Body Transformation - Your Before‐After Share Portal

Amazing Body Transformation

Sooooo, I wanted to post this to show a bit of perspective guys!! Here are three wildly different images of my body and they tell a story!
In the first pic I was around a size 16, unfit, unhealthy and most importantly- regardless of my grin- I was unhappy.
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In the second image I’d slimmed down with the help of my fitness dvd- I was a size 6 with no boobs and pretty much no life. I became obsessed, too focused and this in turn was also detrimental to my health. I wasn’t enjoying the amazing gift of life as I was too worried about the calorie content of a blueberry!
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In the third pic, I am around a size 10, all boobs, bum and zero apology! I train hard, I eat right about 80% of the time but my life doesn’t revolve around what the scales say! I listen to my body- and when it says it wants a gin and tonic… I GIVE IT ONE!!! 🍸 I am a strong, healthy, realistic woman with a good balance of work and home life. I am in short, HAPPY. And that’s what I wanted you to know.
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Don’t allow your happiness to completely hinge on what the scales say! Be happy because you’re alive, see exercise as a celebration of what your body can do not a punishment for what you’ve ate, use food as fuel not a means to curb boredom and most importantly: eat the cake once in a while… because life is for living and cake is great.

7 Secrets To a Winning Body Transformation

First, I just started with the most basic principles. I calculated my maintenance level of calories, split up my meals into five, and started eating at a deficit, making sure I got some lean proteins and carbs at every meal.

Then last summer I did the 98-day Burn the Fat challenge and got even better at implementing the principles. I got in great shape and reached my goals at the time.

So now faced with another mountain to climb, my goal was simply to do even better; to get in the best shape I’ve ever been in. I wanted to get as ripped as I could. I wanted to get below 6% body fat while gaining at least a pound of muscle in the process. I had seen other people do it, but I thought that it (“body recomposition”) wasn’t in my genetic cards.

I also knew that 49 days – the length of the winter Burn the Fat Challenge – is not a lot of time, so unlike the summer challenge when I eased into it, I wanted to hit the ground in a full sprint. For my exercise routine I decided on Tom’s TNB (“The New Bodybuilding” program – a two day split with an upper body day and a lower body + abs day).

For my nutrition plan I decided that on top of my knowledge of the Burn the Fat system, I’d see if I could make the “Holy Grail” (body recomposition) program work for me. I have to admit I had my doubts… That is, until I posted my results.

Before the summer challenge, I weighed 181 pounds and my body fat percentage was 13.4%.

During the 49 day winter challenge, I cut my body fat from 9.2% to 4.7% and I increased my lean body mass by 2.7 pounds. That’s not a huge amount of muscle, but I achieved the “Holy Grail” – losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time – in only 49 days.

Here are just some of the things I learned and found helpful along the way:

It’s easier to be 100 % committed than to be 90% committed

Growing up, I was always the guy who would first stick a toe in the cold water before slowly lowering myself in. It was a long and painful process. I wouldn’t commit right away. It’s much better to jump into the cold water with both feet all at once. It’s the same thing with this challenge. Committing completely and fully is much easier than doing this halfway or half heartedly.

There is no such thing as a perfect plan

I have a tendency to incessantly intellectualize. I’ve always had my head stuck in books. I wouldn’t want to start before my plan was perfect. This is a good method for not get anything done. There is no perfect plan. Every plan is only as good as the results we are getting. I learned a lot by reading the journals of those who had the most success. Thanks to all the past and current champions, as well as to all the other incredible successes in the Burn the Fat Inner Circle for leaving their path on the internet for others to follow.

Without fail, I noticed those who succeed adapt and change their plan along the way. It’s best to begin by implementing a little at a time, tracking my results in some way, and then making adjustments. Even though I was successful during the last challenge, there is no way I could have done then what I did this time around. What was complicated before became easier now, because I built on a foundation of skills and habits I had already developed. Start simple and build. Don’t wait.

Log everything

I found that it’s helpful to log everything. It’s amazing the data we can track now with all the gadgets. I tracked my workouts and my calories on my iphone. It sometimes makes me feel like an Olympic athlete; at other times it makes me paranoid and feel like every step is being monitored by big brother I tracked my steps and calorie expenditure on my fitbit. I logged everything on my team and online journal.

You can look at them too in my Inner Circle journal. There are no secrets. It’s easy to see what I did every single day (since practically the first day of the last challenge). While I don’t think you need to go to this extreme—it’s a way of keeping accountable. Besides, I am a bit of techie.

Get motivated

To me, motivation and mental focus is the most important aspect of this. It’s important to connect to a motivation that comes from a deeper place. It has to be more than just the results of the month or even the competition. If we can connect it to our core values, beliefs and who we are as a person, it can give us the resolve we need. Here is just part of my why:

• To give me the energy to burn that I need.

• To give me resources to allow me to live life to the fullest extent possible.

• To help people raise their standards.

• To give me the strength, energy, vitality and health that I deserve and need to accomplish what I want in my life and contribute to the lives of others.

For me not exercising or not taking care of myself is simply not an option.

Visualize

Visualizing is an incredibly versatile tool. I’ve known about it for a long time, but am kicking myself for not really harnessing its power sooner. Not only did I use it to visualize my final outcome, I also found it useful to visualize potential obstacles and vividly imagine exactly what I would do to overcome them (like getting out of bed and exercising when I am not feeling motivated). I would also visualize a successful lift while I was waiting between sets, which helped me keep my mental focus.

Find your support

It goes almost without saying that support is a must for me. I had support of my family, my friends, and I was also fortunate enough to be part of a fantastic team at the Inner Circle. I really can’t emphasize enough how much easier it is to be surrounded by an enthusiastic, supportive group committed to the same goals. I’d like to thank my team. “The Rippers” – it was truly an outstanding challenge and you really took my focus to new heights.

Stay connected

While last time I was content to mostly “lurk” on the forum message boards, I was much more active this time around. I know firsthand how much external support is helpful for me, and so trying to provide some to others is a gratifying way of giving back and secretly it’s a way to stay on track.

I’ve done things differently this time around. I didn’t drink any alcohol and I decided to rely on much more whole food instead of shakes and smoothies. People already know me as the “healthy guy,” so in some ways it was easier. I didn’t have to explain myself to anyone.

I would say the challenge was a resounding success. I reached new highs in squats and deadlifts. I am the most ripped I’ve ever been and I’ve convinced myself that I can increase LBM while decreasing body fat – another limiting belief successfully shattered. I’ve continued to pick up new recipes and learn new skills to integrate into my life. This just makes it even easier to continue this lifestyle

I firmly believe in a synergy between our mind, body and the rest of our life. As I take care of my body, the concentration and discipline is reflected in other areas. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that opportunities have continued to be opening up professionally and personally. Fitness is no longer something I do but part of who I am – you better believe I am not stopping. This is too important.

My 2 Month Transformation

“Nutrition is 70% of your health and fitness success, the other 30% is your training”.

Now I don’t doubt this common statement, but I didn’t want to go into my ‘2 Month Transformation’ thinking that one aspect was more important than the other. I wanted to embrace and give 100% to my nutrition/eating plan as well as giving the full 100% to my training. I shifted my mentality to believing that both were equally important and without one, the results would not be maximal. To achieve what I wanted and ultimately did achieve, I would have to treat both equally.

My Health and Fitness Wheel…

What a lot of people forget to mention is the third component of what I believe completes the health and fitness wheel. The importance of getting the ‘healthy living lifestyle’ factors correct I believe played a big part in my overall success. I am referring to things like stress levels, adequate sleep and all other non-tangible aspects that occur on a daily basis.

But for now, I shall leave nutrition and ‘lifestyle factors’ to one side with this blog post focussing on my training routine(s) that I used during my ‘2 month transformation’.

Tips For Rapid Body Transformation At Any Age

“Gary, when you think back to what you did to get your winning Burn the Fat Challenge results, what were the most effective strategies in each of these areas, that you think were the most important of all in allowing you to get such rapid results: 1) mindset, 2) nutrition and 3)training, and 4) feel free to add any other random advice if there’s anything else you think was critical to your success that would help our readers get results like you did. Thanks!”

Here’s the new champ’s advice:

1. Mental. I made a commitment to myself to complete the challenge. I put my commitment in writing. I visualized my success from the start. I used a picture of Mike Mentzer’s abs and visualized them as my own. I visualized myself on the beach in Maui with warm sand between my toes, the sun warming my tanned six pack abs; I could taste the salt in the air carried by the gentle breeze. I could hear the powerful sound of the ocean as the waves crashed along the shore line. .

I felt emotionally charged and energized. I listed all the reasons I wanted to complete the challenge, six pack abs, better health, lower blood pressure, more energy, having clothes to wear that fit. I thought about how I would feel after all those changes had been accomplished and how proud I would be of myself.

Instead of becoming overwhelmed at all the changes I needed to make, I asked myself if I could follow this plan for one day. I said, sure, one day shouldn’t be all that difficult. So the times when self doubt crept in, or when I was hurt, sore, hungry, angry and whiney, I would tell myself it was only one day, and then I would repeat the mantra I created to snap myself out of it: “Do you just want to compete, or do you want to win?” I would look at the picture of the abs and review the reasons why I was in the challenge and then carry on.

2. Nutrition. Before the challenge, my diet was terrible. Before the challenge, my three staples were sugar, salt and fat. If I wanted a shot at winning the challenge, I knew this would have to change. As a metaphor, I said I was going to treat my body like a rocket ship. Therefore, I would feed it only rocket fuel! I found Tom’s food guide and I decided I would only eat A+ and A foods and for liquids I would drink only water and green tea!

Even though the 7-week competition included my birthday and the holidays, nothing else entered my body. I made no exceptions to my nutrition plan and I did not have any cheat days. I measured and weighed all food and counted all calories. I then posted my calorie intake online.

I did have cravings, especially in the beginning, and my wife and kids continued eating ice cream, popcorn and chicken wings in front me. I used NLP techniques, mostly visualization, to associate things I didn’t like to the foods I craved! I continually used my challenge mantra to drive me. “Do you just want to compete; or do you want to win!”!

3. Training. I admit, my training was kind of crazy, but this WAS a challenge – it was a competition and there’s only one grand prize winner. In fact, I know I over trained because I ended up losing a little strength. When I do another challenge, I will change my routine and give my body more time to recuperate between weight lifting sessions. For the Burn the Fat holiday challenge, I had 27 weight lifting days over the 49 days, 15 upper body and 12 lower body.

I injured my back during one of my leg work outs and my legs were not recovering from the cardio, so my decision was to add more cardio and drop a few leg work outs. On upper body days, I performed 4-5 sets of chest, 4-5 back, 3 for shoulders and 2 each for both triceps and biceps.

I used a variety of techniques including supersets and drop sets and I always worked to failure. My upper body workouts lasted about 90 minutes, which I now know was way too long, but again, this was a challenge! My leg and abs day lasted about 60 min. For cardio I had over 100 sessions during the challenge, broken into three fairly equal categories of slow (Walking), moderate (Jogging, swimming, bike, elliptical, treadmill), and intense (sprints, running, stairs, hills, swimming).

4. Other advice? My advice to anyone thinking about doing a Burn the Fat challenge would be to make a commitment to yourself in writing and list all the benefits you will receive as a result of completing the challenge or reaching the goal.

Don’t reinvent the wheel – the info and resources you need are right here. I joined the Burn the Fat challenge the night before it started, I had no idea what the Burn the Fat inner circle was about. I found the resources; articles and interviews within the inner circle helped me get started on the right track.

The fact that I chose to post to the forums here when I had questions, concerns or frustrations was THE main reason I succeeded. The responsiveness, support and help were truly overwhelming! I’ve built so many friendships over the challenge. Everyone shares so openly, I think I know more about many of the people in the inner circle than I do about some of my own friends or family!

Best Female Body Transformation of the Year!

Meet Christina! The newest Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) body transformation overall women’s challenge champion! These amazing results were achieved during the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle summer body transformation challenge – in only 98 days! Even more amazing is that this was the continuation of a larger journey and series of goals that has been taking place over the past year. All together, Christina has burned almost 100 pounds of fat! How did she do it? Read on and find out…

After this year’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle challenge, we grabbed Christina for a quick interview and asked her to briefly share 3 or 4 of her best tips for all our members and readers:

“When you think back to the 98 day Burn the Fat body transformation challenge, what were the most effective strategies you used to get such incredible results, in the following areas:

1. Mindset and motivation, 2. Nutrition/ Food, 3. Training, 4. Other advice or tips you’d like to share. Thanks Chrstina!”

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1. Mindset/Motivation

I have burned over 95 pounds of fat in the last ten months and nearly half of that was during the summer challenge.

It’s probably obvious to most people that good nutrition and consistent training are critical for achieving results like that, but I have learned that having the right mindset, fueled by clear motivational goals, is equally and perhaps even more important than diet and exercise! Simply put, when my head is in the right place, the rest just follows naturally. The reverse is not as true, at least not for me. I can know everything there is to know about nutrition and exercise, but it won’t get me very far if my mind is not where it needs to be.

So how did I get my head in the right place? I have to admit, this was the toughest battle I had to overcome. I’ve heard people say that you have to really WANT something in order to achieve it. I don’t disagree with that statement; however, for me, desire, even intense desire, wasn’t enough. Desire can be a great impetus for change, but it isn’t usually enough to take you the distance.

You see, I really wanted to be fit and healthy again. In fact, the desire for a lean, healthy body was so strong that I knew there was no way I would ever be content with anything less. Desire was the reason I vowed to myself almost every Sunday night that I would start my diet on Monday (everyone knows that diets should always start on Mondays). But as soon as the pressures of work, school or life closed in on me, desire abandoned me like a fair-weather friend in a hurricane. It wasn’t until I read, and I mean really read, the first chapter of the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) book that I discovered what was missing: the power of goal setting.

Tom has already said just about everything there is to say about setting goals so I won’t attempt to rewrite BFFM Chapter One, but I will try to describe how it made all the difference in the world to me.

As I noted earlier, desire is a great impetus for change, but setting clear, specific and vivid goals is the fuel that keeps desire burning. At first I did not give the goal setting process as much attention as it deserves. I was very busy, after all, and I had to work out, log my food and prepare my meals for the following day! However, I eventually realized that it was the one thing I had never tried with all my previous failed diet attempts, so I sat down and started writing, hoping that it just might be the key to lasting success. And it was!

Probably the best advice I can give regarding writing out goals is to take time to make them very specific, personal, emotional and vivid. I actually posted an edited version of my goals in my journal because my original goals were so intensely personal. I think this was helpful in a number of ways. First, it helped me truly understand my reasons why I was doing this. Motivation fuels desire. In addition, because I made my goals very specific and vivid, it was easy to remember and visualize them.

Visualization has been absolutely critical to my success. Many people in the Inner Circle create visualization pictures by pasting their face on a fitness model’s (or body builder’s) body. I did this too; it’s a great motivational tool – but I took it a step further. I got into the habit of mentally imagining my ideal body at all times. I wasn’t just seeing my visualization picture in my head – I was imagining how I would look, feel, move, etc. in a variety of situations.

For example, when I first started working out, I was so out of shape that I tired quickly, my appendages felt like lead, and the slightest exertion left me breathless. But, instead of focusing on how I felt in that moment, I started visualizing how I would feel exercising once I was fit – strong, powerful, energetic, breathing deeply and easily!

The most amazing thing happened when I did this – I found myself picking up the pace, pushing past the pain and fatigue, and I felt exhilaration akin to what the winner of a marathon must feel crossing the finish line. Of course, in reality, I was a sweaty, panting, red-faced mess, but I felt like an athlete! I applied this visualization technique to just about everything – my approach to food, the image I saw when I looked in the mirror, etc. The impact was profound – it literally changed the way I saw myself, how I felt about myself and, most importantly, it changed the way I behaved because it compelled me to be the person I saw in my mind.

2. Food/Nutrition

I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. I think it’s really important for each person to do what works best for them, taking into consideration personal strengths and weaknesses. I am a very detail-oriented person and I usually approach life with an all or nothing mindset. Therefore, my approach to nutrition was to aim for 100% compliance because I knew that cheat meals would trigger an avalanche of cravings.

I ate grade A foods almost exclusively. Most of my meals were simple, bland and repetitive. I weighed and logged everything. I know this approach does not appeal to everyone, but it’s what I knew would work best for me. I think the key is to know yourself and then apply the principles of BFFM nutrition in a manner that will ensure your success!

3. Training

Before the challenge began I created a workout schedule in my Outlook calendar. I knew that lack of time was going to be my biggest hurdle, so it was important for me to carve out the necessary time for myself.

I also counted the number of cardio and weight training sessions I wanted to complete throughout the challenge. I thought of each and every workout as bringing me one step closer to the goals I had set for myself. For example, in 98 days, I scheduled 56 strength training sessions. Simply seeing my workout goals as a finite number helped drive home the importance of every workout and I was much less inclined to skip one as a result.

There were certainly times that I did not feel like working out, but I learned early on that I had to stop the mental debate as soon as it began. I would often say to myself, “Christina, you don’t get a vote” and before I could argue back, I simply got up and got moving. Once again, the mind-body connection was extremely important here, as well as with nutrition.

4. Other advice or tips.

The final “tip” I want to pass along is to get involved here in the Burn The Fat Inner Circle!

I spent as much time as I could afford reading journals, listening to audio interviews, and gleaning from the wealth of information found in the articles. I am a fairly quiet, somewhat introverted person by nature. I don’t typically feel a need for a lot of social interaction; however, I discovered that the encouragement, support, accountability and camaraderie of like-minded individuals all working toward similar goals was absolutely vital to my success.

There were times when my mindset was not as strong as it needed to be, times where I felt like slacking off, and times when I just didn’t think I could resist the office chocolate dish. All I had to do in those times was log on and read the encouraging posts in my journal, or read about someone else’s personal triumphs, and I was re-energized and re-focused.

This Father of Five Lost 36 Pounds in Eight Months

I was getting overweight and felt sluggish. I was always uncomfortable with my body. I enjoyed working out, but I was very inconsistent and had very poor eating habits.

It has showed me what I can be, even in my 40s and beyond. It has taught me how to eat healthy. It has taught me how to work out. I, like so many people, have always thought I worked out. I went to the gym and did my routine. Now, after doing these programs, I realize I was barely working out at all. Not to mention that my eating did not coincide with my workouts.

The bottom line is I was miserably uncomfortable with myself

I had always struggled with my weight growing up. I was a bigger kid, despite getting plenty of exercise while working on our family farm and playing sports such as wrestling and football (I was not lazy). Upon reaching high school, I began lifting weights and working out on a regular basis, but I still struggled with my weight. I went to college and tried extremely hard to lose weight by working out daily and eating healthy, but still I could not make any significant progress. I was extremely self-conscious about how I looked, constantly spending large periods of time putting on shirts that did not make me look like I had a large belly. I would never let myself be seen without a shirt on, even by my family. In fact, that is the reason I only have a single set of pictures without me wearing a shirt. Sadly, I would attend pool parties with my friends and never even go swimming to avoid being seen without a shirt. The bottom line is I was miserably uncomfortable with myself.

Fast-forward a few years

Training for obstacle races helped Tim W. become the real-world athlete his life needed.

Health and fitness was always his passion. That is, until he went in for reconstructive elbow surgery, was forced to take time off the dumbbells, and gained 25 pounds in five short months. “Needless to say, my health turned very poor very quickly,” Tim says.

Fast-forward a few years, and things weren’t getting any better. Sure, his elbow fully recovered, he had built up a significant collection of at-home fitness equipment. But it was also about that time that he got his first hernia. Then, after his wife gave birth and he became a busier-than-ever dad, hernia number two hit. His workouts and health were sidelined in a big way.

“I was working 60 to 70 hours a week at Home Depot, owned my own landscaping company, and had a three year old. I was focused on providing for my family and didn’t take care of myself, says Tim, noting that he struggled with seasonal depression that led to extreme weight gain, yo-yoing, and burnout.

“My son had a ton of energy, and I couldn’t keep up with him or with housework,” he says. “I felt like a fat, lazy, blob. I was depressed and had no desire to do anything. My house and marriage were falling apart and I didn’t care about any of it. My health and lack of energy was ruining all of the things that had I worked so hard for.”

Life & Body Transformation!

Dan initially consulted me after he injured his back playing football. His osteopath recommended a course of PT sessions with me to strengthen the muscles that support his back.
After consulting with his osteopath to understand his condition better, I performed a full body assessment to test his muscle strength, body posture and flexibility. Then we put together a detailed exercise programme and nutrition plan. The varied workouts aimed to improve his strength, posture and balance. They incorporated ViPR, foam rollers, stretches, kettle bells and free weights.
What?
While transforming his body, Dan improved his training techniques and learned the proper way to recover from injury. He’s strengthened his back and core. He’s also fitter and more flexible and says he’s noticed improvements in the sports he plays – like football and cycling. I’m still working with him and there’s still lots more to come!

My Raw Food Transformation

This month marks a special anniversary for Mark and I – our 6 months of being on the high raw diet. We started it in January as part of our New Year’s resolution, and while the original goal was to try it for a month, we managed to thrive and prosper for whole 6 months already. Unbelievable, I know! We’ve lost total of 70 lbs. between the two of us – he 40 lbs. and I 30 lbs. But the real proof lies in the “Before & After” pictures below. Take a look for yourself.