2008 Transformation Contest

I weigh the same as last week.  My body fat is the same too.  Why I am I happy with this?  I didn’t go up.  That alone is worth celebrating.  I know I am not slacking.  I also know that this is the time I retain a little more water.  A few days ago, I was up 5 pounds. It really showed in my workout video. There are going to be times when the scale doesn’t move.  Does that mean I did not change or make improvements?   Hell no!!  Each and every week changes are happening to me.  I can feel them even when I can’t see them.    

My weight training is intense.  You guys already found out I don’t like to be messed with when lifting.  A little smack talk is ok but don’t touch my iron.  That’s right! Its hands off or all hell could break loose.  My cardio is in the target zone.  I always feel great when I get off the machine.  I know I gave it my all and really turned up the heat to melt that fat.  My diet has been on spot.  No cheating.  No substitutions.   Mentally, I am focused.  I know what I have to do to continue sculpting.  I visualize the potter manipulating the clay.   Everyday I am making good choices and “evicting” old habits and replacing them with new healthy ones.  Plus I feel great.  I feel as if I can run all night.  My metabolism is jacked.  I am sleeping great.  

Muscles are developing.  There are times I find myself running my hand over my triceps and feeling its development or realize I am flexing for visual confirmation.  My lover has commented on how hard the quad muscles are getting and the glutes are tighter and smaller.   My clothes are baggy.  I had to dispose of some and buy new already.  

Here are this weeks progress pics.  I will let you be the judge…

Day 1: Front

Week 4: Front

Day 1: Side

Week 4: side

Day 1: Back

Week 4: back

Well, do you see anything I should be disappointed in?

Here they are, added pics from week one for reference.

Week 1 Pics

Progress-???

Week 1

Progress???

Week 1

Progress???

So, even though I’m sick I still have the responsibility to post progress pictures. I won’t step on the scale right now because I know that I’m not eating enough while I’m sick and I need to instead focus on getting better. Chicken Noodle Soup, Rest, and Plenty of water yo!

However, I do see some progress in the back and ‘V’ area, which is exciting.

Front Relaxed

Rear Relaxed

Side Relaxed (Bloating OBVIOUS from being sick)

Don’t think because I’m sick that you guys are off the hook, we are barely a month in and I am just getting started.

SCT

Hi guys!  I got in a quick 30 minutes of cardio this morning and then I worked all day.  

Went to tan for the first time in a week as today is picture day!  Got there and my tanning  passes were expired.  I decided that fortunately, we are checking for BODY DEVELOPMENT not TANNING DEVELOPMENT.  lol

So I came home…took my pics…and here we are.  

A very quick download and then….I’VE GOT A WORKOUT TO GET TO! 

The VERY GREAT NEWS IS….I was down another FIVE WHOMPING POUNDS from last week!  I haven’t weighed myself in 3 days so I was shocked!  I mean, I KNEW I had been doing good on my diet, but I am used to getting stuck places.  

Looks like this girl has become UNSTUCK!

For my competitors who are struggling,…know that you will overcome this!  

I HAVE BEEN THERE!  I plateaued for over a year solid.  When things get stuck you have to try something different.  I have been following a very sound and healthy diet for the past 3 and a half years, only my calories were too high for my body to make additional changes.  I have basically cut my calories in half from where I was a month ago.  IT IS WORKING.

In the words of James Brown…

“I FEEL GOOD!”

(Step back….kiss myself………….HEY!)

My weight today;  141 lbs.

I am down 16 pounds in 4 weeks!!!!!!!

My lowest weight in almost 10 years!!!!!!!

All of this AND……….my weighted vest came in today!  Oh my gosh!  It is so HEAVVVVVY!  (And to think I used to carry twice this much in BODY FATTTTT!)  OUCH!  No wonder I HURT,….ALL THE TIME.

Those days are gone!

I will say it again for good measure…

I FEEL GOOD!

Well here they are Progress Pics………I’m hoping my new workout routine, and diet plan will accelerate this slow start…..

Well, here we are again. I’m not sure that the pictures are reflecting the changes that the scale is showing, but I think a lot of that has to do with my legs REALLLLLLY tightening up and my pictures do not show a lot of the legs. I’ve posted my before and Week 4 pics for comparison:

Before and Current Front Relaxed

Before and Curent Side Relaxed

Before and Current Rear Relaxed

Next week’s photos will be the bomb though, just wait.

SCT

I received my Muscle Tech "GAKIC" today!!!  I had to bodyslam myself quickly and hide on the floor.  The UPS man came a knockin’ while I was all gussied up in my swimsuit for progress pics, standing in front of a nice white sheet by the door.  lol  I know the way you men think.  "WOMAN….BATHING SUIT….MIDDLE OF WINTER….FULL MAKE-UP….SHE WANTS ME….SHE WANTS ME NOW."  haha

Ok, now let me get out of my silly mood and be professional.

I weighed in this morning at 146.

TWO PAPPY’S SUPER BIG THUMBS UP!   

I am down a total of 11 pounds from the beginning of contest.  I am down 3.5 lbs from one week ago!

I also did my bodyfat percentage. In four readings my bodyfat averaged out to 21%.  (Numbers ranging between 20.9-21.7.)

My BMI was exactly 22.2% everytime.  

Anyone know the difference between these readings?  And should I go more by BMI or bodyfat?  Does the fact that I hold onto more muscle than the average woman make a difference with the BMI reading per electronic handheld device?

I know, I know.  

Just look in the mirror.

And here….we…go.

The proof is in the puddin, Puddin.

Since my weekly update pictures won’t be online until my wife gets off of work today, I thought I would offer a sneak peak of this week’s progress by the commonly used, often hated, tool called ‘The Scale’.

Start of Contest:

At the start of this journey I was pushing near to 300 pounds. This seems to be the mark that always kicks me back into gear. I have a PROMISE to myself to never again breach the 300 pound mark. As I progress to each 25lb range I shall set a similar goal.

Week 2:

At the beginning of Week 2 I dismissed the progress as entirely water and glycogen weight but downplayed in my mind that I had lost any fat. After all, I am on a low carb diet. I would reserve any internal compliments until week 3.

Week 3:

Another 2.6 pounds gone, and having started out the week already carb depleted I knew I was making progress finally. However, towards the end of Week 3 I allowed myself a cheat meal TWO DAYS away from weigh-ins and pictures, I feared this would show a gain for Week 4… I really did NOT want to post a gain.

Week 4 (today):

Another 1.8 pounds gone. There is no telling what the progress would have been had I not screwed myself with an unplanned cheat meal. However, the past has passed and we will look to the future.

Total Weight Loss so far: 13 pounds
Goal for contest: 35 pounds
Percentage to goal: 37.14%

Everything is on track so far, and with the upcoming changes to my plan that will take effect soon… things are about to get crazy.

SCT

Week 3 ended yesterday and I am feeling really good about the changes happening.  I was a little concerned with my minor setback derailing my progress but as you can see below it hasnt.  I think the affects of my diet and exercise program are really starting to show.

So let me tell you about my success this far.  
Starting weight: 227.4
3rd week weight: 217.8
Lost 9.6 lbs total

Starting Body fat: 51.5%
2nd  week body fat: 46.7%
Lost 4.8% total  

                 1/2/08 measurements       2/16/08 measurements
chest                  44 7/8 43 1/2
right bicep 16 1/8 15 7/8
left bicep 16 ½ 16 3/8
hips 50 ½ 50
high hip              50 ¼ 49 1/2
waist 38 ¼     38 1/4
thigh left   29 28 1/2
left calf               17 16 7/8

The difference over all is 3 5/8” loss.

Pictures:
Front Before:

3rd  week:Front

Starting sideview:

3rd week sideview:

Starting hinny:

3rd week hinny

Pictures will come later tonight but I wanted to post that I am down to 353.5 this morning.  That is 13 down from the 366.5 at the beginning of this contest and 23 down from November 1st.  Most importantly my first milestone is about to be overtaken…breaking 350!

Week 4 Progress Pics

Pics from Dec. 26.

Down to 356.5 but the photos do not show much progress.  

Week 2 was another successful week.  My chart looks wonderful on my bodyspace.  I love seeing the line move in a downward slope.  So much motivation is taken from that. In my pictures I am seeing a little progress.  I bet by week four we will see quite a bit.  The biggest change I feel right now is how my muscles feel.   They are firming and getting harder.  

I know I wont have small arms.  Once I shred some of the bodyfat, they will be ripped.  Although I would like for them to be small and feminine, I know they wont be and I would rather have muscle showing than the jiggling of flab and the pelican beak (official body part if you ask my kids) hanging down from my tricep.  I will also know that I will have the strength to do anything I want.  That will be a fabulous feeling and will definitely override an issues I may have with sporting a pair of lady guns.

I can not tell you how much hope and anticipation that feel.  I think when you are so overweight and just starting to figure out this lifestyle, its overwhelming and can give you a fear of failure.  I can honestly say I feel good about everything so far.  I am making it happen.  

So let me tell you about my success this far.  
Starting weight: 227.4
2nd week weight: 220.2
Lost 7.2 lbs total

Starting Body fat: 51.5%
2nd  week body fat: 46.3%
Lost 5.2% total

Pictures:
Front Before:

2nd week:Front

Starting sideview:

2nd week sideview:

Starting hinny:

2nd week hinny

Ok I have bared it all.  See what you think.

So, this week I decided to try something different for my progress pictures. I thought if I did a carb meal before it would really fill out and provide some of the added definition that just doesn’t seem to be showing up on camera. However, the result just turned out to be me feeling bloated and in a bad mood.

However, the pictures continue to show progress and so does the scale, so I’ll take it.

Weigh-In Scale Pic:

Front Relaxed:

Side Relaxed

Rear Relaxed

No optional photos this week, but next week I will post the progression for my Rear Double Bi, Front Double Bi, and Rear Lat Spread to track progress.

As you can see, I’m down a total of 11.2lbs since the start of the contest, which puts me JUST shy of the 1/3 of the way mark to my weight goal. I hope everyone has a good night!

SCT

I weighed in this morning at 149.5.  This is 1/2 a lb less than last week.  It doesn’t sound like much, but actually I am quite pleased.  

I did not give it my all this week with my diet.  I believe I should be cutting back calories an additional 300-500 calories a day.  I also only had one night of PM cardio this week.  I have yet to increase cardio from 30 minutes daily to an hour, which is my ultimate intention.

The first week a person goes on a diet the the initial weight loss is partly water.  The fact that I not only kept the initial 7 lbs off, but also lost an additional 1/2 pound, deserves a BIG PAPPIE’S THUMB’S UP! 

And now for the pics……

I can definitely see a difference from week 1 to week 3.  Afraid I have lost some flesh off my hips, which is NOT where I want to lose it.  

I can see some cuts coming in my delts. 

Eahhh…it is what it is.  lol

And just because I hate those back shots sooo much, I am going to include a couple more artistic shots, to make myself feel better. 

I just ate half a jar of Kosher Dill Pickles.  Glad I am not worrying about sodium until month 3! 

Not much of a difference yet.  I think I look like my slightly better looking twin sister. 

The dreaded back pic!  SO afraid I am going to end up looking like a Shar-Pei Puppy by the time this thing ends!

Overall, even though I have lost 7 pounds, the results aren’t showing much!  

Very much looking forward to next week’s pictures.  If I am good…If I am very, very, good…we should begin to see some real changes by then!

Have a great week & keep up the excellent work everybody!