The Body for Life challenge is down to 15 contestants all vying for the $1 million prize. Body for Life has become famous for their challenges and the amazing body transformations that participants undergo.

Cheryl Muhr is one of this year’s 15 finalists, currently leading the women’s vote. Cheryl weighed 157 pounds when she started the challenge with 29% bodyfat.

Today she’s 129 pounds and 12% bodyfat. That’s a loss of 30 pounds of fat and a gain of 2 pounds of muscle in twelve weeks. The results speak for themselves.

Fitness Daily recommends the following books from Amazon.com on Body for Life.

It was either get a wheelchair or get in shape.

At age 14, Elizabeth Coburn found out she was borderline diabetic. That was the just the spark she needed to lose 40 pounds and work on getting in shape.

Although her goal is to lose 40 more pounds, she is gearing up to serve as a role model starting in September for children enrolling in the new Pediatric Weight Control Program sponsored by Decatur Memorial Hospital and Decatur Family YMCA.

Read Elizabeth’s story here…

Sensible dieting, exercise helps a group of South Floridians take off the weight.

For the last month, Sheri, 49, has worked with a team at Memorial Regional Hospital Fitness and Rehabilitation Center in Hollywood. On the team: a registered dietitian, a fitness trainer and a “lifestyle coach,” who focuses on food issues and coping strategies.

And the result …

“I feel terrific,” says Sheri, who lives in Hollywood. “I have more energy, too.”

Read the whole story…

Mike Magnuson was a chain-smoking, beer-swilling 255 pound creative-writing professors two years ago. He quit smoking and beer cold turkey, started riding his bike and exchanged food for three protein shakes a day.

Today, the 41 year old Magnuson has dropped 80, rides up to 70 miles a day and competes with an amateur racing team.

“Heft on Wheels: A Field Guide to Doing a 180” is a book he wrote about his transformation, and which has received 4.5 of 5.0 stars at Amazon.com.

Read an article about Magnuson in the Houston Chronicle…