Progress

So I'm going to be brave and post this pic. I've done a lot of amateur modeling for friends over the years, mostly for fellow art students under tight deadlines. The first two pics were taken by music photographer Jeremy Saffer, a very good friend on mine who I've modeled for many times. The middle picture is actually from a set, which another photo of was published in some book overseas. The last pic was taken by another good friend of mine (who I've mentioned on this blog several times), Kelly Jensen. Decapitated because... I don't know the internet is creepy.

The first photo is from December of 2005. My diet consisted of meat, some fast food, and a lot of beer and whiskey. I went to the gym MAYBE twice a week, where I did a half hour of elliptical and some weights. I was finishing up my senior year of art school, and scarfing down cheese and hors d'oeuvres at openings and washing it all down with free booze. The second photo is from June 2007. I had started working out on a regular basis, and had been vegetarian since January. I was working out 3 to 4 times a week. 1 - 2 days were spent at Muay Thai classes, and a lot of these pics from this shoot show my legs covered in bruises from full-contact sparring. The other few days a week were spent doing a half an hour of intervals on the elliptical, and strength training. The third, taken Saturday, shows me the 6 days a week of working out triathlete in training.

1. Dec 2005 - Approx 135lb
2. Jun 2007 - Approx 120lb
3. Jun 2009 - 115lb

There's a huge difference between 1 and 2. Looking back on those pics I can't believe how heavy I look compared to now. 2 and 3 is harder to see, especially since I'm clothed (for once). The biggest difference is my thighs! They have toned up so much, and I'm so proud of my progress. Those legs have gone hundreds of miles and I've spent hours of strength training to tighten them up. It's also hard to tell, since my shirt is kind of unflattering, but my stomach is a lot more toned. My hips kind of look bigger in 3 but it's only because my stance is wider.

I can tell you that since 2007 I've definitely lost a lot of cellulite. I've been toning up the weight loss for a whole two years, and I still have a little ways to go. My butt went from badaonkadonk to flabby pancake, and after two years I'm finally okay with it. It could be a little fuller with muscle, but I think if I keep working at it, it will get there. I wanted to post this to show that toning up TAKES TIME. And it's slow but believe me, it's so worth it. I was wearing shorts on Sunday I used to wear all the time during the summer of 2007. They used to be totally filled with my thighs. Now they are ridiculously loose. I went from a size 8-9 pants, to now size 5, and even then sometimes the size 5 is a bit too big!

There is no magic pill, no easy way to get a toned body. It takes patience, time, strength training, watching your diet, cardio, motivation, and a lot of determination.