Brandon's Weight Loss Challenge

Steady as she goes...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 13:06:00 +0000

I've pretty much switched over to autopilot in regards to my diet and exercise. My diet is a normal American diet, I eat what I want when I want and for the most part I don't think about what I eat. I'm even eating fast food and drinking alcohol (in moderation) again.

For exercise I allow myself 3 days a week with about an hour to get everything in. I just don't have time to do 4-6 days anymore. I plan the routine and stick to it for about 3 months or until I have a chance to change it. Everything needs to be simple because I just don't have time to think about it.

Anyway my weight, for those who are interested in how I'm maintaining after all these years, is 185.6 lbs. as of this morning.

So, how am I keeping the weight off? Simple, I'm not. I don't want to give the impression that I'm in the 180's regardless of what I do. I allow fluctuations. I gain to about 200 lbs. during the winter, every winter. I was 205 lbs. this January, about 200 last January, and I'll probably be just as heavy next January. But that's OK. I treat it like the bodybuilders do, an opportunity to build more muscle.

Every time I gain weight my body has an increased ability to build muscle. I can tailor my workouts to that extent, low reps and heavy weight. Additional protein in the diet while watching the fat and carbs. Do I eat clean? No, I eat whatever fits best at wherever I happen to be. I'm not doing this for a contest (or 6pack abs), I'm doing this as a lifestyle I can maintain. Losing weight is an opportunity to shed more fat than I did last time, while keeping more muscle on my frame.

Not to say I didn't find gaining weight in order to gain muscle to be an easy transition from losing weight. The first time that scale hit the 200s after I had worked so hard to get my weight down into the 170s... I can't even describe how terrible I felt. I worried that I wouldn't be able to get it back down and doubted the logic behind what I was doing. I had to remind myself that I wasn't in a free fall, I was in control. When the time came, I adjusted my diet & workout and I began shedding the weight again. First 5 lbs. water, second 5 lbs. starting to get rid of some fat, back down into the 180's... OK we're good.

Now the number on the scale is no big deal anymore. It can't tell me what percentage of my weight is muscle, water, fat, etc. It just tells me that I'm attracted to the earth with 185.6 lbs of force. Not quite as useful at this point as me knowing I have just almost 14% and 25 lbs. of body fat or that the last time I was 185 lbs. that I was 16% body fat, while the same number the previous year meant over 18% body fat.

Wow, long post. I wanted to just give an update but I felt the need for full disclosure because of how challenging keeping weight off can be. This is what I've been doing since 2008 (Wow, has it been that long?) and I can say that it's working for me.

I hope everyone is well in their fitness journey. I'm off to check up on the F.A.T. Coalition and then get some homework done.

Almost a year...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:00:00 +0000

Just to update my weight, I'm 192.4 lbs. this morning. For reference the last pic I posted was probably around 188 lbs.

Anyway, I'm reconsidering blogging again as I kinda miss it. I don't really like the layout of other sites so I guess that means I'm back to blogger.com!

So let me share what's new with me. I'm a student (again) back in school for nursing. We're just wrapping up the first semester and finals are next week. It's been pretty fun but also a bit stressful with having a full time job too.

I'm scheduled to have Lasik next month. It's a very cool procedure with lasers and stuff. In the end I'll be able to see without my glasses and I'm pretty excited about that as I've been wearing glasses since the beginning of high school. I'm not going to miss them, that's for sure.

Also, I thought about doing an update photo but it appears that I broke my camera the last time I had it on the tripod. It wasn't pretty. The whole thing tipped over and landed like a hammer with the extended camera lens acting as the striking face. So, I've got a new camera on order and when it gets here we'll see how good or bad I've been for the last year.

The seriously final, last post...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:21:00 +0000

Ok, I'm done with my current semester courses (straight A's :D) and I won't have more classes until fall. That means I should have enough free time to blog again. My goals have certainly changed. I'm no longer racing to loose the most weight the fastest. Instead I strive to live a healthy lifestyle meaning regular exercise and eating right.

I'm @ 188 lbs. as of this morning, although it's been an unusual week because I've had more alcohol and carbs than I'm used to. I typically don't drink but it's been a week worth celebrating for a few reasons I won't go into...

I've been working out 4-5 days a week depending on my class schedule. I'm excited to have more free time to focus on my training. I'm going to kick it into high gear.

That's enough, for now. I'll have a new blog up starting next week (new goals new blog). Enjoy your weekend.

My Last Update.

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 19:50:00 +0000

I just want to thank everyone for helping me understand how this weight loss thing works. As I mentioned before I did win my work's weight loss challenge. I lost 18% of my starting body weight by the end of the contest. After that I did continue to lose a few more lbs. but I started to look a little too skinny.

Now, I've changed my goals from losing weight to gaining muscle. So far I have gained 2 lb but that's expected with the changes I've made. I'll be going through some bulking/cutting as I continue to try to get my fat% down and lean muscle mass up.

One thing I didn't mention during my blogging is that my wife has also been working hard to get fit and live healthy. She's gone from weighing in at 138lbs to 121lbs. I'm very proud of the efforts she has given towards getting fit. It was especially trying for her to get started since she suffers from a lung disease that made if very difficult for her to tolerate exercise. Initially, she would get short of breath very quickly and suffer from cramping chest pains each day she would exercise. Now she doesn't need to use oxygen and suffers from far fewer cramps.

I've seen the most amazing improvement in the last few months, and it's not my own.

Anyway, I'm done with the weight loss challenge so I won't be updating this blog anymore, mostly due to time constraints. I will be checking in on everyone from time to time. I wish everyone the best of luck in all their pursuits and of course, Happy New Year!

Yay! I'm a loser!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:04:00 +0000

Just a real quick post as I have class and an exam in an hour.

I'm the biggest loser!

I'll have more later...

How are you? (losing weight that is...)

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Today's weight: 183.2 lb.

Well today's the final contest day. I just need to get my last official weigh-in and then I'm good to go. I wonder how long it will take to get results.

So, I've lost a few pounds and it's noticable. One or two times a week I get asked if I'm losing weight and it feels good to be able to respond -yes I am. Of course it seems like the obligatory follow up question is always How are you losing weight? My answer seems to land with a pretty dull thud when I say that I've been eating right and exercising.

What is it about us that we expect all things to come fast and easy? I mean I've been guilty myself signing up for 3 different gym memberships in my lifetime and never actually going. I can imagine myself maybe a year ago asking someone that same question and being annoyed or uninspired by that answer. Now participating in a contest and giving an effort I've shown great results in what I would consider a short amount of time. What has changed?

For me it was getting older and feeling older. Along with just looking fatter and being at greater risk for diabetes which runs in my family. I felt the urgent need for change, all I needed was a catalyst. For me that was my works 'Biggest Loser' contest. My thanks to Mary who organized it.

I don't know how many would agree with me, but when it comes to weight loss I think all of us have a basic understanding how it works. It is very helpful to have a wonderful resource in the form of bloggers. There are many who have gone down this weight loss and healthy living road before me, I appreciate being able to read and learn from their experiences. Not just that but they are real people who give real support and advice. How much would you pay for that?

Anyway, weight loss is possible but it takes effort. More than some are willing to give but less than what I thought was necessary.

Final Five!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Today's weight: 185 lbs.

Ok, I'm five pounds shy of my 180lb goal and I have 1 week left for my contest. I don't think that there is any possible way for me to drop 5 lbs in a week in a healthy way so that idea is out. Still, I'm focused and I'll be working hard to keep losing in the final week of this contest. Wish me luck!

I'm still here!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Today's weight: 187.6lbs.

It's been a while since I've updated. Not because I'm slacking (well maybe a little...) but it's mostly been because I've been pretty busy at work, school, and doing projects around the house. I've also had a little problem with my computer so I had to send it in for service.

Hopefully you've noticed my weight is down in the upper 180's now which is awesome. I'm not doing anything new in the diet or exercise department. I'm just sticking to the same plan because I'm still losing weight even though it has slowed down a bit. That's okay, you know what they say about slow and steady.

I hope everyone is doing well. I should have my computer back within a week so I can get back to regular blogging then.

Weight Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Today's weight: 192.4 lbs.

I didn't meet the eta for weighing 190lbs. I'm close though. It's not a big deal as that was just a quick estimate based on my then current weight loss trend. I'm still going strong.

As I get closer to 180lbs I find myself thinking that I might actually want to go to 175 or so. The reason for this is I've always had a 'belly' even throughout high school. Currently at almost 190lbs. I have one. If I'm going through all this effort to change I want a flat stomach. Even more than that I want abs. So I'm officially keeping my goal at 180lbs but that may change in the near future.

Anyway, nothing really new here. Working hard and going to school so my efforts to exercise and eat right have an added complexity. Still, I plan my eating ahead of time and only eat what I pack so that helps me to avoid hunger based bad eating decisions. As far as exercise I probably don't do more than an hour or so each time I workout, 5 days a week.

That's it for me, I hope everyone is still going strong!

Quick Photo Update...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:24:00 +0000

For the pic above my weight is left to right:

223lbs-214lbs-207lbs-196lbs

I just wanted to get an update photo posted since I haven't for a while. I have 1 photo from 9/16 but I don't have enough time to add that. So, that's all for now! :D

*edit -added weights*

Dropping 30 lbs.

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 14:04:00 +0000

Today's weight: 197.4 lbs

So I was trying to think of things that weigh 30lbs. A pair of bowling balls. About 4 gallons of water. a bag of dog food.

If I dropped a 30lb dumbell on my foot it would do an incredible amount of damage because let's face it, that's a fair bit of weight. Then I'd have to go to the hospital and worry about keeping my toe, etc. But I digress.

What's my point? I don't know. Maybe it's that just over 2 months ago I wouldn't have thought it was possible to be where I am now. I find it interesting how much control we actually have over ourselves when we're not living in autopilot mode. What else is possible?

After a week off

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Today's weight: 198 lbs

Been busy the last week so I pretty much took it as an "off" week. I didn't change anything in the diet or have any cheat days but I did have to make do with only 2 workout days last week. Add in the additional time spent sitting on my butt due to school and it's no wonder I didn't lose a whole lot weight-wise last week. I'm still focused and heading in the right direction so, it's all good.

Two things that got me pretty excited this week. First I had to buy some new jeans this week. I started with the 36" waist because my smallest pair of jeans were 36" loose fit jeans. If I'm to be honest I was probably 37-38" waist when I bought them but they fit because of the style. I figured maybe if I got the same size in regular fit they'd be fine. Nope. They still made me look like I did something in my pants. Then came the 34" loose (same problem) and finally the 34" regular fit jeans. I haven't fit into 34" jeans for as long as I could remember. It's exciting but at the same time it's a strange feeling for me to be excited about trying on clothes...but I could get used to this.

The second great thing that happened this week is that I'm going to Hawaii in January! I've never been to Hawaii and I've wanted to go for forever. Now the tickets are bought so it's all done but the waiting. Of course there's the fact that I've been eating well, working out, and getting fit. Going to Hawaii means I actually have a set date by which I'm going to be unveiling my beach body. LOL, that's a funny thought. Anyway, it's motivation and a vacation so what's not to be excited about.

I'm off to check up on how everyone's been doing. I hope you are all having a great week.

Under 200

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:10:00 +0000

Today's weight: 199.6 lbs. (mini goal achieved)

Today's weight fluctuation puts me under my next mini goal of 200lbs by 9/13/2008. So I'm three days ahead of my expected trend. This moves my projected final goal of 180 lbs to 10/27 assuming I return to the previous trend. If I continue this trend I'll be ahead of even that date.

So, I've been thinking about my eating habits recently. I eat 5-6 times daily, 3 meals and snacks between. I've also been doing something absolutely crazy. I've been eating a full cup of cottage cheese right before I go to bed, regardless of what or when I ate dinner. For example, last night @ 9:00 I had half a thin crust spicy sausage pizza and a Klondike Slim-A-Bear bar. A very late dinner for me but I still ate the cup of cottage cheese. Of course, I ate my breakfast this morning too.

Cottage cheese is comprised mostly of casein protein which digests very slowly. The idea is that the casein protein feeds your body while you sleep. It's supposed to stop your body from breaking down muscle you've been working so hard to build for the amino acids(AA) in it. AA can be used for energy, repairing damaged proteins, creating enzymes, etc. Over the long run this should help you keep more muscle and have a higher metabolic rate.

Does it work? I think it does. I've been trending steeply downward since I started this 3 weeks and almost 6lbs of cottage cheese ago. Since I've been having great results I wanted to share anything that can possibly help others.

Da Bears!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Today's weight: 201.8 lbs. ( 1.8 lbs. to 9/13 mini goal)

That was a great game by the Bears last night. Matt Forte is one bad ass rookie, he certainly deserved to be Sunday Night Football's Player of the Game. It just goes to show what a good defense and good offense can do. Anyway, what a great way to start the season. Go Bears!

For those who want to see one I posted a before pic in the comments for the last post.

Quick pic

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:40:00 +0000

Today's weight 202.8 lbs. (new low)

That's my family portrait. Jennifer, Dozer (9 months), and me. It was taken on Labor Day after lunch. I cooked those ultimate pork chops that I had posted about last month for sister-in-law Kimmy and brother-in-law Tim's b-days. I still think it's a great recipe. 12 people served and everybody loved it. It's also gluten-free which was important since we were serving a person with Celiac disease.

I wanted to post because I think it's a nice picture. My wife looks good as always, Dozer is so cute staring at the camera, and I'm looking a lot less fat. I'm going to have to dig up a picture from last year for comparison so you can see what I mean.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a good weekend. As for me, I'm stuck working...

edit: I just wanted to add that I've been the biggest loser for the last 3 weeks running. Just found out so I wanted to post it. Still it sounds pretty bad even though it's not! LOL, I'm a big loser!

Halfway Point

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:41:00 +0000

Today's weight: 203.6 lbs (new low)

I just noticed when I added my current weight to my ticker that I've lost 23.9 lbs with 23.6 lbs to go. That puts me at the halfway point of my final goal, yay! This is the end of the 7th week with 11 weeks left to go.

I've extrapolated my current weight loss rate and figured out that I'll meet my goal by the last day of October. Now this is a rough estimate and depends entirely on maintaining this rate, which may or may not be possible. This does show me that I have a possible 3 week buffer to hit my goal before the end of the contest.

At the end of our 'Biggest Loser' contest I'm going to re-evaluate my goals. Do I want more muscle, chiseled abs, improvements in diet? I see this as an on-going process and I'm happy to put in the effort to improve myself.

On a personal note, me and my wife had dinner with my best friend from high school last week. She was back in town for a mini vacay and to see her parents. I think it was the first time I saw her in person since she got married 8 years ago. It's just incredible to see friends after that long apart. It was fun to reminisce and talk about what's new in our lives -in person. I know it seems trivial and vain but I was so glad that I had lost about 20 lbs before that dinner. The first thing she said about my appearnce was "Wow! You haven't changed a bit!". That sure felt good.

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Today's weight: 204.8 lbs.

Nothing really to add today. Working hard & busy with school... more to update next time.

Update photo

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:24:00 +0000

Today's weight: 205.4 (new low)

Today is another one of those days. It's not a bad day but I have yet to find joy in taking my shirt off. That's probably why it takes a few days for me to post the pictures.

I opted to stay with the side shot, mostly for consistency. Yes, it's a new camera -the other one broke. No, not from taking topless pictures of me either. Well, not directly. It was a tripod accident while I was taking my update photos. It tipped over while on the tripod and landed directly on the extended lens. D'oh!

For reference my weight in the left pic is at about 223lbs, the second is at about 214lbs, and the third pic is at 207lbs.

My first thought is this: Wow! my posture really sucked. I don't know if that was from lack of muscle strength in my back or from the load I was carrying up front. Probably both. My second thought is that my boxer briefs give me a muffin top.

Anyway, all is going well. I'm working hard and eating right to the best of my ability. My current aim is to be at or under 200lbs. by 9/13. It's not a firm date but at the rate I'm going it seems reasonable.

My current eating habits...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:35:00 +0000

Today's weight: 207.0 lbs. (new low)

As you can see the pounds are still steadily dropping so much that I've had consecutive lows for the last 5 days. I'm somewhere between being glad and concerned about the amount I've been losing. In fact since this past thursday (official weigh-in) I've already lost 3 pounds. Btw, I also lost the most weight last week in my work's biggest loser group (3+ lbs.)

My focus has been on eating real food that has to be prepared before you can eat it. It's nice since it doesn't require too much thought on my part. My easy dinner routine is to pick a starchy veggie, a non-starchy veggie, and a small portion of meat. Tonight is going to be potatoes, asparagus, and crab legs (at the wife's request). For dessert I like frozen fruit bars or the Klondike thin-a-bear bars.

A little more difficult is eating at work. I eat breakfast at home and for lunch I bring a bag with foods I can graze on all day. It usually consists of a frozen meal thats around 350-450 cal and with 600mg of sodium or less, some fruit (like two apples or an orange and a plum or whatever we have in the house), a small container of salad greens, a baggie of protein powder a small container of soy milk, and an emergency stash in case I start feeling hungry before I get home. Right now my emergency stash is a vacuum pac of tuna and a box of rasins. Strange I know but it's better than feeding that unexpected hunger with the greasy food in the cafeteria.

As a rule I don't avoid carbs but I do limit them to about 40-45% of my intake and my protein intake is about 40-45% . My protein is from fresh meat and is supplemented with whey and soy protein to raise my intake to the desired amount. the final 10-20% of my diet is fats from meats, nuts, olive oil, fish oil supliments and other incidentals. I aim for about 2,050 cal a day which is supposed to equal about a 500 cal per day deficit or about 1 pound a week. Maybe I'm more active than I think. I don't know.

You're so smart....

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:41:00 +0000

I remember vaguely being in the "Round Robin" reading group in first grade. It was a small circle table where children who had trouble reading were resigned to sit and recieve special attention during reading time. It made me feel...different.

In 5th grade I barely skated by. I didn't do homework, I didn't like homework. In class I would daydream a lot. I remember my dad saying that I knew how to do just enough work to get by. I didn't understand what he meant. In order to graduate 5th grade my teacher allowed me to do book reports to raise my grades. I was very introverted and spent most of my time alone so it was no surprise that I found reading to be very enjoyable.

By the time I was in 7th grade my dad decided to leave the millitary. We moved to Illinois to live with my grandparents. I was enrolled in a private school and started recieving piano lessons. Our neighbor, a childhood friend of my mom and former Marine, taught karate to two brothers who lived down the street. I would watch them train from our backyard. They would practice with thier bo staff and I would imitate with my broom handle. A few weeks later I joined their class.

In 8th grade I sat next to a girl I had a crush on. She did her schoolwork and always tried to get good grades. I realized that she needed help with math so I would study, participate in class, and help her with her work. I ended up on honor roll. I scored in the 99th percentile across the board in a highschool entrance exam. I was told I was very smart.

I got very good at karate. I was told I was a natural. I played piano for our junior high procession. I was told I was a fast learner. I drew the cover for the junior high yearbook. I was told I was very artistic. Because I started believing that everything I did well was from natural talent and not hard work, I failed. I did ok at everything but became great at none of the things I persued.

I have a different mindset now. Success takes effort and the will to see things through. I don't accept praise. I'm not a natural anything. When I succeed it's because of effort ...and that's my reward.

Loose around the waist...

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:38:00 +0000

Today's weight: 208.8 lbs (new low)

I'm continuing a good downward trend which makes me happy. It's probably about time I take some more photos, too. I can't see any dramatic changes in my body so maybe a photo comparison would help...because there are changes.

I'm on the tightest notch on my belt and unbelted I can pull my jeans off without unbuttoning them. What's really great is that these jeans were probably a size too small for me when I started. I was totally in denial about my increasing weight and these jeans show it. They're stretched around the waist and the top is curled over from holding up my gut.

My exercise routine is still the same. It's a 6 day split routine high reps with abs everyday. Cardio is done a minimum of 3 days a week in the am. My goal now is leaning out. When I reach my goal weight I'm planning on switching my goal to increasing strength.

Eating has been going well. I'm drinking lots of water and it seems to help me lose weight a bit better. No fluid calories other than the few I get from coffee and soy milk. This is what I ate yesterday:

It seems like I was short on the number of calories but I didn't check until today, oops! The wife and I were both off so we cooked everything fresh. Steamed broccoli, roasted red potatoes, grilled pork tenderloin, etc. I ate whenever I was hungry which is what I'm supposed to be doing. So, I'm surprised I didn't eat more calories but I'm glad it was under and not over.

I hope everything is going well with your week.

Next weight goal met!

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:53:00 +0000

Today's weigh-in: 210.0 lbs.

Yay new low! I weighed myself 3 times to make sure it was right. 210.0 every time. The funny thing is that if you look at the weight graph above you'll see I was having a bit of fluctuation the past week. The last 2 days I actually raised my calorie level, lowered my sodium, and took a 1 day break from all exercising.

It was feeling like a mini-plateau and I was getting a bit irritated with all the effort and the lack of forward progress. I think I've lost all the weight that I'll easily lose. Not that this has been easy. This has been a couple of months making lots of small good choices. Anyway, I'm ready to get back to work!

4:30 am

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:07:00 +0000

Today's weight: 212.4

Not much to post. I got my morning run in today. It's the first time I've had to wake up crazy early before work to get my exercise in. I still get to look forward to my 12 hour work day and then get in my evening resistance training. It's not bad so far, feels just like a regular work day. Still, I feel a bit like a kid going to bed at 9:00. It makes more sense than being tired all day.

Running Man

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:32:00 +0000

Today's weight: 212.2 lbs.

I'm on a new work-out plan this week. I wake up early and get 3 miles in before eating.  Then I'll have a shake or breakfast to help recover. In the afternoon I do my strength training. I have a 6 day a week split body routine. I work all my muscle groups 2-3 times a week and my abs 6 days a week. I'm really enjoying the challenge and am on fire as far as motivation is concerned. I find myself waking up before my alarm goes off, ready to run.

Today, I ran a full mile. Many people might remember running their first mile when the were in high school or maybe junior high. Not me. I was always a run/walker. Not today. At the age of 30, for the first time in my life, I ran for a distance greater than a mile.  Then followed it up with 2 more miles run/walking. I'm feeling great.

Speaking of great I made the most fantastic pork chops yesterday. I've never cared for pork chops because they have always been dry, hard, and bland. But Tyler's thick pork chops with spiced apples and raisins made me change my mind about pork chops.  I'm keeping that recipe in my arsenal. I served them with some baked acorn squash.  What a great meal after working so hard...simply, fantastic!

First Update Photos (& Official Weigh-in day)

noreply@blogger.com (Brandon) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:24:00 +0000

Official weight: 214.4
home scale weight: 215.6

My weight loss has slowed down a bit versus the previous 2 weeks. Hopefully this is because I'm building some lean muscle on top of losing weight. It's hard to tell by using the scale alone but I'm feeling better and ready to keep working hard.

So for today I thought I'd post a before and current photo to show my progress. The photos below show about a 10lb. difference. Sorry no front shot but the current one didn't turn out right so it needs to be redone. No big deal though as any changes are more apparent from the side.

I'm noticing it mostly in my face and jawline with a bit of improvment on my belly. Not bad for 2 weeks. I cant wait to see what I look like in another 2 weeks...