It’s been a while since I’ve seen this schtick, but it was quite common back in the ‘50’s and 60’s, especially in jungle movies and western movies. The usual victim was a bit actor with lots of disheveled hair, beard, wild eyes, etc., who would unwittingly wander into a bog of quicksand. He would usually yell out “quicksand” and then would begin sinking slowly into it. Occasionally someone would throw him a rope and pull him out with a horse, but usually our actor was left to slowly but surely sink out of sight into the quicksand, never to be seen again. One such scene left only the guy’s hat, floating on the quicksand as an eerie reminder of what had happened!  Well, much the same thing happens to some would-be BFL’ers from time to time. Usually, the “quicksand!” yell comes about 5 dreadful days after a free day around  week 5 or 6. The free day became a free weekend, then an extended weekend, and by Friday, as the next free day approached, our disheveled BFL’er is slowly but surely sinking into the quicksand with terrified eyes and a mouth full of chocolates!    What happened was just like in the movies. They didn’t know how easy it is in the midst of a successful challenge to suddenly begin sinking, to stop working out, to keep eating nothing but junk, and to literally act like a drunk on a binge! I’ve seen this happen so many times to people who have been on the guestbook that it almost makes me ill to see the signs coming again! It happens, the quicksand syndrome, because our fearless BFL’er didn’t really do everything he needed to do to avoid failure. He didn’t make arrangements to protect his workout times throughout the challenge. He decided to fly by the seat of his pants. He didn’t do everything to inform his friends that he wouldn’t be drinking and gorging with them after work every night—he thought he was strong enough to resist!  He also didn’t take seriously the fact that a free day is over in one day, and that all those free day foods need to leave the house right after free day is over.  Last, and most importantly, he let the early and good results lull him into a false sense of security.  So, when he began to really screw up, he was too ashamed and bewildered to reach out to anyone to get him out of the quicksand!  Well, the only good thing about this BFL quicksand, versus the real stuff, is that you don’t really die—you just feel like you did! And, it’s not too late to extract yourself yet.  Here’s what you need to do. Take the next right actions that are in front of you. (I don’t care if you don’t feel like it either!) That means go work out; clean the junk out of your house; update your journal; confess to everyone you can think of how bad you’ve been; and then finish the challenge. Under no circumstances should you “start over.” That never works.  Right actions will produce right attitudes and confession will rid you of the shame and guilt you feel about your failure!   Let’s get this done! The thought of a body for life hat floating on a puddle of quicksand just weirds me out! 

When I was doing an exit interview to a job I held as a mid-level executive in a manufacturing company, my boss told me that he had never had an employee with greater potential than I had. But, he wasn’t saying that as a compliment at all, because the rest of the interview was about how I had failed to live up to it.  I was leaving voluntarily to return to law school, so I wasn’t upset by what he said, but the sadness of it all is that I didn’t take it to heart either.

It really wasn’t until I began to get sober in 1983 that I really was able to fully understand what that guy had told me 13 years before. And it really wasn’t until I had to really buckle down to successfully complete a body for life challenge that I full put those ideas into practice. Here’s what I now know.

1. POTENTIAL is not an asset. Your potential is essentially the gap between your ability and what you produce in life! So, if you have lots of potential, that simply means you are either immature or underachieving.  Reducing potential by optimizing performance is the goal! Those who dwell on their potential, and who view it as a personal asset, are making a big mistake!

2. Good intentions, which some people also view as a a virtue or an asset, are neither one, and for much the same reason as potential. Good intentions alone are meaningless. Jesus told a quick story to illustrate a point. He said that a father had two sons and asked them both to work in his fields. One said he would do so gladly, but never did. The other said he would not, but did. Jesus asked, “Which one did the will of his father?” The answer was quite simply the one “who worked in the fields.” In other words, good intentions count for nothing, either in the kingdom or God or on earth!

Having watched and assessed the efforts of people over the last several years to do a successful challenge, I firmly believe that these two mindsets, that potential and good intentions will somehow translate into good results are major reasons why so many fail to complete a successful challenge.  In the power mindset tape, Bill Phillips talks about what mindsets will work and which won’t. Those who are focused on the negatives clearly fail, and that’s the major flawed mindset that Bill talks about. Those who are focused on future goals and the process to completing them will usually succeed. But those who get confused and instead of focusing on future goals,they focus on their own “attributes” seem to fail just as often as those who focus on negative things.

So, be optimistic; be enthusiastic, but above all be REALISTIC, and WORK HARD! That’s how you avoid these two pitfalls, along with realizing that they are not assets but potential liabilities to your success.

I know you see it on the guestbook all the time–people encountering adversity. Some people handle it well, and others are overwhelmed by it. The person’s response to adversity often bears little relationship to the nature or complexity of the adversity. For some, even just forgetting their meals for that day can throw them into a complete tizzy, and for others even very grave problems or injuries become simply situations to be dealt with. One thing’s for sure, we’ll all encounter it at some point during our challenge, so let’s take a look at how to deal with it.

Adversity can take all kinds of shapes, anything from an injury to working overtime, sickness of a loved one–there’s no way to anticipate all the different types you might encounter during a challenge, but a bit of good planning and preparation will get you through.

PRIORITIZE: If your adversity involves the health, welfare and safety of your family members, clearly you owe it to yourself and them to take whatever time and attention is required to tend to their needs. Your health is important, but health maintenance or improvement certainly should take second to health emergencies. Your own injuries and illnesses deserve the same as family. In other words, if you’re too sick or hurt too much to work out, DON’T! Get yourself well enough to do it right, and then get back in the game. The tricky areas are in the “other” categories. For example, you’re a guy and it’s your anniversary, but it’s also not a free day. What then? If you really don’t know, you’re probably not going to be married very long anyway! If your wife doesn’t suggest moving the celebration to a “free day,” you just move your free day without even mentioning it! By the way, I also wouldn’t advise telling your wife that you consider the occurence of your anniversary during a week day to be “adversity!”

PREPARE: Some adversity can actually be nullified by prior preparation. For example, I mentioned above that forgetting your food can be a near tragedy for some. Well, I have done that, so today I ALWAYS have backup food at work. It’s canned tuna, and packaged oatmeal, so it’s always “fresh” and I can eat it if I have to! We have grandkids whom we like to see when we can, and when something comes up that provides an excuse to go there, it is sometimes when the dog kennel isn’t open or is full. We found a dogsitter who could come at almost any time when we called her, and today she is our number one choice when we want to jump in the car and drive to Iowa! Adversity averted!

HAVING THE RIGHT MINDSET! Though it seldom feels that way, almost nothing in our lives happens without a reason. Our first thought when the car won’t start or the bad news telephone call comes is: “Why me, Lord?” A minute’s reflection would tell you that this isn’t helpful, but somehow we think we just had to feel that way. But we don’t. We can control our feelings by controlling our thoughts through a process of consistently and purposely meditating on positive things. Tommy Newberry, in a wonderful little book called “The 4:8 Principle” uses a bible passage as a guide that instructs us to meditate on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. These “things” can be blessed events in your life, or the fact that you are loved unconditionally. Your spirit will guide you to the powerful thoughts that can help with the right response to adversity.

Learning the right ways to deal with adversity is one of the great fringe benefits of your BFL challenge!

I am so glad that when Ruth and I started with body for life in 2000 we didn’t really know a thing about the program other than that a local man had won the contest the year before. We read an article in the Lansing paper about Tom Archipley, and since we were looking for a “quick and easy way” to get fit and look good on the beach for our 25th anniversary in Hawaii, we decided to check it out and BOUGHT THE BOOK!

I think if we had just stumbled onto this by the recommendation of a friend and then had come to the website to see what it was all about, we would still be scratching our heads! I doubt we ever even would have started the program, let alone finish.

BUT, we read the book, took our “before photos,” and then started trying to figure out how we could do some of this at home and some at the YMCA. We ordered some Myoplex shakes and bought some Betagen at the local GNC, printed out our workout schedules from the book, and away we went! On the way, we read and re-read that book until the cover literally fell off!

You know, even though as I look back on it we were totally clueless, we still had good results–not great–but good. It wasn’t that we got lost or had a bunch of adversity or anything, but we just failed to understand that this is a LIFESTYLE, not just a diet with an exercise program!

When I think back on our baptism of fire, and how weird it all seemed, that’s when I’m so glad I became a champion–so that I could try to find people who are as confused or ignorant as we were about about body for life, and bring some clarity to something that’s quite simple, but gets really complicated if you don’t see the BIG PICTURE!

If you don’t get the whole picture, you can be like the blind man who thought the elephant was like a snake. (He touched the trunk.)Those who need to lose some fat tend to think body for life must be a quick weight loss program–sort of like Atkins with exercises! Those who need to get a handle on an eating disorder that has spiraled out of control tend to think of BFL as a bootcamp for bulemics! It’s the structure and discipline that they crave–so that they can stop those cravings! Those who are suffering from real life, self-inflicted health problems tend to see BFL as sort of a cheap trip to the hospital! For them, it’s all about lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin levels!

They all have a piece of the picture, and a much more important piece than the “look good on the beach” piece that we had! 

Today, I laugh about that goal we had. Yes, we did it, but the goal was so shallow, so superficial, that as soon as we got home, we were done with this 6 meals a day, work-out-every-stinking-day routine! DONE! Well, o.k., in about two weeks I started again, because I kinda, sorta missed that structure, those health results, and that fat loss that I experienced in that first challenge.

I guess that’s really how you get the big picture, one piece at a time. Hopefully, reading these blogs helps a little. Each one is, in a way, a piece of the overall picture that helps make this the greatest fitness program on the planet!

This is your chance! What piece of the picture do you wish I’d write about? If I already have, I’ll tell you Thursday where to find it. If I haven’t, I’ll put it in the rotation!  I love you guys who read this blog and leave all the feedback. You always have some great ideas, and this is the time to let me know what you’d like to read next!

This is a rerun of a very important blog, because this is stuff that happens to you during your challenge, and it is stuff the book DOESN’T TELL YOU!

The purpose of this blog is to explain the most commonly experienced physical difficulties during a challenge, the cause, and what you can do about it, if anything. See, the book, Body for Life, as good as it is, still represents a one-size-fits-all type of effort at a great transformation, written by an experienced bodybuilder, but it simply does not contain everything you might encounter during your efforts.

1. SLEEPLESSNESS AND FOGGINESS: Yes, these seem like opposites, and they are, but they will happen to your rather quickly. If you have been eating a diet heavy in fat and sugary or bready carbohydrates, one of the things (day 2 or 3) that will happen is you’ll wake up several times during the night or early in the morn. It’s not hunger, but just sleeplessness. It’s likely caused by the changeover in your diet from junk to great food. The body uses heavy carbs as a sedative, and a tummy full of them helps you to sleep soundly, almost like you were drugged. The “fogginess” during the day also comes from the absence of loads of sugar, not to mention that you’re not getting quite as much sleep. Hang in there, and you’ll be over this in a week to ten days. Drink lots of water, don’t exercise or consume caffeinated beverages late in the evening and you’ll have more energy than you ever imagined.

2. HEADACHES, BODY ALL ACHING AND RACKED WITH PAIN! Early on, you’ll have some headaches. They are related to sugar and fat withdrawal, just like the sleeplessness. You’ll also experience body soreness from using muscles you never knew you had. You can try stretching, massage, aspirin and other pain killers, and anything else you want, but only time will take care of this. In about 3 to 5 days the condition will subside and you’ll be well enough to exercise those muscles again. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness, and there’s no cure for it than time. Usually it does not recur until you try a different exercise for the same muscle group, or slow up and use extremely slow negative strokes with heavier weights. It’s harmless though annoying, and it IS NOT a sign that you’re necessarily doing something right or wrong.

3. HUNGER: We’re talking REAL hunger here, not cravings. Real and intense hunger may strike around weeks 6 to 10. If it does, evaluate your diet and see if you need to moderately increase protein and good fats. As you get fitter and gain more muscle mass, even though you’re getting littler in the mirror because fat is going away, the muscle is increasing your resting metabolic rate and the body is demanding more food. Increasing your consumption in very small amounts of protein spread out over the six meals will usually take care of this without interrupting or adversely affecting your challenge results. It can also be that your hunger is a sign you’re not getting enough good fat too, though this is rare. You need to proceed carefully here, and you only might need to add a bit of a good oil like fish oil or flaxseed oil. These come in capsules or liquid forms and flaxseed oil can actually be added to a shake, about half a tablespoon should do the trick.

4.EUPHORIA!: No one complains about this, but it too is a “side effect” of a challenge, and it is a brief state that replaces the sufferings mentioned above. It comes around week 2 or 3 and lasts maybe a week. Colors look brighter; people seem nicer; the world is a better place; you have boundless energy! All these things tell you that it isn’t going to last, don’t they! And it doesn’t. Soon enough it is gradually replaced by normality.

THE LADY SUCCESS DOCUMENT (a/k/a “The Eight Week Miracle!) ACTUAL POSTS FROM THE GUESTBOOK OFTHE BODY FOR LIFE WEBSITE LAST EDITED 4/17/08  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 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! 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. 1/23/08 KARLA sent this to me via email: “In my first 4 weeks of BFL, I had the normal 4 week freak-out because I wasn’t seeing any really noticeable results. I’d lost 3 pounds and nothing more. Then I ran upon your “Success Document” and had hope of what I might begin to see at the 8th week. The 8th week came and I did think I was seeing some changes. So, I pulled out the measuring tape and I had lost 3 inches off of my waist. By the 12th week, I’d lost a total of 5 inches off of my waist. I also fit into a smaller pants size in the 11th week. After taking all of my measurements, I was down 6 inches all over. The definition of muscle that I was seeing in my legs and my arms also began around the 9th week. Now, that scale of mine wasn’t doing much in terms of moving, but I was definitely seeing and measuring those changes. Right then I knew for myself that the scale is NOT a good measure of how well I was doing on this plan. I don’t care now what the scale says…if I can look good at this weight then so be it. That is what I’m after anyways. So, to sum it all up, at the end of 12 weeks, I lost a grand total of 8 pounds and 12.75 inches. So, I lost 5 more pounds and almost another 7 inches in the last 4 weeks of BFL!! BFL works!! Just keep with it and don’t give up or give in!!  I can’t imagine what I will look like from here on in. It can only get better and better!!! 

Then, KARLA, who already had the lady success document added: “I know when I doubted, I would re-read that document and keep working hard knowing it would happen!”

 FROM LINDA from Winnipeg, on 3/31/08: “One week ago, I posted voicing my frustration with lack of weight loss and no change noted on pictures between weeks 6 and 9. I was hoping for the results most women get in weeks 8 and 9. Well, I weighed in yesterday at the end of week 10 and I was down 6 lbs! My new jeans are so loose they are uncomfortable. So, hang in there! It will happen.” HERE IS LINDA’S end of challenge information: “ Day 84! I’m happy with the results. I lost 10lb. Very strange…I lost 4 in the first 2 weeks and 6 in week 10. My goal was 135 and I’m at 144 so I have a ways to go. Better than scale results though, I lost 2 inches on my chest, 3 and a half on my waist, 3 on my hips and 1 and a half from my thighs. My menopot is nearly gone and I feel great. I am taking a few days to rest and reflect on new goals before starting again.” FROM JULIE OF MERRIMACK N.H.: on 4/12/08: “Lynette - I took two weeks off between challenges with the recommendation of Mike Harris. I was only going to take one week but I sure am glad that I took two. I didn’t gain anything back, actually lost a 1/2 lb. and felt much stronger when I started back up this past Monday. I will do the same thing again after this challenge! Your body totally needs that rest from all the heavy lifting.”

“Doesn’t that hurt?” It was an odd question, I thought, coming from a personal trainer at least. I was doing some lateral raises with fairly light dumbbells while wearing a tank top, and I still had a really ugly red, 4.5 inch scar on the front of my right shoulder that was adhered to the tissue underneath, so the shoulder certainly looked pretty bad at that point. The trainer came up behind me and saw the scar in the mirror and asked what it was. When I told her that it was a surgical scar to clean out an infection and reattach a rotator cuff tendon, that’s when when she asked the question–about the exercise I was doing. My response was, “Sure it hurts, but it hurts anyway, whether I’m doing anything with it or not, so I might as well try to make it stronger even if I can’t make it painfree again.” The trainer just shook her head and left me there.

Today, about 5 years later, the stupid shoulder still hurts when I do lateral raises, and it hurts when I do wide grip pullups with a 32 pound weighted vest on. And it still hurts even when I’m doing absolutely nothing with it. BUT, it’s a lot stronger than it used to be, and it doesn’t hurt AS BAD as it used to!

Am I suggesting you do what I did? NO! I hope you’re smarter than I am and that you let your doctor deal with your conditions and give you the appropriate advice. In fact, that’s actually what I did as well. The surgeon said that I probably would “never be able to do certain things again,” and then she listed a bunch of the stuff I do now every day, but she didn’t say I couldn’t try to do them. She just said that I could try to do whatever I wanted, and that pain would tell me if I was trying to do too much.

Well, that’s the point of this blog, that PAIN thing! See, pain should NOT be the only thing that tells you whether you’re doing the right thing or not. Pain in a joint while you’re trying to work it, especially if it is accompanied by some swelling or radiating numbness and tingling, is a good indicator that you could damage the body part worse if you continue. But, muscular pain, post-exercise pain that is just caused by heavy lifting and microscopic muscle fiber damage, you can fight through that.

It’s a fine line really. If you don’t work out every time you’re in pain, you’re not going to get much done during twelve weeks. If you put too much stress on a joint that is damaged, you could hurt it bad. It’s that “listen to your body” thing I guess. One thing I know for sure, though, and that is that my body is a lot lazier than my mind. My body wants to quit whenever things get tough, and that’s when it’s time to really pull myself together, and do something I didn’t think I could do. That’s the beauty of BFL. After a while, you’ll find that, pain or not, you can do things you didn’t believe you were capable of. Those dumbbells you couldn’t even lift out of the box? In a few weeks you’ll be looking for newer, heavier ones because they’re just too light!

Today, the things that surgeon listed in her “won’t be able to do list,” I do them all. I do wide grip pullups, 20 reps at least with full body weight; body weight parallel bar dips, about 20 reps, lateral raises, and even barbell bench pressing. You really are capable of more than you think, but don’t court danger by beyond where you ought. Use good sense, listen to your body, and keep a spotter around too!

“Paper Towel Theory”.

Let’s assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your “before” picture). The other one represents you (I’ll call your paper towel you “Ed”). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let’s say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let’s also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.

Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll (”Big Al”) for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can’t be working for me!

But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin’ Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!

But Ed is determined! He works hard! Hitting his 10’s…eating his 6 daily meals. Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!

By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al – well he’s not so happy.

The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around, that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area – just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.

While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same – your perception is just different! And you’ll never see the inside, if you aren’t patient while the outside is coming off! - Bob White

Well, it was high time–as we used to say when I lived in Kansas–that I do another interview with some really interesting people. This time I chose Jami and Steve Ronda from Medford Oregon to interview. What an interesting and romantic and fun story they have! As you will read, the seeds for this challenge were sown years earlier, with a typical pregnancy causing a bit of weight gain–typical except that it was quadruplets of course! Anyway, here’s their interview, which I think will really speak to the hearts and minds of most of you. There is an entire photo gallery of them on my website as well, under the Ronda family. You can see the separate link for it at the top of the page you’re reading!

1.A How did you two meet; when and where did you get married? 

 JAMI: We went to Jr. High together, but officially became friends the summer before our senior year (1986).  We were just buddies and shared a locker, then after graduation went our separate ways.  He joined the army and sent me (and probably 20 other girls) a postcard from boot camp.   We didn’t see each other again until 5 years later…then the magic happened and we dated for 6 months before getting married here in our hometown.STEVE:  Not sure what got into me, but God gave a desire to marry this girl and to marry her fast – 6 months from the first date to the wedding day.  Yes, we were friends in high school, so I am sure that helped move things along.  I never told any other girl that I loved them, and I was able to tell Jami that in 2 weeks after we made contact.  God blessed our relationship from the beginning – it was not just a warm fuzzy.  How did we know?  I am not sure, but it was different than anything I experienced before.B What’s a “normal” day in the life of Steve, Jami and the quads like? JAMI:  A typical day is just busy, giving direction to 4 “tweenagers “ who have pretty strong emerging opinions about life.  We try to play as hard as we work and count each day as precious!STEVE  It feels like I am going to battle each day.  When they were young, it was physical labor, constantly having to feed, dress, change diapers, bathe, etc.  As they get older, it is becoming more mental work – deciphering what they are thinking, what is motivating them, where their heart is, etc.  And to make it tougher, they make so much noise!  The noise never ends. 2.  How did you hear about BFL and what was the motivation to do this couple’s challenge?  JAMI:  I bought the book years ago and then “dabbled” with the program for 4 weeks when the kids were toddlers, but wasn’t truly committed to make a change at that point.  Life felt pretty chaotic when the kids were little.  We recently heard from a doctor that the divorce rate for parents of multiples is currently at 75%, so we feel very blessed to be approaching our 16 year mark deeply in love and fully alive.  Body for Life just enhanced our joy in life, reduced our stress, and gave us a joint venture to leap into.STEVE: She talked me into it.  I thought that it couldn’t hurt and it can only help. 3.  What was the hardest part of the challenge for each of you? JAMI  The days when I wanted to eat the old way, but those were few and far between.  Changing my mindset about food was challenging, taking it from its position from “something to be adored” into the fuel that it is.  It was fantastic making that transition and I’m still learning more and more about a proper relationship with food. STEVE:  The food was easy for me.  In the past, when I have needed to lose weight, I would just stop eating.  So, changing the diet wasn’t tough for me because I am not a big eater anyway.  HOWEVER, the workouts were tough on me – I pretty much hated going to the gym at first.  As the weeks passed, going to the gym got easier and easier.  4.  How did you stay faithful to the diet and workouts within your respective schedules?   JAMI: We were just so ready to make a change and were motivated by the positive results we were seeing and how much better we felt.  My stress level decreased as my energy level increased.  It was an exciting time for us and I don’t think anything could have taken us off course.  We kept our goals posted in the kitchen and often ate our healthy meals, standing up,  while studying the before and after shots of successful BFLers who’d gone before us.STEVE:  We didn’t let “NO” be an option in our workouts – we had to do them no matter what.  With eating we said NO a lot.  It got to a point when we just didn’t feel like eating anything bad for our bodies.  We only wanted the good stuff to build muscle. 4.  When my wife and I did a challenge in 2000, we had friends who thought it was great, friends who thought we were nuts or had “lost our salvation” and friends in between! What was your reception like from family and friends? JAMI:  We had all sorts of responses just as you described.  It’s incredible to me how sometimes FOCUS is perceived as obsession.  Other healthy people really got it and encouraged us, but they were fewer and further between.  It was fun showing our before & after shots to family, who’d had no idea how overweight we’d gotten, as clothing can cover a multitude of edible sins.  There were a lot of different opinions about what we were doing, but at the end of the day, God truly knows our hearts and motives.  If we are at peace with Him and where we are in life, it’s all good.  I learned so much in those 12 weeks (and after) about living my life to please God and to forget about trying to please everyone else.  I get one shot at this life; when I’m an old, old woman I want to look back and have as few regrets as I possibly can…about what I did or did not do.  I don’t want my time on earth to have been wasted in any way.STEVE:  We pray before making any major decisions.  BFL became a real an outreach for us-many friends have come to us with all kinds of life questions, not just health.  It probably opened us up more.  We feel blessed to be able to help others.  5.  I personally found a couple’s challenge very frustrating at times, but I gather that yours was really fun for you both. Care to share about how it was to work so closely together on such an intense project? JAMI:  It was a blast collaborating on something together, aside from child rearing.  It was a new adventure for us.  I really helped Steve on the workouts (which was my strong suit) and he helped encourage me on those rough days where clean eating sounded far from desirable or possible.  It was very special to me to have him onboard and made the challenge a defining time in my life, especially because we shared the trials and our success.  It can be a precarious road, though.  Getting 2 across a finish line can be more difficult than one, if both aren’t committed fully.  Thankfully, we were able to walk that entire road together and I consider our journey a gift.STEVE:  I can’t imagine doing BFL without Jami.  I don’t have that kind of discipline.  It was like we were doing BFL for each other.  That kept us strong. 

6.  So what do the quads have to say about what you’ve done?

 JAMI: They’re pretty proud of us and kept telling us we were going to win as we went through the challenge and saw the weight falling away.  It’s been very sweet to see their undying devotion.  I think we surprised them and they look at us a bit differently than they used to.  They were pretty sad when we didn’t win, but we assured them (through our own disappointment) that it was not supposed “to be” for us and that we still personally won in so many ways.  We believe that with all our hearts.  This program is fantastic and we will forever sing the praises of Body for Life! STEVE::  Not sure I like what the boys are saying…  They are only 11 years old, and they say that their mom is “hot”.  I am going to have to talk to them about the lack of appropriateness of that statement – but it’s cute when they say it. 

7.  Jami, I’m sure at least the ladies reading this would like to hear how you felt about going through the Mrs. Oregon competition, and how that impacted your life.

Well, like BFL, it is not something I fathomed I would ever do, or could do.  It was a surprising and terrifying experience.  If you’ve ever seen the movie “Miss Congeniality”, that was me to some degree, a very unlikely “pageant girl”.  I wanted to see if I could do it, along with the fact that community service is something I believe strongly in.  It was a fantastic experience and I met some admirable ladies, one is a doctor and BFL’er.  Between volunteering for charities & the armed forces, meeting new friends, the incredible support of my family and surviving the actual pageant, I was truly blessed by going outside my comfort zone in this way.  It was a bit like a bungee jump…a very prolonged, adrenaline-filled leap!  I’ve become a big fan of trying the things that terrify me, for in those moments, I cannot rely on my own strength.  Trials provide an opportunity to grow and help me to trust God even more. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Always do what you’re afraid to do”.

8.  Speaking of “going through” something, Steve, it sounds like that you had an interesting little event not that long ago that qualified you for a new vehicle! Are you doing all right now?

 S: God gave me a serious wake-up call.  I rolled my Trailblazer two and a half times on black ice.  I guess it looked like a Hollywood stunt.  I came out of the wreck with a broken rib and some large lumps on my head.  It was very humbling.  I have always felt like a super-hero, but the wreck reminded me of my mortality.  It also reminded me of God’s ultimate control on my life.  The car was totaled and I was thankful to be alive  

9.  What advice would you give a couple who came to you and asked you about doing a BFL challenge together? What would you tell them that you learned that IS NOT IN THE BOOK?

 JAMI:  We gave each other permission to “coach” and “critique”, as necessary.  Not all couples might be up for that, but it worked really well for us and allowed us to work through the hard days and support each other. This challenge is not easy, but can provide a true time of growth as a couple.  We encourage our friends and relatives to really picture in their minds the things they long to accomplish, not only physically, and then act!   So many little choices bring about success. STEVE: I wish I would have lifted more weight than I did.  I don’t think I fully understood how to really build muscle mass until the latter part of the challenge.  Men in my family tend toward the scrawny side, so genetics, unfortunately are not on my side. “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing.”  Abraham Lincoln  10.   I know you are a couple and family of strong faith, and I’m just wondering if you found that spiritual strength helped in any way to get through the tougher times of the challenge? JAMI:  It was huge catalyst for me and part of the reason I was so ready for the challenge.  I did not feel that I was a very good reflection of what God intended me to be physically while I was 30 lbs. overweight and not caring for my physical health.  I really wanted to learn to honor God in that area of my life and to live out the gratitude I felt in my heart for the gift of health I was blessed with.  I prayed a lot during my workouts in those moment when I thought I could go no farther.  Without that added strength I could not have had the results I did.  On the last day, I took a photo of the scale because I could not believe my eyes…I had not seen the number 126 since before I was twenty.  The lost weight is nothing compared to all that I gained and I thank God every day for helping me to change. STEVE: Knowing that God is in control, is a real motivation for me.  He wants me to be healthy for my kids and perhaps my future grand children.11.      What would people be surprised to learn about you two that they probably don’t already know? No fair with the quadruplets thing–we all know about that! JAMI:  We’ve got “His and Hers” Glocks (9mm pistols) and hope to one day compete in shooting competitions.  Steve is really good!  We recently took the talented musician, Tobymac and his band shooting when they were here in town to do a show.  What a memory that made for the kids!  Also, we’re serious about our board games and have a game night once a week at our place with friends we’ve been playing with for years.STEVE:  I am a huge game geek.  I love games – European board games, video games, card games, etc.  If it were up to me, I would play games all day long, everyday.  We are geeks with guns – a very dangerous combo. J    

The usual thing that working men and women love to talk about today is of course, TGIF–Thank God It’s Friday! But, for those of us who have made Body for Life a way of life, Friday often seems more like “Oh My God, It’s Fried Day!”

Yes, there is still that anticipation that the weekend is coming up, but there is also a sense for some of us–and I’m feeling it today–that we’d have to die to feel better! By Friday, I am pretty much toast. I have used it up, so to speak.

Most of you know that I am an administrative law judge, and that means court sessions beginning at 8:30 or so and running often non-stop, or so it seems, until late afternoon. Not that it is difficult physical work, but it means staying very focused for about 8 hours straight, with time often only for restroom breaks. Conducting trials right through the lunch hour is a common occurrence. If I didn’t run the court that way, we’d be working into the evening hours–or at least half an extra day somewhere along the line.

It’s tough enough for the “earth people” who do that schedule, and when you’re expected to eat 6 times a day, it gets tricky. That’s where planning comes in. I always have RTDs in the fridge of the breakroom between my courtroom and the restrooms. I also have turkey breast rollups, small apples, pouches of tuna, etc. In short, I have all my meals prepared and ready to grab and eat literally on the run. And, since I have a one hour commute each way to work, I usually get up around 5 to get my cardio in on at least two of my normal work days. I do resistance training after work.  As you can imagine, doing all this, plus keeping up on paperwork, phone calls, and administrative matters–not to mention the demands of Milly the wonder dog when I get home–by Friday I feel pretty whipped.

So, I often ask myself if there is an easier way. Actually, this is the only way! I’ve tried doing this crazy job–which I absolutely love by the way–other ways, and it is much more tiring if I don’t exercise and eat right. So, for me, this is the easiest way to do the job and lead the life I love. It’s not easy, but as the wise man once said, “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

So, dear readers, if you’re so tired today it feels hard to even breathe, I’m right there with you. If you’re looking forward to heading home at the end of the day, and collapsing on the couch, I’m not! I’m looking forward to going home and throwing some weights around and then taking the world’s most selfish animal for a long walk! THEN, I’ll collapse on the couch!

In the end though, it’s not BFL that makes us tired, it’s BFL that gives us the extra oomph to keep going. Have a happy and prosperous Fried day!

The title here is the beginning of the Marines’ recruiting slogan. The Marines’ slogan ends with, of course, “the brave,” but it didn’t seem to fit here, because I’m talking about those who do BFL!

As much as I would like to say that bravery counts in a good BFL challenge, it is pretty much minimal. Oh, there are those “brave” moments when we do things we should have done all along, such as standing up to the morons who continually try to sabotage our challenge by bringing us chocolate chip cookies and Krispy Kreme donuts.

Truly, to become the transformed person we want to be, what it is really going to take is persistence. Persistence is simply gutting it out, and continuing to do the same positive type of activities over and over and over again, whether you feel like it or not. It is working harder, not longer. It is eating right, not skipping meals to make up for those little binges. It is writing notes in a diary, even when you really feel like you don’t have much to say, and even though the exercise routine changed very little.

Persistence is accepting the fact that much of a challenge is just plain mundane. There is little glory in this, getting up early to sweat alone in a dingy basement, or knocking out a resistance training workout while your friends are all watching the game down at the local bar after work!

So, why do it then? The money? It doesn’t last, and the IRS gets a big chunk of it anyway. The jacket? I’ve got to admit that is pretty cool, but I’ve probably worn mine about a grand total of twenty times since winning it over a year ago! The trophies and the big party at the Expo? That was pretty cool, but that too has long faded away! The body? Well, that isn’t something you get to keep–it still needs that persistence thing.

I don’t know “for sure” about the rest of you, but I do it for the love of the entire Body for Life program. That means YOU! I do this, and keep doing this, because it gets me excited to see you change! It excites me to see you catch a vision, to act on it, and to become completely empowered by it! I do it to see great things like the terrific transformation that Reagan from Illinois just finished! She hardly even looks like the same person in the before and afters–a fabulous result!

And I hope that’s why you do it, too. Actually, I know that is the case for most of you, and that’s why you are the FEW and the PROUD, because you have hung in there, and your PERSISTENCE has paid off, not only for yourselves, but for others as well! Way to go, readers, way to go!

Odd title for a blog, don’t you think? Let me explain. I have been thinking a lot lately about the terribly high drop out rate for BFL challenges. No figures are released about it, and probably it is not even possible to tell who really started and who only just requested materials. Still, you can tell even from the the people who come to the guestbook for a while, and then suddenly are never heard from again, that relapse takes a terrible toll, probably at least 90% of all who begin is my guess.

One of the big reasons Bill Phillips believed was responsible for dropping out was what he calls self-perjury, which means deceiving yourself. It’s just like lying to others, except that in the case of self-perjury it amounts to making a promise–rather than a representation–to yourself, and then not carrying it out. See the difference? Making a false representation to yourself happens, too, such as saying to yourself that you really still look pretty darned good–and then when those photos are developed–it’s “OH MY GOD!” time!! In recovery, we called that kind of activity “denial,” and the key to cutting through denial is communication from other people or other things. That’s why interventions work.

BUT, self-perjury is a far more serious and destructive thing, because when you break a promise to yourself, you never trust yourself again. It is just like what happens when someone else breaks a promise to you. Breaking promises to yourself just a few times takes all the motivation right out of your challenge, and you just plain quit on yourself!

But, what about unreliability? It’s just a form of breaking promises, too, only it is a combination of the two. You tell yourself, and you tell someone else, that you’ll meet them at the gym in the morning–and then you just don’t do it. Next time you see them, you come up with some weak excuse, but the bottom line is you just didn’t do it.  In that case, you also suffer a consequence, only it is a combination of denial and self-perjury. You told yourself it was o.k. to not go to the gym, and you also lied to yourself when you did it, so you get a double dose of self-imposed guilt, plus you eventually lose friends over it.

Life has a way of sorting out those who just don’t play its games very well. In the case of a transformation, it’s best to be truthful to yourself and others, and to be reliable as well. That way, you’ll be a success, and you’ll help others to succeed as well. It all starts with looking yourself in the mirror each morning, and then going and doing the next right thing you’re supposed to.

Ask any personal trainer if Body for Life is a good program. They almost always say something like this: “Yes, it’s a decent program, but the problem with it is that it’s a one size fits all workout, and I can customize something just for YOU!”

Who is right? Bill Phillips or all the personal trainers in the world?

Both, actually.

See, if you have not been doing a strength and endurance training program for a while, and if you haven’t been doing short, high intensity cardio for a while, a “one size all” program, unless you have significant disabilities or physical limitations, works just fine. Muscle and the cardiovascular system respond to activity that stresses them beyond what they are normally used to. The skeletal muscle responds by getting denser and larger and stronger. The cardiovascular system responds by getting more efficient. This adaptive response is built into everyone’s body, and it will work well, especially at the beginning, whether you are doing the body for life workout, or even if you’re just making up a routine of your own. Dr. Berardi explains this as a little like being able to hit the broad side of a barn. When you first start out, the target, your body, is like the broad side of a barn and almost any activity that stresses it beyond its current capabilities will produce a significant adaptive response.

The thing that is terrific about the body for life program is that it combines the best of both strength training and bodybuilding routines. Most strength training involves a very few lifts with very heavy weights. This type of activity, which occurs in sets 3 and 4 of the typical BFL exercise, produces strength, rather than muscle size. Most bodybuilding involves lifting moderately heavy weights for several sets of 10 to 12 reps, the very type of activity that occurs toward the beginning and at the very ending of each BFL exercise routine. So, if you do it right, you will be developing muscle tissue that is stronger than what you had, and denser or larger than what you had.

How long does it take to get a maximum benefit from a one-size-fits-all program, before you would want to seriously think about doing something different, or customizing a new type of workout? For the usual competitor, this seems to be around 8 to 12 weeks. Which is right about when you’ll be done with your BFL challenge.

So, what do you take away from this blog? How about the idea that for he first 12 weeks, you should use the trainer ONLY to be sure that your exercise form is appropriate and that you understand how to do each of the exercises, and that you let this process work for you for 12 weeks. After that, if you th