Pictures are a must

Today is one of those days, that I ask myself again why I didn't take any week 1 pics... I just wonder how fat was I really?  I know the answer, because I still am fat.  I'm just amazed at how I fooled myself into thinking that I was "in shape".  Not sure what the hell I was thinking to be honest.  Once I took my first picture on 11/29/11, after two weeks of BFL, I really haven't stopped snapping away.  At first it was just frontals as I thought that I would transform to Adonis pretty easily... only to find out that even after much hard work, I still didn't come close to that chiseled figure I had thought I had gained in just these few short weeks.  Then I found that after a few more weeks, that it had to be chiseled by now FOR SURE, I mean I can see my tricep peeking out... and you got it, pictures just disgusted me.  My clothes were so loose and the belt was having to be tightened, for sure on my birthday, two months into BFL, I should be a hard body, let's take pics... and wow, I'm still fat!  Don't get me wrong, I have made great strides and improvements,  both physically and mentally through all this time, but what I realized was that I was fooling myself all these years, heck even up until that point.  These pictures have been one of my prized possessions, because they show me the true progress I have made.  They show me just how out of shape I am.  They show me what I don't EVER want to be again.  They have been one of the ultimate motivators and realistic gauge of progress.  If you didn't take pictures initially, start today, take them weekly on the same day.  Make sure to take some with the everyday clothes you wear and some where you have your shorts/ swim suit on.  You don't have to look at them all the time, you don't have to share them with anybody (I have many unposted in my arsenal), but when you have a slight thought of falling off, pull them out and remind yourself where you were, where you are, and envision where you want to be.  Look at them and compare them at four week intervals, it's amazing what you will see in progress!  Week to week you may not see changes, but in 4 week intervals you will!

I'm wrapping up my last week in this building muscle phase I started after the end of my first challenge and haven't lost much weight, but even this picture to me shows a good improvement to me.  Still have to wrap up my last moderate cardio from the Hussman Fitness tweak tomorrow, and then will start a 4 week fat burning phase.