General Diet Plans and Questions - Body for Life Number 21!!!!!!!!!!!1

Hi all!!!! NUMBER TWENTY ONE!!!

Whoo whoo!!! Congrats to another BFLer, Marci, finishing up a challenge.

Finishing a challenge is definitely an accomplishment!!! Congratulations to you Marci. I bought a stability ball and it helped a lot in C1. Crunches are GREAT on it as well as some of the LBW exercises. I also love Tae Bo. I use it as an alternative to the Elliptical.

Well, due to the inspiration of all of you, especially MrsJim, I believe that I am ready to stop gearing up and to hit the Challenge level of fitness tomorrow. Meaning that TOMORROW I am officially starting Challenge 2. I have started it two or three times and I really want this one to go all the way!!!!!!!!!! Like I did when I quit smoking for good, I wasn't going to announce it until I'm really ready. Today I took the dog for a long walk, went to the gym and cooked food for the week. I think it's time. I am going to be walking my daughter to school in the mornings from now on. Although it's not intense exercise, I believe that the first thing in the morning walk will motivate me for the day. It's done it before!!! I will do cardio after the walk 3 days a week and weight training 2 days. I'm not taking a free day but I won't be working out on Saturdays. So I'm ready. And away we go...................

Also, my hormones are starting to take the weight off around the middle but putting it back on my hips!! Estrogen deficiency usually leads to spare tire city but putting it back will turn your fat back to the hips where it's used to going in the female body. So that little development (or big development!) has helped me to get really serious. I've been doing 2 weeks of BFL workouts but not journalling as I did in c1 or really keeping tabs on the intensity and duration. So now we're back to the book. Yeah!

Susan

Marci-Congratulations on finishing your first challenge!

SJ-Good for you! I am just not motivated enough yet to try for C2. I thought I was, but totally sluffed off with workouts and eating. Now I am paying for it. However, I am still using my smith, and I have starting walking. I went 3 miles Saturday, and 5 miles Sunday. I can really feel it in my thighs, whereas I don't when I jog. Isn't that wierd? I think I am able to pay more attention to the way I hold myself when I walk. When jogging, I can't concentrate on keeping my thighs tight and my stomach in! I wish I was motivated enough to start C2 today with you, but I'm still not ready. I have been into the sugar, and I think I want to wait until after Halloween to start doing something. By the way, I tried some low carb pasta, and it is pretty good. The price is high, though--$4.99 for spaghetti pasta.

Talk to ya later!

I've been walking for exercise for years so judging my intensity levels (I'm outside, not on the treadmill) is easy. My 10s are a slow jog. I normally do about 4 mph on my walks, with bursts of racewalking or doing steep hills for interval training. And I do that for an hour. But now those 20 minutes finish me off.

Congratulations to those starting new challenges, and definitely to our latest member to complete her first.

Susanje - CONGRATS on starting C2! I'm not quite at the menopausal stage yet but my mom went through it a few years back. It really messes up your system doesn't it? Keep posting here and at L&S with your progress - I know you can do it!

I just got back from the gym for my first C3/Pam B style workout. Today I did chest/triceps (including a superset of lying DB extensions and bench dips - OW OW OW) followed up by a 20 minute cardio HIIT session. The way I'm doing each bodypart is 3 sets of 15 of three exercises, with 15-30 seconds rest in between. The session goes pretty quickly but it really wears me out - especially the 20 minute HIIT. I am only going to do HIIT for three weeks - then switch back to the 20 MAS for three weeks, then back to HIIT and so on.

Here's my C3/CPB training schedule:

Monday: Chest and Triceps & Cardio
Tuesday: Quads and Hams
Wednesday: Back and Biceps & Cardio
Thursday: Shoulders, Abs, and Calves
Friday: Chest and Triceps & Cardio
Saturday: Quads and Hams
Sunday : Rest
Monday: Back and Biceps & Cardio
Tuesday: Shoulders, Abs, and Calves
Wednesday: Chest and Triceps & Cardio
Thursday: Quads and Hams
Friday: Back and Biceps & Cardio
Saturday: Shoulders, Abs, and Calves
Sunday: Rest
Repeat

In addition, I've had Jeremy of Peak Physiques (he posts often on L&S - very informative!) do a 12-week nutrition program for me. Very similar to BFL in that I still eat 6 meals a day, but there are some significant differences. I'll keep you all posted on how that goes! I feel confident now that by January 14th I'll be at my bodyfat goal of 14% or less! Bring it on!!! :cool:

Hi all!!!!


Hi MrsJim,

When I was finishing up C1 I added HIIT to the end of my UBW. I started at 4 minutes and had gotten up to 7 minutes doing 30 seconds of the highest intensity I could muster. It peeled some inches off in the last few weeks. I am definitely going to do that again at some point. In fact, I was thinking about it yesterday when I was at the gym so I may incorporate it soon. I've heard that it burns off the lactic acid that builds up in weight training and really is very good for your muscles.

PLEASE keep posting your workouts!!! I love to hear them! I'm going to do BFL by the book for the first few weeks but then I'd like to change, add, a bit.

I have heard that menopause is not quite as horrible as perimenopause which I have been in for 10 years. I started in my early 30s!!!! :mad:

I quit smoking in the middle of this nuttiness (4 years ago) trying to make it better and gained 50 lbs and that has been the bane of my existence ever since. Trying to find some hormonal balance and the shifting metabolism brought on by quitting and turning 40. In perimenopause your hormones shift all over the place so a daily dose of the same meds every day can work for a while and then it can kick your estrogen making capabilities back into gear and you can suddenly have estrogen excess and the symptoms are unpleasant (which is what just happened to me the past few weeks). Go off the hormones and your estrogen may level off and you'll be okay and then it will plummet. Too little estrogen is unpleasant as well. So I've been fighting to find the right balance (very elusive at this time). ACK. :?:

I bought the book The Menopause Diet and she backs up what my dr says about carb sensitivity and women over 40 so I thought I'd try it.

The carb reduction is for naught without exercise. My metabolism is so slow that I truly need to exercise at intense levels almost every day. I think I am doing the walking first thing for the psychological effect. Starting my day off with a walk, even if it's not that challenging, gives me a foundation for the whole day. Then I can do my more intense exercises later on.

Shelley, I had to be ready for C2 because it's a commitment and I was so disappointed when I faltered the few times I started and didn't make it very far. This time I am ready. When you're ready, you're ready!!! Last night I went through the transformation gallery on L&S for some inspiration. I am determined to look at it every few days! Hang in there, you'll be ready!

Off for my walk. :)

Susan

Hi everyone!

After giving some free day advice to KDN (hope you're doing great), I went and ate horribly on my free day yesterday :o
Even had ice cream, which is a former favorite that I had previously passed on because Myoplex Lite does such a good job of satisfying the "cold, sweet and creamy" cravings. Along with the other rich food I ate, it made me feel awful last night and this morning.

I didn't feel guilty or like giving up (one of the benefits of it being free), but I did feel stupid for making my LBWO harder. Luckily my husband does BFL with me, and pushed me to go for those 10s.

It's hard to believe we're already in week 10 of challenge 1. Thanks to everyone here, and have a great evening! :)

Carrie

Carrie - don't sweat overeating on Free Day. I mean, if you're GONNA overeat on BFL, make sure that you do it on Free Day! I've done that many times myself, esp. during my first Challenge. Of course, I would pay for it the next day - by feeling totally nauseated. :( On Free Day it would not be at all unusual for me to buy a pint of Ben & Jerry's and munch on it all day...now if I want ice cream on a Free Day, I usually head over to McDonald's and buy a 99 cent cone. Jim and I also used to go out for a HUGE breakfast every Sunday (my Free Day) but we've stopped doing that - now we just have cereal (treat enough!).

Okay, gals, I did quads and hams today. My legs are still trembling even as I write this!! Not to mention I'm feeling yesterday's chest/tri workout (especially the tris).

Today's workout:

Sumo-Style Smith machine Squats:
15x70, 15x100, 15x130

Superset: 1-leg Smith squats + leg press:
15x20/15x180, 15x30/15x270, 15x35/15x360

(those one-legged squats are KILLERS! Total 10's all the way!)

Good Mornings:
15x20, 15x50, 15x80

Lunges on Smith:
15x80, 15x95, 15x100

Leg Curls:
15x50, 12x70, 15x60 (you can see I couldn't get more than 12 on the second set)

I predict tomorrow I'll be walking like Walter Brennan in those old Westerns. So long, pardners! :cool:

I am going to do the Body For Life program. I just called a health food store and was told the Myoplex cost over $60 for just 20 drinks! Is there anything cheaper that any of you can recommend? Help!

p.s. my hubby is going to do this too and over $480 a month for Myoplex is waaaayyyy beyond what I can afford.

Michele

Welcome!

You may want to check our previous BFL threads for lots of helpful info...

First off, you **DON'T** need to use Myoplex (actually if you're looking to lose bodyfat, you should go with the Myoplex Lite - which is cheaper than the regular Myoplex BTW!) or any meal replacement shake for that matter! It's just there as a convenience...

GNC, your local gym pro shop, and health food stores are probably some of the most expensive places to buy MRP (Meal Replacement Products). There are much cheaper places around the Net. I usually buy mine from www.vitaglo.com or www.netrition.com (accessed through www.leanandstrong.com).

Many of the regulars at the Lean & Strong board don't even use MRPs unless they have to - many who do don't use Myoplex (I happen to **LOVE** the taste of Myo Lite so I choose to use it!). You can use a protein powder such as Simply Protein or Designer Protein which is significantly cheaper than Myoplex - but you will need to add a carb with it. In case you didn't pick it up through reading the book, the key to BFL's eating plan is having a portion of protein and a portion of carbs at every meal (using palm/fist measurements). One of my coworkers was asking me about BFL yesterday and wanted to know if Slim-Fast was okay to use. Sorry, but it won't work since Slim-Fast is mostly sugar. (check www.hussman.com/eas for more info on how BFL works). If you buy an MRP other than Myoplex, make sure that the sugar is very low (Myo Lite has 2 grams of sugar) and that the protein/carb ratio is similar. (you can look up nutrition info at the Netrition site).

Again, I suggest that you check the previous BFL threads here for lots more information! See ya later!

I usually spend about $75 a month on Myoplex Lite - I buy a 42-serving Variety Pack and a 20-serving Cappuchino Lite (YUM!) box from www.vitaglo.com. Just thought I'd let ya know! I average 2 a day plus my husband has one in the morning during the week.

Update - I just thought about this and my numbers are a bit off, but not by much!

I use 12 packets of Myo Lite during the week (2/day except Sunday which is my free day) + Jim uses 5/week (one each weekday morning) = 17 servings/week.

This comes up to around 74 packets/month.

Vitaglo sells the 42-packet Variety Pack of Myo Lite for $49 (free shipping within the US). Price per serving = $1.16. So my calculations were off a bit - I should've said my monthly price for Myo Lite is $85.84/month or $1,030.08 per year.

Now, if you were buying the regular Myoplex, you could get the 42-serving box for $58 from Vitaglo which equals $1.38 a serving.

If that's too expensive, you can use Simply Protein (mix it with nonfat milk or add a banana for your carb portion). A five-pound 80 serving tub costs $26, or 32 cents a serving!

So you see, as long as you shop around BFL is NOT expensive (a complaint I hear frequently from people who have looked into it). As far as supplements, you don't need to use them either. I know Bill Phillips mentions CytoVol in the book. Instead of spending the big money on that, any kind of generic creatine and glutamine will do. Very cheap - I bought a big tub of Labrada Glutamine for around $45 a few months back and I'm STILL using it! And again, other than a multivitamin, you DON'T need to buy supplements as long as you're eating lots of clean foods and veggies! Whew! Hope that helps out.

Michele - another aside.

http://members.tripod.com/bflbob/id20.htm

The above link is an EAS Price finder....

It sounds like the store you called was quoting you the price for the Myoplex Deluxe, which is the most expensive of the Myoplex products. It also has more calories, and is geared more towards building muscle rather than fat loss.

Of course, the stores **WANT** you to buy the more expensive products, right?

If you're gearing more towards fat loss along with building muscle, go with the Myo Lite. If you feel hubby needs more protein and calories, you can add a scoop of protein powder to his Myo Lite, which as I noted above is only .32 a serving.

I was at my gym a couple of weeks ago, which has a pro shop that sells supplements and clothes, and one lady was there in tears because the sales counselor talked her into buying the Deluxe. Since she obviously had some bodyfat to lose, I told her she needed to buy the Lite version which is cheaper, and gave her the Vitaglo website address so she could save some $$. She was so angry that the guy talked her into buying the more expensive product!

I don't want you all to give up on BFL because of the perception that it is expensive. It really doesn't have to be - otherwise I wouldn't be doing it - a millionaire I'm not!

Thank you MrsJim for the calculations. I figured it up in C1 and every Mylo meal cost me between $1.50 and $2 depending on where I bought it....like you I shopped all the netstores and went for the bargains. To me, a meal for $1.50 is not a bad price. :)

I really don't like the higher protein drinks. I miss the Mylo....:(

However today someone in school asked me if I'm losing weight so I guess something is working.

loving my morning walks too!!!

In other news:
I go to NYC for a job interview next week. First time I will be back home since the end of July. I have some grieving to do but it will happen after the interview. :cry:

I plan to take a day and walk around downtown. My interview is about 2 blocks from the WTC and I'll interview all morning and then go walk around and leave sometime the next afternoon. Home sweet home. I am dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time.

sigh
Susan

SJ- Good luck on your interview! Let us know how it turns out. Doesn't it feel great when someone notices your weight loss??

I'll keep my fingers (mentally) crossed for you (keeping them literally crossed makes it hard to use my PC :D ).

Sorry that I got a bit long-winded with my calculations. I have a tendency to go into intricate detail - esp where BFL is concerned!

Like you, SJ, I figure that $2 or less for a meal is actually a pretty good deal, given the fact that Jim and I eat out a lot (nothing fancy usually though). I can't STAND frozen dinners such as Lean Cuisine - I hated them before and I couldn't imagine eating them now on BFL, with all that sodium! I'm so used to my fresh foods, and it doesn't take long at all to make a "BFL dinner" - I can whip up chicken breasts w/Rotel & veggies, with a side of cous-cous in about 15 minutes or so. BTW, cous-cous is a GREAT carb - Trader Joes' sells a whole-wheat version - it takes like five minutes to make (I use low-sodium chicken broth instead of water).

Today's workout - I did Back/Biceps and 20 HIIT Cardio:

Seated Cable Row - 15x40, 15x60, 15x80

Superset: Pulldowns/1-arm cable rows
15x60/25, 15x80/35, 15x90/35

Lying Upper Cable Curls w/rope (lying on a flat bench - got this from the premier issue of Energy for Women) - 15x25, 15x35, 15x50

Upper Cable Curls - 15x25, 15x35, 15x40

Preacher Curls (weight does not include EZ Bar) - 15x10, 15x20, 15x20

Since I'm only taking 15 or 30 second rests in between sets I am not using as much weight as I did in the last Challenge. My workout goes much more quickly - I was done in about 30 minutes (not counting the cardio session).

Time to hit the shower before Jim wakes up! See ya!

Hey you guys - you've been pretty quiet lately!

Today I woke up with LOTS of energy - so I had a really great workout - today's set was Shoulders/Abs/Calves:

Smith Military Press (weight does not include bar): 15x10, 15x10, 15x15

Arnold Press - 15x10, 15x12, 15x15

1-arm Cable cross (lats): 15x20, 15x20, 15x25

(I was hitting 10's on all these sets for shoulders - with only 15-30 seconds of rest between sets - not a long time for recovery. Whew!!)

Floor Crunches - 3 sets of 15
Twist Crunches - 3 sets of 15 (each side)
Bent-Knee Leg Raises - 3 sets of 15

(Jeremy at L&S had some great tips for increasing intensity on ab workouts - specifically by doing stomach vacumns (trying to touch your belly button to your spine) and Kegels during the movement - and not letting your head/shoulders touch the ground at the end of the movement. It really works!)

Leg Press Calf Extensions - 15x180, 15x270, 15x360

Superset - Standing Calf Press/1-leg calf press - 15x240/160, 15x240/160, 15x260/180.

Total workout time - 37 minutes.

Tomorrow I begin the circuit again with Chest/Triceps/Cardio...

How is everyone else doing??

Hi everyone!

Nothing exciting happening today, but having a pretty good day. Finishing week 10, and food and workouts are going well.

Brian and I do most of our cooking early in the week. Today, then, it was easy to heat up the cassoulet (adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe) and chicken breasts, and take gazpacho (cold soup with all veggies) and lentil salad with flax seed oil out of the fridge.

My aerobics class went out to lunch and I was able to order a thai chicken salad without peanuts or noodles, and dressing on the side. And no -- the class doesn't count for my cardio, but it's fun.

Good LBWO today -- I'm now almost to the bottom of the leg press machine.

Got to serve up meal #4. Hope you're all having a great day!

Carrie

Whew! You guys are quiet lately...but I know Susanje is back East. Besides this is a traditionally slow time on forums anyway, what with the upcoming holidays and all.

Carrie - sounds like you're doing great! Keep it up!!

Had a really great quad/ham workout this morning, then came home and had my post workout shake. I'm already seeing and feeling a difference this Challenge - today in my chest and tris since I worked them HARD yesterday. I have a riding lesson this morning- I hope I won't have any trouble getting in the saddle after today's leg workout!

This week I've been a bit short on $$ so I've been taking my meals to work. Mostly cottage cheese cos it's a no-brainer, but also salmon and chicken breast (leftovers from dinner). OH and I discovered that Safeway now sells pre-portioned frozen fish - just like Trader Joe's. I bought some ahi tuna filets, all neatly portioned out into 4-oz filets (individually wrapped) for only $9.99 a pound (usually fresh ahi goes for $15-19 a pound around here). A new favorite BFL meal is fresh raspberries, cottage cheese and a little Equal blended together with a spoon. MMM.

Well, gotta wake up the old man! See ya!

First of all, I wanted to say thanks to all of you for your kind words and encouragement! Your support has really helped me through my first challenge and I appreciate it!

I'm pleased with the results of my first challenge. Scale weight went from 180 to 165. I lost 2 inches from my chest, 4 inches from my waist (!!!), and 3 inches from my hips. I didn't get my bodyfat measured when I began :( , but according to a formula I found for calculating BMI, that went from 26% to 20%. (That seems like an awfully big change - not sure how accurate it is!) Most importantly, size-wise I went from 16s and tight 14s to being able to fit into most of my size 12s again.

My boyfriend will take my "after" pictures this afternoon. We don't have a scanner yet so I can't post them...hopefully by the end of Challenge 2 that will be rectified.

I agree with MrsJim, it has been awfully quiet on this thread lately! I'm pretty quiet myself during the week. After sitting at a computer all day at work, it's not my favorite thing to do when I get home at night! But I will make an effort to do better at that.

I hope everyone is doing well. Hey Shelley, how about this weather? It finally got below 80 down here - in fact it was in the 60s the last 2 mornings - what a nice change!

Marci

I'm guilty of being quiet! I don't think I've posted since I started my first challenge 8 weeks ago! ;-P i've been lurking though- and I've also been spending a good bit of time at L&S. I'm doing fairly well, although there are days when I just don't have that "crossed the abyss feeling. It's been a struggle, but I've still made really good progress. I had originally began losing weight with Weight Watchers, and although I lost a lot of scale weight, I'm sure a lot of it was water and muscle. I'm eating way more now, actually spending *less* time at the gym, and seeing much better results. I don't feel like I'm being completely true to the program, however, and need to re-evaluate my goals at some point here. At the conclusion of the present 12-week challenge, I plan to do just that. I usually end up having one day during the week where I see myself straying from the program (a piece of candy here and there, etc.) Usually, a visit to L&S is enough to put me back in my place! (But I know that the motivation has to come from me- I can't be depending on other people to give it to me!)

Great job on your challenge, Marci! Looks like your user name is very appropriate.:D

The weight loss is great, and sounds like your fat loss is even better.

Your BMI numbers are probably accurate if you're pretty tall -- the Body Mass Index uses weight for height, and mine is higher at similar weight (I'm only 5'4")

You can also get a body fat estimate using cicumference measurements at http://www.makingfitterbodies.com/sslybodyfat.htm

It uses abdomen (at navel) and hip measurements, and it sounds like yours went down substantially. It also asks for iliac crest (at the top of hips) but that's only used in the men's calculation.

I bet your pictures will look great too! Congratulations again for great results after hard work.

Carrie:)

Great job on your first challenge - and enjoy your free week (just don't binge all week, though - otherwise you'll get pretty sick :( ).

Didja guys know that L&S also has a bodyfat calculator? The button for it is on the left side frame. Actually the way I figure my bodyfat is by using the Accumeasure calipers (got 'em for free from Netrition when I ordered $75 worth of products) and putting the mm measurement in the calculator on the www.hussman.com/eas site.

Yesterday was my Free Day...we just relaxed in front of the TV all morning...Jim went bike riding in the afternoon but since it's my TOM I just felt like relaxing (i.e. house cleaning and watching True Hollywood Story). We went for dinner at Black Angus and ordered the Filet Mignon Dinner for 2. When they brought the appetizers, I could only eat a couple of the fried zucchini and a cocktail shrimp, my soup and some bread. Then our dinner came, I ate my broccoli first, then ate a couple of bites of filet mignon and a few bites of garlic mashed potatoes. After that, my tummy shut down...it was full! We ended up taking most of the stuff with us (including the chocolate cake, which I had a couple of bites of later at home). Needless to say Jim is going to have a really great lunch today! I'm still amazed at how quickly I become full nowadays - pre-BFL I could have wolfed down half the appetizers, the entire steak and mashed potatoes and still had plenty of room for cake. No more!

This Challenge, Jeremy has me having full-on Free Days for the first four weeks, then alternating between two free meals a week, a free day, then one free meal for the week, a free day, etc. I'm also zig-zagging my carbs - the protein portions stay constant but the carbs go up and down each day. And on weight-training only days I have a post workout shake right after training (on cardio days I still wait an hour before eating). It's still sorta BFL though but with a twist! (Note to newbies - before tweaking the program, do at least one challenge 'by the book' to get a feel for BFL).

This was a great weekend - I can feel myself becoming a better horseback rider - on Saturday I cantered for five turns around the ring. TOTALLY fun! :lol:

back to work - see ya!

Hey MrsJim, that "Filet Mignon for 2" dinner sounds like something I used to eat by myself pre-BFL! :lol: I've always been able to put away incredible amounts of food at a single sitting. Thank goodness that's changing! BFL has taught me that normal portions can be satisfying if you eat 6 healthy meals a day!

So far, so good on free week. We went out for breakfast Sunday morning and I ordered an egg white omelet with onions, tomatoes and mushrooms and plain oatmeal...and it was good! So now I know I can go out for breakfast and enjoy it without the biscuits and gravy!

My friends at work have been pestering me for months to go to our favorite chicken wing place for lunch. We used to go once or twice a week but I haven't been since I started BFL. We went today and I have to say, it tasted real good going down but not so good after I ate it! I won't be craving wings for a while now, that's for sure.

It was nice sleeping in a bit this morning. But I don't want to get too used to that; next week it's back to the morning workouts!

Thanks again for the kind words everyone. I hope someday to be as helpful to others as you have been to me.

Marci

I tried it with oatmeal - not awful. I tried oatmeal with protein powder - also not awful. But today I finally tried flavored yogurt with cottage cheese - delicious!

Dinner last night was truly vile. Tasteless brussel sprouts, sour tomatoes, a bad-tasting soy burger. It was probably in the freezer too long. I need to make myself a vegetable list of things that DON'T taste bad in New England in the winter...

Glad to here how well everyone is doing. I just set up some appointments to review the weight program, to check my form and try to avoid bringing back my tendonitis.

November 19, getting closer.

We had our first big storm last night, and it was still raining this morning when I walked to the gym. Felt good though! I love the change in seasons. I'm just hoping it's not raining tomorrow night when we take my precious nephew and niece trick-or-treating. They would go even if there was a tsunami blowing though! ;)

Jim really enjoyed his lunch yesterday - of course it was so expensive. Next time we want steak on Free Day, I'll just make it at home as usual - I just felt like going out to eat on Sunday I guess! (usually when we go out, it's Mexican food...)

I can totally relate to your chicken wing story. If you check the old BFL threads here, you may find one of my postings from a month or two ago. For days before Free Day, I had been craving, really CRAVING, some Kentucky Fried Chicken. Never mind that I hadn't eaten it for probably 20 years...I wanted it BAD. I think it was those Jason Alexander commercials ("share the bounty of my bucket") and the memories of when I was a kid, occasionally Mom and Dad would buy a bucket of KFC and we'd all sit around the table, eating chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy. Well, on Free Day, sure enough I went out and bought the stuff. One piece of greasy KFC was all it took to make me totally ill...for the rest of Sunday and through most of Monday...icky. I don't plan on having KFC again for another 20 years or so! :( Oh well, live and learn...

So anyway, enjoy your Free Week but don't go overboard! Free Week is always a great time to take stock and plan the next Challenge. Go through magazines, books, and the Net to find some new workouts (I recommend Arnold Schwartzenegger's "New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" as a great resource for just about any strength training exercise you can imagine - I've also heard good things about the book "Supervixen" - gotta check that one out myself).

Whew! Anyway, back to work! Later gals!

Hi LHendricks, you posted at the same time I did this morning!

Just wanted to say that your meals don't HAVE to be icky and boring...I know that one of the 'complaints' that first-time readers of "Body-for-LIFE" (the book) have (judging from what I've read on other forums) is that 'the authorized foods list is too short'.

In his excellent book 'Fat of the Land', Michael Fumento coined an excellent phrase that I like to quote now and then:

"Variety is the spice of overeating".

One of the reasons that America is the fattest nation on earth is because of the vast quantity of food that is out there, along with the advertising on TV, magazines, radio, the Internet etc. telling us to try this or buy that!

Anyway, off my soapbox for now. :lol: What I was trying to say before I sidetracked myself is that...your meals don't HAVE to be boring. Granted, I live in California where the produce section of the supermarket is a bit more bountiful than in other parts of the country...but there's still frozen veggies, which are almost as good as the fresh kind!

I love buying the stir-fry veggie combos (Trader Joe's has an excellent one) and making them with chicken, shrimp or beef strips, plus some rice for a carb. I also make a *****in' "fried" rice with brown rice, green onion, egg, mushrooms, carrots & peas (I use the frozen carrots and peas, you know where the carrots are cut into little cubes?) with a bit of low-sodium soy sauce. MMMmmm...

Another staple in my pantry is something Tall Jen turned me on to - Ro-Tel tomatoes. These are the bomb - I put them in a skillet and let 'em simmer with a chicken breast or two. The flavors blend together nicely.

Don't forget to use spices (easy on the salt tho). I really like those spice blends, and I also use lemon juice, lime juice and low-sodium chicken broth to cook with.

One last thing - check out the Lean & Strong Cooking Library if you haven't already done so...great recipes there (including my Joe's Special BFL style recipe!). One of these days I MUST try Steve L's yummy protein pancakes and Robb's Pumpkin Muffins!

Later all!

Actually I've been experimenting (like mixing things into my oatmeal) now so that when I get into my Challenge, the refrigerator and shelves will be stocked with things that I like. Then I can focus on my workouts and just restock the shelves once a week.

But thank you for the suggestions Mrs. Jim I have looked at the cooking library and printed off a few things. I'm looking for recipes out on the WWW that I can modify as well. Last night I cooked a bag of chopped spinach with garlic and onions. Then I added f/f feta cheese and some cottage cheese and brown rice. Absolutely delicious! Fortunately I LOVE vegetables and can eat tons of them.

Have a great day all and hit those 10s!

And Happy Birthday Serrano! Haven't heard from you on this site for a while -- hope all is well.

Do all of you have plans for any Halloween candy you may encounter? I figure I will ignore the candy we are giving away (favorites of our son Tony, but not mine) and save anything with coconut (which only I like) for free day on Sunday.

I found it makes a huge difference to me if these things are covered up -- the chocolate chip cookies I baked for a piano recital last Sunday are covered in foil and not tempting at all!

Week 11 is winding down, and my husband Brian and I are starting to think about free week plans. Also preregistered for the 2002 challenge -- not sure what we'll do with the 6 weeks in between.

Good LBWO today -- legs really shaking on the leg press and probably won't be able to increase weight next time. May try squats next challenge, but hesitant because of a bad knee.

I'm really impressed with my husband's progress -- he never lifted weights before, and successfully attempted a 175 lb. bench press today (it's LBWO day but he was curious). I felt strong, too, just being there to spot him.

Have a great day everyone!

Carrie

The lights are off this year!

I haven't touched a milk dud or a pumpkin cookie. Have a great time all.

Actually mine is a nobrainer...we just aren't home!

Instead, we go to my sister's house for a Halloween gettogether and to take the kids trick-or-treating. Of course there are a lot of goodies as Jen is the Queen of Halloween in the neighborhood...but I'll be so busy that it won't matter (and I'm going to eat Meal #5 right before we go to her house).

That means I DON'T have to buy candy, I DON'T have leftover candy around the house and I stay clean on the 31st!!

Carrie, I'm jealous - I would **LOVE** it if Jim would work out with me...but he prefers to sleep in (esp on Wednesday mornings since he has a regular Tuesday night gig and doesn't get home until 1:00 am). Maybe one of these days we'll have a place big enough to have some PowerBlocks and a bench. He just doesn't care to go to the gym!

We don't get trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood so I didn't have to buy any candy for the house. Of course my office is full of chocolate and such (and will be from now until after Christmas, ugh!) but I'm really not big on sweets so that stuff is easy for me to ignore. I'd much rather cheat with french fries, or beer!

I planned out my exercises for the first 4 weeks of my second challenge and I'm raring to go! I've also been looking for new recipes. I like making a big batch of "one-dish" meals that I cook on Sundays and freeze individual portions of. I make a killer white chili (chicken breasts, navy beans, mushrooms, green chili peppers, etc.) and I also love MrsJim's recipe for "Joe's Special" with a baked sweet potato on the side! Yum!

I got the stability ball I ordered, but they sent the wrong one! It was supposed to be 25" high, but the one I got is only 17" fully inflated! I'm tall (5'9") so this little one just ain't gonna cut it! Luckily the catalog I ordered from has great customer service; they're sending a new one ASAP so I should have it in a few days.

Take care everyone!
Marci

Well, Halloween is over...and despite all the candy around the office and at my sister's house, I did NOT succumb! Actually (I hate to say this) it wasn't as big a problem as I feared. I only had one weak moment - after we got home from trick-or-treating, my nephew dumped out his candy carrier and I thought, "what is one little Tootsie Roll going to hurt?" Then I remembered the promise that I made to myself - and the fact that Free Day was Sunday - I could have candy then, if I still want it by then (I tend to go more towards ice cream/frozen yogurt for sweets on Free Day - I like the McDonald's vanilla cone - just the right size!). That was enough to stop me!

I ate Meal #5 (stir fried lean beef and veggies, cous-cous) right before going so I wouldn't be hungry and just maybe more tempted by the candy!

Bottom line - I'm feeling so GOOD about myself now...this is the first Halloween where I haven't eaten the candy!

Marci - Y'know, I haven't made Joes' Special in eons. When I first developed the recipe (modifed the original a bit for BFL) I was making it for dinner 2-3 times a week. I could eat the same thing every night for weeks, but Jim finally got tired of eating the same thing all the time and I've given it a bit of a rest since then.

Have you seen the new issue of Muscle Media? There's a great recipe I've been wanting to try there - mixing pumpkin with spices and Equal - then eating it (I guess at room temp?). I love the taste of pumpkin pie so that sounds really good - maybe better heated a bit though (then I'd add the Equal after heating the pumpkin). Gotta try Robb's Pumpkin Muffins too someday! G'night!

I add a package of s/f, f/f pudding mix to the pumpkin along with vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Then let it sit for an hour or more. You can use vanilla or butterscotch. Add more Splenda if you want it sweeter.

Thanks Lh, I'm going to try that this week!

Right now I'm having my breakfast - a Myo Lite Cappuchino Ice with a tablespoon of flax oil. BTW, I highly recommend including healthy fats such as flax or Udos in your plan if you haven't already done so! I put a tablespoon of flaxseed oil or Udos in my Myo Lite every morning and evening. I've found that I have a greater feeling of satisfaction, my skin seems healthier (not itchy like I usually am this time of year from dryness!). It was hard for me to get over that whole "fat is bad for you" thing from back in the '90s. The right kinds of fats are VERY good for you!

Well, gotta hit the shower - did shoulders/abs/calves today - we're going to the Grand National Horse Show to see the Arabians - I've been going since i was a kid! See ya!

I'm adding Udos for Challenge 2! I've read so many good things about it on L&S that I'm going to force myself to actually add fat to my food! (That old "fats are the enemy" mindset is hard to get over, isn't it?) Does it change the taste of the Myo Lite? I thought maybe I'd start with adding it to salads or baked potatoes and see how that goes.

Enjoy the horse show, MrsJim! I love Arabians too...by far the most beautiful breed of horse IMO.

I'm finishing up my first free week and looking forward to C2. One of my new goals is to get through the holidays stronger and healthier than I've ever been!

Marci

I drank my flax oil in water yesterday YUK I'll try mixing it in something. I'm going to start with one T. per day.

Mrs. Jim my father saw his first Arabian when he was stationed in Reno during WW II. He and his brother raced and trained Thoroughbreds at the little tracks here in New England (he saw Seabiscuit race during the 30s) but he never forgot his how beautiful that mare in Nevada was.

When I was in Spain in 1999 I saw Paso Finos being ridden through the streets. They are like fairy-tale horses and literally took my breath away.

Have a great weekend all.

Jim is having a lazy morning and just now getting in the shower... :o Oh well, the performance doesn't begin til 2:00!

Personally, I think that adding flax or Udos to Myo Lite makes it richer and creamier! Kinda more like real ice cream if you know what I mean...I haven't tried it on a salad yet (I'm not a big salad person) but from what I've heard that works pretty well especially as part of an oil-and-vinegar dressing.

Okay, NOW I've gotta get Jim in the shower - I don't hear that water running yet...See ya!

Thanks to Mrs. Jim, I finally tried adding flax oil to our Myoplex. Brian had been suggesting it for a while (for convenience), but I was afraid of ruining the flavor. But hearing that it might actually add to the flavor -- well, that was enough to get me to try it in Brian's Myoplex, and then in mine after verifying that it tasted fine.

Like a lot of women with a long dieting history, it's taking a while to get over an unwillingness to ingest 125 calories that I don't really get to enjoy. Our Omega-3 oils have been very good, though, in salad dressings (a mustard vinaigrette for both lettuce and lentil salad), home-made pesto, and gazpacho.

We've tried Udo's, Health From the Sun (both Flax Liquid Gold and The Total EFA) and Spectrum Flax Oil. The Spectrum (in a black plastic bottle) has the least bitter aftertaste.

Carrie

sorry that this thread has gotten so long! See you at number 22!