Muscles--After 12 Weeks

Disclaimer: There are scantly clad bodies in this post. Read at your own risk.

So we have had a lot of requests concerning our 12 week transformation challenge. For 12 weeks, we have been kicking our butt. We have both been lifting weights, and pushing it hard (yes, me too) and doing cardio, and eating healthy. We both made quite a change, here are our pictures:

These pants used to be too tight for Kent. He pulled them out to see how they fit now.

He needs new pants.

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Kent lost 54 pounds. His change is absolutely amazing! He is HOT!!!

He has a will of steel. When he commits to something, he commits. I was amazed at his mindset and perseverance. He kept me going when I got discouraged. Weight loss is hard, because it takes daily dedication, but the results come slowly. Doing it together made it so much easier to stay motivated.

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Here are my before and after pictures. I am quite embarrassed to post them, but some people might hunt me down if I don't.

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I lost 24 pounds. That is in addition to the 20 pounds I lost in the eight months before that. I finally lost most of the weight I put on 3 years ago. I can finally look in the mirror and feel good. I can try on clothes and feel good. It is amazing. I also feel so much healthier. All our hard work definitely paid off.

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As for the 12 week challenge. I really thought Kent had a shot. We were both finalists. The majority of the finalists were men, and it was hard to tell how they were going to judge it. Winners were announced today.

I won third place!

I won a year free membership and the gym and 6 personal training sessions.

The guy that got second did pretty amazing. We think he should have won first place.

The guy that won first, we don't understand. There were a number of guys that did better than him, that lost more weight and looked better in their "after" pictures, Kent included. We never would have picked him for first.
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In the end, it was not about winning the competition, it was about making a change in our lives. The competition was just a motivator.

We are happier and healthier, and that is why we did it.

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My brother Taylor also spent the last 3 months working hard on a transformation. He was preparing for his first bodybuilding competition. My brother has always been the example of long term dedication to weight lifting. He has been doing it for years. We were so happy that he finally decided to do a show. Preparation meant a very, very strict diet for 12 weeks. He had to get his bodyfat as low as possible. At the same time, he had to continue to work his butt off at the gym. I don't think anyone that hasn't done it can appreciate what it takes (myself included).

Kent and I were very excited for him and really wanted to be there for the show. We found someone to watch the kids, and made the drive to Vancouver, Washington.

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We hadn't seen him since Christmas. Here is a picture of him at that time. He is most left in the light blue polo.

We knew there would be a big change, but we had no idea how big. When we got there, Amanda was finishing 6 hours of painting his tan on. He finally came out of bathroom. There are not words to describe seeing this in person:

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Speechless, right.

All I have to say is:

Yes, that is my brother.

The show was the Vancouver Natural. Taylor was in the Heavy Weight Novice division. He was the only novice who hadn't done a show before (I guess you can continue to do novice until you place).

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Here are pictures from his individual posing routine:

He made top 5. Here they are:

We thought he deserved to win for sure, but we knew we were biased. Really though, he had the best, most balanced muscle definition and development. His legs were so much more developed than anyone else. So this is how it went:

It was Amanda, Kent, and me sitting together. The called out these top five. They first announced 5th place, then 4th, then 3rd. Each time Taylor was not called, than meant he had a higher place. So with each place, our excitement grew. We screamed and cheered louder. Then they called 2nd place, not Taylor. HE WON FIRST PLACE!!!!! We were SCREAMING!!!! The poor people in front of us probably have hearing damage.

There were three novice weight divisions. The winner from each was called out to pick an overall winner.

The announcer asked the crowd who was their favorite. People were screaming for Taylor. We heard his name called out from all over in the crowd. It was crazy.

He was announced overall winner!!!

This guy gave him his trophy.

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Taylor made quite the journey to get to this point. I know he couldn't have done it without this amazing lady, his wife Amanda. These two are perfect for each other, and work so hard to help each other achieve their goals.

Taylor did not cheat on his diet at all. He had been planning his post show meal for weeks. This was also the day after our final weigh in, so we were ready for a big cheat meal too. We went out to pizza and stuffed ourselves. It was so good.

We had a great time with these two. We love them so much. Being there is going to be a great memory we will always cherish. It was amazing.