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 By: Isaac Hinds
Welcome to Part 5 of the Spectator's Guide to the 2008 BodySpace/Gaspari Transformation Contest! (If you missed the introduction, go catch up, then come back for the latest action!) Last time, we reviewed some of the gems of comic relief infused throughout the contest blog. This week, our 'celeb' contest correspondent, Isaac Hinds, comments on the contest so far, and his personal battle of the bulge! 
To Jump Straight To The Contest Blog, Click Here.
What a difference 8 years make. It was eight years ago that I started my first body transformation and as the saying goes, "time flies." I find myself in the middle of another transformation challenge but the circumstances are different this time. I weigh similar to what I did at the beginning of my first challenge but my body composition is definitely different. I began with more muscle and more knowledge this time around... but will it help me? I certainly hope so. Kris Gethin wrote a bit about my first transformation challenge at the beginning of the year. I was working at a large advertising agency and eating Burger King nearly every morning for breakfast. There was always food in the office for some celebration and, of course, I was one of the grazers who continued to eat the junk food. I'd drink about 6-8 cans of Mt. Dew a day and was always tired. Gee, I wonder why.
 Click Image To Enlarge.
Isaac Hind's First Transformation. A friend introduced me to Body-For-LIFE and I read the book in one night. I was determined to lose weight and gain control over my health again. I set out and did just that. The first day of the 12 week program, I was so nervous I puked. I was also very, very weak and could barely do 20 lb. dumbbells for 12 reps. It was definitely an ego check. I hired a personal trainer for 6 weeks and it was the best thing I ever did. I was always the skinny kid in high school, even after basic training for the Army National Guard I still only weighed 165 lbs. I was 230 lbs. and severely overweight when I began Body-For-LIFE. I was never in the gym for longer than an hour and I followed the book to a 'T.' It worked! I finished at 184 lbs, had more energy, more confidence and took a liking to the bodybuilding world again.
Growing up I was active in football, wrestling and track. I read FLEX and Muscle & Fitness magazines all throughout high school. I couldn't wait to get the next issue to see who placed or what the latest gossip was. I sound old saying this, but there was no Internet with results back then. Now people can watch shows on webcasts and see photos almost real-time. I attended my first bodybuilding show in Omaha, Nebraska and it was a very small event. A few body-for-lifers decided to head to Kansas City to see a bodybuilding show, so we packed up and headed to the show there. It was 10x the size of the Omaha event. I remember Shawn Ray was the guest poser and I couldn't believe how short and cocky the guy was. He was still the man in terms of his physique and loved attention as he strolled through the expo hall. Shortly after that I moved to Denver. My first show in Denver, I showed up and the event was sold out. I had to buy a ticket off from someone outside the venue. That was where Heather Policky won the Colorado State title. I thought, "holy smokes, these people in Colorado are no joke when it comes to their bodybuilding!"
That's what got me into the world of bodybuilding - attending as a fan, and meeting Jeff Taylor and working with him on his website, and it took off from there. I've since competed twice and they were very interesting experiences. You learn a lot about yourself when you do a bodybuilding show. You don't need to do a show to learn more about yourself but a competition pushes you to the extremes. Over the past year I managed to get out of shape again by traveling often, not eating healthy and by making excuses. I'm back in a transformation challenge with 5 other people on Bodybuilding.com.
I think it was easier the first time around for me as I followed everything exact and I was never out of line. I was definitely anal about my meals, workouts, etc. I also had no life, LOL. This time around I am sticking to my meals and hitting the gym, but I am not as strict with myself. I need to have balance and a life outside of chicken breast and rice. My results may not be as extreme as before, but I'm okay with that. 
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Is There Life Outside Of Chicken Breast? I don't want the challenge time to end and go back to eating like crap again. I am using this challenge to form a foundation for continual healthy living. I started out at 219.5 lbs. and currently weigh 206 lbs. I know I have a busy travel schedule coming up so it will be challenging to get in workouts and continue to eat healthy. Blogging the experience helps keep me accountable each week as well as the others participating. One competitor (stonecoldtruth) has dropped out due to an injury. He was actually the most gung-ho person who provided the most smack talk in the beginning. I wish him well in his recovery. The women are laying a whoop'n down on the men when it comes to progress and sticking to the plans. There are some bizarre eating habits like a quarts of salsa and pints of sugar-free ice cream but, hey, to each their own... Thus far in the competition I'd say Maddi is leading the pack. She's a different bird that may ruffle a few feathers with her comments and posts but she is definitely making a chance. Everyone seems to be making progress which is good. 
Click Image To Read About These Photos.
Maddi's Progress (So Far!) I'll continue to blog and keep everyone posted on my progress. My end goal is to be down to 195 lbs. by the 2008 Arnold. I have just 11 lbs. to go... Will I make it? We shall see.
As mentioned above, Josh (stonecoldtruth) has withdrawn from the contest for medical reasons. His replacement is Alen (malibuilder) from Serbia. Please take a second and encourage our ragtag band of newly-ordained iron worshippers by leaving them a quick motivational note:
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Malibuilder: Before Photos.
To Read Alen's Introduction, Click Here.
As you may or may not know, blogs are set up in reverse chronological order by date, so reading blogs actually tends to go backward in time, which can be a fun experience or maddening (depending on your viewpoint!) Either way, it's fun to jump back in time a few weeks and see where the contestants were at. Here are a few more helpful links to the archives:
This contest is already underway, but please stay tuned as the contestants' progress and drama continues to unfold. If you haven't already, subscribe to this contest's RSS feed for continual updates throughout the next 10 weeks! If you have some fat to shed this year, please consider following along with the contestants in this year's BodySpace Transformation Contest - do what they do, and you'll see the results they do! It's not too late to start!
Now that you've met the contestants, their goals, their quirks and trash-talking (LOL), tune into the group blog to follow along! See you there!
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