The response to my initial posting of Kevin’s transformation has been full of controversy and discussion. It begs the question of “why?” Why has the discussion of Kevin’s transformation spewed such criticism of not only methods but of the desire to change in the first place.
Oh, you didn’t want to hear that?
The main problem is people live in a fantasy of their own transformation. For the most part the transformation is in fantasy and will remain there. The majority of people who visit this site give up before they begin. Of the thousands who find their way here stumbling across the web, only a few dozen make the changes necessary in their lives to become the person they envision.
The number one reason I create anger in people? I burst their bubble about how easy or realistic their goals are. The number one reason why I am so good at helping people? I give you the answers you need, not the answers you want to hear.
The majority are bouncing from guru to guru looking for a different answer, and at times blame, they can place their results on. I would like to interrupt your day of avoiding reality and explain to you that this is hard work. Not hard work as in “gee whiz mom, I have to rake the leaves for 2 hours?” This is hard work as in years of training, nutrition manipulation, and focus. Years of life changes of who you are when you lay your head down at night on your fluffy pillow. The payoff is worth it though, I promise.
How did Kevin do this week?
It was Thanksgiving, I told him to eat, he did. You aren’t going to get any dramatic photos this week, you are going to get reality. The reality is Kevin’s progress from the beginning of all of this is more than most do in a lifetime and he is listening to what I say and working hard, so he will get there.
From the Beginning of DA Program
How did you do this week?
Have you let one day slip into another and then another? Don’t be the majority who come here; be the minority. Take the cards I laid out for you on the reality of your programing and transformation and make real changes. Do the work it takes to become the person you want to be. If you half-heart your transformation you are half-hearted in your life.
Exercise of this post: All you have to do is comment and say you are the “minority” so we can turn the tides.
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wow kevin great progress!!!!!
Minority
Also people don’t know what they are talking about, with Kevin’s base his progress is awesome.
MINORITY!
Keep going strong Kevin.
Leigh you have helped me with so many truths. I made progress for the first time in 2 years after finding your stuff. It can be hard to face the reality that you have to eat less, that you aren’t as ‘active’ as you think you are, that your target weight needs to be lowered 20lbs (again!). But really, is it better to spend your life in denial and delusion? The reality is so much cooler: If you want it and you work for it you can have it. I don’t want to just be ‘not fat’ I want to be HOT! I can’t thank you enough for showing me it’s possible.
Minority!
I ageee with gabi.k about not just wanting to be “not fat” and wanting to be HOT!
So many people around me look at me and they’re like “you look great! You don’t need to lose anymore weight.” (And just so no one here thinks I’m anorexic or anything, I’m 137 pounds and about 26% body fat.)
I still have too much jiggle. I started at 180 pounds and I don’t want to even “think” about the body fat percentage. I lost it VERY slowly and comfortably. I didn’t have the same kind of struggle a lot of people have had because I started out very thin in high school and gained weight once as a result of a lot of stress and overeating over several years. So I didn’t have the screwed up metabolism issues that a lot of people have.
But I’ve come WAY too far to just quit now and be satisfied with this. I’d like to end up around 19 or 20% body fat so I can look hot bellydancing.
Minority! Go Kevin! Thanks for being a voice in the wilderness Leigh!
Minority! I’m only partway into a long journey, but your books have really helped me to understand the reality of how much food I need and how much I need to move to see results!
Minority in the making for me. I am new and just unlearning a lot of bad habits and fears but I am making progress for the first time in a long time Leigh.
Also, is Kevin single
Minority! Your abnormal efforts will give you more than normal abs. Keep it up.
You KNOW Kevin is doing awesome because his shorts are on fire in the second pic!
Ok seriously, I’m really impressed by Kevin and can’t wait to see his journey.
Like Lindsey, I think I am a minority-member in the making. Right now I have some life issues going on that make the full-fledged commitment to a new lifestyle not fully possibly, plus some bad habits that are very stubborn, but I feel more and more like I can trust my body and start to finally “get” it.
I’m like Anna K and Lindsey. Minority in the Making!
Kevin’s progress is def. inspirational though 
“The main problem is people live in a fantasy of their own transformation. For the most part the transformation is in fantasy and will remain there.”
I don’t even know what to say except this is the truest thing I’ve ever read in my entire life…and I really hope that people read it and make the decision to let it NOT be true for them, because that’s what I’m trying to do. I REFUSE to let my transformation remain a fantasy.
Leigh, thank you for never being afraid to tell people what they do not want to hear, but need to.
Minority!
I’m new to the flts world (3.5 weeks into OPT and going strong), and it is so refreshing to have everything laid out, every angle covered. Previous fat loss attempts were unsuccessful because I didn’t make the effort to thoroughly educate myself. Ignorance is fertile ground for magical thinking and ultimately diet failure.
Yeah, it’s effing-hard work, weighing food and meal planning and monitoring intake and expenditure. So what? It beats boring the crap out of myself with the same body complaints year after year.
Interesting. Very interesting.
-Alex
Minority? Maybe?
I definitely appreciate you & Kevin bringing his transition out where we can watch, because it *does* burst my bubble in terms of my goals. I’m not at all sure if I wanna work as hard as I’ll have to in order to get to my mental image of where I want to be.
Does that mean I’m giving up? No. I know Kevin worked harder on himself that I do (or possibly ever will) BEFORE he began this abs journey, and I was hoping to end up more ripped than he is in these photos. Um. Not gonna happen with the effort I was planning to put in. I need to revise my expectations, but I can do that. He is pretty smokin to start out with, and now that I’m not expecting to be “use me for an anatomy lesson” ripped, I’ll be damn pleased to be as strong and fit as he is.
Not seeing these, not knowing the reality, I’d have been incredibly disappointed a year from now because I wouldn’t have understood how very much work goes to get the physique I want(ed). Now I have a more realistic picture of how much work it takes and what I can expect. Maybe I’ll ultimately work harder like Kevin is doing to get that final mile, or maybe I’ll stick with the effort I’m comfortable with. But it will be a real, deliberate choice, and I’m much less likely to give up on my goal of being strong just because it doesn’t automatically come with ripped. (Does that make me majority or minority?)
And Kevin, dude, I hope I didn’t stick my foot in my mouth here. You look great to start out with, you’re going to look even better when you’re done, and if I’ve accidentally implied otherwise, just put it down to me being socially awkward. I’m not sure if I’m willing to do the work, but I’m 100% behind you hitting your goals. You rock.
Minority.
Once again Leigh, your brutal honesty is refreshing. In a world of hand holding, sometimes we need tough love. I know I do especially now.
Congrats to Kevin on amazing progress so far!
Another minority in the making.
I’m still not entirely sure how far I want to go, but at least I have a much more realistic idea of the work involved in getting “there.” Thanks for putting the truth out there, Leigh! And go, Kevin!
Label me the minoirty Leigh.
And hey you already busted my bubble years ago.
Definitely the minority and know first hand exactly what it takes to make a dramatic transformation. Nice work Kevin, I commend you on your dedication.
Honestly… majority. But things are finally changing. I hit a breaking point last week. I saw a friend that I hadn’t seen in about 9 years, and I was really embarrassed by how much heavier I am now than I was then. Probably 50 pounds. It tore me up inside. I didn’t want her to see me like this.
Leigh’s “transformation as fantasy” idea is so accurate! After years of thinking about dieting, but not really doing it, other than a few weak, short-lived attempts here and there, I finally feel like I’m on a diet. I’ve lost 4 pounds or so. I’m still making mistakes almost every day, most of that loss is probably water, but I do feel like I’ve taken my first baby steps into sincere effort. I don’t trust myself enough yet to put myself in the minority, I want a few months of sincere effort before I do that. I look forward to being in the minority very soon….
I think my next step will be telling people around me that “I’m on a diet.” And then turning down food. That will be very liberating. I’ve never told anybody that I’m on a diet, and I hardly ever turn down food! lol.
Minority! for 6 years already. Although being “fit fat” (ie: high level conditioning with 50lbs to lose) still sucks and having more muscle does NOT make it any easier!!
Reality is a bitch, Leigh, people don’t want to hear it.
Majority soon to be minority.
Also first time poster, it is oddly intimdating to comment here.
Minority!
My transformation was a fantasy for 3 years before I found Leigh’s info and podcast(s) in the last month or so. Since then, I have seen more success (scale movement) than during my previous “diets”. I really needed to hear the unvarnished truth, hard though it is.
Even though Leigh burst my bubble, too, I am totally OK with it. Fat loss is suddenly logical and uncomplicated (still hard, though!). I don’t fear the tiny scale numbers or calories in numbers because getting to my goal doesn’t seem like just a wish anymore. I don’t need magic; I just needed to really understand.
Thanks for the comments everyone. Sorry I haven’t been around to reply to them, work has been sooo busy… Which for a diet is pretty helpful as long as you plan.
Haha, you’re very right Kevin… there’s nothing I hate more while dieting than idle time!
And yes, I’m part of the minority. I have read a lot of material from many gurus and have yet to find anyone with a comparable NO-BS style and awesome product as Leigh. Even the team over at Precision Nutrition tends to be easy on their clients/members… there are many overweight people on those forums whose goals are getting a figure competitor or bodybuilder’s physique in 12 months or less….. not going to happen, folks!
I thought of this whole discussion the other day when watching some local show called Instant Beauty Pageant and this girl who must have been 50 lbs overweight was talking about her self image (she had a very positive one). That wasn’t the issue, in fact that was great, but I had to laugh out loud when she said “Sure I’d love to lose 10 lbs and have a six pack, but I love myself the way I am.” Oh girl, if only it really was 10 lbs — I would have been shredded years ago.
Minority! I ate over the Thanksgiving week with family. Mostly healthy, mostly at 100-200 cal over my maintenance target, somewhat intuitive eating. The last day I binged. But not the week after. The day I got home I was back on my deficit, and 4 of the 5 lbs of water weight I gained are now gone, 4 days later, and I’m raring to go, and know that i just have to increase my NEAT and exercise and activity and find fun things to do that move my body instead of cushion my butt. I am so committed to get this deficit done and move into learning intuitive maintenance and building strength.
Happy Holidays everyone! Enjoy your treat meals and watch your deficit the rest of the hours…
“The number one reason I create anger in people? I burst their bubble about how easy or realistic their goals are. ” Unrealistic goals are a recipe for failure. For most trainees it is important to precisely identify short term realistic goals. Some trainess really don’t like the idea that they are limited due to genetics etc…. The idea that you can be anything you want if you believe hard enough is NONSENSE, although often promoted by self-help gurus, motivational speakers and fitness trainers. It is important to address limitations but it is also important to address these limitations in a precise manner, depending on the personality of the client.
minority!
Kevin looks great! I am in the minority also. It was a long struggle for me on Leigh’s Program. It works if you follow the rules. When you quit counting, you can start gaining. Leigh offers the most sensible advice I have ever had.
Keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Terry