I never thought i would look back at the last 8 weeks as a life changing event... but that's what it turned out to be.

Whatever improvements I made physically (weight, body fat, clothing size), i made 2x that in self-confidence, empowerment and a better, healthier body image.

I learned ALOT about effective exercising, nutrition and just healthy living in general and they are all tools i can take with me beyond the Transformation.

While i made some nice progress over the last 8 weeks - there's more to go... i know it. I may take a little breather and scale back the intensity for a short while... but i've got new goals now just waiting out there on the horizon to be met.

One week to go... I can’t believe I actually made it through the first seven! I'd love nothing more than to finish off the last week strong - though it certainly is tempting to start to let things slide as I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Starting to think about life beyond transformation and what changes I'm going to make in my lifestyle to continue on the current path - since I'd REALLY like to stay here.

The last seven weeks have been an investment in me and I’d like to continue to reap the returns from that investment for years to come!

Highlight of the week - finally starting to see some shrinking of the thigh and chest measurements that just have not wanted to budge up until now. Clothes definitely fitting more loosely and it is starting to become problematic when dressing - and I mean that in the best way possible! I'm always looking for a reason to go shopping! Two weeks to go and I'm fired up to get to the finish line - both in terms in seeing the final 8 week results and having a treat beyond my 1x a week Starbucks non-fat latte.

With the results that I've seen and how personally rewarding it has been so far, I'm determined to not let the pounds creep back on after the transformation is completed and I’m starting to think about adjustments to life beyond March 5th!

Back on track after stall week. I needed a big week of results to give myself the motivation to power through to the end as the sweets are calling my name a little louder (still resisting). Providing another little boost was fitting into my favorite suit after a long 3 years of watching it just hang in my closet.

It felt great to put it on and have it fit so well. It was one of the two clothing items I identified to Ross as a personal goal/measurable milestone during my introduction session in Oct 2011 before I started at Relentless. Time to make some new goals!

This was officially my stall week (in my mind at least). A little lower body fat % – which is good – but not much movement on weight and inches lost which was a bit of a bummer.

While the results did not give me that added motivation i was hoping for going into a weekend of parties where i was surrounded by delicious looking cake, bagels and pizza... i kept my eye on the end goal. 4 weeks to go...

Week 3 was definitely better all around than the prior two weeks. I am in a good workout routine, feeling pretty at ease with the nutrition aspect (sweet potatoes, old bay, hot sauce have been my saving grace!), energy levels were good and I was relatively happy about my week’s results (though after seeing the pictures from this week - I may take that comment back. I have a little mental set-back every week when they get posted).

I'm a little frustrated that my measurements for both chest and thigh have yet to really budge as those are the areas I’d love to reduce the most. It’s also causing a good/bad problem... clothes are fitting better overall (good) but in my pants/skirts, the waist is bunchy while the thighs are still snug so my clothes are kind of ill-fitting though I can’t move down a size (bad).

Hopefully this issue starts to resolve itself. I’m not there yet – but I look forward to the day when I can march into J. Crew and buy out the entire store in a size or two smaller than where I am now.

Week 2 moved along... more comfort with food selection and energy levels. I feel more confident in my food selections and almost surprised at my will power to avoid the "bad stuff"... though the week wasn't without minor disappointments.

I woke up a few mornings midweek feeling like I indulged a little too much the day before despite knowing I hadn’t strayed from the diet. So when it was time to measure the week's progress, I wasn't too surprised I didn’t make a huge amount of progress - though it was disappointing nonetheless. I'll give week 2 a pass - but expect to see more results in week 3.

Beginning of week 1 was bit rough... headaches, an eye twitch and super tired. I looked at bread/carbs longingly. My 1st workout with Ross was not the best given how exhausted I felt. On my day 5 (thurs) I felt I turned a corner. After two successful meals out and a day of rest from exercise, headaches disappeared, had more energy and eye twitch almost disappeared.

I felt further empowered on friday's weigh-in/measurements - encouraged by week 1 results (4lbs and a couple inches). Those results certainly aided my willpower during my weekend travels to the west coast to stay on course w exercise and diet (travel was always when I made excuses to splurge on food and be lazy). Going into week 2 - feeling good and confident about the week ahead!

I used my Prep week to exactly that... Prepare.

I'm ready to tackle the Exercise pillar face on - it is the Nutrition pillar that is staring me down. I spent the weekday days starting to wean myself off of things i love (Starbucks Lattes, english muffins) but will not be a part of my dietary choices the next few weeks - and I thought I was doing a good job of mentally preparing myself until a trip to Whole Foods with the group over the weekend.

It was a bit of a shock to my system and my confidence was rattled. I needed to re-adjust my thinking to view the Nutrition aspect of the program as making healthier choices not depriving myself of things.

By Sunday night and after 4 hours of cooking/preparing for the week, I think I'm almost there and feeling a little more confident in my ability to make the right choices over the next 8 weeks.