2008 Transformation Contest

This is it. The moment we have been working towards.  Here are my final stats.  I must tell you that my original scale is messing up so I have to use my old one.  My moving guys dropped some furniture on it. I didn’t think it was hurt but apparently I am wrong since I cant get the same reading twice in 10 tries.  As a matter of fact all were different.  I know I could just pick one but I know my other scale at home has been consistent and I like to play fair.  I really doubt I am down to 178 pound.  LOL   The only thing is I cant get my final fat percentage.  I will use last week’s number for that.  I will tape the actual weigh in tonight when I get home for proof as well as take the pics.  All will upload first thing in the am.

Here are my measurement results:

Starting Weight: 227.4
Ending Weight: 212
Difference: 15.4 lost
I will have video posted in the am.

Starting Bodyfat %:51.5
Ending Bodyfat%: 44 as of last week.  
Difference:  7.5%

Measurements:
Starting chest: 44 7/8
Ending chest: 42 ½
Difference: 2 3/8 inches lost

Starting Rt bicep: 16 1/8
Ending rt bicep: 15.5
Difference: .63 inches lost

Starting lt bicep:16.5
Ending lt bicep: 16
Difference: .5

Starting waist: 38 ¼
Ending waist: 36
Difference 2 ¼ inches lost

Starting Thigh: 29
Ending thigh: 27.5
Difference: 2.5

Starting hip: 50.5
Ending hip:49.5
Difference 1 inches lost

Starting high hip:  50 ¼
Ending high hip: 47
Difference: 3 inches lost

Starting Calf: 17
Ending calf: 16.75
Difference .25 lost

Grand total of inches lost: 12.51 inches gone.  WooHoo

Three days left.  I want to end this contest with a strong finish so I will post my last video. The videos are not something that I will miss.  I dreaded them every week.  We all know that my favorite exercise is the bench press and I might as well finish on the right bench with a personal best.

There are seven days left in this competition.  Thats right.  Seven days to make it happen.  Seven days to make every meal, every thought, every workout count.  Well, it should be easy to do right.  Nope.  This week I am completely swamped at work and lots of activities at home.  i wont let it get in my way.  

I look at where I was and compare it to where I am and I am just amazed.  I havent lost a lot of weight.  I have dropped quite a few inches.  I think I have put on some muscle.  My strength has definitely increased.  

Here are this weeks pics:

This competiton maybe coming to a close but my journey isnt over.  I have tossed around several new plans to keep the momentum going.  I will be changing my workouts beginning Monday. I will start the P90X program.  I am very excited about it.  I also plan on entering the Muscletech challenge.  I have to give SCT some competition.  Seriously, I doubt I am what they are looking for but I will give it a 100% and it will help keep me motivated and making the changes I am wanting.  I am also going to start on my personal training certificate.  Thats right.  I have a passion for wellness. I know the struggles. I can relate.  Plus occasionaly I can be considered a people person. I should wrap up the training about the time I drop the rest of the weight so I should fit the part.  Plus helping people increase their intensity and make positive changes will only help me to move forward myself.  Its a win-win situation.

Anyway, have a great day.  

Well my camera is shot, so I will not be able to take pictures or video at least until I find someone I can borrow it from. But I can share some of my thoughts with everyone willing to read this journal.

I have intentionally placed everyone in the category because this post is about everyone in this competition. I would like to share my opinion about the competitors and how I have seen them in short time I spent in this competition, and also, I would like to encourage others to write the same in some of the next blogs as we near the end of this game we play.

As I said this blog post is about everyone taking part in this competition, not only the competitors but the people made all this possible. I would like to avoid sounding like a miss pageant so I will skip "thank yous" to the sponsors and yada yada yada…I believe they know we are grateful for the opportunity.

Anyways I would like to say special thanks to the man Richard, our admin. Without his efforts we would be lost half way. Thank you Richard.

What can I say about Isaac? Well I learned he’s got great taste in music and I always enjoyed his videos he posted, and I enjoyed some of the great stories he told us, some were true adventures. I must admit I am a bit jealous of him, after all he is a great photographer, something that impresses me a lot. What ever happened to your shaping goals man, we are still backing you up!

And there is Josh. I still hate my self for entering this competition through his misfortune. Life is one big, well I guess you know what. If I understood correctly, SCT is almost fully recovered from his injury and already planning a new challenge by Muscletech, and I want to wish him all the best with his future goals.

Jason is another mystery for me. I have a feeling he is such an emotional person, in a good way of course, and the fact he found his happiness with his wife and daughter just makes me warm in the heart. I know you can’t see much progress but there is a great achievement behind you already. OK, maybe you didn’t lost much weight, or achieved the look you desire, but you made a positive change in life. Sometimes, no matter how hard we fight, sometimes life gets the better of us. I just wanted you to know you have my full support, and when this thing ends in a couple days, don’t think I will forget about you, you can count on me any time.

Dave is a big man, in more than one way. I found we have much more in common than it could be seen in the beginning. This man has a great sense of humor but he can be serious when needed and place a right word where needed. He has a long fight before him and I just know it will not be an easy one. That just makes him a biggest fighter of us all, I mean we have to loose 20 - 30lbs and we are there, but he has to loose a whole Maddie to get where he wants to be. Dave my man mark my words: If you ever decide to quit and give up on the battle you started and start listening to that demon from Narnia, just remember there is one crazy Serb out there waiting to kick your a$$, and we all know demons can’t compare to Serbs

Maddie, well Maddie is Maddie, right I mean she is the reason we others loose motivation with every new progress pictures upload. Couple more weeks and she is ready for a fitness competition. You came a long way and you showed us all how the fine finish is done. You showed great progress both physically and psychologically, and through some of your posts you gave us insight to your librarian soul and I have seen it’s a wast and beautiful place. Which ever the path you decide to take after this competition I wish you all the best.

Finally there is Steph. I am not sure if I can write anything else about this woman I haven’t said before. I remember when she left the first post on my BodySpace page, I was thinking she was a random visitor but than she came again and again and than every week she gave me encouragement and she still remains one of rare cyber-friends I gained over the time. Determination, strength, especially strength intensity, I mean I could go on forever with these epithets that go with her and I would still not do her justice. When I take a step back and take look at this group from the day you told me there is a competition going on at bb.com to this very day, I just know you are the one who deserves the gold and highest pedestal to stand on.

~malibuilder

We are in the last leg of the race.  Throughout most of it I felt like I was able to keep up with my friends/competitors. Now that we are approaching the final turn, I feel myself slipping. I know its this plateau I hit that is wavering my thoughts. I am still determined and I have run enought races to know that I will cross the finish line.  Its almost time to begin the sprint.  That always was my favorite part of the race.  I was really good at pacing myself and then really hitting it hard in the end.  Yes I was a fierce track runner way back when.  I know my friends are waiting for me at the finishline. I can see them with their pompoms.  Lets finish this thing.  

I am the same as last week.  yep I hit a plateau and I dont like it.  Well check out the pics this week.  Let me know your thoughts.

Last night I didnt get my progress pics taken.  You see there was a civil war going on.  Thats right a civil war with casualities.  Mom verse the kids snow ball fight.  I had no mercy.  It was all out war.  I may have been out numbered four to one but I still prevailed.  Of course I then had to nurse the injured with "mom special hot chocolate" mixture.  They will all live to see another day.  

We were having so much fun that I forgot about pictures, measurements, and weighing.   I woke up this morning and thought, "oh crap, I forgot."  I promise to do them tonight.  I can say I am up 2 pounds last I checked.  Not happy.  Hoping it is just water weight.   I will give an official report tomorrow.

I hope you enjoy this weeks video.  I think its one of my favorites.

Today is progress day.  The day we hold our breath and hope the scale moves in the right direction.  Today my scale is not my friend. It increased my weight by 3 pounds.  Now I am sure this is just water weight or something. I would have had to be really naughty to gain three pounds in a week and I know I wasnt.  Sure there were temptations but I over came those.

In a little bit I will make my way to the design department and get measured. Hopefull we will see some losses there.  LOL
Here are this weeks pics

I had a fabulous weekend.  Great workouts, quality family time, complete productive and positve planning to reach my goals,  and some r and r.  What mroe can you ask for?

Made a little video.  I like to use this as a warm up however if I am running short on time, I use it as a circuit with three rounds and can get out of the gym in under 30 minutes.  Enjoy

Oh and a shout out to Pixi…Happy Birthday.  Enjoy yourself today and much happiness throughout the year.

I dont have anything profound or inspiritation to add today.  Work has picked up which means I am swamped.  I am getting in all my meals and the training is going well.  

I have made several dates over the next few weeks to hang out with some friends.  I am looking forward to that but continuously remind myself that this is not a reason to "cheat" or stumble.  I have put some plans in place to keep that from happening.  I figure the bachelorette party maybe a little challenging but hey I can be strong.  LOL

Here is a quick update.  I am down a total of 14 pounds and 7.5% body fat.  I will let you know the inches tomorrow.  I couldnt get my measurements done today.  

Here are this weeks pics.

Well.  Let me know what you think.

Thats right.  I am back at bat.  Ready to swing and smash one out of the park.  Feeling great again.  Workouts are back and intense.  My muscles are complaining a little since they took almost a week off.  They will shape up in no time.  

This week I thought I would bring you a sample of some of my back exercises.  If there is an area that I slack on,this would be it.  I know its part of the major core and that I should work it as diligently as I do other body parts.  I seem to dislike back exercises the most with the exception of the smith machine pull-ups.  I must say that I liked them…a lot.  I am looking forward to adding them to my routine.  

any way, here is the video…

I got in a wonderful workout last night.  Really tore up the lower body.  It felt great since I really haven’t had a good workout in several days.  I felt like I was back into the groove of things.  

Tonight I am hoping to find a new love.  I am going to try a exercise that I found in this months Muscle and Fitness.   I was very excited when I seen it.  I have hopes it will move me towards being able to actually do a complete pull up. Its called a weighted smith machine pull-up.  Here is how it works:  You set the smith machine stops at waist height and set a bench a few feet away from the bar, parallel to it.  Take a wide overhand grip on the bar and squat down to hang under it.  Place your feet on the bench in front of you so your body forms an “L”.  At this point, a partner can add weights to you lap if you choose.  Obviously, I wont be doing that part yet.  From the hanging position, pull your chest to the bar, squeezing your lats hard, and the return to the starting position.   For those of you more experienced, you can switch hand positions to the close grip to hit the lower back. Or better yet alternate them.  

Here is my progress for the last week:

Weight: up one pound (215.0)
Body fat%: the same

No I am not disappointed.  I expected it since I had been sick and everything has been off.  I don’t want my competitors getting to cocky though.  I am back and feeling great.  Hardcore workouts continue.  Restocked the groceries…clean eating is on.  Water intake has been increased.  Got myself a little valentines gift too….a new mp3.  I am so ready to bring it…again.  

Here are this weeks pics:

The past week, I have been sick (flu).  It really sucked.  I pray that you all will not get it.  I was not only irritated that I wasn’t able to really train and felt like I would be setback but feeling like crap on top of it didn’t help.  As soon as I started to feel good, I would run out of steam by early afternoon.  I have gotten plenty of rest now and am ready to hit it hard again.  

I won’t be posting pictures and progress until tomorrow.  Sorry for the delay.  

I wanted to say how proud I am of each of my competitors.  

Alen has jumped in with both feet.  I knew he would.  He is such a positive inspiration for me.  Over the next few weeks, I know we are going to see some amazing things from him

Fusioncom is making steady positive moves forward.  I think it may take him a little longer but he will reach his goals as long as he stays focused.  I look forward to encouraging him every step of the way.  

Maddi is looking fabulous. She looked fabulous in the beginning but it’s nice to see the glow and the excitement that she has from reaching her goals.  I know she is excited with all the muscle definition that she is getting.  

Jumbo has by far blown me away with his progress.  He has not only lost the most weight of the group but his mental transformation and consistent effort is so inspiring for me.  It takes a lot of character and faith to know that it’s going to take a while to see a major change in pics and still stay positive and strong during the long road.  I am so very proud of him.

Well thats my two cents.  

Stef