Elisa--

Sounds a bit exciting at your house.  I am lamenting over my kids growing up and leaving and would love to have a house of 5 kids right now.   I think you could show your sister the informative page John put on this site about sugar.  I'm not sure what page it was on but its full of information about sugar and high fructose corn syrup and it was helpful in making me give up sugar and end my addiction.  

Beth

Hello everyone.

I can't believe we're at the end.   I am so looking forward to not being sore.  I continually increased my weights over the 12 weeks and was sore the entire 12 weeks.  I am so proud to say I didn't miss a workout.   I will take 2 or 3 weeks off, just walking for exercise but no weights.  I will try to eat good and not ruin what i've accomplished.  I want to start up again then.  

Risu--let me know where i can find you so we can start up again together.  

Please let me know where i can get information on the 8 week transformation.  

I know i would not have completed this without this website.   You all really made a difference to my determination.  Also because of this site i have ended my sugar addiction.  I can't believe how wonderful that feels.  Thank you all so much.  

Patty---you look great, like a fitness instructor.

Pixie---amazing results!!  What a huge difference 12 weeks has made in your life!

God bless all of you and stay committed to your future.  Don't lose what you've got---you worked hard for it!!!   Congratulations to everything you have accomplished!!

Beth

Pixie, you won't get this for awhile but W-O-W!!!!!!!!!!!  I am so happy for you and your husband. It sounds like this is more than just weight loss and you did it TOGETHER.  So so awesome.  And so your vacation will be that much more satisfying that you look and feel better.  I hope your trip was so much fun!  I noticed a big diff in my back muscles in the last couple weeks too.  I was also addicted to sugar and processed foods and also eating just to eat and being flat out lazy. I actually enjoy so many activities now and when my husband wants to go for a walk or a bike ride or work in the garden I am like YES SIR - Gonna BURN those calories!! and so its actually fun and has a purpose.  I am so happy you ended with such good numbers and mental changes and a great attitude about staying in that healthy place - I look forward to seeing you around - I'll be starting another challenge after a week off but my last day is this Sunday and I will post my final stats then.  I am going to try to find this transformation info - maybe I'll try it too who knows.

Patty - you look fantastic and I can say by looking at your pics even better than when you started. But you do what you have to to be where you want to be. I can tell you that for some of us the part around the very middle (including the lower back and butt) is the LAST to go.  I feel like my upper and lower body doesn't match my middle!  But I know eventually, with enough prolonged activity I am gonna have the body I want. I am so happy already that my muffin top doesn't show in tshirts anymore, I actually have a waist again!  I am just not ready for something to kick my butt like P90x. My son just got Insanity Asylum and I may do some of the workouts, but I promised myself "slow and steady" until August.  I want to be in the best shape I can be prior to starting something like Insanity or P90, if I even need to by then.  I hope I don't cuz BFL is more than enough for me!

John, we're coming into the finish line and you have been so helpful and the voice of reason for many of us.  I hope you reached your goals? You really helped me trigger something with the protein info as I know I wasn't getting enough. I think thats why I have seen better results the last few weeks.  I hope to see you around, and again, I'll weigh in, measure in and post my final stats on Sunday (or Monday).

Arlandes - how are you doing??

Beth - I understand - my son just turned 20 this week and my baby turned 18 last week!  I DREAD the day they want to move out but so far Todd's in a local college and seems to like being home and Nancy and I are very close. They are such a blessing.  You could do what I did and got a small dog who loves me like mad and runs to the door whenever I come home like the kids used to do!  =)

Highbeams - are we gonna have a final roll call?

You guys have been the absolute best and I know I would not have finished this without your support!!

Sally

Wow, I just googled "Transformation" and it was the first thing to come up:

http://www.transformation.com/

For those of us who were looking for the info on the 18 week thing.  Its 18 weeks not 8 - sorry.

Hey team,

I just finished my last LBWO for this challenge. I was kicking around the idea of just skipping it but I read what Sally wrote and I was determined to finish.  I have cardio in the morning and that'll be it for the workouts.  I'm feeling really good and very proud of myself for hanging in there. I think some of the most important promises we keep are the promises to ourselves and so even after two previous successful challenges, finishing and keeping my promise to myself feels pretty darn good. :) You guys have been such a strong motivation and I'm very thankful that I've met and interacted with all of you.  Sometimes the family we choose is even more impactful than the family we are born to and the BFL community is amazing.

Sally- Thank you so much for your kind works. I would love to stay in touch and motivating each other along. I've had great results, I've lost 14 pounds scale weight and gained a ton of muscle. I've increased my bench press to 205 pounds so I'm very happy about that. The six pack abs still elude me however so I didn't meet all my goals. Its clear to me I need to drop another 2-4% bodyfat. But overall I'm happy and there's always the next challenge to reach my goals :)

Beth- I'm starting in 3 weeks when I get back from vacation (July 10th) so I would love to join you and Risu on challenge 4!

Laurie- Thank you so much for checking in on this team! You continue to be such a great inspiration and advocate. We appreciate your always positive messages and energy.

Patty- I'm definitely staying on BFL so definitely check in. I would love to continue the friendship!

Hey Team Triumph!

And well you have . . . triumphed!!!!  So very proud of all of you and to have known you through the challenge.  I quit working out for a time because of my arm.  I tore muscle at two insertion sites - near the wrist and at the end of the bicep (near the elbow). I thought it was from shoveling gravel, but because the way the pain is exacerbated, it seems more likely I did it during hammer curls.   Its still pretty sore, but I feel it getting marginally better every day.  Though the muscle definition is scant, ie., really only I can see it, I did learn so much and have lost 7 lbs.  What I have gained is some fantastic new eating habits.  I read somewhere recently that great abs start in the kitchen, so I guess I'm on my way.  I plan to restart in July, hope to see some of you again on Team Triumph.  Love you all and have missed you.

Dora

How exciting is it to see Dora's name and picture?  We have missed you and I am so sorry to hear about your arm.  I'm happy to hear you lost 7 lbs, that is always a plus!  It is also wonderful that you are going to restart in July, I will check in and see how things are going for you next time around

John -- thank you for being "The Man" of the group and no I don't mean the only man. You have been a great leader and motivator and I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your knowledge and dedication to this group.  I see a six pack in your near future :)

Sally/Beth -- Transformation is 18 weeks but he has some sort of Summer Challenge which is 8 weeks long.  

Sally -- I'm so happy you have a waist again and your muffin top is gone for good.  Will you be doing another round of BFL in July?  I want to make a note of where I can find everyone. Thank you for your kind words and although I'm going to do p90x I will be back on BFL soon enough.  I do love going to the gym and doing lat pull downs and leg presses, something I won't be doing for the next 12 weeks.  I think it's important to always change your routine and that goes for BFL also.  Make sure you are not sticking to the same exercises, challenge your body and introduce new ones every 4-6 weeks ( I prefer 4).

Beth -- Thank you for the compliment.  I agree with you 100% on how this team helped in reaching our goals. I hope you enjoy your weeks off and I am so happy you kicked that sugar habit.  That to me is probably the hardest thing. I realized yesterday that I drink only water, one cup of almond milk  and one cup of coffee each day and I have been doing that for the last 12 weeks.  I have never gone so long without drinking fruit juice or lemonade.  I also stopped eating Greek Yogurt because of the sugar.  The only sugar I get now is from fresh fruits that have lots of fiber.  

Risu -- Best of luck on your next challenge. I will be checking on you too!

Lisa -- Hope you're well... are you doing another challenge in July?

Well team I will be heading off to my mom's house tomorrow early in the morning.  I'll be back Monday morning and then I will start my new endeavor.  I want to say THANK YOU to each and every one of you.  This has been an amazing 12 weeks and I am so happy I spent it in the company of such great individuals as yourselves.  I look forward to hearing even greater success next time around.

Patty

Man I really hate how you can easily lose what you write in the box. I should have learned by now to just write it in another application and cut and paste it here. I wrote a big entry and I just lost all of it. Anyway I will summarize.

I had my last workout this morning. I ran for my cardio and it was hard but good.  I can’t believe I’m actually done with the last workout of this challenge.  I just have to eat cleanly for the rest of the day and I’m done.  I just discovered quinoa and I’m excited to use it in my next challenge starting July 10th.

Dora- very excited to see you back but sorry to hear about your arm. I’m sure you’ll be back at it in no time!  7 pounds is great, especially if you factor in your time off from injury.  I’m sure your next challenge will be even better, since you have the right mindset.

Patty- thank you so much for the compliment.  I’m glad people have found value in some of the information that I’ve posted.  I truly believe in Bill Phillip’s support for reciprocation so if everyone takes the information and gives to others I’ll be thrilled.

Sally, Risu, Lisa, Beth , Highbeams, Bobby, Hanzelka, April and everyone else- I’ve enjoyed interacting with all of you. It’s been a true pleasure getting to know you, hearing your stories, and going through the challenge together.  I’m not going to say good bye , I’ll just say farewell for now since I’m sure many of us will be back cheering each other on again.

Here is the link again to the dangers of fructose corn syrup and sugar in general

Please stay in touch (my email is johnjmin@gmail.com)

Farewell for now!

John

Beth-

Thanks for reminding me about the info from earlier. I sent it to my sis in law earlier today...

Pixie-

I agree -- WOW!!!  Very impressive numbers!  I know y'all are having a fantastic time on your vacation!  Congrats on a job well-done!

I will probably start back to a challenge before many of you, since I have taken time off, etc.  Tomorrow is my birthday, and I want to start my "new year" right....  So that means not waiting around forever to begin a new challenge!!!  :)  Goal setting for me is happening this weekend!!!  I really cannot wait and am excited to know that sometime in the future, I will also be able to tell everyone what my accomplishments have been.  I appreciate all of the kind words and info from everyone...

Take care and hugs to all!

Elisa

Team Triumph, I hope all of you are having a happy and healthy father's day. I got up this morning and I went from a 2.5 mile run which felt good. I also started the day with a myoplex shake.  I know the challenge is over but its hard transitioning when you've made something a habit for 12 weeks!  The kids are taking me to a Rockies baseball game today and hope you guys are doing well.

Hi Team Triumph, I'm missing you guys already :-(  Its been my pleasure getting you know you all and being a part of this team.  I plan to do another challenge.  Who else will be starting another challenge?  Please let me know when.

Patty, thanks for all the motivation you have given, even when you felt like you were not a good 'motivator' because of your down days....YOU WERE!! :-)  I hope you will stay in touch.  

John, you are my inspiration.  You have been such a leader for all of us. Keep in touch.

Sally, Dora, Beth, Risu, Pixie, I will miss you guys.  Congrats on a great job.

Elisa good luck with the next challenge.

My email address is lisa.hedrick42@gmail.com.  

For those that are doing another challenge, can we keep our team name? lol.....It has grown on me.

Everyone take care and continue to have a healthy Body-For-Life :-)

~~Hugs, Lisa~~

Hey everyone- We are at week 13 and I'm stll transitioning to "regular life".  My kids made cupcakes for me for fathers day and they were delicious but still felt guilty after having one.  It was Sunday after my free day and I was eating sweets! lol.  Oh well.  The baseball game was fun as well even though the rockies got killed 9-1.  

I had quinoa the other day, something lots of people call a power food.  It was really good and I'm looking forward to incorporating it into my next challenge. Does anyone have any recipes for it?

Lisa/Lady- Thats very kind of you to say. I would love to keep in touch and I'm starting another challenge on July 10th so if you still haven't started by then, I would enjoy doing it with you.

Hope you all are happy, motivated, and content.

Elisa- How's the challenge going? I'd love to hear some status :)

john - I am going to the Chicago Cubs verses the Chicago White Sox Crosstown Classic game today - GO CUBS! Like you I also took a second free day on Father’s Day Sunday (after my weigh/measure in of course!).  I had Gelsosomo's Pizza (oh my goodness was that heavenly) and ice cream cake, but I am going back at it today - not the weights, but keeping good eating habits etc...I saw some quinoa (pronounced KEEN- WAH) recipes on Allrecipes.com (always read the reviews for good tips) but I just didn't care for the taste.  I still have some in my pantry, so I may give it another try - we were doing a detox at that time so maybe I just need to be able to use butter or chicken stock or something.

Well, I have my final stats….some pics are posted on my profile also – I have better ones for my “challenge” package.  Anyway, here it is (drum roll please)…

19.1 lbs Total Weight lost in 12 weeks (averages 1.59 lbs lost per week)

3.5” lost from waist

5.5” lost from hips (and boy can I tell!!!)

2” lost from each thigh

3.5” lost from bust

I am very very VERY happy with the way I look and feel.

I am sure I will see many of you around as I will be continuing on with another 12 weeks after a short break…

Team Triumph has truly been a blessing to me and the only way I got through this 12 weeks.  If you are going again lets do this thing!!!  I am really excited to continue learning and establishing these habits that I have been making.  I know I am not ready to do this on my own yet....

"Why choose to fail when success is an option?" ~ Jillian Michaels

Sally- You look fantastic! Great job on a successful challenge and great results. I know how hard you tried and its clearly paid off for you! I'm definitely doing another challenge so let's do it together again.

John

Just for fun - CUBS WIN!!!