Hi gang. I know it’s been a while since I posted a blog and it is all my fault. Not that I couldn’t have done a blog, and not that I haven’t had time to do a blog, just that I didn’t really have anything worthy of blogging about. But, now I do–an update on my P90X experiment.

I bought the DVDs and official P90X kit in April, but actually just officially started the 90 day challenge on May 17 2010. It started out as an experiment, a way of reviewing a popular fitness package and seeing how it measured up against other training programs. The results of a friend, and his good advice, made me decide to dedicate myself wholeheartedly to P90X instead of just trying it out in order to write a review.

Having been at it nearly two weeks, there are two things I can tell you for sure:
1. My username on the P90X website should be “Pause Button King!” And,
2. It is an excellent program that focuses on exactly the things I need to focus on at this point in my life.

After ten years of progressive resistance training with body for life and with the similar and also very excellent program of Lee Labrada called the Lean Body Challenge, I am fit and muscular. But, what I need more of right now is the type of conditioning that will develop a really good core, excellent balance, endurance, better range of motion, pain free joints, and still will retain the symmetry and leanness that I have developed over the years. P90X, I am convinced, will do just that.

One caveat. When they say it is “extreme,” they mean it! It is not for those who are tremendously overweight or who are just beginning to regain the physical fitness they once had. Body for Life or the Lean Body Challenge are perfect programs that are easily adaptable to beginners or severe obesity but P90X honestly is just too demanding to make it even worthwhile under those circumstances.

I have followed it as closely as I can, and I hit the pause button a lot, as I get winded, but even after just two weeks, I’m seeing significant and good results in the mirror, on the scales, and in how my clothes fit. The lady who sees me at the Red Cross every two weeks and sets me up for my platelets donation looked at me today and asked if I still weighed what they show on their records. She explained that I looked like I had gotten really lean really quick, and she also said that the muscles and veins in my arms really look different. She wasn’t trying to give me compliments–she was just doing her job, but it just shows me that what I think I see is also what others are seeing, too! I am also reasonably sure the changes are due solely to the exercise regimen, because I have NOT changed my classic 6 small meals a day, with the usual array of protein and carbs, except that I have begun eating just a bit more carbs since both the time and intensity of the exercise require more endurance than progressive resistance training does.

Well, I plan on doing the whole 90 days and I’ll take some progress photos in 3 or 4 weeks from the beginning and bring you up to date then. If you’re wondering whether it would work for you, drop me a note and I’ll be glad to try to answer any questions you might have. If you’re in the middle of a body for life or similar challenge now, by all means stick with it. P90X IS NOT a replacement for those programs–it’s the next thing you ought to think about doing!

God Bless! It’s a wonderful time of the year to be getting fit. No excuses! Decide, Commit and Succeed!

I donate blood platelets at the Red Cross every two weeks, as part of my ongoing program of helping those who need it and who have no means to return the favor. In the case of platelets, all I know is that they go to help cancer and other critically ill patients, so it’s perfect activity to give without expectation of a return.

I say all that only to tell you why I watch so many old movies–and that’s because the donations take a couple of hours plus the supply of movies is old. Today, I watched Groundhog Day, starring Bill Murray. Even if you’ve never seen it, you know that it is about a guy who gets trapped in a life where every day is exactly the same as the day before, except that he has the power to react to all the events as they occur. He sees the same people every day who have the same things to say to him, but he can alter what he says and does to them.

The movie is both sad and funny at the same time, as Murray’s character struggles to escape this daily nightmare in Punksatwney Pennsylvania (hence the title) where he wakes up as a Pittsburgh weatherman who is supposed to be coverning the groundhog who sees his shadow. Murray’s character is a prideful but small time weatherman who thinks he is more important and talented than he is. Day by day he becomes suicidal and tries to escape the hell of sameness by doing himself in, but still wakes up to live the next day.

He eventually learns that he has undiscovered talents, which he develops, and also learns that his contempt for those around him is part of what locks him in this daily hell.

Murray eventually escapes his daily hell by applying his new found talents to entertain and benefit others; by living humbly, by living purposefully, and by doing good for others. He learns the true meaning of love and a life well lived.

It’s a good movie and the theme is timeless. “Live intentionally; give of your time and talents; and love others no matter the risk.” That’s much of what a transformed life is all about. What starts out as just another diet and exercise program transforms you from the inside out, teaching you that you can do more than you can think, that you have undiscovered talents and character traits; that you are at your best when you live an organized and generous life, and that you were put on earth to help others–not to help yourself.

I liked the movie–as you can plainly tell. But I loved the message much more. I plan on living that message–how about you?

Several people who saw my “time to move on blog” below wrote to ask me what I’m going to do next. Well, if my job doesn’t get any easier soon, I may just quietly go insane, and one day start screaming and never stop…..but I suspect that things will get better in the job front soon enough, so I do have some plans coming up for fitness activity.

First and foremost, I’m going to give P90X a complete tryout. I’m not just going to give it a bit of a shot–I’m actually going to do the full 90 days just like it is supposed to be done, and see whether it’s something that will work on a 63 year old guy. I’m in good enough condition to get started–I just need to make all the arrangements to truly do it right, and that means waiting until my current trip is over.

Looks like I’ll be kicking off on Tuesday, May 4. I’ll post updates and photos as I go along. From what I know about the program and about fitness in general, I expect great things from the exercise program of P90X and I’ll be following the nutrition program that looks much like the Body for Life or the “Zone approach” to eating.

I’m writing this from a hotel lobby in Grinnell Iowa on a stormy Saturday afternoon, on my way to Kansas to visit my mother. It’s pouring right now, so I’ll be putting off my exercise until later tonight when I get to my daughter’s house. They have a full gym and after a day of driving, I’m ready to kick it!

I just finished a transformation challenge for this year, and the results were predictably “good,” though perhaps not as good as years past. I’m 63 years old now, so nothing is really as easy to do as it was, especially staying fit. So, I’m still proud of the challenge results, but I also think it’s time to “move on” so far as fitness is concerned.

See, keeping muscle mass and staying generally fit will always be goals so long as I can continue to work out, and I will always return to the types of progressive resistance training I’ve done for years as part of my base fitness plan. But, I also plan on putting more functional types of exercises into my routine, exercises that will help me be a better bicyclist, a better golfer, a better swimmer, and a better runner. That likely means much more core work and much more in the way of body weight exercises, and less in terms of progressive resistance training volume.

I also plan on “moving on” insofar as time spent on writing, teaching and speaking concerning fitness. I think I’ve said most everything I really need to say in the Blogs I’ve written over the last three years, and the materials have all found their way into the hands of others who can continue to use them–to the extent that they might remain valuable for those who are just taking up the craft of transformation fitness athletics. I will continue to Blog on this site, but probably only on this site for the forseeable future. Reality is that I’m just slightly less than three years away from retirement, and until then my full-time job is still my biggest priority time-wise. The good news is that I have job security because of how my appointment works, and the not-so-good news is that those who didn’t have that security have been terminated and their work spread among the remainder of us. So, I have an embarrassment of riches insofar as my job duties and the time necessary to do the job. That’s another good reason to be spending less time Blogging and more time doing what I need to be doing.

So, thanks for the memories, as they say, and for the forseeable future please stop by this site if you want to see what I’m up to and how I’m progressing.

God bless!

Perhaps you saw the March 23 2010, Good Morning America health story, a sort of an expose of a growing problem it calls “Orthorexia Nervosa.” If GMA is to be believed, there is a growing list of victims ruled by fear of eating unhealthy things and paralyzed by having to analyze the food content of everything going in their mouths. This is actually a rehash for the most part of a story line ABC was developing at least as far back as 2008.

Most stories of this ilk are more about pop culture than real medical problems of course. Still, it is worthwhile discussing the whole idea of whether we spend too much time managing our food consumption habits, and what the best solution really is.

Having committed to the lifestyle of eating six small meals a day and exercising regularly nearly every day, I have had many occasions to speak or write and to answer questions concerning that topic. And, it has been my experience that there really are some people who are so obsessed about their nutritional needs and process that their efforts to eat perfectly can take on a life of their own and actually keep them from enjoying their journey to better health. Like most things, it is probably best to be diligent but not obsessive about such things as workouts and meals and rest.

One thing that I usually do to avoid excessive planning and research is to eat simple, fresh whole foods, rather than blended foods or preserved foods. It’s not that I necessarily prefer the taste and appearance and effects of the fresh whole foods either. It is just that when I do eat naturally grown or raised foods I don’t have to spend a great deal of time worrying about what goes into them. And, because the supplies of fresh whole foods are a bit more limited than the choices on the inside aisles of the grocery store, I tend to eat basically the same things, day after day, week after week. That helps a great deal, because if I have analyzed a meal on one occasion and I eat the same thing regularly, I just don’t spend much time looking up caloric and nutrient contents or worrying about portion sizes.

Another thing that has helped a lot is recognizing the “90% rule.” Simply put, that means that if I am doing healthy things 90% of the time, I’m probably doing enough that the other 10% of my time can be consumed guilt free by indulging in what I wish. I grant you that regular and gluttonous consumption of saturated fats and white sugar and flour is not a good idea, but indulging in those things on a rare occasion is unlikely to land you in the emergency room any time soon.

When it comes to meal replacement shakes and supplements, I’ve realized two things. First, there is no avoiding reading the contents label because virtually every meal replacement shake or bar varies in content and quality from others. And, second, that there can be much peace in buying the best product you can possibly get, even if it on occasion means sacrificing a bit of taste or texture to get it. When it comes to meal replacement shakes and bars, there is no company better than Labrada Nutrition at getting it right in both taste and content. The products aren’t cheap, but they are good and good for you. The EAS division of Abbott Nutrition makes excellent products as well. You cannot go wrong buying the products of either one of these companies. However, you CAN go wrong if you use the products incorrectly, so be sure that you’re using the shakes for meal replacements and the bars for emergency meal replacements, because the bars, while very tasty, are certainly not on par with the shakes when it comes to great muscle building nutrition!

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THE LADY SUCCESS DOCUMENT (a/k/a “The Eight Week
Miracle!), compiled by Mike Harris, 2006 Men’s BFL Champion
ACTUAL POSTS FROM THE GUESTBOOK OF THE BODY FOR LIFE WEBSITE AND EMAILS
SENT TO ME, LAST EDITED 11/27/09
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 or 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. Certainly,
there are a select few who either have endocrine problems of a severe nature, or have trashed
their bodies with eating disorders, who simply will not see significant results in a program like this.
BUT, they are very few and far between.
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
[www.hussmanfitness.com] 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 GLAD that I did not step on
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the scale, measure myself, or anything until day84, and wow what an improvement. Actually, the
photos were the icing on the 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 what the 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!
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!
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 was on the featured
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challengers of the 2007 BFL website. She and her husband are featured in the Champions
Body for Life book as well.
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 carbslike
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 was also 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
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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
5
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 was among those selected for featured challengers on the BFL
website. She is also a feature in a new infomercial for the P 90 X fitness program. She is
also a Beach Bodies grand champion and she currently lives in western Michigan.
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
6
(or 2) more sizes, 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. If 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.”
6/17/08, posted by Mary Okoniewski from somewhere overseas: “DAY 85! Thank you so
much it has been an awesome journey- I could not have done so without the guest book, blogs,
and the support of other people. I am so thankful – I joined the military 23 years ago because I
lacked self discipline. I realized shortly thereafter that self discipline comes from within and that
could not be instilled by another. I went about my days letting life happen to me, not really
concerning myself with my lack of discipline. These 12 weeks have been a challenge in several
ways, as they are for most (if not all) I’m sure. For me… I’m retiring from the US NAVY after 23
years of service, I just completed my BS on June 6th, my daughter graduated from high school
last week, I’m coordinating three separate household moves, I don’t have employment after the
service(I know it will come:), my girls leaving their friends.. moving once again…, trying to be the
rock, stable and supportive, has been difficult. But through it all I have derived my strength and
determination from all of you here and have inspired three others to take the challenge. Let me
share what happened on cardio day Week 11 – my workouts were getting pushed later and later,
my eating wasn’t “clean” 100% but rather clean and never missed a workout. I was running
people here and there… and was to go out for lunch when I realized.. no, I HAD to workout – so in
the 90 degree heat I put my running gear on and went. As I was jogging along I realized – this
7
was it – this was SELF DISCIPLINE – I was so happy – I never imagined that this journey would
lead me there – what I’ve admired in others my entire life I now had. What a gift – I ran 2.5 miles in
20 minutes! Hit my HIITs and set a personal record. When I returned home I looked up self
discipline in the dictionary just to be sure – self discipline: the regulation or correction of one’s self
for the sake of improvement. WOW – Thank you Bill Phillips, Guest book, Champion Bloggers,
and numerous others. I have received the greatest gift. I love my new self and looking forward to
the taking and facing my next challenge whatever it maybe. Thank you and I will continue to read
and hopefully inspire.
I’m sitting here… surround by movers…who don’t speak my language…LOL… all that is left in my
room is my computer!!! YIKES My Body Life Success Journal has been packed- oops- these guys
are good. I thought I might share some of the numbers with you!
I am a 43 yr old female, 5’6″ tall, who started BFL on the 24th of March 2008. I weighed 178lbs,
my waist was 34″, my thighs 26 1/4″, I wore a size 14. Today, i weigh 157!! and my waist is a slim
28 1/2″.. my thighs 24 1/4″…and wearing a size 10 but tried on three pairs of 8’s two weeks ago..
and YES I can wear an 8… is that CRAZY???? Yes crazy… but wonderfully so!!! it WORKS!! I
saw the physical results early on and then very slow – but the greatest reward is not in the
numbers but on the inside … although don’t get me wrong – the numbers ROCK!!!! I’m sorry if I’m
rambling… just so pleased and thankful.”
Posted by Janice from Indiana, by post and email of 10/22/08: My journey began because I was
at the end of my rope, I had tried and failed at every weight loss program there is. Truth be
known, I used the weight to hide behind, and even though I am outgoing and an extrovert, I have
low self-esteem. The program was recommended to all members of the gym I go to, so I bought
Bill’s book, read it, and was immediately hooked, I COULD DO THIS, I was sure. Like all of us, I
was mortified by my before pictures, but my liberation began the day I posted them on tracker, it
was one of the hardest tasks I have ever accomplished. Over the course of the next nine weeks, I
would post pictures and not see much difference with my eyes (others apparently could see
things I could not). Week 9 was a horrible week for me. I ate a box of chocolate caramels by
myself and came home in tears that night, certain that I was in a stage of self-sabotage.
Fortunately, there was the BFL Community. They rose to the challenge and got me through my
darkest hour. Oddly enough, when I posted my 9 week pictures at the end of the week I could
actually see the changes myself. Bear in mind, the changes I saw were nowhere near the
changes that others saw. The next day someone on the tracker website noticed my pics and
started a thread about them, I was shocked and amazed that others thought I had done
something great. That was the catalyst that pushed me over the edge and gave me the
determination to go on.
I am 54 years old. To date, I have lost between 5 and 6 lbs. of weight. Hey, NO BIG DEAL. 5 lbs
is 5 lbs but, more importantly, I have lost 16 lbs of body fat and gained 11 lbs of muscle. I have
lost nearly 16 inches, including 4 inches from both my waist and my hips. WOW!! Oh and my
Body Fat has dropped about 9%. The eight week miracle doesn’t always hit at week 8,
sometimes it is at 6 weeks, sometimes not until weeks 9, 10, 11 or even 12, but it will hit!! Hang in
there, please do not give up. Body for Life is not really about the external changes although they
are a huge plus, but they are about the internal changes, learning to love ourselves so others can
love us for who we are. I was by no means perfect on the plan, I stumbled, but BFL gives you the
opportunity to pick yourself back up and get back on track. One meal or one day or one week is
not going to completely derail anyone, the important thing is to pick yourself back up and get your
act together, so you can achieve the life and the body you want for yourself. I encourage you to
share your pics online, if not for yourself, then for others who may be inspired by your success.
Even if you can’t see changes, others will if they are there. The successes you cannot see may
well be the ones that save someone else’s life.
From Alicia, on the guestbook, 3/13/09 [the post was directed to a specific person whose name
has been deleted here]
Let me just say I know where you are coming from. I work two jobs and I am the soul provider for
my husband, two dogs and myself. I am sure your life is a little chaotic and hectic, even more so
than mine. But I want you to take that fear and channel it into this program.
I know that you are afraid of the results and not seeing what you want. I have tried every fad diet
out there as well as every pill. I would spend 90 minutes on my ellipical and tried to burn more
8
calories than I was taking in, and not in a good way. I thought if I ate a pizza I would just have to
work out harder the next day, and I thought that was healthy. I was very skepitcal when my
husband told be to read the BFL book.
But here I am closing in at the end of my week 10, I have lost all the weight I set for a goal in the
beginning!! I have quit smoking after 20 years, I eat right and I am truly in better shape than I ever
was!!! You can do this. If you plan well and take some time out on Sunday premake meals, and
plan your workouts you will succeed. Then you will have the best feeling about yourself and your
accomplishments. There were times during my challenge that I wanted to quit, when I didn’t see
anything happen to my body then the miracle happened. Around week 7-9 I woke up and it was
just there. I have abs, I fit into all my clothes I was going toss because I was to fat to fit into, and I
was running faster, lifting more. I had more energy and was not napping on the sofa all weekend.
I am living life and feeling great for my accomplishments!!!
I know you can you do this. Your life right now is a big Challenge, working, school, single Mom,
and you are surviving, you are pushing forward. You aren’t letting things get you down there, you
just keep pushing. And that is all the BFL Challenge is, pushing yourself and going farther. If you
weren’t going to school right now you would be stuck never learning, never moving forward. And
that is exactly what this is, learning using that knowledge to move forward and grow. YOU CAN
DO THIS!!!
A personal email from Alisha with her statistics at week 10: “Thanks Mike. I feel so good and
privileged that you want to add me, and I hope to help others when they think “this
just isn’t working” or if they are skeptical. I have read it and it helped me when I
thought I would throw in the towel.
I was 139lbs at my first weigh in and my goal was to be 120-125lbs. I currently
weigh 124lbs. When I was 139 and only 5′ 2″ I was wearing a size 9 or 10 and now
I am down to a size 2-4 depending on the pants.
Thanks again Mike, without your help and your knowledge I am not sure I would be
where I am today.”
Lori from Colorado on 5/1/09, an email that I requested after seeing a post on the guestbook.
The key topic here is the 2 weeks of active rest, but the challenge results as well will be of
considerable interest to those of you who think you just didn’t see much happen:
“Hello Mike,
I started my challenge January 19 and completed it on April 12th. I had very few results
initially and really wondered if the “8 Week Miracle” was true. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?
Week 4 found me somewhat discouraged, but all of you encouraged me to keep going.
By week 7, I thought I was starting to see some slight changes but continued on. Once
week 9 hit and I took measurements I realized ‘something’ was beginning to happen for
me at last. Weeks 11 and 12 flew by and I didn’t realize the truth of what had occurred
until I viewed my final photos.
At week 12, I had lost a total of 8 pounds (151 to 143) and my body fat went from 26.4%
to 21.8 %. I lost a total of 11 inches in hips, chest, waist and thighs. By April 21st my
weight was down to 141.
During my 3 weeks of active rest, I continued eating 6 meals a day with very little
change to what I did during the challenge. My free days were actually a little ‘free-er”
with my birthday and a trip to Vegas occurring during this time. I had cheesecake and
other yummy foods on my birthday, and one Vegas buffet and one visit to a Mexican
Restaurant on the same day. I did plan very well for my Vegas trip and brought food
for my regular days. I took cooked chicken, apples, oatmeal, boiled eggs, protein
pancakes, protein shake packets and a few protein bars. My suitcase was still under 50
pounds!!
( Ah…who needs clothes in Vegas anyway!!) (kidding) This lasted me to my free day
with enough ‘good’ food for my trip home on Monday. My free day was a doozy and I
9
did pay for it with a stomach ache that night. It was so good to have a reminder of how
wonderful you feel when eating properly 6 days a week.
Today, near the end of my 3 weeks of active rest, I had my weight and body fat %
checked with a very accurate piece of equipment. My body fat during active rest dropped
from my end of challenge 21.8 % to 18 %. My weight dropped from 143 to 138. My friend
bought me size small workout clothes and I thought she was dreaming. I have NEVER
seen myself as ‘small!’ Now I do because they fit!
My various workouts during active rest included some light yoga, pushups, abs, walks
with my kids, an outdoor run or two, a first attempt on the Precor elliptical machine
(loved it), stretching, few pull ups and some parts of a video for legs. I had one session
with a trainer for abs. I did what I wanted and did no weight lifting at all. My cardio was
relatively light and I enjoyed myself. I also had a massage….does that count?
I am really happy in my skin once again and now feel as if I have the ability to continue
this lifestyle. I realize I do not have to be constantly pushing myself to stay in shape.
With the principles I’ve learned from Body for Life and the faith I used to get through the
tough stages, I am empowered to help others achieve success. To me, that is what truly
matters.
Thanks Mike for your support and kicks in the pants! I have needed both. I’m so excited
to see what the future holds. I feel more alive than ever.
Sincerely, Lori
11/28/09: And even if you don’t get an 8 week bump or “miracle,” that’s not to say you
won’t see great results. Some people are just more like the paper towel theory. Here’s
BRIGIT from Virginia describing the results of her two challenges.
“I turned 48 at the end of May, 2009, and was disgusted with how I had let myself go.
Seeing my ‘before’ pictures was devastating and there was no room for denial. Was I
“too old” to turn this around? Where would I be by 50 at this rate? It was a terrifying
thought. I started Challenge 1 on 6/10/09. I experienced steady results throughout
despite a fair amount of travel. The “paper towel ” effect was evident as I steadily lost 1.5
pounds a week, just melting away steadily. There was no 8 week miracle for me, which
was really disappointing. I wanted a spectacular transformation like I saw in the books.
Regardless, I felt better; my energy increased, and things were slowly changing. At the
end of the first 12 weeks my body fat had dropped by 9%. from 43% to 34%. I lost 22
pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of muscle, so the scale dropped 20 pounds from 175
to 155. I went from size 18 jeans to size 10. I was happier, healthier and determined.
Now that I knew what to do, I planned to just keep doing it.
“I completed my official challenge packet and sent it in. Because the official round dates
fell as they did, I went directly to challenge 2 with no active rest. That was a mistake.
Active Rest for a minimum of 2 weeks is not only ideal, it is essential. IMHO, the body
needs time to recover and repair and the mind needs a reset period.
“My second challenge was from Sept 2 to Nov 24 and was filled with real life issues. I
went on a cruise and was fine, because I knew how to eat properly now. I traveled 3
weeks in the back woods with no gym and no running water, and still I was fine. I ate
clean and worked out every day regardless of my location, and I challenged myself to
get some sort of workout in regardless of circumstances. My body was changing I could
feel it, but once again there was no 8 week miracle. “POUT!”. However, those jiggly flaps
under my arms were gone now, and when I crossed my arms I could feel my own
10
biceps. I was able to lift and carry lots of large, heavy things with minimal strain and no
damage/injury to myself. I have stamina and endurance now. Oh, how nice it was to
surprise the men–especially the young ones!
“It is very affordable to travel with shakes and bars. The planning is what kept me on
track. This is Body-for- Life, not just Body-for-A-While right? I needed to be able to do
this wherever I was and with whatever life was throwing at me. I think I have proven to
myself that I can. During challenge 2 I lost 17 pounds, 9% body fat, and 4 jeans sizes. .
“Challenge Fat % start- end Scale start-end Fat lbs lost Size
start-end
1 43% to 34% 175 to 144 22 18 to 10
2 34% to 25% 155 to 138 19 10 to 6
“I will be maintaining this for at least a month of Active Rest. I also find myself thankful
for the slow steady loss as my skin has mostly kept up with it to include what was my
sagging belly ‘apron’ which is now on its way to revealing some abs… maybe by
Valentine’s day!”

Here’s the very normal story of a good transformation result by guestbook regular radswillslim that was sent to me by email in the middle of March 2010. I asked her to give me her story because she had a really nice result and inches losses, especially around the waist, that are remarkable in view of her fairly normal amount of weigh loss her challenge, which means she lost a lot of fat. By itself it is a great result and is even more remarkable when you consider that Rad is a vegetarian and does not consume eggs either. Here is what she wrote:

“BFLMike,
Today is an ecstatic day for me. I am so glad I found, followed and above all completed my first BFL challenge.
I was frustrated with how I looked because even a year and a half after my daughter was born I still kept the baby fat. I was borderline diabetic during my last trimester. I worried about ending up like my mother who is obese and has Rheumatoid Arthritis. I wanted to get fit and active and healthy for myself and my family. Before officially starting the BFL challenge, I had joined a gym and worked out on my own for a month, but did not pay too much attention to my eating.
When I started the BFL challenge on 14th Dec, my determination was 10/10 and I was ready to give it all that I had. . BFL exercises seemed simple enough but the diet was challenging because I am a vegetarian and do not eat eggs. I read the Body for Life book, but still made lots of mistakes with my eating during the first four weeks. With the help of all the guestbook people and my doting husband as well, I was able to change what I was doing wrong even though the eating remained challenging.

No one else on the guestbook was a vegetarian like me, but I eventually found my proteins in the form of texturized soy and soya crumbles with tofu and tempeh. [editor’s note: tempeh is a high-protein food of Indonesian origin made from partially cooked, fermented soybeans.] I also used soy protein powder to make protein tortillas most of the times.
My free day was either on Saturday or on Sunday. If I missed a workout during the week, I compensated by working out on Sunday. I never missed more than one workout in a week (which I compensated for on Sundays) throughout the challenge except for the last week when I missed two. I made up for one on the following Sunday.
Challenge wise
Weeks 1 through 6 went fine with the eating and exercising. In Week 7 I suddenly had uncontrollable hunger pangs from nowhere, as if I was experiencing sharp gastric pain or something. The first time, I gave in and ate junk foods like cake, biscuits etc. Immediately after this incident, I realized what was happening to me and shushed them by drinking lots of water whenever those hunger pangs crept up. From week 8 to the end that problem never happened again.
Week 9 though 12, were quite challenging mentally more than physically. I really had to focus hard to stay in the game and to keep myself pushing through the workouts especially on empty stomach. Also, I had to constantly increase the exercise intensity and switch exercises to hit my 10s, because I could feel my body had gotten used to all the lifting and running and I had to really push myself to feel the intensity. I would notice huge differences in my workout intensity directly related to whether I got enough sleep the night before or not. HIIT was categorically challenging during weeks 10 – 12, I would dread each HIIT wondering if I could push myself harder, but to my surprise I did. The hardest one was week 12. I had to force myself not to think about the finish line and to focus hard on each day as it came ,trying not to give in to eating the wrong things. I did fail a couple of times the last week.
Mistakes that I made unknowingly – During the first few weeks and fixed later:
• Not doing all the 6 meals because I thought the last one was too close to bed time.
• Not working out on empty stomach in the early morning
• Considering beans and lentils as my protein portions (this is a classic one)
• Mistaken Portion sizes – having 1 cup of dry oatmeal and fruits and milk in place of just 1/2 cup oatmeal and protein powder
• Not taking the Myoplex lite RTD shakes within the proper time (half hour for workouts and after one hour for HIIT) as the after workout meal for optimum muscle recovery.
Fitness wise, when I started:
• I could not hold a plank, I now hold it for 1 min and sometimes 1:15
• I could not do knee ups on a bar, now I can comfortably do 15 at a time
• I could not do a single push up ,and now I can do 10 at a time
• I could not jump rope continuously, now I can do 350 in multiples of 50 in under 5 minutes.
• My high point on the treadmill was at 5.2 mph, now it is a 7.8 mph and 8.0 on the last day
• I could not lift beyond 10 lbs, now I do my bicep curls with 20 lbs and I do lunges with 25 lbs each and leg press at 150 lbs
Here are some of my details:
Age: 31
Height: 5′ 4.5″
Diet: Vegetarian – No eggs
Female, Married, Mother of a two year old, Home maker (financial software analyst – project leader before baby)

My statistics:
Week 1 Week 12 My goal Realistic Goal Total Lost
Weight 154 137 120 140 17
Fat % 36.3 30.8 < 20% 28% 5.5
Dress size 12 + 8 8
Chest 38 36

She also told me in a later email that her results were pretty much gradual throughout her challenge and that she did have several slipups both in diet and exercise, but that she never gave up. She also told me that all of her size 8s she had bought fit fine and she was even able to wear a size 6 jacket! How cool is that!

A rerun of a blog first published on 3/20/2009

If I had to name the four biggest reasons people fail their body for life challenge, other than laziness, I would say they are fear, resentment, self-pity and guilt! What? Not things like failure to plan, or injuries, or “life getting in the way?” No, the truth is that most people who end up quitting did so because they didn’t believe in their ability to do it, all due to fear, resentment, self-pity or guilt, or a mixture of them.

Fear is the biggest offender of all, because it keeps us from having any confidence in ourselves and keeps from even trying to do our best. Fear can be overcome, but only by taking action in the face of it. You can’t talk yourself out of fear, but you CAN work yourself out of it. Fear cannot stand in the face of faith either. It is said that courage is just fear that has said its prayers–and that’s a good way of looking at it.

Resentment is old anger revisited over and over. It can not only cripple you emotionally but can make things seem not worth doing. Resentment always leads to depression and inaction. Resentment can only be overcome by actively forgiving the offender. That means literally forgiving them, telling them you do, and taking steps to never bring up the offense again.

Self-pity robs you of power. It is a sick way of trying to get attention and love, but ultimately it generates scorn and loathing from others. Self pity is never justified, because it never leads to anything good. In fact, it leads to inaction, more self-pity and depression. The cure for self-pity, like that for fear, is to actively abandon it, relinquish it, and take actions instead of licking your wounds.

Guilt is a crippler as well. Guilt is the action of your conscience that is being ignored. Guilt never goes away on its own. To rid yourself of guilt, a good conversation with another who cannot be harmed by your telling them what you did, and who will not betray your confidence, is the beginning of the cure, and the end of it is making amends for the wrongs you created.

Space is limited in these blogs. If you have questions about how to do any of this, I’m glad to answer any personal email. miketharris@comcast.net

What does any of this have to do with BFL? Well, in a sense–everything! If you will take the steps I’ve suggested, you’ll not only have a new sense of freedom, you’ll have the desire and the ability to succeed, and to love yourself again! Blessings!

When I was at the Ultimate Transformation Camp sponsored by EAS in 2004, we were each given a mental quality and asked to do a brief video that described what it was and how it was or was not critical to the overall transformation process. Mine was mental strength.

I said that mental strength, or inner strength, is a desirable quality that is made up of a combination of confidence, perseverance, discipline and concentration. With mental strength plus a healthy helping of visualization, a transformation effort will usually succeed; without mental strength, a person will struggle to achieve major goals.

I next addressed how a person develops mental strength, and I analogized it to exactly the way a person builds muscle. As you know, muscular strength and size grow when the muscle is placed under load—stressed. Muscle strength and size grow best when the muscle is heavily stressed for short periods of time, followed by the appropriate nutrition, and a rest period. Mental strength is developed exactly the same way. And, just as muscle actually begins to wane in strength and size if it is regularly overstressed for long periods, not fed properly and not allowed to rest, mental strength is diminished in such circumstances.

The natural enemies of mental strength are an unforgiving attitude—what recovery people usually call a resentment, worry, fear and self-perjury (failing to keep your promises to yourself). These destroy the mental strength because they erode confidence, disrupt concentration, and impede discipline and perseverance. Think about the last time you so anguished over something that happened to you that you couldn’t get it out of your head. Remember how everything else that was going on around you seemed distant and confusing? Remember how hard it was to pray and experience joy? That’s how mental strength is sabotaged.

To build mental strength, we need regular but infrequent stressors to the mind. So, it makes sense to welcome, to even be thankful for the adversities that come into our lives. They are there for a purpose, to prepare us, to make us stronger, and to make us more useful. But, the continuing vestiges of adversity, if we allow them, erode our mental strength through the unforgiving spirit, worry and fear.

How do we stop that from happening? An attitude of gratitude must always lead. As silly as it sounds to welcome bad news, we need to give thanks in it, if for nothing else that the bad news could have been much worse. For me, that always starts with prayer. Prayer is the proper nutrition that we need to grow our mental muscles! First, the serenity prayer because it helps me to sort out what I can do and what I can’t. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Unless I can accept the things I can’t change, I’m sure to grow frustrated and fearful, and eventually to be bitter and distrustful. Who needs that?

Mental strength also grows in those who learn early to not harbor resentment, and to forgive at the first opportunity. Every once in a while, someone will ask me, “Are you going to let them get away with that?” I always respond, “Yes, I am. I cannot afford the luxury of nursing a resentment, and I also need all the friends I can get.” This response quells any desire to exercise my anger toward another, and also reminds me that few things are worth losing a friend over.

This blog has gone on too long. But it’s important. You have invested way too much planning time, money, sweat and sacrifice into your challenge so far to get half-baked results. And making sure that you finish with a clear head, and a truly transformed and strong mental attitude as well will truly be the best thing you ever did for yourself.

None of this material is original with me. Everything I know that is important is something I learned in recovery from alcoholism. When they toss you into a closed hospital unit for 28 days, that’s “adversity!” But, while you’re there–when you begin to learn how to live life joyously, and free, that’s the beginning of mental strength!

In typical David Letterman fashion, I present for you the top ten ways to improve the life you live. The difference between Letterman’s top tens and mine are that these are serious, not frivolous. And they are particularly applicable to those who are in the process of transforming—physically, mentally, spiritually—or all of them! These are all not only important but critical for the process you are involved in.

10. STOP creating your own bad news! Most people are absolutely unaware that they are doing this when they are, but recognizing the process may just by itself allow you to control this negative character trait.

Those who create their own bad news do it in two common ways. They either habitually think negative thoughts, or they habitually engage in self pity or envy, often at the same time. Negative thoughts that are especially crippling are those that deal with your own natural abilities and gifts, and those that deal with what others are doing. In the transformation business, the most common self-directed negative thought is “This will probably not work for me—I’ve never been able to find a diet and exercise program that works.” Another very common negative thought is about others: “I wonder if those pictures are real? I wonder if they really got those results like they said they did, and I REALLY wonder if they did it just 12 weeks?” Can’t you hear the envy practically dripping from that last sentence?

How do I know these thoughts are that common? They are expressed nearly daily on the Body For Life guestbook by newcomers to the programs and they are veiled in many of the questions that newcomers ask as well.

So why are these types of thoughts so self-destructive? It’s precisely because of what the title of this blog implies—they actually act upon us just like we had received some really bad news from outside sources. You experience the same emotions and the same hormonal effects in your body as though you had really failed, just by thinking that thought. And when you start thinking negative thoughts about others, even others you don’t know, you begin to experience the same negative reactions in your body as though it really happened that someone won the contest by committing fraud and kept you from winning!

This character flaw is as old as mankind, and so common that it is even the subject of Proverbs in the Bible! One Proverb says simply, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Other scriptures also point out that from these thoughts spring many other evils. The book of James says if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts you should not boast about it or deny the truth, and that where there is envy and selfish ambition there is disorder and hatred and evil practices.

How, then, do you avoid destructive thoughts that become bad news for you? First of all, a daily “heart check” is a good idea. By that I mean reviewing the day at its end to see if any such thoughts or envious practices crept into your life, and if so, to write them down. Next, make your purpose to do better the next day—even to make amends if you did anything destructive toward another. Then, make sure that you regularly do something to benefit another who has no capacity to pay you back. I am talking about real acts of charity, not just paying for the coffee of the guy behind you! I’m talking about giving to those in need, or quietly helping another without anyone knowing it. These acts by themselves will go a long way toward keeping your heart in the right place—and keeping bad news from coming to your mind or your door!

April 4 Blog on Fear
by: Michael Harris 8/30/2007 The Greatest Enemy to Success!

Ready to start that last challenge of the year? You have 3 days left to get at it! A question: This has derailed more challenges than all the other things put together. It not only derails challenges, it tears up relationships, increases the chance of life-threatening diseases, causes us to break our promises to others and to ourselves, and eventually brings on self-loathing and loss of enjoyment of life itself. Know what it is? Injury? Not even close! Selfishness? Getting warmer. Addiction? It’s usually part of addiction, but it’s not the answer either.

FEAR! That’s what I’m talking about. And unless you can master fear, you will find yourself sitting one the sideline while others who have no more talent than you do take the prizes and reap the rewards of life. Some people are fearful but don’t really think they are. What they do is gently and deceptively relabel this most corrosive all human emotions. They will call it “concern,” or “anxiety” or getting a bit closer, “nervousness”. But the truth is, it’s fear no matter what they call it. If you are a fearful person you know it deep down in your gut–without me or anyone else having to tell you. But you’ve worked hard to make sure your family, friends and co-workers don’t find out, haven’t you? In fact, one of the things you are most afraid of is that they’ll find out what you’re really like, and then they’ll reject you!

If this blog sounds like it’s written for someone else, you probably are NOT a fearful person, but read on anyway, beause you probably know at least one fearful person who could use some help. I was a fearful person myself for many years. When I was nine, I lost my Dad in an airplane crash, and hearing that news and looking at those pictures of the wreckage strewn over a mile of farmground, plus thinking I was completely alone, produced a fear and loneliness that dogged me for many, many years. It affected my entire life for a long time.

How do you get out of fear, or get through it? I wrote an entire series of blogs on fear, on April 4, 5 and 6. My understanding from the feedback of others is that they helped a great deal. If you have time, and if you think this condition might be causing you some problems, please read on below as I’ve included those blogs below this one.You can copy these. All you have to do is to highlight them, and cut and paste them into a word document.

Those three days describe the reality of fear, and the specific steps a person must take to rid themselves of this mental plague. It’s not psycho-babble or anything like that. It’s simply a proven way of dealing with fear, and replacing it with useful emotions that power you, not rob you.

The beauty of this “program” of conquering fear is that it fits just perfectly into the physical, emotional and spiritual work you’ll be doing during your challenge anyway. So, please, check out the blogs, copy them, and give it a try. All you have to lose is some baggage!

God bless all of you!

The speaker said he could easily sum up the root cause of every one of his life’s failures in just one word,”fear.” I was there when he said it, and I was seated where I could watch about half the audience without turning around. What I saw was most interesting–the vast majority of that audience was nodding in agreement, as though to signal that they they understood and empathized with what he had just said. This speaker was a war hero, by the way!

When I have examined my own life’s failures, and have blown away the dust of denial and excuses, I too usually come up with that one word, FEAR!

I drank alcoholically for 18 years or so. I did it because I was afraid, afraid that people wouldn’t accept me if they really knew what I was like; afraid that I was going to fail at things; afraid that I would be alone and lonely; afraid that I would get sick. you name it, I was afraid of it, and alcohol was my daily cure for that illness!

I entered into a bad relationship years ago because I was afraid of being alone. I stayed in a bad business relationship for years because I was afraid of taking the risk of going out on my own. Fear has also been at the root of most of my other character defects, such as gossip, envy, jealousy, and rage. At the ROOT of each of these failures, there lurked fear, and the character defect is a way of acting like I wasn’t fearful, when in fact I was.

So, why are we discussing fear in a Body for Life blog, you ask? let me ask you a question–what is the number one failure in any body for life activity? Statistically it is quite clear that failure to finish is number one, far above all others put together. And something tells me that fear has an awful lot to do with that!

Oh sure, I’ve heard all the other excuses, and so have you! “I got sick. I hurt myself. My dog died. My parents divorced. My husband doesn’t want me to keep doing this. I’m too busy. It’s not working.” Yet, for most people that I have talked with, who eventually finished a challenge successfully, it actually required conquering a specific fear that they had–and all this other stuff was just window dressing in reality!

Fear is an equal opportunity life-wrecker. It visits us all if we live long enough. And, it seems to me that it really comes calling about the time that we make up our minds that we’re going to do something life-changing. Some people think of fear as being caused by an inner conflict, some part of you that doesn’t want the other part to succeed. Others think of it as a very real and evil spiritual force. Whatever we think of it, the truth is that chronic fear is a corrosive, life-sapping, depressing force that we must rid ourselves of, if we are to live effectively and happily. Those who claim that fear is a great motivator are partially right. Fear can motivate people, whether you have it or inflict it, but the final effect of fear is to destroy people, not help them.

I can tell you this today about fear. Though it once absolutely ruled my life, today it does not. I can also tell you that if I obtained victory over fear, certainly you can as well. I can also promise you that if you gain victory over fear, Body for Life–and every other challenge that comes visiting you–will be conquerable and perhaps even enjoyable.

We’re running out of space today. Tomorrow, I’ll have some specific applications on conquering fear. But,if you want a little heads up on tomorrow, I’ll give you a little hint. Truly conquering fear takes believing in a power greater than yourself! And, to win, you have to surrender!

(Next blog is right below)
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Still More Fear!
by: Michael Harris 8/30/2007

April 5:

Yesterday we examined chronic fear from the perspective of how it affects our everyday lives and how we deal with it. Most of us deal with it by denying we have it, projecting it on others, or medicating ourselves with food or drugs so we don’t have to face it or deal with it.

Well you can continue to deny it, project it, or medicate yourself over it, but in the long haul it will not go away or lose its hold over you. In fact, for most people, chronic fear produces a whole new host of problems eventually–anxiety, ulcerative colitis, headaches, backaches, and so on. While fear might be a real boon for the medical and pharmaceutical industries, for those of us dealing with it, it becomes a life-altering nightmare over time.

So, how do we get rid of it? It starts by admitting we have it. That means saying to ourselves and even others on occasion, “I am afraid…” It means we stop re-labeling it. Frankly, we are NOT “concerned, a bit nervous, or up-tight.” We are FEARFUL! The admission is the key to dealing with it. Once we admit we have a problem we then are freed to deal with it responsibly.

Second, we need to figure out where the heck it came from. For most of us, this means a bit of self-analysis, a bit of journaling perhaps, maybe even a talk with our parents about some things that happened to us as kids. Some prayerful asking of our Creator during a quiet time is helpful. A short personal retreat, away from all distractions, often leads to true “enlightenment” concerning the cause or causes.

Third, and this is where the real work begins, we need to forgive. You’ll find almost certainly that your fear is from something involving another human being, perhaps an authority figure who belittled or took advantage of you, or an abusive relationship. You cannot win the game of life until you get free of the fear, and true freedom starts by doing away with every hidden or possible source of resentment. Forgive the person or persons who wronged you quickly and completely, whether you feel like it or not. Forgiveness involves action not feelings. Write it out, that you forgive so and so on such and such a date for doing this and that. Forgive yourself while you’re at it, for the time you’ve wasted, the things you’ve missed, and the people you’ve hurt along the way. Do that by writing down where you fell short, and just give it to God! Make amends where you need to, and then move forward. This is the eniire process of truly surrendering, and it is only through this surrender that you win!

What’s next? Well, tomorrow we’ll talk about how to replace fear, and with what, and how we avoid sliding back into that slue of despond. It’s not as hard as you think. Like most things, it’s much easier to maintain a clean house than to have to do a complete remodeling job all the time. See you then!

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FEAR–GRADUATION DAY!
by: Michael Harris 8/30/2007

Well, this is payoff day–the day that we finish up with fear. Today is the closing ceremony, where we’ll talk about how to replace fear and maintain a life of freedom from fear.

Once you rid yourself of your fears by doing what we talked about yesterday, you MUST intentionally replace them with something. If you don’t, something will end up replacing it anyway. Nature abhors a vacuum, and an empty human spirit will be filled with something, one way or another. If you don’t take positive action, the fear might be replaced by some addiction or obsession, by lust or greed, or even by more fear. So, the key is to replace it with something good,not bad.

I’m sure you’ve heard that perfect faith drives out fear. It does, and faith in a higher power will certainly provide a foundation for a fear-free life. But mere faith, without more, can sometimes end up more like wishful thinking than spiritual strength. So, let’s make this “active faith.” What is the one thing that most people who possess faith, who believe that they are created, valuable beings have in common? A love for one another,and a desire to help one another. So, my project for replacing fear with active faith is a very simple one–love in action!

Love in action—in the Body for Life world–is also called the universal law of reciprocation. Simply put, you should regularly, at least once a week, do something good for someone who cannot pay you back, and do it without getting caught. Use your imagination–slip money into a jacket pocket, or leave it on someone’s door. Send a gift certificate for a restaurant anonymously. Pay for someone’s way at a function that they can’t afford to go to otherwise. Pray for opportunities to do things for people–they will come along. If you still have some forgiving or amends to make for your past fear-driven behavior, think about how you might right some of those wrongs anonymously. Just don’t get caught, unless a direct apology is in order, of course,

Until you’ve experienced it, you cannot imagine the intense joy that comes from doing something anonymously that truly benefits another. That joy produces something else over time. Hope. Because God truly rewards those who help others for the right reason. It helps you to expectantly look forward to seeing who and what God will bring into your life as your next project, and it helps you to see with confidence that every single need you have is being taken care of–and all without you having to worry about it! In due time, you will look back over all this and not only wonder what ever happen to that old fear-driven you, but also wonder what happened to all the problems that caused those fears!

Does this all sound too extravagant to you? It will take place in your life if you just take the steps of faith to do it.
Staying rid of fear by replacing it is really a life long project. It is very much like staying physically fit. Use it or lose it applies here! Exercise those faith muscles this weekend by attending your favorite house of worship and asking God to help you make sense of all this.

Above all else, don’t ever give up again. Don’t let fear win even one small battle. Face it; admit it; get rid of it, and don’t let it live rent free in your head ever again! Fight for your freedom from fear!

God Bless!

What’s the one quality you must have to successfully complete a transformation that changes you both on the outside and inside?
Many people would suggest things like perseverance, optimism, work ethic, discipline, high pain threshold, stuff like that. But I believe that the most important quality to success is TRUTH.
By TRUTH, I am talking about more than honesty. Here is an acronym that might help you to understand what I’m driving at. Truth is a character trait that is:
Total
Real
Unwavering
Trustworthy
Honesty
You’ve heard the saying that “The truth shall set you free?” Well, that’s what we’re really talking about here. Truth begins at home. It is much more than cash register honesty. Truth is being true to yourself, by not living a lie, by owning up to your shortcomings, by honoring all self-promises.
See, most people think that being truthful is just not telling lies to others, but TRUTH requires more than that. To have the character trait of TRUTH, you need to tell the truth to others, but the whole truth as well. Allowing another to have a wrong conclusions simply because you chose to stay silent is not TRUTH. TRUTH speaks out, even though it may harm the speaker to do so. THe most important person to be truthful with is you. Did you ever stop to think that in order to tell another a lie you first have to tell yourself one–you have to tell yourself that you are justified in telling that lie.
Lies are always revealed, which means that ultimately TRUTH wins out.
So no doubt you are wondering how it could be that TRUTH is such an important quality in a simple diet and exercise plan? Primarily it is because you have so many opportunities to fudge on the program, both overtly and covertly. You can simply choose to openly have an unauthorized food that is consumed in public in front of those who know you’re not supposed to eat it, or you can do it at home, late at night when no one is looking, and stuff yourself with your favorite food medication. Ice cream, toast with peanut butter melted on it, cookies, fudge, whatever! This behavior is even worse than the covert consumption in public, because you not only do wrong, but you take steps to cover it up. The ice cream box goes deep down in the trash and peanut butter is way back in the back of the cupboard–”no one will know.” Well, the one person who knows is YOU, and this type of activity, especially when it becomes secret, is deadly to your own self confidence and your own ability to ever keep promises. This is the perfect example of the great recovery saying, “You are only as sick as the secrets you keep.”
TRUTH does NOT come naturally to any of us. That’s why we find life so frustrating. We punish our children for lying to us, and the same day find ourselves lying to another about our intentions or what we did that day. TRUTH SETS US FREE, and the opposite enslaves us, and it also frustrates us, especially when we are trying to achieve a big goal.
There is much evil in the world, and some measure of it is coming from the insides of us. And when it does, when “Bad Mike” comes out instead of the person I had hoped to be that day, I disappoint myself for sure. But there is also much good in the world, and some of that is inside us as well. The key is to grow the good and starve the bad. Frankly, that’s the main reason that we should do anonymous deeds of charity during a challenge. Doing good intentionally creates and grows goodness in us and it starves the bad in us. And starving the bad gives you the chance to become a person of TRUTH.

Many first time challengers in the body for life transformation contest are puzzled by the term “inner transformation.” The scores that the judges use seem to give a great deal of value to a competitor’s inner transformation, so it certainly behooves you to understand exactly what is meant by that term.

Many people think that achieving a good inner transformation is all about raising one’s self esteem. Well, that is an indirect benefit of a good inner transformation, but it really isn’t what it is all about. What it is really about is achieving an entirely new way of prioritizing and directing your life. It’s all about actions rather than just feelings. If you feel good about yourself, but all you do is spend your time pleasing yourself, what good does that do anyone? But, if you spend your time adding value to others’ lives, not because you desire to make a bunch of money doing it or to get a measure of fame from doing it, then you have achieved an inner transformation worthy of a champion.

The word champion originally applied to someone appointed by the king to defend, protect and assist others and to place his life and future at risk while doing it. It applied to someone whose life literally represented true love in action. These were knights in shining armor, literally! So, a true champion’s inner transformation will result in a life of service to others without expectation of anything in return. This is a continual way of living out Bill Phillips’ term that he calls the “universal law of reciprocation. The remaining question, though, is how does this happen?

Well, first of all you must start your inner transformation just like you do your physical one, by measuring where you are inwardly. In other words, taking an inventory of your mindsets, of your fears, of your guilty feelings and secrets, of your resentments—of anything at all that will hold you back from success. To take this inventory, you’ll need a quiet place and an hour or two to truly look inward at yourself, and to truly be honest with yourself about where you are.

Think about people who have wronged you over the course of your life—and assess the feelings you have as you think about them. If your feelings are moving or painful, you have work to do—you have some forgiveness to do! Then, think about secrets you have kept about things you have done, or lies you have led for a long time. Kept secrets and lies both produce the same thing in you—guilt and shame. The key to this first phase is to make sure you have all the inner stumbling blocks down on paper and firmly in mind.

What next? Let’s start with the guilt and shame we mentioned above, that comes from the lies you have led or the secrets you have kept. Here, you have two things you need to do, confession and restitution. Confession of what you have done needs to be done with a trusted person who cannot be harmed by what you tell them, and who will keep your confidence. Restitution needs to be done as directly as possible. It can be done anonymously, and should be in some circumstances. But, if you harmed another who is still around, making direct restitution and asking for forgiveness from them can create a really powerful moment for the both of you. Be cautious, but don’t be cowardly—we’re trying to rid you of fear here, remember?

If forgiveness is required, first forgive others and then get to forgiving yourself. My personal opinion is that self-forgiveness is really required far more rarely than forgiveness of others. Active forgiveness requires praying for the person who wronged you, and treating them just like they are truly forgiven. Don’t open yourself up for more hurt, so don’t get cozy again with an ex or someone you used to be in a relationship with, but make absolutely certain that you no longer think or say anything derogatory about that person. If you wish to tell them you’ve forgiven them, you may. But, don’t expect anyone to be overwhelmed by that. Most people just don’t own up to what they’ve done to others—and some are even unaware of the fact that they deeply hurt you.

The combination of an excellent inner transformation and an effective outer transformation will truly attract people to you, and the opportunities to do good without expecting anything in return will be right in front of your face. If all you get is an effective outer transformation, you will truly have short-changed the most important person in your life—YOU!

According to Bill Phillips, the architect of this fabulous Body for Life system, the contest was designed as a way of giving people motivation to do the challenge and stick with it. But Dave and Amy Sayers are living proof that there are other ways of staying motivated when you can’t enter the contest. This is their story!

See, Dave Sayers, Amy’s husband, works for Abbott Nutrition, a company whose parent is Abbott Laboratories, which owns EAS as well as the Body for Life contest and products. Rules are rules, and the employees of the sponsor can’t enter the contest. But Abbott, being a company that is heavily invested in promoting employee health, has a corporate challenge. There, the Abbott employees competed to change their bodies into the healthiest and fittest they could be—in twelve weeks. Dave decided to enter that contest, and that’s how it all started. At least that’s how the healthy changes got started.

Dave and Amy’s relationship got started years before Dave started that corporate challenge. Amy and Dave fell in love in high school, but their paths separated for quite a while. Dave always knew they were meant to be soul mates, so in 1995 when they married, it was no surprise at all. On that wedding day, not only did Dave gain Amy as his life mate, he also became the stepfather of Amy’s two beautiful daughters, McLaine and Shelby.

Amy is an epileptic, and the seizures required some very strong medications. Those medications came with a huge price. In a very short time, Amy’s weight ballooned from a trim 130 pounds to 235 pounds. Not only that, but the seizure medications are tough on the liver, and as her weight rose, so did her cholesterol levels. Amy was faced with a weight that was uncomfortably high, cholesterol levels that were dangerously high, and a predicament—since cholesterol medications would only add to the liver stress from the anti-seizure meds. So, she made a literal life-changing decision. She joined Dave in the challenge and they did this transformation thing together!

Though for Amy the BFL routine was at first a struggle, Dave was used to physical exercise and had always wanted to do this contest anyway, so he took right to it. Soon, it became a regular routine for both of them, and their results, outside AND inside, have been nothing short of amazing.

The first challenge results were stunning. Between the two of them they lost a total of 70 pounds, about 35 pounds each! Though Amy’s highest weight was 235 pounds, she now weighs 137, and took 43 of those pounds off the BFL way in her first two challenges.

I have an entire picture gallery on my website, www.mikeharris.org dedicated to the Sayers’ pictures. They tell a great story in themselves, but they are only a part of it. I really like how Amy put it when I asked her how it went and what kept her motivated. Amy is a school teacher and expresses thoughts very well. “You know, even though I never entered an official challenge, the challenge was on within me from day one. No amount of recognition or prizes could ever compare to the assurance that I have inside me that I will be able to enjoy my later years with my children, and with their children. I have come to appreciate that I was given only one earthly body to last my life long and I have a responsibility to take care of it.”

Both Dave and Amy say that quitting was never an option once they got started together on this new road of life. Amy even got in the habit of getting up at 4:30 a.m. to do her cardio, so that her busy school days don’t leave her too tired to do it later in the day. The obstacles they have faced are just the same as those of you doing the contest have run into, eating clean, especially when no one is looking, knowing when you’re too sick to work out and need to rest, and just fitting this grand lifestyle in with all the other things this busy family has going—church activities, gymnastics meets for the girls, and lots of other things.

As to the great things that have come their way in addition to their svelte looks and better health, here is what Amy mentions in her interview responses:

“David and I have our priorities in line, and when two people put their health at the top of that list, great things happen for each of them. What’s nice about doing BFL together is that these great things happen for the two of you-together. David and I plan our weekly menu together, we shop together, and we coordinate our workout schedules together. To be able to openly discuss something that you are working so hard at each and every day is great. It’s not this separate thing that I do and want to tell him about, it’s something we share.

As far as accountability, well, to be honest, it’s quite “in your face” when it comes to doing it with the person you love the most. It drives me to stay on track, and I only get resentful once in awhile that his portion sizes are bigger than mine. Mind you, I can go head to head with him on free day!”

As for how David responded to that same question, read what he said here and see if you think he just might have some strong feelings for this “soul mate” of his.

“Before BFL and the way it has made me feel, both physically and mentally, I never fully realized how bad I used to feel. My brother had a valve blockage a few years ago that required Angioplasty and having a stint put in. After his surgery, it was so easy for him to breath and his stamina improved so much, that he then realized how hard it had been to breath before his surgery, and how often he had become short of breath. As we put on weight and become more and more out of shape, because this happens at a steady pace, we don’t necessarily notice the changes in how we feel physically. The greatest benefit I’ve received from BFL, physically, is how great I feel. I get around easier, I feel good, and I have stamina and endurance to handle anything I decide to do on a given day. My overall confidence has improved dramatically, because I feel like I can literally do anything I put my mind to. Physically, I know I can do it, and BFL has shown me that I’m mentally strong enough to do it too.

As for our relationship together, it has always been great. BFL has just made it even better. As I just said, the greatest benefit I’ve received from BFL, physically, is how great I feel. But without doubt, the number one greatest gift I’ve received from BFL is how great Amy feels about herself. When you truly love someone with your whole heart and being, there just isn’t anything in the world more important to you than their happiness. I knew for years before BFL, that Amy didn’t feel good about herself, and I had serious fears that she might never really feel good about herself ever again. That’s hard to deal with. I tried so hard to make sure that she felt loved and appreciated, but in the end, you can’t make anyone feel good about themselves, unless they feel good about themselves first. Body for Life has lifted the weight of the world (and actual body weight) off of Amy’s shoulders and now she feels as good about herself as I’ve always felt about her. There is no amount of money in this world that is equal to what that is worth to me. She has always been a beautiful person on the inside (where it counts the most,) but BFL has helped her to feel so good about herself on the outside, that now that inner beauty just radiates out from her every day, and that is really awesome to see!”

I asked these two what they’d like to say to those of you couples who are thinking about doing a challenge but really wondering if they can get through this. I can’t do any better than just quote what they wrote for you, because it sounds absolutely perfect. Here is Amy’s response:

“Realize that though you are doing this together, you each need to have separate goals. I have found that even if I might not eat something that David eats, or understand why he is doing his workout a particular way, that is ok. I don’t question what is working for him because I realize that the routines that we establish are very personal, even if we are both body for lifers. It makes for some great discussion, and David does a great job of answering my questions when I have them.

What you can do is this: When your spouse either needs to miss a day because of sickness, OR, if he/she doesn’t eat clean or misses a workout, point it out in a positive way. Last spring I had some seizures and didn’t work out a couple days because of it, and sometimes those nasty migraines still disrupt my day. David does a wonderful job of reminding me that a few days out of my life will not change the lifestyle I have chosen for myself. It is because I adhere to the program almost all the time, that make it ok when I’m sick and unable to work out. Also, if one of you eats unclean or misses a workout, well, because you CHOSE not to for one reason or another; don’t make your spouse feel bad about it. Instead, remind them to “isolate it” as we say at our house. Don’t dwell on it, move on, and make your next workout out or your next meal, a great one. Remind them this is NOT A REASON TO JUST GIVE UP A CHALLENGE OR EAT UNCLEAN THE REST OF THE DAY. “

And Dave offered this advice for you all:

“To me there are two huge reasons for couples to do this together.

1. Eating is so easy if you’re both following the program versus one following BFL and the other eating whatever and whenever.

2. As Amy noted, the encouragement you are able to give to each other is invaluable.”

Well, there was more in the transcript, including the fact that this couple spend some time volunteering at Notre Dame to help with seating folks at the Irish football games. That is why you see them in ND and usher’s garb in the one head shot photo in the gallery. Please take a look at those pictures, and just let it sink into your mind how truly amazing this life turnaround really is. About a hundred total pounds of fat, GONE, for Amy, and a healthy lifestyle that co-exists with a difficult condition, epilepsy. The girl of his dreams for Dave, 35 pounds of fat gone, and a healthy lifestyle as well! Oh, this family has the same challenges and “moments” that all the rest of us have, but they also have a tremendous commitment to the healthy lifestyle that is body for life, as well as lasting commitments to their faith, and to their family relationships.

Now you know why I wanted to tell you about Dave and Amy! If you have questions for them, or would like to contact them, let me know, and I’ll see if I can’t hook you up. They’re willing to help with questions you might have about their transformations!

Here’s how Amy summed up the entire body for life experience: “Mike, it is just so hard to put into words how [much] BFL has done for me. I thank God everyday for taking my life down this path.”

So do we, Amy, so do we!

I am a person who found an entire new life in recovery and then in Christianity, and because of how those things impacted my life, three of my great “loves” are slogans that are meaningful, acronyms that are truly memorable, and short passages of wisdom that are life-changing. So, I pay a lot of attention to slogans, especially to slogans that appear in ads or promotional materials for so-called motivational programs—like Body for Life. One of those slogans that has deep significance is the one that titles this Blog. Here’s why.

In Body For Life [BFL], we are all called on to change our minds. That doesn’t mean, of course, changing our options as we commonly use it in conversation. Usually, when someone tells us, “I’ve changed my mind,” it simply means that they are no longer going to do what they said they’d do, or that they are now going to do what they said they weren’t. In BFL, changing your mind really means changing the way you think, the values you use to make your decisions, and your entire perspective on life. It also means strengthening your mind. Without mental strength, all the good intentions in the world won’t help you a darn bit.

Would an example help here? I think so, so here is a common one I see on the guestbook. Mom is worried—because she just started BFL and she is busily baking cookies and other Holiday goodies to feed to her children and other family members—and she is afraid she is going to be tempted by them! Really! This is a classic case of a person deciding to do a transformation challenge, but not really a mind change. She is absolutely oblivious of the fact that this is exactly how she became a sugar and sweets junkie herself, because her parents did the very same thing she is doing. Somehow, she allows her mind to assume that serving sweets to her own children is just fine, even though for her they are a deadly temptation, an invitation to descend back down into the uncontrollable eating problems that led her to BFL in the first place. In spite of the way she knows this works, she somehow just closes her mind and assumes that the kids will eat all this but will make up their own minds to eat healthy one day soon.

The bottom line is that a changed mindset in BFL is one which regards the way to live as beginning with the type of foods we eat. That mindset should be to eat the best foods we can, and to feed healthy foods to the kids who are too young to make good choices themselves. That mindset should also include making available some healthy choices for those who ARE old enough to choose by themselves, but who often will just eat whatever is placed in front of them.

If we don’t acquire that type of a mindset, then in reality our BFL experience is simply going to be another temporary diet and exercise program that affects only us, and a temporary effect at that. If we don’t care enough to change our entire outlook on healthy eating, it will indeed be a short time before we are again reaching into the candy dishes at work, or the pizza in the break room, or the birthday cake that someone brought home today. That’s no way to live, not for me anyway.

Now, don’t get too hung up on this example if it doesn’t apply to you or you think my theory is a bit off base. There are many other areas where you need to change your mind. Early morning cardio is a great one. I get up every morning at 5:30 to exercise, not because I want to, but because I regard that as part of my job. I never question whether I should get up and go to work—and you probably don’t either—but most of us wrestle with whether we should get up and exercise early. The mindset that “This is what I do” is not an easy one to acquire, but over time you will adapt to it, if you try.

Another area where most of us need a mind change is the universal law of reciprocation. At Christmas time we’re all sort of generous, looking for ways to bless others and help them a bit. How about making at least one day every week “Christmas day?” In other words, on Saturday, for example, live just as though it was Christmas day, joyfully, generously and extravagantly toward others!

How do you begin this “mind change?” Just like every other change—with a deep commitment in your heart. Write it down, in your journal, and make it a promise to yourself. Something like, “For the next 84 days I will furnish authorized foods only to myself and good foods to the rest of my family, except on free days.” Renew that little vow every morning by making that once again your goal for that day. A few successful checks on that goal at the end of your day, and you’ll be well on your way to truly “changing your mind.”

It Takes DRIVE to Complete a Good Challenge!
by: Michael Harris 7/14/2007
——————————————————————————–
Ready for another acronym? I think they’re helpful, really, as a way of checking our own behavior. Yesterday’s was borrowed from 12 step recovery, and is a checklist to be sure you don’t get in trouble as a result of failing to read your own needs. Today’s acronyms are actually a couple I created myself, in order to help us know where we’re going in a challenge. Here’s the first, DRIVE!

A GREAT TRANSFORMATION TAKES D.R.I.V.E.!

D is for Discipline. Guts, mastery over the flesh, refusing to hit the snooze alarm, staring down that spouse or helpmate who wants to take you out for an unauthorized meal. Without this, you’ll stand for nothing, and fall for everything!

R is for Regularity. Doing it every day, the same time, the same way. Without this, things crowd in, and results wane.

I is for Intensity. When you do it, put your all to it. Leave nothing on the table. Without this, it becomes just another dull job.

V is for Variety. Not slacking off, but changing up. 12 weeks of the same thing makes for dullness and drudge. Change up your cardio types, your exercise order and types every three to four weeks. Buy a cookbook—12 weeks of turkey breast and brown rice can make suicide sound pretty good! Without this, even if you make it, 12 weeks will seem like eternity.

E is for Excellence. Make your form, your workout journals, your attire, your appearance, and your attitude all say that you are a winner NOW! The better you look, the better you do! Without this, you’ve done the challenge for no good reason.

In the next blog, right below this, we’ll talk about the downside, D.R.I.F.T.

——————————————————————————–

Don’t Do the DRIFT!
by: Michael Harris 7/14/2007
——————————————————————————–
Above, we learned that it takes drive to do a great challenge. To review, drive stands for discipline, regularity, intensity, variety and excellence. This blog is about what happens when you lose focus, when it all starts going south on you. Here are the symptoms, which of course are parts of an acronym that describes the DRIFT that takes place.

D is for Dull. It all becomes uninteresting and one dimensional. The meals are dry and dull; the workouts are just something to get through. Skipping or cheating begins to seem like the thing to do. Your mind wanders throughout the day, especially when doing your workouts.

R is for Routine: No longer are you trying any new exercises or seeking to better any of your personal bests. The same old same old is good enough for you, and you are seriously thinking it might be time to just take a break or try something new.

I is for Impatience which rears its ugly head. You don’t know why, but the people whose support kept you going early on become the victims of your little tantrums. People at work who used to ask you for advice are beginning to mumble that they liked the “old person” a lot better. When they see the look on your face, people in the gym who used to ask you for advice just get out of your way!

F is for “Forgetfulness” that suddenly becomes a new excuse. You “forgot” to pack your meals, or to work out on the way home, or that today was NOT your free day. Funny, you don’t forget the things you really want to do—just the things you know you ought to do.

T is for Temptation that eventually does you in. Temptation to sleep in, to stop “wasting all your time exercising,” to once again begin to hoard and eat those little guilty pleasure foods, to extend free day to free weekends, and then free week, and then……….

So, how do you avoid the curse of the drift? Simple. Not easy, but simple.

1. You act your way to better thinking rather than lying around waiting for a better attitude to get you going. Right actions bring with them right attitudes. Waiting for a right attitude brings with it only more waiting, and then failure.

2. You work the universal law of reciprocation. That is, you do something to help someone who cannot possibly do you any good at all. And you tell no one. Not even the person you helped, you do it all anonymously. This simple act of kindness that no one will ever know will bring you enough joy and newfound energy that you won’t have time to start to drift!

THE LADY SUCCESS DOCUMENT (a/k/a “The Eight Week
Miracle!), compiled by Mike Harris, 2006 Men’s BFL Champion

ACTUAL POSTS FROM THE GUESTBOOK OF THE BODY FOR LIFE WEBSITE AND EMAILS SENT TO ME, LAST EDITED 11/27/09

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 or 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. Certainly, there are a select few who either have endocrine problems of a severe nature, or have trashed their bodies with eating disorders, who simply will not see significant results in a program like this. BUT, they are very few and far between.

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 [www.hussmanfitness.com] 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 GLAD that I did not step on
the scale, measure myself, or anything until day84, and wow what an improvement. Actually, the
photos were the icing on the 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 what the 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!
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!
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 was on the featured
challengers of the 2007 BFL website. She and her husband are featured in the Champions
Body for Life book as well.
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 carbslike
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 was also 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 was among those selected for featured challengers on the BFL
website. She is also a feature in a new infomercial for the P 90 X fitness program. She is
also a Beach Bodies grand champion and she currently lives in western Michigan.
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 sizes, 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. If 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.”
6/17/08, posted by Mary Okoniewski from somewhere overseas: “DAY 85! Thank you so
much it has been an awesome journey- I could not have done so without the guest book, blogs,
and the support of other people. I am so thankful – I joined the military 23 years ago because I
lacked self discipline. I realized shortly thereafter that self discipline comes from within and that
could not be instilled by another. I went about my days letting life happen to me, not really
concerning myself with my lack of discipline. These 12 weeks have been a challenge in several
ways, as they are for most (if not all) I’m sure. For me… I’m retiring from the US NAVY after 23
years of service, I just completed my BS on June 6th, my daughter graduated from high school
last week, I’m coordinating three separate household moves, I don’t have employment after the
service(I know it will come:), my girls leaving their friends.. moving once again…, trying to be the
rock, stable and supportive, has been difficult. But through it all I have derived my strength and
determination from all of you here and have inspired three others to take the challenge. Let me
share what happened on cardio day Week 11 – my workouts were getting pushed later and later,
my eating wasn’t “clean” 100% but rather clean and never missed a workout. I was running
people here and there… and was to go out for lunch when I realized.. no, I HAD to workout – so in
the 90 degree heat I put my running gear on and went. As I was jogging along I realized – this
was it – this was SELF DISCIPLINE – I was so happy – I never imagined that this journey would
lead me there – what I’ve admired in others my entire life I now had. What a gift – I ran 2.5 miles in
20 minutes! Hit my HIITs and set a personal record. When I returned home I looked up self
discipline in the dictionary just to be sure – self discipline: the regulation or correction of one’s self
for the sake of improvement. WOW – Thank you Bill Phillips, Guest book, Champion Bloggers,
and numerous others. I have received the greatest gift. I love my new self and looking forward to
the taking and facing my next challenge whatever it maybe. Thank you and I will continue to read
and hopefully inspire.
I’m sitting here… surround by movers…who don’t speak my language…LOL… all that is left in my
room is my computer!!! YIKES My Body Life Success Journal has been packed- oops- these guys
are good. I thought I might share some of the numbers with you!
I am a 43 yr old female, 5’6″ tall, who started BFL on the 24th of March 2008. I weighed 178lbs,
my waist was 34″, my thighs 26 1/4″, I wore a size 14. Today, i weigh 157!! and my waist is a slim
28 1/2″.. my thighs 24 1/4″…and wearing a size 10 but tried on three pairs of 8’s two weeks ago..
and YES I can wear an 8… is that CRAZY???? Yes crazy… but wonderfully so!!! it WORKS!! I
saw the physical results early on and then very slow – but the greatest reward is not in the
numbers but on the inside … although don’t get me wrong – the numbers ROCK!!!! I’m sorry if I’m
rambling… just so pleased and thankful.”
Posted by Janice from Indiana, by post and email of 10/22/08: My journey began because I was
at the end of my rope, I had tried and failed at every weight loss program there is. Truth be
known, I used the weight to hide behind, and even though I am outgoing and an extrovert, I have
low self-esteem. The program was recommended to all members of the gym I go to, so I bought
Bill’s book, read it, and was immediately hooked, I COULD DO THIS, I was sure. Like all of us, I
was mortified by my before pictures, but my liberation began the day I posted them on tracker, it
was one of the hardest tasks I have ever accomplished. Over the course of the next nine weeks, I
would post pictures and not see much difference with my eyes (others apparently could see
things I could not). Week 9 was a horrible week for me. I ate a box of chocolate caramels by
myself and came home in tears that night, certain that I was in a stage of self-sabotage.
Fortunately, there was the BFL Community. They rose to the challenge and got me through my
darkest hour. Oddly enough, when I posted my 9 week pictures at the end of the week I could
actually see the changes myself. Bear in mind, the changes I saw were nowhere near the
changes that others saw. The next day someone on the tracker website noticed my pics and
started a thread about them, I was shocked and amazed that others thought I had done
something great. That was the catalyst that pushed me over the edge and gave me the
determination to go on.
I am 54 years old. To date, I have lost between 5 and 6 lbs. of weight. Hey, NO BIG DEAL. 5 lbs
is 5 lbs but, more importantly, I have lost 16 lbs of body fat and gained 11 lbs of muscle. I have
lost nearly 16 inches, including 4 inches from both my waist and my hips. WOW!! Oh and my
Body Fat has dropped about 9%. The eight week miracle doesn’t always hit at week 8,
sometimes it is at 6 weeks, sometimes not until weeks 9, 10, 11 or even 12, but it will hit!! Hang in
there, please do not give up. Body for Life is not really about the external changes although they
are a huge plus, but they are about the internal changes, learning to love ourselves so others can
love us for who we are. I was by no means perfect on the plan, I stumbled, but BFL gives you the
opportunity to pick yourself back up and get back on track. One meal or one day or one week is
not going to completely derail anyone, the important thing is to pick yourself back up and get your
act together, so you can achieve the life and the body you want for yourself. I encourage you to
share your pics online, if not for yourself, then for others who may be inspired by your success.
Even if you can’t see changes, others will if they are there. The successes you cannot see may
well be the ones that save someone else’s life.
From Alicia, on the guestbook, 3/13/09 [the post was directed to a specific person whose name
has been deleted here]
Let me just say I know where you are coming from. I work two jobs and I am the soul provider for
my husband, two dogs and myself. I am sure your life is a little chaotic and hectic, even more so
than mine. But I want you to take that fear and channel it into this program.
I know that you are afraid of the results and not seeing what you want. I have tried every fad diet
out there as well as every pill. I would spend 90 minutes on my ellipical and tried to burn more
calories than I was taking in, and not in a good way. I thought if I ate a pizza I would just have to
work out harder the next day, and I thought that was healthy. I was very skepitcal when my
husband told be to read the BFL book.
But here I am closing in at the end of my week 10, I have lost all the weight I set for a goal in the
beginning!! I have quit smoking after 20 years, I eat right and I am truly in better shape than I ever
was!!! You can do this. If you plan well and take some time out on Sunday premake meals, and
plan your workouts you will succeed. Then you will have the best feeling about yourself and your
accomplishments. There were times during my challenge that I wanted to quit, when I didn’t see
anything happen to my body then the miracle happened. Around week 7-9 I woke up and it was
just there. I have abs, I fit into all my clothes I was going toss because I was to fat to fit into, and I
was running faster, lifting more. I had more energy and was not napping on the sofa all weekend.
I am living life and feeling great for my accomplishments!!!
I know you can you do this. Your life right now is a big Challenge, working, school, single Mom,
and you are surviving, you are pushing forward. You aren’t letting things get you down there, you
just keep pushing. And that is all the BFL Challenge is, pushing yourself and going farther. If you
weren’t going to school right now you would be stuck never learning, never moving forward. And
that is exactly what this is, learning using that knowledge to move forward and grow. YOU CAN
DO THIS!!!
A personal email from Alisha with her statistics at week 10: “Thanks Mike. I feel so good and
privileged that you want to add me, and I hope to help others when they think “this
just isn’t working” or if they are skeptical. I have read it and it helped me when I
thought I would throw in the towel.
I was 139lbs at my first weigh in and my goal was to be 120-125lbs. I currently
weigh 124lbs. When I was 139 and only 5′ 2″ I was wearing a size 9 or 10 and now
I am down to a size 2-4 depending on the pants.
Thanks again Mike, without your help and your knowledge I am not sure I would be
where I am today.”

Lori from Colorado on 5/1/09, an email that I requested after seeing a post on the guestbook. The key topic here is the 2 weeks of active rest, but the challenge results as well will be of considerable interest to those of you who think you just didn’t see much happen:
“Hello Mike,
I started my challenge January 19 and completed it on April 12th. I had very few results initially and really wondered if the “8 Week Miracle” was true. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Week 4 found me somewhat discouraged, but all of you encouraged me to keep going.
By week 7, I thought I was starting to see some slight changes but continued on. Once week 9 hit and I took measurements I realized ‘something’ was beginning to happen for me at last. Weeks 11 and 12 flew by and I didn’t realize the truth of what had occurred until I viewed my final photos.
At week 12, I had lost a total of 8 pounds (151 to 143) and my body fat went from 26.4% to 21.8 %. I lost a total of 11 inches in hips, chest, waist and thighs. By April 21st my weight was down to 141.
During my 3 weeks of active rest, I continued eating 6 meals a day with very little change to what I did during the challenge. My free days were actually a little ‘free-er” with my birthday and a trip to Vegas occurring during this time. I had cheesecake and other yummy foods on my birthday, and one Vegas buffet and one visit to a Mexican Restaurant on the same day. I did plan very well for my Vegas trip and brought food for my regular days. I took cooked chicken, apples, oatmeal, boiled eggs, protein pancakes, protein shake packets and a few protein bars. My suitcase was still under 50 pounds!!
( Ah…who needs clothes in Vegas anyway!!) (kidding) This lasted me to my free day with enough ‘good’ food for my trip home on Monday. My free day was a doozy and I did pay for it with a stomach ache that night. It was so good to have a reminder of how wonderful you feel when eating properly 6 days a week.
Today, near the end of my 3 weeks of active rest, I had my weight and body fat % checked with a very accurate piece of equipment. My body fat during active rest dropped from my end of challenge 21.8 % to 18 %. My weight dropped from 143 to 138. My friend bought me size small workout clothes and I thought she was dreaming. I have NEVER seen myself as ‘small!’ Now I do because they fit!
My various workouts during active rest included some light yoga, pushups, abs, walks with my kids, an outdoor run or two, a first attempt on the Precor elliptical machine (loved it), stretching, few pull ups and some parts of a video for legs. I had one session with a trainer for abs. I did what I wanted and did no weight lifting at all. My cardio was relatively light and I enjoyed myself. I also had a massage….does that count?
I am really happy in my skin once again and now feel as if I have the ability to continue this lifestyle. I realize I do not have to be constantly pushing myself to stay in shape. With the principles I’ve learned from Body for Life and the faith I used to get through the tough stages, I am empowered to help others achieve success. To me, that is what truly matters.
Thanks Mike for your support and kicks in the pants! I have needed both. I’m so excited to see what the future holds. I feel more alive than ever.

Sincerely, Lori

11/28/09: And even if you don’t get an 8 week bump or “miracle,” that’s not to say you won’t see great results. Some people are just more like the paper towel theory. Here’s BRIGIT from Virginia describing the results of her two challenges.
“I turned 48 at the end of May, 2009, and was disgusted with how I had let myself go. Seeing my ‘before’ pictures was devastating and there was no room for denial. Was I “too old” to turn this around? Where would I be by 50 at this rate? It was a terrifying thought. I started Challenge 1 on 6/10/09. I experienced steady results throughout despite a fair amount of travel. The “paper towel ” effect was evident as I steadily lost 1.5 pounds a week, just melting away steadily. There was no 8 week miracle for me, which was really disappointing. I wanted a spectacular transformation like I saw in the books. Regardless, I felt better; my energy increased, and things were slowly changing. At the end of the first 12 weeks my body fat had dropped by 9%. from 43% to 34%. I lost 22 pounds of fat and gained 2 pounds of muscle, so the scale dropped 20 pounds from 175 to 155. I went from size 18 jeans to size 10. I was happier, healthier and determined. Now that I knew what to do, I planned to just keep doing it.

“I completed my official challenge packet and sent it in. Because the official round dates fell as they did, I went directly to challenge 2 with no active rest. That was a mistake. Active Rest for a minimum of 2 weeks is not only ideal, it is essential. IMHO, the body needs time to recover and repair and the mind needs a reset period.

“My second challenge was from Sept 2 to Nov 24 and was filled with real life issues. I went on a cruise and was fine, because I knew how to eat properly now. I traveled 3 weeks in the back woods with no gym and no running water, and still I was fine. I ate clean and worked out every day regardless of my location, and I challenged myself to get some sort of workout in regardless of circumstances. My body was changing I could feel it, but once again there was no 8 week miracle. “POUT!”. However, those jiggly flaps under my arms were gone now, and when I crossed my arms I could feel my own biceps. I was able to lift and carry lots of large, heavy things with minimal strain and no damage/injury to myself. I have stamina and endurance now. Oh, how nice it was to surprise the men–especially the young ones!

“It is very affordable to travel with shakes and bars. The planning is what kept me on track. This is Body-for- Life, not just Body-for-A-While right? I needed to be able to do this wherever I was and with whatever life was throwing at me. I think I have proven to myself that I can. During challenge 2 I lost 17 pounds, 9% body fat, and 4 jeans sizes. .

“Challenge Fat % start- end Scale start-end Fat lbs lost Size start-end
1 43% to 34% 175 to 144 22 18 to 10
2 34% to 25% 155 to 138 19 10 to 6

“I will be maintaining this for at least a month of Active Rest. I also find myself thankful for the slow steady loss as my skin has mostly kept up with it to include what was my sagging belly ‘apron’ which is now on its way to revealing some abs… maybe by Valentine’s day!”

From here on out, it’s literally a sprint until Christmas and then the end of 2009. How will you remember this year? As a mixture of success and failures? As nothing significant at all? As the biggest year of your life? 

Well, how you remember it will largely be determined by how you finish it. Somewhat like golf, life is divided up into “rounds” that we call years. And like golf, the round isn’t over until the last hole is played. And, if you’re a golfer you’ll understand this, how you remember a round of golf is usually by how you played one particular hole, and unless that experience was quite unusual, the last hole is usually the one that sticks in your mind longest. How you finish the last hole also has a lot to do with how soon you want to play again!

So, whether or not you’re officially enrolled in the Holiday Challenge or not, I’m asking  you to think about finishing the year by sprinting toward the RIGHT goal this year. Sprint toward a goal that finds you more focused on giving than getting. Sprint towards a goal that has you more focused on eating RIGHT rather than eating long or eating big. Sprint towards a goal that has you fitter, leaner, more efficient and less needy, but also wildly extravagant toward others who need things and need grace just to keep going under the burdens of their lives.

And, start today towards this sprint to the end of 2009. Life really does go so much more smoothly if we stay in today. Yesterday can only serve as a reminder of our successes or failures that day, and worry won’t change it. Tomorrow, no matter how hard we strain to control it from today, will NEVER turn out as good as we hoped it would, or as bad as we feared it might! In fact, tomorrow never comes. We truly only have TODAY to live in and to do what we will with it.

Want to see a movie that will uplift you this Christmas season? I’m no movie expert by any means, but “The Blindside” is a great movie loosely based on a true story, and the Jim Carrey version of Christmas Carol is both impressive and spectacular. If you have your mind open to what you can do for others that will improve your own attitude, either one of those movies is going to help you figure out how!

This is the first in a series of ten blogs about the elements of a life well-lived. It is not DIRECTLY about Transformation principles, but I promise you that every one of the principles I write about is beneficial for helping you to complete and retain the results of an excellent transformation, and to build on it day by day for many years. This material comes from a presentation I give to men who wish to live an effective life of lasting faith. The principles are equally applicable to women, and they will work well no matter your faith or your current spiritual condition.

We are created and hard-wired for stories—to listen to them, to relate them, and to live them. Pay attention to your story; put it in writing, and commit it to memory.

 Your story will change more lives than your job, your reputation or your checkbook. Life is short—live, organize and commit your story to writing now.  You don’t know how much time you have left, and if you die without telling your story, what do you leave to others?  “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (From the letter of James in the New Testament)

If you have read this far already, stay with me a while. I know what many of you are thinking—“no one would find my story interesting or inspirational. I haven’t accomplished a thing yet.”  Well, that’s not exactly accurate, unless of course you are much younger than I think.  If you are reading this you have made a commitment to do something that few other people seriously do—to remake your life physically, emotionally and maybe even spiritually.

I cannot think of a thing that is more important in remaking your life and your body than keeping a thorough journal of your activities. A journal helps you remember what you did, and it helps you to understand what worked and what didn’t. Simply reviewing that journal every couple of days will give you a flyover view of your activities of the last few weeks and will save you a lot of time in planning all your future activities—because all you have to do is to mark the spot where you did the activity that worked, and just do it again for the current day.  You can also keep track of foods and supplements and calories. You can record all your exercises—including your beginning and ending weights lifted, as well as positions of seats on exercise machines. A journal should be carried with you wherever you go.

So, if you go to all that trouble to create an exercise and food journal, for just a few minutes more at the end of each day you can journal in the other things that added value to your life.  Enter the celebrations, and  the passages of lives of others or your own. Make notes about the little personal goals you established and met that day, and take a few moments to plan out that next day as well.  Also note any special events that took place on a particular day, because that may help you to put a lot into perspective. For example, in my last transformation journal, I put down the day that my Brittany spaniel dog, Millie the wonder dog, died.  In my current journal, I have the day that our new dog George came to live with us. These are dates I never want to forget!

Once you are done with the twelve week challenge, your journal will also help you to write your contest entry.  It will help you tremendously to relive the experience of the whole journey.

The next thing you need to do for yourself is to create two minute and five minute versions of your story! See, you’ll find that few people unless they know you really well will listen to you for more than 2 to 5 minutes, depending on circumstances. Have you ever had the frustrating experience of seeing someone in the gym who came up to you and asked you what you were doing to see such great results, and then as soon as you start to tell them, they wander off or start looking around or at their watch? It’s not that they don’t care—it’s just that you don’t have their undivided attention! How do you get it?

Well, begin your story with something like, “I never thought I could lose twenty pounds of fat so easily……and all by just exercising less than 3 hours a week!  I tried all the other stuff and none of it worked, but this does! You can do it, too, and it doesn’t even require any special skills or expensive diet supplements.  Here’s the name of the book I read, and my phone number’s at the bottom if you have any questions. I’m not a trainer, but I’d love to help you get started on this if you are interested. This program can change your life!” Then, just hand them a card that you’ve prepared and printed off on calling card sized cards. Mine say, “Mike Harris”, along with my phone number, and the name of the book(s) and then “2006 Body for Life Champion.”  They probably cost me less than 25 cents a piece to print, even on the heavier stock paper I used, and I just keep them with me always, in my billfold and in my workout journal. This little moment is sometimes all the time you have with someone, but the key is to tell them something great quickly, and then assure them THEY can do it too, and give them something they’ll remember or be able to look at. This is the two minute version.

The five minute version can be a little more interactive and is usually appropriate for formal settings instead of casual contact situations. I often give my five minute version when I’m waiting with people, or riding on commercial transportation, or sitting next to someone at a dinner party who is interested in what I do. It can allow a bit of time for a few questions, and still will leave people wanting to know more.

The more you do this the more confident you’ll become in telling your story and the more joy you’ll build into your life. Trying to help others with absolutely no monetary or other expectation in return is truly the most rewarding activity any of us can do.  

“Most of you people have read enough of my writings on the forums or guestbooks or blogsites to know that I have little patience for people who are just not at all committed to the cause. And my lack of patience is for a good reason–I want to help those people who have not only potential, but true desire to make their lives better. I just don’t have the time or skills to figure out how to motivate the unmotivated, to educate the unwilling, or to rescue those who don’t want to be saved!

See, “potential,” which I define as “ability that has stalled in the middle of the road” is not your friend–it is actually your enemy. “Potential” is one of those words that works best at a funeral or when ruminating about someone who has gone on–either by dying or going to prison! It’s a sad word, usually in sentences like, “it’s too bad about what happened to him–he has sooo much potential!” And the person with the potential is usually the last to know–he’s certain he’s smarter and more gifted than the rest of us–and that his time is coming soon.

Want a concrete example of “potential?” How about football player Lawrence Phillips? Never heard of him? Well, he was a terrific running back at the University of Nebraska–an early favorite to receive the Heisman trophy, and then too bad about that time he dragged his girlfriend down the stairs by her hair and beat her up and got suspended! But they worked with him and he finished out his college career early and went with the St. Louis Rams. 6th overall in the draft, Phillips was expected to be great with St. Louis but was kicked off the team for being unwilling to practice or follow orders and Coach Vermeil at the time called Phillips “potentially” the best running back he had ever coached.

Phillips then went to Miami where he was soon cut due to attitude and assaulting a woman in a nightclub. He laid out a while, played arena football and left the team without notice, went to canadian football where he was quickly suspended from two different teams for insubordination and arguing with coaches.

In 2005 he drove his automobile into a crowd of teenagers after playing playground football with them, and was jailed and eventually convicted of some of the assault charges for that. Currently he awaits sentencing on a charge of once again assaulting a woman, his girlfriend, and nearly choking her to death.

Larry Phillips, great potential–and hopeless future. Now, I am sure that most of the people who want help from you but are unwilling to do what you say, or to follow the rules, or to complete anything correctly, will not harm you or steal anything from you–except your time. But, your time is your most valuable resource.

So, before committing a great deal of time to rescue someone from himself, ask some good questions. “Why do you want to do BFL?” “What are your goals?” “Who are you doing this for?” “When is the last time you actually felt like a real success?” “What in your life will have to be rearranged or lowered in priority to allow you to do this?” If someone has no clue to any of these, then that is A CLUE that you might be dealing with someone who is just going to waste your time and ultimately blame you for their sorry results.

I firmly believe in helping others–even the helpless others. But, only if they truly want to change. If they are getting more out of staying sorry and sick than they would out of getting healthy, you’re wasting your time. Be generous with your time, but don’t cast your pearls before swine!

When I’m out with George, my newly adopted 7 year old Lab, at  0 dark 30 in the morning, I get to spend a lot of time thinking. Though I technically am walking George, he is actually walking me, since he is always out ahead of me, setting the pace and the course. So, I have loads of time to think, and I leave my I pod home so I am not needlessly distracted by it. Here are some of the things I thought about this morning. Probably none of them were original but they were interesting to me as they just kind of flowed through a mind that was uncluttered that early in the day.

1. If something looks wrong to me, I should first consider my own perspective. The moon and stars look entirely different at 6:00a.m. than they did at 10:00 p.m. but they haven’t changed—only my perspective of them has. Perspective often determines our political, social and economic opinions, and others who come from different perspectives have different opinions than mine. They are not necessarily wrong, just different.

2. Most things I do have three phases to them. There is the “I get to” phase, the “I ought to” phase, and the “I have to” phase.  By the time something gets to the “I have to” phase, my options and joy are gone!

3. When I leave my I Pod home, I hear, see and notice a lot more than I otherwise would. When the ears are busy, the mind focuses on what they are hearing. When the ears aren’t busy, the mind and eyes are working much better. Apparently there is such a thing as distracted walking, as well as distracted driving!

4. The more I walk my dog, the less poop I have in my yard. BUT, to have happy neighbors, that poop needs to end up in my trash barrel, not their yards. That’s why God still makes plastic bags!

5. Who is my neighbor anyway? These days, there are no real neighborhoods, front porches or events. We have a neighborhood watch sign at the entrance to our housing association, but we don’t really have a neighborhood. That’s too bad—I remember back when—back when we all knew all our neighbors, what they were doing, and what they thought of the rest of us.

6. Loyalty is a great and admirable trait. It seems to come naturally to dogs, but not to cats or humans.

7. I hear devoted military people say this a lot, “I’m just doing my duty.” And they mean it. Still, they get a good deal of satisfaction with doing their duty. If you want more than just satisfaction, if you want true joy, do something good for another, but something that is not your duty! When we give not out of obligation or duty, we are acting like God, giving without an expectation of return, and that really does produce great joy.

George at Home

8. The mind really needs free time. Not casual time, but free time. Playing solitaire or surfing the web is casual time, but for the mind it isn’t free time. Walking a dog is free time for the mind…….and the dog!