Transformation Stories

karrielynn80

**Inspired by BodyBuilding.com's contest(s)**
I've been really inspired by the transformation winners on BodyBuilding.com lately & it thus inspired me to start this thread. I am by no means an Extreme success story, I was never over weight per the scales, just your typical "skinny fat" girl eating doritos & mt dews for breakfast (did anyone else's mouth just water??? )

I thought maybe we could start a thread where others could fill out thier transformation stories?? I know there are plenty of Success stories already in this area of the forums, but this is some specific stuff I personally would like to hear & thought maybe others might too...

If your interested, Just respond by answering these questions, pics or no pics is fine (but we all love some pics!)
1. Why I decided to start my transformation:
I personally started my journey just to loose those "nasty 10lbs" i'd been playing with all my life, i'd actually been a gym goer for serveral years but mostly ran or played on the machines. I competetively benched in High School & though I never looked at is as something I would do for fitness purposes, I remember how we set up a routine / schedule & it was super easy to just make it a habit... so I looke for beginners lifting routines & found a super awesome one on simplyshredded.com (a place I still often visit). 8 months later I was down to 13%bf & loving my abs - I'd never had abs!! lol after a short (turned longer than expected) break over the holidays I am now striving to get back to that place - I'm currently at 18.5%bf
2. How I accomplished my goals:
As stated above, I just found a plan & laid it all out as to how it would work for my schedule. My diet wasn't on part to start, but as I researched different moves, or techniques I came across different Ideas of eating & picked & choosed the ones that work for me. I fell in love w/ the IIFYM lifestyle & adhere pretty close to that when I'm on my game. I weigh in wkly midwk & treat myself if I loose (bf or weight - depending upon my current goal); I essentially take the wkends off diet-wise, but have recently made it a habit to going in for a a.m. gym session and though my macros are off, my calories are usually much lower those days as well...
3. Favorite Supplements:
Until recently I only used whey protein, walmart brand - body fortress. It did me good. I have to really strive to get a good amount of my nutrition through actual food b/c w/ my schedule (school/work/gym/mom/wife...blah blah blah) it's super easy to fall into a routine of drinking 4 protien drinks a day & not much actual "nom nom"... recently I've incorporated multivitamins, creatine & green tea extract & so far I'm really enjoying the results.
4. Typical Diet / Favorite Healthy foods:
I'm a creature of habit & can eat the same thing everyday for a month (or 3)... I wake up & make it my goal to drink a bottle of water + my protien shake then head to the gym. At about 8am, I have either oatmeal, or eggwhites. snack @ 10 on cottage cheese & usually a fruit of choice; lunch is either a can of tuna (yes straight out of the can - i kinda like it) or chicken (add some walnuts & cranberries & YUM!!). I go work out again @ 1pm & follow it up w/ another protein shake. about 3pm I get the munchies again so I usually grab a protein bar or steamed veggies & for dinner we eat sensible home cooked meals - i rarely cut out carbs or fats I just make good choices on them. If we are having Speghetti for dinner, I use organic noodles, ground turkey or a lean protein, and a healthy sauce. If I want garlic bread with it.. I choose whole wheat / grain. I use EVOO when I need to & love dry seasonings... if I could change one thing about my dinners is that i'd use a lot more FRESH veggies, rather than canned - but that's a work in progress.
5. What was/is most challenging:
Taking cheats in stride - I can be prone to having an unplanned cheat & letting it throw me off for the rest of the day/week. The leaner I am & closer to my goals I am - the less this effects me, b/c I believe the healthier you are - the quicker you bounce back. But I like to start with a "clean slate" so this is where that downfall is derived from...
6. Suggestions for others:
Stick with it! you don't have to change everything in one day. Pick a lifestyle change & stick with it until it's habit. Add new changes in as you succeed at others... Step by Step (ooo girl...lol sorry the NKOTB song just popped into my head ) . . but really step by step. . . most of these competetors you aspire to be have been at it for YEARS i saw a pic of DLB one year into her journey & she looked quite a lot like me @ that mark (body comp. wise)...Also, find a lot of visual motivation & keep it in front of you.

**and of course this can be people who have reached thier goals and / or are currently working...