[John M Berardi]

INTRODUCING OUR WOMEN'S FINALISTS
by John Berardi, PhD, CSCS

As many of you already know, the PN Challenge Wrap-Up period has ended. And, after receiving a host of amazing PN Challenge stories, we're in the process of making some really tough decisions.

You see, we wanted to narrow down the applications to 8 finalists - 2 men under 40, 2 men over 40, 2 women under 40, and 2 women over 40.

However, we failed miserably.

With all the debate that's been going on around here, we ended up only getting the list down to 15 people - 4 men under 40, 6 men over 40, 3 women under 40 and 2 women over 40.

And I'm proud to introduce each of our finalists - each representing PN in a unique and motivating way.

Now - A Special Thank You
Before moving on, I want to thank each and every applicant for being part of the challenge. Every one of them truly deserves to be a PN Body Transformation Challenge winner.

And we here at PN are very proud of what each applicant has accomplished. Not only do they look good, the discipline, dedication, and commitment they've invested has led to a strong and healthy lifestyle - a PN lifestyle.

So, to all of you who've applied, thanks for being part of this event.

There Can Be Only Two
Of course, in the end, there can be only 2 grand prize winners - 1 grand champion and 1 runner up. And there can be only 1 category winner for each class. Basically, here's the prize structure:

Men Under 40 - 1 category winner
Men Over 40 - 1 category winner

Women Under 40 - 1 category winner
Women Over 40 - 1 category winner

Overall runner up - 1 winner (from any category)
Grand prize - 1 winner (from any category)

So, as of today, we need your help in choosing our winners! You see, it's your vote that'll help us select our winners.

What are the prizes, you ask?

Well, category winners walk away with a digital camera and a lifetime subscription to our Precision Nutrition Online Results Tracker!

Our overall runner up wins 3 months of pre-prepared healthy meals delivered right to their doorstep!

And our overall winner wins a year's worth of free groceries!

So, if you'd be so kind as to take a moment to vote, it'd be much appreciated by not only the PN staff but the entire PN community.

What To Do
In this post, you'll find a before and after photo of each of our female finalists - under 40 category.

And in the thread below this post, you'll find additional photos of each finalist, including their stories (trust me, you'll want to read them).

Please browse through all of their photos and read each of their stories. Then, cast your vote for the finalist that you believe will best represent PN as the PN Challenge winner.

The Female Under 40 Finalists
Ok, without further ado, it's time to look at some pics! Here are our female over 40 finalists in no particular order

Finalist #1
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 10lbs during her transformation


Finalist #2
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 18lbs during her transformation


Finalist #3
Before and After The
16 Week PN Challenge

*Lost 38lbs during her transformation

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To learn all about how to make a remarkable transformation of your own, pick up a copy of Precision Nutrition today.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #1
Female Under 40 Category

Morbid obesity is prevalent among the women in my mom’s side of the family.

As a result, I distinctly remember my parents beginning to educate me about basic nutrition when I was 13.

Of course, I'm grateful to them for assisting me in developing an awareness of health without going overboard. However, I realized early in my life that I didn't want to follow the same path as the rest of the women in my family.

Since I read my first nutritional book at the age of 13, I have had a great interest in learning more about fitness and nutrition.

I grew up showing horses, as opposed to playing traditional school sports. This kept me fairly active until I discontinued this activity just before I turned 16. At that time I knew I needed to start exercising in order to maintain a healthy weight. This is when I truly began learning about fitness. I had also dealt with back pain from a young age, possibly in part from the impact of riding horses, including a couple of jarring accidents, and possible in relation to a small scoliosis in my low back. Being a student for many years compounded the imbalances in my muscles, thus exacerbating the back pain.

The back pain eventually led to foot pain as well.

In an effort to resolve these issues in my body, I have gained a wealth of knowledge, which has allowed me to be able to help many others of all ages in improving their functionality and reducing their pain levels.

I consider this a valuable experience, as most young fitness professionals have not experienced the challenges associated with overcoming pain, in addition to the genetic challenges of achieving and maintaining a healthy and fit body.

Autum Before The PN Challenge


Autum Before The PN Challenge

Precision Nutrition (PN) has been an incredible resource through my journey over the past few weeks and months.

As a Fitness Professional, I value the scientifically supported, yet “real world proven” information.

PN is detailed, yet easy to understand and was just what I needed to build upon the base of knowledge I already had.

Autum After The PN Challenge

Autum After The PN Challenge

The greatest gifts I received from using PN, were a better understanding of nutrient timing and what the nutrients do for one’s body at different times and under different circumstances.

Learning when the body best responds to carbohydrates, as well as the importance of taking in an appropriate amount of protein and balanced amount of fats, plus a wealth of vegetables was very eye-opening.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the tasty, easy to prepare recipes.

The information regarding supplementation, particularly with a greens powder, protein powder, creatine, and the appropriate amount of fish oil to support fat loss, were also priceless pieces of the nutritional puzzle.

My health and satiety have benefited greatly from applying the principals I have learned in PN.

I look forward to having planned “10 Percent” meals and enjoy these guilt free!

The individualization guide provided a deeper insight to help reach levels of leanness that I had once though to be virtually impossible for my body.

I value that PN has such a range of information that I can continue to refer to it for questions that arise and I feel I learn something new each time.

Editor's Note:

During the course of the PN Challenge, Autum dropped her body weight from 127lbs to 117lbs. According to her skinfold measures, she dropped 2.5% body fat during the challenge, with about 4lbs coming from fat and 5lbs coming from lean mass. This helped her achieve the sleek physique she was after.

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #2
Female Under 40 Category

My 39th birthday was the wake-up call.

I suddenly realized that I had a choice. I could enter into my 40s with dread, having witnessed most of my family become increasingly fatter, age more rapidly and suffer from all kinds of illness and deterioration once they hit middle-age.

Or I could become one of those annoyingly gleeful women that seem to get happier and more satisfied with each passing year, defying age, gravity and every excuse under sun.

The time was perfect. I was starting over after a divorce, building a new business and I had never weighed more or been more health-compromised in my life.

I had one year before my 40th birthday to get my sh*t together, and this former Marine was going to go for 'annoyingly gleeful.' I joined a gym, found a trainer and followed his advice to adopt PN as a way of life.

No magic potions, no wishful thinking; just good sense and an adventurous attitude. I treat my body like a laboratory and always seek to understand how it behaves and reacts under all the conditions I expose it to. The formula is simple and I've come to find that getting fit is something that I'm not just capable of, but actually good at.

In fact, if you're human, you're good at it too - it's the way your body wants to be. I realize that my 'after' results are where a lot of people began this challenge - but I wouldn't trade this journey for anything. I'm quite grateful for every new 'after' result I achieve, week after week. Onward.

Cynthia Before The PN Challenge


Cynthia Before The PN Challenge

I think willingness is key. I know a lot of people that read the books and listen to the advice and say they understand what needs to be done to achieve better health and better body composition. But, when it comes down to doing the deeds, many folks have a list of reasons a mile long why 'this' won't work for them or how they couldn't possibly do 'that'.

I would love to help people take a closer look at their ideas about barriers, preferences, feeling uncomfortable, what's reasonable, etc. and help them expand enough to allow the possibility that these challenges are not as BIG as they think they are.

In the end, one has to decide what it is they want…and then let nothing get in the way of having it, even your own mind - let your desire become BIGGER than the excuses. The fastest way to a different result is a straight line - why stray from that path to entertain things like allergies, negative people, a demanding job, etc. This is YOU we're talking about here - nothing more important than that.

Cynthia After The PN Challenge




Cynthia After The PN Challenge

Very simply, PN has completely changed the way I eat, supplement and exercise.

I really had no concept of proper nutrition before. When I describe PN to my friends, I tell them it's not a diet, like Atkins or South Beach. It's just plain old good nutrition - what the body is meant to eat and when it is meant to eat it.

Starting from 'clueless', I was a little bit overwhelmed with the information at first. But, I grabbed on to the things that made the most sense first and then began to add in those things that seemed a little foreign, one at a time.

Slowly, I became more compliant and learned how to live my everyday life in a prepared way - carrying a cooler everywhere, bookmarking all the websites where I buy my supplements, using special containers for prepared foods, planning trips to the market to keep fresh foods stocked up, negotiating my daily schedule to accommodate gym time.

I also have used PN to investigate ways to develop my training routines, keeping them new and adjusting to the changing needs of my new body as it evolves.

I love reading the member logs to steal ideas about workouts and try stuff I never thought I'd be capable of doing. I continue to amaze myself with each new accomplishment and broken threshold.

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Cynthia dropped her body weight from 205lbs to 188lbs. According to her skinfold measures, she dropped 9% body fat during the challenge, with about 25lbs coming from fat. She also gained 6lbs of lean mass during this time. These are some remarkable changes!

[John M Berardi]

Finalist #3
Female Under 40 Category

Growing up, I was an active kid and involved in lots of sports, but I always had an unhealthy relationship with food.

When I hit high school, it got out of control. I quit all of my activities and began an extremely unhealthy sedentary lifestyle. It worsened when I reached college.

I was lethargic, sick all the time, and depressed, so I self-medicated by stuffing my face with unhealthy food and then crash-dieting. I was extremely frustrated that my weight-lost efforts always failed, so I drank and binge-ate to numb my insecurities. I was on a path of self-destruction.

In 2006, I was blessed to meet someone who broke this pattern, encouraging and supporting me as I gave a healthy life another try. Slowly but surely, I began pulling myself from dangerous behavior I had slipped into. Instead of pigging out, I wanted to go swimming and play basketball with my friends.

But years of unhealthy habits and sedentary living left me incapable of doing what I wanted to do. It was time to make a change.

I began working out again in December of 2006. I was 220 pounds of pure fat, couldn’t jog for more than a few minutes, and I was so weak that I could barely lift the bar. I began lifting weights and doing interval training several times a week.

My interest in nutrition began at the same time, when I read Julia Ross's "The Diet Cure". That was my first introduction to eating well for physical AND mental health. My health, weight, and emotional well-being all began improving, and I was inspired to learn more about nutrition.

My investigations led me to Precision Nutrition. I started PN in March.

When I heard about the challenge in the middle of July, I had already lost 15 pounds of fat and my fitness had considerably improved, but I was still nowhere near where I wanted to be.

Rebecca Before The PN Challenge


Rebecca Before The PN Challenge

I saw the challenge as my chance to finally hold myself accountable to the goals I've had for my whole life. I set the goal to try out for my college's varsity soccer team in the fall. With the help of Precision Nutrition and lots of hard work, I spent the summer losing over 30 pounds and gaining strength, speed, and endurance. When I arrived at pre-season camp, I was in tip-top shape.

Rebecca After The PN Challenge


Rebecca After The PN Challenge

I just finished my first season of college soccer as one of the starting players who helped carry my team through a successful season. I never imagined that I could step back on the soccer field after 5 years of being obese and unhealthy, and end up a starter.

I never thought I had what it takes to earn the body I always wanted. I have achieved and surpassed my goals- I rarely get sick anymore, I have become much faster, stronger, and more agile, and I feel, perform, and look great! It has been an amazing journey, and it is an incredible triumph!

Setting a good example is the best way to help others improve their health and fitness. Since starting PN, I have seen distinct changes not only in myself, but in the habits of my friends, family, and teammates. Every day, I eat in a cafeteria full of other students. While my pizza-eating peers initially questioned and scorned my eating habits, I have seen more and more vegetables appearing on the plates of my friends.

I no longer have a shortage of workout buddies. Becoming physically active has made me visibly happier and healthier, and when others observe this pleasant change, they are motivated to make the same change for themselves. When I push myself harder on the soccer field, the rest of the team does too.

I know many young women who are discontent with their bodies and health, but feel discouraged and helpless to make a change. Nobody ever thought that I would be able to seize control of my life and change my body, but with the help of the right information, I did. Success is contagious. I help others make positive changes in their lives by showing them how happy I am and how great I feel!

Bikini pic.jpg

Before PN, I was overweight, unhealthy, and miserable about it. I would go on bouts of low-calorie fad dieting and self-deprivation that always ended in massive binging episodes. If I lost any weight, I would gain it back and then some. I knew nothing about body fat testing or other progress trackers. I knew nothing about correct exercising methods.

Precision Nutrition put the tools to success in my hands. Although the desire was always there, I was sorely misinformed about what “healthy eating” meant. The ten habits gave me straightforward guidelines that are applicable to any lifestyle- even the crazy college life. I now understand how to make lasting, healthy changes. Because the PN recipes are so delicious, and because the 10% rule is always there for a nice break, I found it easier to avoid temptation.

PN not only introduced me to the right nutrition information, it connected me to a network of the best exercise resources out there. Using methods I found on the PN site, I began my fitness regime in July, and the physical gains I’ve made are enormous. Then, I couldn’t come close to a push-up, even on my knees. Now I can do five. My broad and box jumps have increased by almost a foot, I’ve taken seconds off my sprint times, and my two-mile time has decreased from 22 minutes to under 15.

I could talk endlessly about how PN changed my life- PN provided the means, and I provided the hard work!

Editor's Note:
During the course of the PN Challenge, Rebecca dropped her body weight from 205lbs to 168lbs. According to her skinfold measures, she dropped 10% body fat during the challenge, with about 31lbs coming from fat and only 6lbs coming from lean mass. These are some remarkable changes!