Hey Scott Can you believe that 21 days is up? This has honestly been the most amazing 3 weeks of my life, and the most awesome journey I've ever been on. It's been a rediscovery of myself and what I can achieve. You could say that it's been the rebirth of myself, like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I feel like the Star Child. Reborn. A new beginning...

Regardless of the outcome of the competition, I am a winner. I am an unstoppable force to be reckoned with, so look out! ;-)

Where do I start, and how on earth do I keep it short and not write another War and Peace! Rather than go back to my notes and the posts I've made, I'm going to do this from my heart. How I feel about the amazing changes in my life over the past 21 days. But first, I need to start at the very beginning...

In a galaxy far, far away.... Sorry wrong story...

Many, many years ago I spent a long, long year going regularly to a gym. Working out really hard, doing the routines, pumping the iron and all that. And yet for all that I didn't get much benefit from it all. I was in a similar situation to Zach Even Esh. I didn't have any fun doing it - it was all hard work. I didn't lose much weight, and I didn't gain much muscle or strength. I gave up. I was miserable and depressed, and over the next few years that single event became the roadblock in my mind which stopped me from ever achieving any success. Each subsequent time I would try harder again, lose some weight, but then ultimately fail again, and put the weight back on with interest. I fell into an endless downward spiral.

It was all so depressing, as I thought I was doing the right stuff. I never figured out what the problem was. I always followed what the personal trainers told me to do, did the right number of reps and exercises, and all that. But I always ended up failing.

And yet in my work life, it was the exact opposite. I was a huge success in my IT career. It was no problem staying highly motivated. I got promotion after promotion, and made a shit load of money. It helps when you love your work and are passionate about it. But over the past couple of years, it's taken it's toll. Working long hours and weekends. Like 70+ hour weeks regularly. Working 2 or 3 weekends every month. Of course I've been praised for my dedication and commitment. But somehow my work had taken over my life. Now I was a fat, unfit, grumpy 49 year old bastard, and incredibly tired all of the time. We had bought a great home gym, treadmill and exercise bike, but they've sat there the last 3 years virtually unused, because I was too tired, mentally and physically, to use them. Or so my mind told me. And of course I believed it. After all, I wouldn't lie to myself, would I?

We won't go into the unhealthy junk food I ate, the beer and pizzas, and abominable nutrition plan (or lack of it), except to say that I felt so bad most of the time, I felt I wasn't going to make 50 at the rate I was going. I had forgotten what the bits below my waist even looked like. ;-)

And then along out of the blue comes an email from Tom Venuto about this exciting new Unstoppable Fat Loss challenge. I should mention that I've been subscribed to Tom's newsletter since 18th November 2006. And read his book Burn the Fat... (well bits of it) and after all that time, I had never taken positive action on anything Tom talked about. Until his newsletter of Aug 17th. (FYI I had kept every single newsletter!) I'm not sure what it was, but lets just say that fate had something to do with it.

Once I started Scott's amazing program, I knew that I had found something special. So what are the key shifts in motivation and mindset that have taken place over the past 21 days?

I started by listing out all of my limiting beliefs. There were pages of them. And for each one, I have been going through the list and coming up with statements to prove why that isn't a valid belief. That has been helped tremendously by Scott's interviews. So many times, I found the person had similar problems to me, similar situations, and they had defeated them. Overcome their limiting beliefs. So once there was no foundation for my limiting beliefs, I started pulling them out by their roots and planting new ones. No longer did I believe that I couldn't achieve the level of fitness and health I wanted because I was always tired. I believed that I had become an unstoppable fat losing machine! It was going to peel off me. Effortlessly. I rewired my belief system.

The next phase was immediate action. Each day, each morning, each night, I reviewed my new goals. Listened to the new interviews. I came up with new ideas which would set me up for success, and assure me of achieving my goals. And I started using our treadmill and exercise bike again. Every day. And dug out the dumbbells. The gym will come next. Small steps...

Then my whole nutrition plan was reviewed. All of the crap, the unhealthy rubbish I had been eating, went out the door. If it's not in the pantry or my drawers at work, it's no longer a temptation. I embraced eating fruit, and embarked on a new passion for veggies and salads. I started eating oats and drinking protein shakes again, for the first time in years. Twice a week I started walking a couple of miles down the road to the local Victoria Markets, and picked up fresh fruit for work and home. Walking. Not hopping on the tram, or driving. Walking. And tonight, shock of shocks, I turned down pizza. Manna from heaven! Surprisingly, it no longer interests me. I had a salad instead. What is the world coming to Scott?!?

It's started to take off, take on a life of it's own. In a moment of pure insanity, I started walking up flights of stairs to my floor on level 16, instead of catching the lift. I hate stairs. I've always hated and avoided them. But now I feel great afterwards, it's even exhilarating! I now walk the stairs every day. And walk the dog every day, and twice on weekends. And instead of driving my car to the station, and catching the train to the city, I hatched a cunning plan and dug out my bike from the depths of the garage. It's a very nice bike. It's a Giant. Picked it up in Sydney 7 years ago, and haven't ridden it for over 5 years. It's just come back from the bike shop, fully serviced and upgraded, and I now have this crazy notion of riding it to the station and parking it in the lockable bike locker, which I've applied for. Paid the deposit and all. Where is this all going to stop? Next year I'm going to ride in the Tour de France and run in the Boston marathon!

I've built up my motivation wall at home, and the visualisation trick is working a treat. I'm reinforcing it with written and verbal affirmations. Love those 3x5 cards. The effect they're having on my conscious and unconscious actions are truly remarkable. I've never been so positive and sure of myself with my fitness goals.

Even crazier, I've had a long hard think about my work, and where I'm at with it. So last week I put up my hand and told them that I want to move out of the project to another area. I have some great contacts now, and they're helping me move from our technical support group into a project / implementation management role elsewhere in the bank. To a position where it's normal Monday to Friday, 9 to 5 work. 40 hours a week. That was probably the hardest thing to do. Leaving the team I've built up over almost 3 years and the project I've loved working on with a red hot passion. But it's another small step which is helping to set myself up for success.

And now to pretty much to top it all off, I've been so inspired by all the wonderful people on the UFL program I've met on the forums, and Scott's amazing interviewees, that I've done something I never, ever thought I would do. Tonight I've subscribed to Nick Nilsson's "Metabolic Surge - Rapid Fat Loss" program. I'm going to start it on Friday, after I've had a chance to read through the material and set myself up for it. This time around I know I will be successful, that I will achieve my goals, because I now have an unstoppable attitude. And the accountable buddies in place to keep on motivating me!

There is so much more I could say, but I've already said too much. So I thought I'd finish off with my current goals, because I've never had such positive and big thinking goals before, and I think it sums it all up nicely.

It's time to go - my body fat! You've outstayed your welcome, and are holding me back. I will regain the slim, fit and healthy body from 30 years ago. I will transform from a fat bastard with a 122cm (48") waist to a sexy hunk with a 87cm (34") waist. I will achieve this by my 50th birthday next June because I am unstoppable!

It's time to go - junk food! I am going to grow our own fruit and veggies, for the healthiest and freshest food possible. Water will replace beer and spirits, apart from special occasions. For the occasional special treat, I must have calorie credits deposited first. My nutritional eating plan is going to burn away that body fat because I am unstoppable!

It's time to go - apathy! I am going to walk the dog instead of being inactive, and I will ride my bike instead of driving the car. I will exercise regularly, following a plan, and track my progress publicly on my blog. I will write in my gratitude journal every day. All this and my accountable buddies will motivate and inspire me to keep going and never give up because I am unstoppable!

It's time to go - bad work habits! I now come first. My own health, and my family, will come ahead of my job. If my work doesn't allow this, I will change my job. I will be the best husband and father I can be, and put our quality of life ahead of anything else. I will be successful because I am unstoppable!

I can achieve anything if I believe in it. I believe I can achieve anything because I am unstoppable!

Thank you so very, very much Scott. I have to add thanks to Angie as well. And Tom for leading me to you in the first place. Your program has completely transformed my life in just a short period of time. The future has never looked so bright! I was going to say that it's restored my hope again, but I don't need hope any more. I know I will achieve my goals and be successful. Failure is not an option. God bless!

Love and peace always, Ronny Melbourne, Australia

21 days and beyond…

Who knew that 21 days could result in such a vast array of changes in my personality and outlook?

When I first joined the program I thought it would give me a motivational boost to encourage me to stay on track with my clean eating and exercise. I needed something to keep me away from ice cream and chips for the rest of the summer…boy was I surprised at all that I got in return.

As a result of the Unstoppable Fat Loss program I have switched the outlook on my whole future. In order to better understand how this has changed me, it’s important to understand where I was….

I was resentful and unhappy in so many areas of my life because I didn’t want to be working long hours and feeling unfulfilled in the management position that I have. I felt unappreciated and unloved. I felt that my needs were not being met and that I was being taken for granted. I felt like no one cared about me and I was craving more fun in my life.

I was constantly avoiding confrontation and any other situation that would cause me grief. I would over eat healthy foods or indulge in junk food once in a while to satisfy the urge for a reward because I was working my ass off and nothing seemed to give. I felt like my relationship with my boys and my husband was slipping through my fingers because I’d get home so tired, drained and fed up with dealing with people that I really didn’t want to hear another complaint or whiny story.

I wanted to come home, workout and stare at the walls some days because I was tired of dealing with people. Things never seemed to go my way and I was just so tired of it all.

Guilt, sadness and many other emotions were making me seek out food or cigarettes…no wonder I couldn’t break through in my weight loss when I was dealing with so many limiting or negative beliefs. I felt like I couldn’t lose any more weight since I’d already lost so much and I might as well be happy where I was. I still wasn’t comfortable with my body and felt that I’d never be happy with my body.

During the USFL program I worked on a variety of issues that were causing me to over eat. I analyzed my life and my situation and by focusing on my mindset it is like a filter has been lifted off my eyes. I am no longer bitter and angry. I feel love pouring out of me instead of resentment. I have set up areas of encouraging images and quotes in my home, my car and my office to keep me inspired and motivated.

My active participation on the forum was a big benefit to me. Sharing and reading the posts from others gave me ideas on how to improve my own situation or things to take action on. This program has given me a wonderful toolkit that I can use to apply to many situations in my life.

I have raised my standards as a result of the interviews and I have shifted the emotional attachment I had to ice cream. I see it for what it really is. I have not had to really resist anything with the need of willpower. I only want the best for my body and it has been easy these past few weeks. No Doritos as a result of stress or ice cream due to sadness. I haven’t really been too sad or upset either…hooray for that!

I decided that I could and would become a non-smoker. I reviewed all the benefits and reasons for becoming a non-smoker in a similar fashion as we did for all the benefits and reasons for improving our health and releasing fat. I applied the strategies and skills that I’ve learned and I am so confident that this was the last time I would smoke again. I am now a non-smoker.

My family life has improved. I smile and engage in conversation with my family more. I feel love and happiness fill my heart when I’m driving home rather than feeling dread. When I wake up in the morning I am excited and ready to start the day. My morning routine keeps me inspired and I look forward to another awesome day. When I go to bed I have a routine that helps center me and calm me down. All this is thanks to what I have learned and applied during the program. None of this would have been possible this quickly if it wasn’t for this program!!

At work I am happier and not resentful. I understand that I will not be in this line of work forever and with my goals and vision I will work from home or closer to home and help others transform their lives such as I did. I see my time there as a positive experience where I gain the financial resources and experience to help me move along in the future. I have intended my new career and I am grateful for what I have and I am ready to receive the wonderful bounty that awaits me.

I feel at peace. I am looking at everything with an attitude of gratitude and prosperity rather than being miserable and upset. I love the world and myself. I smile so much and I chose to engage in more fun activities. Can you believe that my weekends are becoming fuller and fuller with social activities out of the blue? Before I wanted to shut myself off from the world and wanted everyone to give me space.

I still have a lot to learn and a lot to implement along the way. I am on an un-ending journey of growth and development. I thought this was the end of my journey but now I understand that this was truly the beginning of another phase and I am forever grateful that I decided to buy this program because of all the blessings it has brought me along the way. I am so driven to help others transform their lives and embrace a healthy lifestyle and I am so thankful that I have learned so much via this program. The support from our community and the encouragement has really touched my life.

I know this was a challenge and I’m writing this as my submission for the contest but I feel that I am already a winner on so many levels and I’m truly grateful that this program and both Scott and Angie have come into my life.

You guys rock, this program rocks and I love you!!!

Oh yeah…it’s called unstoppable fat loss…I lost 3.5lbs and 1.5% body fat.

Thanks again and lots of love,

Isabel a.k.a moon

Hi Scott,

First I'd like to say that I "entered" the first mindset challenge and then went on vacation for two weeks and couldn't catch up on the audios and reading, but I wanted to share my journey with you anyway.

Unstoppable Fat Loss wasn't the first program I've purchased, but it seems to be the only one that really addressed so many mindset factors that hold people like me back. I've had all these wonderful workout programs that really are great, but the best exercises in the world don't do much good if your mind's not in the right place!

For years I've been gaining and losing weight, finding motivation and really acting on it, then losing it completely and going back to my old ways. I hit a high of 160 lbs a few years ago (at 5' 4", that was depressing to someone who was 117 lbs as a young adult). I've always been a small girl, while still being curvy and well muscled. Getting to a point where all my positive physical attributes were no longer obvious gave me a real sense of failure. Since then, I had over a few years lost some of that weight, and was 148 lbs at the beginning of this year. I managed to lose about 15 lbs over a couple of months, but again, lost that drive and came to a standstill.

I still have a long way to go, but UFL has done something remarkable for me- it's shifted my mentality entirely. I was always trying to pass on desserts, cut back portions, and make myself workout. Now I get up and do my workouts not because I'm forcing myself to, but because I really want to- it makes me feel amazing! And I'm always looking for those super tasty veggies and other really healthy foods rather than trying to cut back on unhealthy foods. I still have to catch myself when it comes to desserts, but the fact that I hardly have to try to live a healthier lifestyle is really remarkable to me. I no longer feel as though I'm giving anything up, or forcing myself to do things I don't really want to do. I'm making all the right choices, and I'm doing these things because for the first time in my life, I just want to become the healthiest version of myself possible. Instead of those negative feelings, or feeling deprived, I feel great!

Perhaps the best thing that's come about is the feeling I now have that I can do absolutely anything! I used to tell myself that I'd lose ten pounds, or whatever... But now, forget ten pounds! I'm going to look like a fitness model! None of this aiming for "reasonable" goals- I'm aiming for my dreams! I'm really super pumped about where I'm going to be in a week, a month, and for the rest of my life. Thank you so much for putting together this program to help people like me find their true potential!

Many Blessings,

Jana Dutkiewicz

I have thought a lot about the shifts I've made in the last three weeks. I've listened faithfully to the interviews, kept notes, reviewed them, and tried to apply the principles in my life. By doing this, I apply them to my relationships with others. You see, I joined this project because I really wanted to help my younger stepchildren start to turn their lives around, to take risks, and find lives they could relish. I also wanted to - personally - conquer anxiety, listen to my own dreams and keep at least part of my brain focused on the prize(s). So, here's what's happened:

The first week, a stepdaughter wrote an essay for college admission that lacked a certain verve and passion. She sent it to me for help - I called her and we talked about dreaming, and motivation and Dax Moy. We talked about what drove her, and what made her want to be at the school she was applying to (More about this later). I also found myself applying the principles we learned that first week in conversations with my husband, who is working away from home right now. We have had more meaningful discussions about our futures together than we have had in a long time! Dax's "pay the price" is on my computer; and the weekly newsletter I send out to the women in my church is full of ways to set goals, be positive and not live in "F.E.A.R." Oh, and I totally changed the way I ate. It's that simple. I don't binge at night, I don't have sugar, and I sleep well and wake up --- Happy! Energy and focus is through the roof.

The second week, I found myself applying these principles to the way I workout. I've experienced a form of sciatica for about a year and hired a trainer to help me get through hip and leg strengthening exercises. Since the second week, I've raced through the two tough hours a week feeling better than when I started! I also found myself working through other issues with my anxiety and helping others with anxiety disorders use some of these "unstoppable" secrets in their own lives. It's been great to listen to friends slowly regain control of their racing thoughts. Where "being the strong one" has always exhausted and terrified me (really), now it's easy and fun to find the right words and seriously think out problems and solutions. I also found myself thinking about the copy of Psycho-Cybernetics in my dad's bookshelf - right next to the "power of positive thinking" and "Think and Grow Rich." These books were fixtures in that bookshelf for as long as I can remember. I started thinking about the motivational seminars that dad would drag us to (yes, I heard Zig Ziegler speak, and I'm sorry to say it's had no effect on me until now;-) And I suddenly realized that this program has brought me to the place that I think dad always wanted us to be: he wanted our lives focused and happy - he wanted badly to give us the tools we would want and need to make it through life with love for ourselves and others. Suddenly, during the second week, I realized that what I was doing with and for myself and my stepchildren was the same thing that my dad had been trying to do for me when I was a teenager. Oh, if only I'd applied those things then instead of 30 years later! During the second week it was no longer about me - it was about connecting with dad, and wishing that he was here now, so that I could tell him he had finally convinced me that this is the way to live a life. So now, every time I encourage a young associate, a stepchild, or a friend, I can feel my dad next to me working with me on this. I've missed that in the 12 years since he died.

Third week, I "took action" stopped the interview and looked up EFT. If others in this group haven't done this, DO IT NOW. I'm amazed at the results. I won't go into it now, but it is just amazing.

Back to my college-age stepdaughter. She rewrote her essay in the last 3 weeks. The platitudes were gone. The struggle was gone, and so were the awkward sentences. Instead, she wrote: "What inspires me most about art is that there are no restrictions, no right or wrong. Art is what you want it to be; anything and everything is art. ... . I want to do that with my work; I want people to be drawn in and to never forget what they have seen." My husband jokingly wanted to know what college application web site she got it from. She found it in herself, because when we talked I had the tools to help her be "unstoppable!" She is now "unstoppable:" when her brother encourages her to move back to their childhood town, she says, "Don't you know I'm going to art school? The art school I want isn't IN Washington." She has those tools because on a whim I joined the Challenge 3 weeks ago.

The power of being "unstoppable" is the power to influence. The power of being "unstoppable" is the power to lift people up out of their fears and into the light. The power to be unstoppable is the power to affect generations and to live your own life in health and happiness.

Will I keep on with this? Yes! Will I read the new fixtures on MY bookshelf (the EFT manual, Tom Venuto's book, my Neuro-Lingusitic programming book, my copy of Psycho-Cybernetics, and all of the health and nutrition books I've bought in the last 3 weeks) and apply them? YES! Will I live a life free of anxiety and fear and full of health and vitality? YES! Am I the unstoppable "hard-core grandma" that my grandchildren have dubbed me? YES AND AMEN!

Oh I suppose I should mention that I've also lost 2% body fat and can WALK UP 26 FLIGHTS to my apartment - generally without dying. And the hip pain is gone. No sciatica - no numbness. So now, no excuses :-)

Thanks Scott and Angie - Thanks for opening your lives to us so that we could open our lives to others!

Tamar