ACTUAL POSTS FROM THE GUESTBOOK OFTHE BODY FOR LIFE WEBSITELAST EDITED 12/29/07 This is a document that consists of either actual guestbook posts from ladies, or responses from personal emails (where I requested additional details) These posts have only been edited by the Microsoft spell check system to avoid embarrassing and unreadable errors in the posts. Otherwise, these are the exact words used, and the names and dates on which these occurred. This document probably represents less than 3 % of the overall number of posts I’ve seen on the topic, but I chose not to copy posts that did not give detailed information and were only general in nature. The few that are copies of emails sent to me were sent after I saw a post about progress on the guestbook, and asked for more details. Of course, as you might imagine, there are some who have posted and said that they DID NOT experience the 8 week miracle. None of them admitted to struggling with eating right, but why would they? My sense is that most women who do not see good results on BFL simply are unable to adhere to the diet 6 days a week. Happy reading! Mike Harris Posted 6/10/04 by Donna from Massachusetts Oh Yes!!! I had to go shopping for new shorts because all the ones I had were too big! I was wearing a size 11 last summer and when I went shopping today, I had to get size 5!!! My weight hasn’t really changed much and when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t see much change, but the shorts are proof positive that BFL works. I’m in week 8 and that is when everyone said I’d start to see a difference. Thanks so much for your encouragement and wisdom. I pray that you are all blessed as much as you have blessed me. Posted by Loise Miller, 6/30/04What if I had quit at week 4 when my scale weight went up 5 lbs and I cried because I worked so hard. I read everyone’s posts about week 8 and 9 and I continued. What if I had quit on week 6 when I saw no change but I visited Hussman sight and he said when there is no change in body weight that is the time your body is changing fat for muscle. I believed and carry on. If I had quit, at night I would not have gone to bed smiling after looking at my 8 week pictures. They are absolutely awesome. If I had quit, I would not be jumping for joy because I have lost 6 lbs of scale weight. The feeling is awesome; this result had me in the gym so fast I hit all my 10’s and then some. I am in week 10 my next 2 weeks will be the best ever. Have ever wonder why results come out in the last four weeks? Please stick with the programme it works. Denise Kowal, 1/7/04C1D52 I haven’t posted in a while, so I owe you all some encouragement. After the first six weeks of feeling changes but seeing little, the “high burner” switch must have turned on inside me. The last week and a half has yielded unbelievable results in terms of increased energy, decreased body fat, and (shock of all shocks) a little six-pack peeking out! No, I haven’t changed anything - still eating clean and about the same quantities (like the book suggests), and workouts leave me in tears every time, but it just goes to show me that patience, persistence, and hard work will be rewarded. So those of you who are wondering how come you aren’t getting the results you hear about from other people, remember this: every body is different, and each has its own schedule for change. Stay with the program, because it works. Review it often to make sure you are doing what you should, and carry on! Results will be yours if you stick with it. Be strong! –Denise Linne, Goleta California, 2/28/05Well, I posted my Week 8 photos on BFL Tracker! I am finally seeing a difference, my clothes are getting baggier, I’m feeling happier and all is well! So many people told me they didn’t see a real difference until around week 7 or 8 and I felt like…”week 7 or 8?” “I can’t wait that long!” But you have to power through it and know you may not see it right away, you may not see it until wk or 7-8-9, but it will happen. For anyone who gets discouraged, please hang in there, the early weeks can get discouraging (maybe even a little depressing) but don’t give up, you can do it. From “Chriss” in a personal email to me on 4/10/05: “my transformation took the entire 12 weeks,didn’t actually see a lot of change until week 8, and I am really GLADthat I did not step on the scale, measure myself, or anything until day84, and wow what an improvement. Actually, the photos were the icing onthe cake, because the scale only moved 7 pounds, but I lost 15 inches,went from size 10 to a size 6, and lost 12% body fat! So, who cares whatthe scale says, and doing the weekly re-measurements is for the birds.” Kellie, from Santa Clara Utah, 5/16/05Happy Monday Everyone!!! I am proud to write it is C2D1 Here!!! I NEVER would have believed that I would be writing that! It’s amazing what happens when you commit to a goal and actually FOLLOW through. All you women starting out, don’t get discouraged. Keep working towards your goal. Keep your self promises. If you falter a bit, don’t get down and out just brush it off and over come it. Be patient with the results. I didn’t see any till week 8, but what happened between then and the end, is amazing to me. Am I the best??? Far from it!!! But in my opinion I’ve already won!!! I’m already a champion, because I followed through and finished something that is important to me! My greatest reward is a healthy body and a brain that says I CAN DO IT, energy to keep up with my 12 1/2 year old daughter who runs a 6 min. mile and my 2 year old who just plain runs me ragged!!! The level head that keeps me sane when I’m rushing from work, to ball games, to ballet!!! And the self confidence that I’m not so bad after all and I know that I can handle all of the above!!!! Karla, in an email to me 8/12/05I could tell a difference after 4 weeks, but it was slight. The biggest change I noticed was after 9 weeks, when I took a photo. I’m highly critical of myself in the mirror, but I couldn’t deny the change in the pictures. Also around week 9, my clothes were more loose fitting, and now, most of them don’t fit at all. To be clear, I wasn’t overweight before. But I was completely out of shape. I don’t know if it’s harder for really overweight people or not, as far as seeing quicker results. Even though I didn’t see the physical changes right away, the mental changes came within a week or two. Not to the level I’m at right now, but I could already tell I was feeling good. And in other ways physically, the better diet has helped in so many ways, and early on. I hope people focus on the bigger picture, instead of only worrying about their appearance, weight on the scale, etc. I know it’s hard to do that. Sorry for the long response. Thanks for your interest! Shelley, Johannesburg 9/1/05Hi All I am in the middle of week 8 and I can see a huge difference in myself and so can others everyone I meet asks me how did I lose so much weight. The funny thing is I haven’t lost that much weight at all but I have lost plenty of centimetres, I can get clothes on that I couldn’t get past my thighs before. Everyday I see changes in my body and it motivates me to keep going especially when people give you comments it makes you feel great so hang in there everyone it DOES work. Kathy, Lambertsville Michigan, 12/4/05ALL WOMEN LISTEN UP…..This is for all of you that are in a hurry to see weight loss or quick results…BE PATIENT…I too was wondering every day when it would happen, only once more to be discouraged because the scales didn’t move, or my tummy was still there. I am in week 9, and the changes are fast. I took a picture of myself at week 8, and was ready to give up. I saw a few changes, but thought there is no way I will achieve the results I need in 4 more weeks. Surprise…I have about 21/2 weeks left, and I will get there. Just in the last week I have lost 4 lbs, and gained some really nice definition. I really am going to make this goal.. The only problem I can see at this point, is finding a cute bathing-suit to put this new body in, since it is December…HELLO…My computer is down, some virus or whatever, so I did not check e-mail me box, as I am using the library computer again, but please know that it will happen. Give it the full 12 weeks…that’s why it is called a twelve week program. Have a great BFL day…I need to go to Ab Bootcamp now…Kathy Amy San Diego, 8/7/06Hello I know it has been a while but as some of you know I have been on the hunt for a job! It is going well a few interviews here and there. I am completely elated with all of my changes so far I am in week 10 and people are now noticing the differences. Hallelujah! I got asked if I had lost 15 lbs. ****************************For all of those concerned with not dropping scale weight I haven’t lost a pound but I look like I have and my pant size doesn’t lie!!!! Size 11/12 to an 8!! Keep up your dedication and hard work! Started boot camp for abs today…oh my gosh! I know I will be feeling this in the am. I had a funniest home video moment in the gym today. I feel very at home in the gym and comfortably know my way around. Well today was a different story I was following the abs training and only could find a flat bench for the side obliques. (Now it is visual time) I reached up to hold on to the bench and twisted my body as I curled my legs up I fell off the bench…Ha Ha Ha!! I was sooooooo embarrassed but I shrugged it off and kept up with the ab workout. Guaranteed that everyone in the gym saw the fall out. At least I laughed and moved on!! Keep up the good work everyone it is totally worth it! From Heather, exact date not known sometime in 2006It’s the beginning of my 8th week. I feel sooo good these days! BFL is amazing simply from a health perspective, not to mention the benefits to one’s appearance! I have had a “brain fog” for a few years now. I am YOUNG, and yet felt like I wasn’t quite as “sharp” anymore. NOT ANY LONGER! My husband doesn’t know what to do with his “hyper-functioning” wife these days! I am even taking over some of “his” chores(some of the time–haha!) My face has changed so much I FINALLY recognize myself again! For the first time in several years, while shopping at a department store, I actually LIKED what I saw as I passed the mirrors (instead of trying to glance away–some of you ladies probably know what I mean!)These are simple things that mean a lot to me. I intend to keep right on going into the next Challenge after this one and see just what I am truly capable of. I feel like my body is thanking me for finally giving it what it really needs!
So anyone out there who is feeling impatient or frustrated, keep on going! It just keeps getting better! Some of us may not have “earth-shattering” and ultra-motivating changes in the first few weeks as some are fortunate enough to have, but keep pushing because they WILL come! Focus on how much better you FEEL, and before you know it your appearance will catch up!
It’s true–believe and you will achieve!!
Heather Kimberley, Bunker Hill W.V., 2/8/07 I have been reading some of the other posts and the 8-week change. It is sooo true. I did this program in 2003 and week 8 and all the rest of the weeks were stunning. I would wake up looking different everyday. Amazing. I had been so discouraged because my husband was losing like crazy and looking great. And here I was stuck, so it seemed. Week 8 oh week 8 I cannot wait to get there. I could see a different lump (that’s a good thing, muscle) everyday. I would look in the mirror and wonder who the heck was that. Hang in there ladies. The results WILL come. It is like Christmas. Almost overnight it happens. I can’t wait for week 8, I can’t wait for week 8. Posted by Jami from Medford Oregon on 3/8/07 Okay, this is going sound lame, but a few tears shot out of my eyes this morning when I changed into my workout clothes and took a gander at my progress from yesterday. We’re in the middle of week 10 and we’re literally seeing change every day. THIS PLAN WORKS!!!! The more faithful you are to how it’s laid out, the more results you will see. My goal for the 12 weeks was 20 pounds lost and I’m now down 23.5. I cried, I guess, because I was so hopeful when we began and wasn’t sure how it would go. Tears of joy. The changes inside are more wonderful than the exterior. I am really blown away at how life changing it really is. EDITOR’S NOTE: Jami’s couple’s challenge is on the featured challengers of the 2007 BFL website. Posted by Sarah, on active duty in Afghanistan, on 3/21/07 Well, here I am- staring down the last 48 hours of my challenge. I feel like I’ve been through it all. I had the withdrawal headaches from sugar in the beginning. i had the aches and rotten attitude during the first couple weeks- wondering why the fat wasn’t falling off of my body and why I hurt so darned much. I’ve been at that point where I couldn’t understand why my weight would plateau…and I would get on the scale every day. I measured my body every day- more for accountability purposes than anything else. in the process, I learned how sensitive my body was to extra calories and sugar (which would explain why everyone in my family is diabetic!) When I hit a plateau and felt frustrated, I kept asking myself how much effort I had put into eating exact amounts that day. I discovered a few things. 1. I lost a majority of my weight in the first three weeks, but a majority of my inches after that. 2. The last two weeks really do matter. My last 7 pounds came off and I went from a snug size 8 to a size 6, AND I lost another 2 inches from my waist. I am energetic and full of hope. For everyone who wakes up feeling bloating or wondering why they just aren’t losing that fast, I have three recommendations for you. Ask yourself if you’re eating the right amounts (for women- that’s less than 1500 calories a day). Ask yourself if you’re eating high glycemic carbs- like a lot of fruit. I’m not saying that fruit is bad- I’m just saying it could have a profound effect on your challenge. And lastly- are you eating a lot of sugar-substitutes? They are a lesser evil than sugar, but plenty of substitutes will cause your body to react in the same way as it would to sugar. Anyway, I’m getting ready to head back to the states after a long year in Afghanistan. I had a few days where I was dragging my food around the mountains with me- it took some creative planning on my part. Oh yeah- for all you new guys starting out. Stay flexible. If you cheat, give that day up as your free day. If you miss a workout, let that be your free day. Don’t tell yourself “oh, no big deal…I still am going to take my original free day.” Realize that you may be breaking a sugar addiction and be patient with yourself and your cravings, but be strong. I’ve got faith in you. I’m 26 pounds lighter and went from a size 12/14 to a size 6. I’m looking forward to sending in my packet- not because I expect to win- but because it symbolizes my completion of a something great. See you all next year at the expo! (I’m planning ahead.) AND, a personal email to me from the same Sarah: “Mike, feel free to add anything I said to that document. It helped me immensely to read that women’s document- and if I can be a part of inspiring or helping other people out, I’d be proud to be a part of that. I just felt so compelled to share my joy with everyone today, so I posted that note on the guestbook. I hope that others out there realize if I can drag my rice and tuna around the mountains (questioning my sanity the whole time) while working with the people/livestock or whatever the mission/crisis was- they can do it with their own particular set of adversities and challenges. if I even inspire one person, I’ve done great. So yes, please add me to that document. I’d be proud to be a part of that. Sarah” (email 3/22/07) EDITOR’S NOTE: Sarah’s transformation is among the 2007 featured challengers on the BFL website. Posted by Lacy, Olney, Md, on 4/2/07 “Hi all! First all, I’m stoked! I looked in the mirror yesterday and saw the makings of a lil’ 6 pack, too cool!! If that isn’t motivation I don’t know what is! Okay, I’m on challenge 2, week 2 day 1. For those early in the program with no changes, please listen to my story….
NO CHANGE in weight, barely any in clothing, and little difference in the photo up until week 8. Then I started to see some changes. Week 12 I took my photo and was literally astonished with my new bod, jumped on the scale and weight EXACTLY the same thing as my starting weight! Dropped from size 16 to size 12 and the photos don’t lie. Same weight on the scale. That hit me hard, but I’ve since had my sanity talked back in and I’m really psyched. I’m on essentially week 14 and just feel like at the end of this second challenge I’ll have that body I’ve always wanted!So please, please, please don’t expect pounds to melt off fast, this is a slow moving program where you literally get healthy on the inside before you start to see it on the outside! You must be patient, you must stick with the program, and you must keep going or you will never see those changes start to manifest them on the outside. You can’t visualize the great things happening inside, but if you keep going and keep going, soon they will be on the outside and when they start to show, they show fast!!” (In an email to me, Lacy told me that she weighed 173 at the beginning and end of that first challenge and that people have told her she looks like she weighs 140.) KRISTY, a 41 year old lady who did BFL three years ago with good results, reported on the guestbook on April 24 2007 that she had seen great results at the beginning and near the end of her challenge, losing five pounds or more in weeks 10 and 11. She has gone from a size 8 to a baggy size 6, but not quite a size 4. She estimates her starting body fat at 35% and knows that her measured body fat at the end of week 11 is 24%. She has lost 17 scale pounds so far. She was sedentary for the most part before her latest body for life transformation and endured a lengthy plateau between her early results and the results that came in weeks 10 and 11. Sometimes it doesn’t take quite 8 weeks to see really amazing things. Nicole T wrote this email to me on 4/25/07: “I am 43, always been active and healthy but weighed 185 lbs on January 1st of this year. I vowed to learn to eat reasonably and lose some weight. I started by buying a skin tight pair of size 15 black jeans which I would use as my benchmark. I weighed and measured myself as well. I tried on my own to change my eating habits and exercise but wasn’t progressing. I finally gave Body for Life a chance. I started my first challenge on March 5. My jeans were still skin tight. I followed the program to the letter. At the four week mark I couldn’t wait to weigh and measure myself and try my jeans. I did and I was so devastated. The scale hadn’t moved although I was ready and warned about that. So I went to my measuring tape. I was sure the changes would show there. Nope. Not one centimetre lost. In fact I GAINED on my thighs. But the worse came when I tried on my jeans, they were still suck-in-your-gut-to-snap-shut tight. I only kept going with BFL because I’d heard that week 8 was the week to see changes. Truthfully, I didn’t think I would see them. I did not alter anything; I stuck to the BFL following it to the letter and counted the weeks. Well, at the end of week 7 I was getting dressed for work and pulled out the only clean pants I had: the black jeans. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were huge and baggy! I was making my children’s lunches and had to keep pulling up my pants because they were hanging at my hips! My daughter told me I was gross because she could see my underwear. I finally had to get a belt to keep them on. I haven’t worn those pants since. They’re TOO BIG! That was last week. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have to offer.” Signed simply, “Nicole” Posted by Frances from Biloxi Mississippi on 4/29/07: Hi, everyone! Just dropping in to let you know about more changes I am going through. If you will remember, I am one of the ladies whose fat is just so darned stubborn it won’t budge. Well, week 8 came and went and not much diff:( BUT…week 9 came and something began to happen. Inches started coming off and weight started dropping on the scale. The BF% did not change but at least it did not move up. I previously had lost 5% BF in the early 5 weeks and was amazed at how much marbleized fat I had in my muscles. I truthfully just didn’t have much muscle mass to begin with so I was carrying quite a bit of adipose tissue on some skinny bones. WoW! I just had to go back and change the last sentence to reflect a PAST tense!So here are some more changes and I am only day 3 on week 10. I woke up skinnier! Yep. I stretched to get the mind racing and when my hands fell across my abs there was nothing there!!! I jumped out of bed and the scale was down another pound. Now my scale has not moved in weeks. I think I might have lost 2-3 lbs the first 4 weeks and then nothing until week 9. I began to lose a pound a day! I am not fibbing here. A pound a day! I am eating 6 balanced meals a day , sometime 7-8 depending on how long the day has gotten. I exercise with all I have and do the appointed workouts as BFL wrote them. That is it! I am losing inches, too! I lost 3 inches last week in my waist. I know I have lost more but I am not measuring again till Thurs (my free day).BTW: Regarding free day for me, I take a free meal. And not just some junk meal because I can. I just eat out someplace and get home cooked style food that is not as artificial as the fast-food places. I watch my portion size too! For me, eating BFL is about eating wholesome foods, not “dieting”. I was already a whole foods buff, but I still have cake and hot dogs and what not on my free day but it is all natural products and usually a dessert I made from scratch using wholesome ingredients. These things are not bad for you if you begin with healthy ingredients. It’s that other stuff that is killing us all! Well, that and eating way too much of it! So try to think in terms of long-term health when using your free day/meal. It is not an opportunity to junk out. We should never ever have an opportunity to do that to our bodies! If you are craving processed food, go make the item you are craving from scratch! I am NOT saying not to eat cake, cookies, doughnuts, pizza, etc…just saying make them yourself using wholesome ingredients. That is MY take on Free Day/Meal. ABS MAY APPEAR EVEN LATER THAN WEEK 10 IN LADIES!! Here is a guestbook post from Jocelyn of Waco on 5/31/07 (whose husband works in a Snicker’s Candy Bar plant by the way!!), followed by an email from her with a bit more information: “Thank you all so much for your compliments! I trained my abs HARD like every other muscle. As the layers of fat melted off they eventually uncovered my abs. It wasn’t easy, this is the first time in my life I’ve seen abs, and that’s after having 2 kids lol. It’s possible, just not easy.I got my packet sent in 
I also had delivery confirmation added to it, so at least I know EAS will get it “ On June 1, Jocelyn added dietary details to her remarkable results story: “My progress started stalling out a few times. At week 10 I was at my old afters (from 03) measurements and weight wise), I thought there was no more room for improvement. So I figured I’d end strong. I cut out whole wheat bread and tortillas and pasta out after week 10, week 11 I cut out fruit and I upped my water. Week 11 was when I started noticing my abs were coming out, I couldn’t believe it. When I did my final measurements my hips and my thighs were both one whole inch each less than my old afters (I didn’t think it was possible to get any smaller than that). In my 2nd challenge I lost about 24 lbs, went from 26.9% body fat to about 12%, and I am in better shape than I EVER have been before. I am smaller than I was in high school, better shape than the last times I did BFL.” [Editor’s note: Dropping the starchy carbs in week 10, cutting out fruits in week 11 and increasing water consumption really helps to drive out those last few pounds off fat and water between the skin and abs, and is a strategy long used by professional bodybuilders and fitness competitors.] And in an email to me she tells more about how it happened: “Wow Mike I am very honored that you’d ask to put this in your success document! Of course you can!! My abs didn’t appear until I was below my possible perceived smallest weight and waist size. I didn’t think it could get better, I didn’t think I could see my abs. I felt them rock hard below that last layer and in my very last week of this challenge they uncovered. Honestly I thought things couldn’t get better, but I ate a little bit cleaner just to see and made sure I hit my 10’s and they came out. (the bold is mine, not hers)The # of inches and everything is irrelevant, everyone is different. When I had my week 10 results I didn’t think there was room for improvement, but I found that there really was. I hope this is helpful to you! Thank you Mike :)” EDITOR’S NOTE: Jocelyn’s transformation is among those selected for featured challengers on the BFL website. From Michele B, received by email of 11/8/07: Mike,I promised I would send you information for the ladies success journal, so here it is: During the first 6-7 weeks of the challenge I was one of the “lucky” ones. What I mean by that is I saw steady weight loss on the scale during those weeks. However, when I took my week 6 picture I saw little change. There was some drop in inches, and I went from a 16 to a loose fitting 14but still not a 12. At the end of 8 weeks I wondered if I had any chance of seeing the “8 week miracle” that so many women with little to no weight loss speak of getting. Somewhere around week 10 I started seeing the difference. The size 12 pants fit, and the next week they were loose. By week 12 I was in a comfortable size 10! The inches seemed to melt faster after week 10, and people started noticing it in my new body. Even one of the very conservative guys at work commented on my weight loss! That was when I knew it was real. I lost 24lbs total over the 12 weeks, but dropping from a size 16 to a 10 was the bigger accomplishment. The best part was when my husband stared at my legs one day while I was tying my shoes before a run. He said he was amazed at how strong my legs have gotten, and that he could really see the muscle coming out. After 17 years of marriage I’m thrilled that he is still checking out my legs! One of the women at work told me I look “fit”….me, fit? Imagine that! I’ll be forty in less than a year, and thanks to BFL I am on my way to 40 and FABULOUS! I have more energy than ever, and I’m not even the least bit moody anymore (yes, I admit I WAS moody). The sugar highs and lows are gone, and the cravings have gone from cupcakes to long runs. I’m training for a half marathon now and am currently running over 7 miles without falling over on the side of the road…all thanks to my improved body…thanks to BFL and hard work! I hope this helps someone else hang in there. I wanted to give up more than once, but I stuck it out with the support of the wonderful people in my life, especially on the GB. If you are a lady reading this…YOU CAN DO IT! The end result is WORTH the difficult days. And here’s the best part. I am still exercising regularly with cardio and weights, eating 6 meals each day, and following a maintenance eating pattern, and the weight is still coming off. I would like to drop one (or 2) more size, and I know I can do it by completing another challenge after the half marathon. Life is good! Michele FROM LIL OFF THE GUESTBOOK on 12/3/07: Robin, 8 Week Miracle Story here. Iff you are frustrated with or questioning your progress, I am a living 8-week miracle. At weeks 6 and 7, I was considering whether I had the ability to lose weight at all. I saw no change in my pants. Around week 8, people at my office started commenting, and I noticed a change in my pants, etc. From that point on, I saw almost daily changes. End of challenge results: 15.5 lbs lost; down . 8% body fat; all tape measurements went down,; my waist went down the most (2 inches). Mike, feel free to snip and drop this into your ongoing “book.” Thank you to all who helped me along the way! I am so glad I finished! I am so proud. Thank you, thank you.
Janice from Vancouver, posted on the guestbook in early December 2007: “ I made the Top Ten in the EAS Canada Body For Life Challenge!! Very exciting. And I once walked through Wal Mart thinking, “I hope no one I know sees me”- I was so unfit and malnourished and stressed out that I was foggy-headed and would bump into things and felt like I had to hold onto things or lean against the wall if someone tried to talk to me. I was so exhausted—dealing with low iron, poor nutrition, massive levels of stress, and carrying an extra 40 pounds around with me.<p> If you are here for the first time or what you think might be your last, don’t let go of your hope and dreams to be fit and healthy. This transformation, my main goal was not to listen to my head and to follow the BFL plan no matter what. I lost weight and thought “okay I have been here before but it is not a transformation yet.” I would have quit but I had done that a thousand times before—I HAD TO KNOW! What if I did the full 12 weeks?<p> Week 11- that’s when my body shaped totally changed. Ladies, do not freak out– it may change sooner for some and later for others- but what a feeling of euphoria to see that happen!! So it was not just marketing after all!! It works!!!! It works!! It works!!! <p>Then my life I catapulted forward and everything seemed to be happening at a completely different level. My body kept changing at a faster rate and I gained momentum knowing that what I was working for was paying off. It all felt so good!! That was the breakthrough I was looking for.<p> I once thought, “How will I know if I have made a transformation?” Now I know. But now I want to know - what if I took where I am at even farther? There is a figure contest coming up in April in my province- if I do it, because of my age- I can go to the Provincials- if I place top three there, I go to Nationals. Now that once would have seemed a ridiculous consideration. But not any more. <p>The transformation that you are going to make is not the end result, but is the beginning of doing whatever you feel like because you are no longer afraid it won’t happen. You get to cause happenings in your life instead of letting life happen to you. And I mean I REALLY doubted myself!! So believe, and you will get there.”