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The Moment of Transformation

"I felt more energetic almost immediately, however, I really did not notice a physical change until Week Six," says Champion Ken Young.

For Champion Linda Kelley, it was the understanding that the Body-for-LIFE way of eating was actually working for her. "What was most important was it just felt good to be me to live every day to its fullest." For Runner-up Tracy Jeffries, it was the discovery that small changes do lead to big results. "I didn't see anything significant until the sixth week. One morning I woke up and put on a pair of jeans that were super baggy. I couldn't believe it! I looked in the mirror and saw the old Tracy again. It was one of the best moments of my life," she says.

For Champion Ronda Buker, it was the realization that as her body was becoming stronger, so was her mind. "My mental acuity had improved and my outlook in my professional and personal endeavors was much more positive," she adds. "Since I had a focus and a goal that I had control over, the things I did not have control over seemed to have less of a negative impact. My stress therefore decreased and my attitude was enhanced."

For Finalist Ken Fernandez, it was a very simple moment, followed by more profound change. "Around Week Four I noticed my pants… fit!" he says. "But at Week 10 I remember waking up and looking into the mirror and thinking it was as if I took off a fat coat and there the new me was. It really propelled me through the last two weeks, during which I saw even better results."

As your body changes, friends and family will be proud of your dedication and achievement. Some will offer the sincerest form of flattery by imitating and emulating you, by adopting healthy habits and following the Body-for-LIFE program themselves.

"My family has always been my main support system, and they were so happy with the changes I made," Champion Sarah Brown says. "For years, they have seen me struggle with my weight and try diet after diet with no results. When I came home to visit after being on the program for four weeks, they were in shock! They were so happy for me they all decided to begin the program, too. My mom announced we were going to be a Body-for-LIFE family.

"At first, I think my friends thought I had taken drastic measures to lose weight because they'd never seen me make so much progress so quickly. When they realized I was not just losing weight but gaining lean muscle they were really impressed. One of my friends even asked to borrow my journal so she could get started doing the exact same eating plan and exercises. It was pretty flattering."

Measuring Progress

Photographs are another effective way to measure progress and sustain motivation. "When I began this program, I visualized my new body and kept that picture in my mind," Champion Michelle Lee says. "I also found a picture of a body that I wanted and put my head on that body and carried it with me. I would look at it daily." "Each time I viewed them, I would look for subtle changes in my body. Sometimes there didn't seem to be much change. But my online support continued to tell me they saw them in the progress pictures I posted and that I was doing great."

The f irst thing Champion Sylvia Bortman noticed after beginning the Challenge was that she had more energy. Then she began seeing tone and definition where none had been visible before. "Within a couple of weeks, my clothes started to get loose," she recalls. "I was glad I took progress pictures every two weeks. Just seeing the changes in my pictures was so encouraging and motivating." Not long after Champion Kevin Checksfield began the Challenge, people began noticing positive changes in his appearance, and told him so.

"I thought they were just trying to be polite and provide encouragement," he says. "I couldn't see any difference, and this confirmed my belief that this was just another fad diet. Then I took my four-week progress pictures and put them side by side with my initial photo, and that's when it hit me: This really does work and work well."

Another technique for sustaining momentum is periodic body-composition tests (measuring the percentage of muscle and fat in your body). Whether determined by skin-fold calipers or an electricalimpedance scale (a scale that measures your body fat a good investment), body composition offers an excellent index of progress.

Regular body-composition checks were how Nick Boswell and six fellow police officers kept track of their trip to transformation, which culminated in their winning the 2006 large-group championship. It worked as well for Bill Yeager.

"I remember the feeling of the second bodycomposition test I took," he recalls. "Seeing how much muscle I'd gained and fat I'd lost was awesome. Suddenly, the Challenge felt so achievable and real to me. My confidence went through the roof."

"The patterns of exercise flowed into other areas of my life. As I pushed against resistance with weights, I pushed against resistance in my relationships and my career. I became more efficient at work and got a raise. I became more outgoing and talkative. I was just enjoying life more."

The scale is probably the most unreliable measure of progress. You may actually gain weight because you're adding muscle. Better to judge your evolving transformation by how you look in the mirror, by the tape measure, or how your clothes fit. As the weeks go by, your clothes, which normally conceal you, will begin to reveal you. They will become both measure and motivator.

"By the time I lost 20 pounds, I had dropped two dress sizes," Champion Michelle Lee says. "Every Friday night, I would go to my favorite store at the local mall and try on new clothes, eager to see whether I had dropped another dress size. Ultimately, I went from a size 16 to a size six."

During Week Four of the Challenge, Champion Chris Whitted got dressed one morning, and his belt clasped at a different notch. "I looked down and was confused for a second. Then it hit me: My body had changed."