though – I have come to realize that I am truly addicted to carbs. Where a food rates on the glycemic index can mean the difference between controlled eating and a three day binge for me.

Some of the BFL eating principals make a lot of sense, though. I try to eat 5-6 times per day, and I eat more protein and less fat. As always, I eat TONS of veggies (I never limited low carb veggies, all through Atkins). I still keep my fat % around 45. I truly believe that fat satisfies, so I would never go “lowfat”. I still turn to a piece of bacon or a little peanut butter whenever food cravings hit. Nuts are my friend !

So now, 12 weeks later, I have finished my first BFL challenge. I can run a mile in 9 ½ minutes – I had never run a mile in my life before this – I look and feel fabulous, and my tummy skin has retracted in a way I thought it never could after pregnancy.

BEST OF ALL, I THREW OUT MY SCALE!! After almost 20 years of compulsive weighing (that’s right – since I was ten) I am free of that deceiver! The scale was never a tool for me. It was judge, jury and jail for my self worth.

I can tell by looking in the mirror, by how I feel, weather I am gaining. And I have the tools to stop it. I am finally in control of my body in a way that my eating disorder promised but never gave. If I decide to stop exercising and eat two packages of Russel Stover SF candies tomorrow, that is still my choice!


RECOVERY IS A PROCESS

The one thing that will take all of this out of my control is eating sugar or starch. I remind myself of this daily. It is easy to become overconfident, from the first pound one loses, to the life long process of maintenance. It will always be one day at a time for me. As long as I honor that, I will be OK. Feeling too in control has its disadvantages, because it’s never true – you can never 100% control your surroundings, or your life. Letting go of that control is also a big step in recovery, knowing that I make decisions every moment of every day that effect my ability to stay on a healthy path.

But now I live a life where I notice and can be thankful for the things I have. Sugar no longer clouds my judgment or numbs me. I have no longer have that coping mechanism for dealing with pain, and so I have developed others that make my life such a better place. Exercise goes a long way – and who knew that DH was actually a good listener? Now that I am actually RAISING my son, instead of stuck in my addiction, I feel good every day that I make my best effort to be a good parent. I no longer feel like a hypocrite when I suggest dietary changes to my patients.

I can finally allow myself to take pride in my family, my work and in my health.

[Dana]

bump!!!

[tonil]

Okay folks . . . here are my stats and pics for y’all.

C1/2.20.02~5.19.02~~~~~~~~~~~~~C2/6.10.02~9.2.02
Neck: 17 ~ 16~~~~~~~~~~~~~~16 ~ 16
Biceps 15.5 ~ 14.5~~~~~~~~~~~~14.5 ~ 14
Calves 18.25 ~ 17~~~~~~~~~~~~17 ~ 16
Hips 53 ~ 50.5~~~~~~~~~~~~~50.5 ~ 47
Thigh 30 ~ 27.5~~~~~~~~~~~~~27.5 ~ 26.5
Waist 46 ~ 41~~~~~~~~~~~~~~42.5 ~ 41
Bust 51 ~ 44~~~~~~~~~~~~~~44 ~ 43
Chest 42 ~ 39.5~~~~~~~~~~~~~39.5 ~ 37.5
BF% 45 ~ 41~~~~~~~~~~~~~~40 ~ 33.2
Wght. 252 ~ 238~~~~~~~~~~~~238 ~ 219.8
Size: 26/28 ~ 22/24~~~~~~~~~22/24 ~ 18/20


http://community.webshots.com/user/tonil2

As always thanx for letting me share . . .

I've been on a life long plan of Monday morning diets -- you know the kind. Start Monday morning but by 10am I've cheated with a donut or some other sin and then of course the rest of the day is shot, so forget about trying anything at all until of course . . .next Monday!
I believe that people change because of a crisis that forces them to change. For me it came at 305# and I was unable to weed my beloved garden, I got high blood pressure and was so fatigued I couldn't even cook dinner. I checked out on life basically. Came home, sat in front of the TV and ate some more. My heart broke one night when my son asked me to cuddle with him at bedtime and then complained because I was squishing him and he couldn't breath. I had heard so many times from my MD and friends . . . start slow, eat less, exercise . . . just take a walk around the block. Well even those things seem insurmountable to me. I really had given up all hope.
However old habits die hard and having tried every diet known to man, I eventually came across Atkins plan. Oh wow, I thought Now this was a diet for me . . . I could eat as much fat and protein as I wanted. Sure I missed the potatoes with sour cream but I just ate another steak. The first week I dropped 15 pounds, the second week another 15 -- OMG! I started feeling better and having more energy. I read the book and reread the book many times and worked on that way of eating till I had it down! I gave up all processed foods, no longer went out to eat and did not eat fast foods anymore. In fact I was eating a ton of fresh veggies every day. As the weight kept coming off, I started feeling better and decided I was going to exercise. Just a little -- I bought these videos (8 minute abs, arms, legs, etc.) 5 minutes a day eventually turned into 15 minutes a day, then a half hour and then I discovered the Body For Life program with Bill Phillips. Talk about serious weight lifting! I took a peek at the nutrition part of the program and said 'no way' I'm sticking with Atkins and guess what? I did great! I lost 65 pounds of fat and gained 18 pounds of muscle! I went down 3 clothing sizes! I felt strong! No, it wasn't easy. At first I was too embarrassed to go the gym so I worked out at home with weights and videos, but realized that I needed more so I eventually joined a local gym. It was hard, I was embarrassed and felt like a fat ole fool. But I decided that my goal was more important than my so called pride so I gritted my teeth and slogged away at the weights. I finished my first challenge in May with great results. Soon after I started my second challenge and it has been very hard as well. I've discovered that the nutrition part of bodybuilding is harder than the weight lifting itself. I plateaued for almost 6 weeks and was so very frustrated. A friend suggested I count calories for a week to see what my intake was like -- of course my first instinct was 'no way . . . I hate that stuff . . . I have no control . . . I'm afraid of being hungry . . .'but I did. It only took me one day of logging what I ate into fitday.com to realize that eating 3000 - 4000 calories a day regardless of how hard I am working is NOT going to result in weight loss. So, I dug deep and went on a different eating plan. Lower fat, higher carbs and protein and I count calories. It has worked beautifully. I can't say that I would be where I am today if I had to start this way -- in fact I know I would have run the other way FAST! So, Atkins will always be in my heart as my saving grace! That plan taught me the foundation of weight loss. Water, no processed foods, low glycemic carbs and quality protein.
The focus was easy because almost every day I saw positive changes and when I didn't (my 6 week plateau) I refused to give up because I knew there was no going back. I felt too good to 'check out again'. I know this is long and none too coherent but thanx for letting me share. I hope this helps. -- Toni

[lowcarbmolly]

I am so honored to have a place in the transformation gallary. You don't know how many times I have looked at your stories and wanted so bad to feel the way you feel and look the way you look. Well my day has come!!!!
I started my transformation on July 8- a day before my 23 bday. I don't have all my stats but I started around 165 pounds- 12 weeks later I am 140. I wore a size 12, I"m now a size 8- almost a 6!! I am around 20% body fat.
When you change your mind and your body you really do change your life. Life is so much better when you are fit. Before I did my transformation I was running but my physical condition is so much better now. I can run and play with my son all day. My son calls me "Muscle Media Mommy." I have gotten my whole family active. We don't get cable anymore. We are always active. On the weekends, we used to rent movies and order pizza. Those days are gone. Because I focused on fitness, my hubby has changed his lifestyle as well. This means so much to me to set an example for my family.
The mental changes are the most powerful from BFL. You learn so much about yourself when you push yourself and set high goals. I walk tall and stand proud. I have battled with bulimia since I was 14. For the first time in my life I am proud of my body- it's not perfect but I definately can see every squat I did in these 12 weeks in my pics and that is something to be very proud of.
Bodybuilding changes you body in amazing ways. The best change is I dont' snore anymore. I am flexible. I think I look like I never had a baby. My stomach shruck up in a major way. My breasts went back to where they are supposed to be. My back is strong again. I really could write my own book.
So here's my pics:

After front-

[smasty]

I guess this might be a good pic for the transformation gallery....these pics are taken exactly 1 year apart. I took the first one as a plea for fashion advice. It was December, 2001, I had just gained 25 pounds from falling off the low carb wagon, nothing fit, what WAS I going to wear to holiday parties. That's how I dressed every single day...slouchy jeans and college sweatshirts. Snarla (SnarlaII now) came to my help on the playground with some great fashion advice...and a little nudge to check out BFL. "oh yeah...BFL...I've tried a million times and failed" went through my mind....but when I started reading the BFL threads....these people sounded so confident, powerful, strong, sure...I wanted that!! So here I am a year later, my BFL anniversary is 1/7/03 though...so not quite a year of workouts. Hey...at the time the before pic was taken, there was still a month of food frenzy in front of me...you don't expect I could have stopped that do you??? Now I know you can make a choice to join in this stupid end-of-year food frenzy or not! Hey you know, a year might seem like a long time....but it's going to go by, there's no choice in that. How do YOU want to look a year from today?

[DeltaDog2]

Well, the 12 weeks flew by. I was afraid to post these pics at first, but all the wonderfully supportive people here convinced me that I should be proud! So, even though I’ve got a ways to go to my “ideal body,” here are my before and after pictures (October 7 2002 through December 27, 2002).



And here’s my story (sorry kinda long). I started at 191 lbs, weighing myself nearly every day. I was just barely getting to a size 18 (I started Atkins at 227 and lost to 191 before starting BFL). By the end of the challenge, I didn’t weigh often anymore (who would have thought I could lose that scale obsession?). I feel better, stronger, and healthier, and I finally got to where I can honestly say I don’t care if I end up at 160 lbs, so long as I’m in a size 6 or 8 and FEEL good. I believe I lost about 8-9 lbs during the challenge (I had hoped initially to lose 25 lbs, so obviously I was far from that goal), but I lost a full size and another half or so. I’m now in a loose 16, just creeping up on 14s. There are lots of little changes too – a few times I have noticed that I’m starting to get that line down the middle of my abs that I thought only teenagers or models had. Wow!

So a little about my history - I have a lot of muscle damage from a childhood disease I had where my immune system basically "ate" my muscles. I spent most of my teen years in a wheelchair starting at age 10, and have never regained full strength (it’s unlikely that I ever will, but I can continue to improve). I was told several times I’d never walk again, but through a lot of physical therapy I started walking again when I was 17. In college I got pretty strong due to all the walking between classes and carrying heavy books, but after I graduated I got a very sedentary job and lost a lot of strength. Fast forward to a few years later when I’d gained 100 lbs, and was very weak and tired all the time.

When I started BFL I couldn't carry most heavy grocery bags without repacking them, and I had to get help lifting up my dog for her bath (she only weighs 23 lbs). DH had to regularly go to the neighbors for help on house projects because I couldn't lift much of anything. I needed help to step up curbs, and had to lean on the wall to get up the two very small steps in our house...etc, etc, etc. I was starting to have conversations with my 87 year old grandma about how hard it was to get around. I finally decided it was time to do something, and saw a few of the BFL posts. I can't even describe how afraid I was when I started. I'm sure a lot of people remember my tentative (and some downright freaked out) posts before I started. My first week was incredibly emotional and scary - I didn't do great workouts but I was so thrilled and proud at finishing them. I cried like a baby after my first arm workout, not because it hurt, but because I DID IT (this note I made to myself still inspires me on the very first day of my binder).

Today, 12 weeks later, I can carry bags as heavy as the baggers can pack them, I have helped DH with numerous projects in the last month, I can pick up my dog, and I haven't needed help with a curb in about a month and a half. I can finally get around the house without using the walls, and I quit being so tired all the time. The only downside is that I can’t relate quite as well to grandma anymore, but I don’t think she minds! I haven't lost much weight, but I am so proud of my strength gains and my lost inches. And for the first time in forever, I can finally see muscles in my arms and legs.

The best thing about BFL is that you CAN make it work for you. When he says to max out at the highest weight you can do, he means it. I was a little embarrassed the first week to be doing bicep curls with 2 lb weights - but I did them, and it worked! I may have reached level 10 intensity with only 5 lbs, but I built on that. I can now do a few reps with 10 lbs. My legs were the most impacted by my illness, and they are still the most damaged. Some of my goals for this challenge included completing a full squat, and a full lunge. I STILL can't do them with any weights, but I keep working at it, and I keep getting lower - last week I almost reached chair level on a squat. And cardio I have amazed myself too - I went from barely being able to walk a mile in 45 minutes to doing it in 25 last week, and I have jogged in place for the first time since I was 9 years old. I'm no supermodel yet and I'm nowhere near the "after" pics in his books, but I am so happy with my progress and how I FEEL, not just look.

I am looking forward to Challenge 2 and beyond, to see what else I can do!

[twoboysnmygirl]

My story:

I have been overweight all my life although I wasn't obese when I was younger, I thought I was. I remember weighing 144 in 6th grade and all the girls were trying to see how much I weighed so they could tell the boys.

I struggled for years and nothing I did worked. I tried to feel good about myself, but my weight always followed me. After getting married and having my children, and quitting smoking, I only got bigger. I realized one day that no one even looked at me anymore. I was 251 pounds. I used to at least get looks in the car when they couldn't see my body, but noticed the blond hair.

I finally found Atkins and lost 45 pounds before having my last DD. After I had her, I struggled to lose eating LC even at the strictest levels. In 2002, I lived strictly LC and lost 30 pounds, but stalled out in August and slowly started to gain again over the fall/winter even when I hadn't changed my eating.

I got to the point where I realized that I was willing to do anything to get this weight off. Anything. But nothing I tried was working. I also realized that even if I did lose another 30-40 pounds, I would still just be a smaller version of what I was. And I didn't like my body. I wanted my body to change!

I started BFL on 12/31/02. It has changed my life completely. I still cannot believe that I changed my body, my eating, and my habits in this period of time. I love to exercise now. I hated it, no LOATHED it before I started this journey. I hated to sweat and now I giggle when I'm dripping with sweat. I started off strong, loving the weight lifting and hating the cardio. Now I love cardio! I forced myself to get out of the bed and do it some mornings, but before I knew it, I felt like something was missing when I didn't exercise. I made it part of my life. This challenge has given me the strength and determination to change my body in a way I never thought I could. I won't ever be the same. I'm confident, proud, and gleaming now! I LOVE BFL!

Here are the Questions in my journal that I answered:
1. Having now successfully completed the 12 week program, how good do you feel and how much more energy do you have compared to before?

I feel GREAT! I have the energy I never thought I would have. I can play with the kids, take hikes on beautiful days, and enjoy each moment of my day.

2. To make it through all 12 weeks, you clearly had to stay focused and inspired. How did you do that?

I used my journal every day. Writing down what I was doing and eating really kept me focused. I looked at my before picture every day as well and reminded myself that I didn't have to look like that. What I was doing was going to change my body.

3. What's the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in order to successfully complete your 12 week program, and how did you do it?

Around my 5th week I got the flu. Getting back on track was hard and for a week or so I just went through the motions. I kept going though and my determination empowered me! There were many other obstacles in my way and I realized that there always will be, but I can control this part of my life no matter what!

4. How has your life improved by transforming your body and health?

I have control! Although many hardships have occurred throughout my challenge, BFL made me feel like I still had control. It gave me clarity of mind. It taught me that life will always have its hardships, but it is how we react to them that determines how much we will enjoy our lives. I have confidence that I never had and pride in myself for completing this program.

5. Now that you have successfullyl completed this 12 week Body-for-Life program, how are you going to build on your momentum and what will you achieve next?

I will achieve whatever I put my mind to! I am beginning my second challenge in a week. I learned so much in the first challenge and plan to use all that I learned to accomplish even more in challenge 2! I am building my body FOR LIFE!

6. If you could inspire only one person to follow your example and experience all the positive changes you have over the past 12 weeks, who would that person be; why would you choose that person; and how would you help that person succeed as you have?

If I could choose one person, it would be my friend Jenifer. Of all the people who could benefit emotionally and physically from BFL, I would pick her. I want her to feel the power, confidence and pride that this program can bring to your life. I want her to be happy. I would help her by telling her what a special person she is and that she deserves to be happy and proud of herself!
Challenge 1!
Starting Stats: December 30, 2002
Weight: 203
Bodyfat: 33%
Bust: 45"
Ribs: 39"
Waist: 38"
Stomach(pooch): 45"
RightThigh: 25"
LeftThigh: 24 1/2"
RightCalf: 15"
LeftCalf: 15 1/2"
Right upper arm: 13"
Left upper arm: 13"

Ending Stats: March 23, 2003
Weight: 192 Loss: 11 pounds
Bodyfat: 27% 6% BF!
Bust: 41" -4"
Ribs: 36" -3"
Waist: 34" -4"
Stomach: 42" -3"
RightThigh: 23.5" -1.5"
LeftThigh: 23" -1.5"
RightCalf: 15
LeftCalf: 15
Right upper arm: 12 -1"
Left upper arm: 12 -1"

Total loss of inches: 19 inches!!!


Front before & after(my friend put the WOW when she edited the pics, not me. LOL!)


Side before & after:



Back before/after


Another front in my new suit...