General Diet Plans and Questions - Body for Life #26

Hi all,

Well Excite/Home has gone bankrupt and my cable connection disappeared at exactly 12 midnight last night. I'm on my slow modem so I won't be staying long! I wanted to jump on and start a new thread. I'm so angry about the disconnection. You would think that AT&T would have done SOMETHING to avoid the disruption. I'm almost mad enough to switch to DSL

Anyway, I gained some inches last week and I don't know why. I'm looking at my journals, I'm doing well, sticking to my food plan and I'm working out (though cardio could be better). :mad: My hormones are so nuts though (even with HRT) that it could be hormonal. I hate it though.

I'm doing a 3 week sprint to Christmas. Yes, I have finals and will be crazy but I'm going for the gold starting Monday.

:p

how's everyone doing? the net seems to be quiet with at home customers getting the heave ho.

Susan

Susanje - Jim and I were digital cable subscribers with @home until Feb of this year, then got cheap and switched to WorldNet. Hate it!!! We just got a mailing from a new service out there, I think it's RSN, who have a digital cable/digital internet/phone package that's muy cheap. DSL is just too expensive, I can't see paying $50 a month for Internet. But it is cool though!

I was wondering why it was so quiet!

Just waiting for my free day tomorrow... after reading about this on the Krista Smash website (http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html) I mixed cottage cheese and a can of water-packed drained tuna fish together a bit of sweet pickle relish. Sounds gross but I'm totally hooked now - I can see this becoming my new favorite protein meal (mixed with some salad veggies and garbanzo beans for carbs). Since tomorrow I get an entire free day (remember I'm trying to segue into two free meals a week instead of the free day most weeks) I have PLANS. A bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, lunch at McDonald's, dinner - well I don't know yet. Sushi sounds good though!

Today (just to get out of the house) I dragged Jim to the mall, bought a couple of sweaters at Nordstrom (what a rush fitting into the SMALL sizes now) and a DVD player (our Christmas present to each other). Then ordered off Lands' End a couple more tops and some gabardine side-zip pants - since they are backordered til January, I got brave and ordered SIZE 4! I am totally optimistic that I'll be able to fit in them come January 7th!

Almost 11 so I'm calling it a night...later gals!

Lucky for me I never cancelled my Worldnet acct. I was meaning to but never got around to it. But, I HATE the modem dialup!!!

I will look into the RSN. I thought that DSL was a bit expensive so I went with cable. Now I'm just SO MAD :mad: that they didn't foresee this. I wonder how many people are stranded with nothing. They're going to credit us TWO days for every day that we're out. Big whoop. I want my cable!!! I'm in the middle of finals. I wonder how many other people are stranded in the middle of something important. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Mrs Jim: Buying a size 4 is very optimistic so GOOD FOR YOU!!! I can't imagine ever being a size 4 (the lowest I've ever been, as an adult, is a 6-8 and I tended toward the 8 but did have some size 6 at the time. this was about 10 years ago after my divorce and my first go round with weight training).

I know I have got to do more serious cardio. I do HIIT after weight training a lot of days but I get seriously lax on the pure cardio days. I simply hate the treadmill and/or elliptical. I feel like a hamster. So I try to do Tae Bo and it kicks my butt because I haven't done it. Oh what a vicious cycle! I have a 3 week commitment to REALLY do serious work until Christmas and then I will take some days off because the boys will be here. I do not look forward to the New Years resolution people at the gym so I'm trying to incorporate more at home things to do.

I've been at this a year and had hoped to be much farther along but I suppose it's cool that I've hung in there and didn't just throw my hands up and curl up on the couch with some Haagen Daaz. :lol:

It's the little things. :)

take care all,
Susan

Hi everyone!

I'm pleased (but also a little embarrassed) to say that I finally returned to where I was at the end of challenge 1, three weeks ago. I had gained some fat and lost some lean at the end of free week (hope I learned my lesson!), but am now back where I was on Nov.11.

It could be worse -- over the holiday season last year I regained 15 of the 40 lbs. I had lost over the previous year. I'm stronger now, and have more fat-burning muscle, and plan on reaching my New Year's sprint goals of getting down to 30% bodyfat and adding 2 lbs. of lean.

I'm glad we're in this together, and are all hanging in there. Good luck with your internet connections, and thanks for the support!

Carrie

Hi Carrie,

Does not sound like you did badly at all! How is life in Davis? I visited UC Davis when I thought I was going to law school there. Davis was a nice little town.

I have a court appt in the morning (as a school assignment, I'm not in any kind of trouble :lol: ) and will need to get up extra early to get in a workout (a good sustained cardio effort) before showering and getting my daughter to school.

I'm determined to do it and check in here every day (AND study for finals AND do well AND get ready for the holidays! :eek:

Susan

actually our phone line went dead for most of the morning (which means no Internet access - boy I really HATE dialup!!!). Since we had the storm warning all day Jim and I didn't really feel like going out (other than to McDonald's!).

Right now I am making dinner (steak night) and getting stuff ready - eggs boiled, barley cooked and measured out with chicken breast in Baggies, veggies washed, etc. I am taking this sprint with total focused determination - to beat the holiday poundage gain AND attain a size four in six more weeks. Jim couldn't believe I already bought the pants - but has total faith in my ability to do this. He actually thinks I could be in a contest next year. I dunno about doing a routine though...never been able to do a split!

Well, Kitty (that's what we call him most of the time now) has pretty much taken over the house. But it's so much fun having him around. I'm so glad we got him!!! We are getting our Christmas tree next week and hope he doesn't go ballistic. I might not be baking cookies this year (why tempt myself?) but I do want to have some festiveness here in the house!

Carrie - sounds like you had a fun free week! If you haven't already done so, do read Pam B's Training Document in the L&S Training Library. I love her advice regarding Free Week:
IN BETWEEN CHALLENGES
I believe that you need a break every 12 weeks. Not only do your muscles need a break, but you need a mental break from all of the structured eating and planning. I would recommend that you eat everything you are craving, but try not to eat large quantities of it. It can really make you sick. You can set aside one “binge day” if you want, but you don’t wan t your week off to be a “binge week” as it can wreak havoc on your system. I am cautioning from experience here. [blushing]

If you haven't checked out the Krista Smash site that I referred to at the end of the previous thread - DO IT. One of my favorite pages is where she shows bad form and good form for squats, deadlifts, etc. A great way to REALLY see what you should be doing, esp from a woman's standpoint!




Whew! Back to work...

Good to hear from you guys --

Susan -- I love living in Davis! Just the right size for knowing your neighbors (with 5 boys on our block for our 10-year-old to play with) but still providing access to music and other activities. Are you at UC Berkeley Law School? I was at UCLA Law School 20 years ago and UC Berkeley Optometry School 15 years ago -- both for less than a semester. Ended up as a doctor but couldn't take the time demands of my Family Practice residency -- I've had the same kind of lasting success in my career search as in my weight control! I've applied to a Preventive Medicine Residency program at Berkeley for next July, but I'll be commuting from Davis if I get in because we like it here so much.

Mrs Jim -- thanks for reminding me of what Pam B. said about free week. Next time I'll remember to have one binge day at most, but I also won't feel like I really blew it and won't ever reach my goals. It sounds like you're having a wonderful time with your Kitty -- we'd love to see a picture some time!

Carrie

Haven't experienced it in awhile, but I've got it now... :(

Guess it goes to show you that I can really go NUTS if there's more than a week between Free Day/Free meal. If nothing else, it makes me feel really good to eat clean and drink all my water today!

Despite my tummy protesting, I had a great workout today - did a 20 HIIT on the elliptical and then Chest/Tri workout. I'm still terrified at the thought of losing my Palm Pilot at the gym, so I carry a little notebook (the tiny spiral-bound one). I write down each exercise then the poundage for each set - example:

Decline DB Presses - 15, 20, 25

If I don't make it to 15 reps for the weight, I put the number of actual reps in parenthesis next to the weight #.

When I get home, I turn on LiftLog on my Palm Pilot and enter the date, the exercise and the highest weight/ # of reps. That way I don't have a kajillion bits of paper - my BFL book was getting really huge cos I was keeping each progress report from every weight workout I've been doing!

carriej - Davis is such a neat college town. Jim's uncle (who is 20 years younger than us) is attending UC Davis right now - I think his major is pre-vet, not sure though. Great place for horseback riding!

As soon as I can get Jim to get the digital camera fired up we'll get some kittypix. Just that when we get home all he wants to do is check his email, have dinner, practice his bass, and watch TV. Don't we have an exciting life? :lol:

I've been using Krista's site for about two years...I find her sense of humor refreshing!

I didn't have a terrible free day, no hangover, but I've got to plan better. The biggest treat this week was a latte with s/f syrup. As an academic librarian my schedule changes dramatically from one semester to the next, and life right now is VERY hectic as exams approach. In the spring I hope to be able to schedule morning gym visits. I really like having a routine.

The only sprinting I'm doing this year is to be extra careful with my meals and portions.

HI all,

MY CABLE IS BACK!!! Yippee!!!

I've been doing well...very focused and feeling strong. MrsJim: thanks for the inspiration!!!

Carrie--

Very impressive! Yes, I go to UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). I am 3 finals away from being officially half way through!
I really liked Davis when I was there. DH and I rented Harleys down in Oakland and rode up through Napa etc into Davis...the summer before I applied to law school. I thought it was lovely. We came back down 160 along the Sacramento River/California Delta. We settled in Antioch because at that time I had NO idea where I was going to school but I figured it would be between Davis and Berkeley and Antioch is about half way from each. Also DH is a bass fisherman and that always comes into play :lol:

Anyway, my two best friends in law school are both doctors. They both like medicine better than law so you probably made the right choice!!!

Lisa,

Academic Librarian!!! I have so much respect for academic librarians (having been a student most of my life). Finals is tough on students but I think even tougher on librarians!!!

MrsJim: I've been reading Krista's site for over a year now as well. I love her. I also love your dedication. I've really been disciplined which is very tough with finals. My hormones are driving me buggy and my allergies are completely off the scale right now but still I'm hanging in there.

To all: Take care!
Susan

This site has several FAQs about creatine, glycemic index, weight lifting exercises etc. It is repetitive in that you may have heard it all before (via Hussman et al) but it has some stuff not found anywhere else. Nice FAQ on Deadlifts. It changed the way I do them. (I feel like it is forever a struggle to get them down right).

http://www.weightsnet.com/Links/docs/index.html

Susan - thanks so much, I'm glad to be of assistance. Helping others (in whatever small way I can) helps me to keep eating clean and hitting those 10's! :)

One small problem with Krista's site - is that she is obviously no fan of Bill Phillips. I couldn't click into the 'anti-Bill' link that she had - and actually it was just morbid curiosity that made me try. I still think she has a lot of valuable information - and of course she is entitled (as are we all) to her personal opinions.

If you all care, here's **MY** opinion on Bill Phillips:

I don't know him personally - and usually, guys as good lookin' and successful as he is are usually a bit on the 'overconfident' side. And YES he did own EAS and he WAS, in the past, what is known as a 'juicer' (i.e. using questionable supplements). BUT - he has admitted to that, and called it a mistake - everyone is entitled to make mistakes...haven't we all?

But - to me, Bill P is a great person - it was his idea to bring the benefits of bodybuilding to the general public - not for his personal profit, but as a way to stem the overwhelming tide of obesity and lack of physical fitness that is becoming prevalant in the US (and much of the world) today. Anyone who thinks that the book was written as a marketing tool for EAS products hasn't read the book. I've seen books that were written as marketing tools for products and the products are mentioned and pushed MUCH more frequently than in 'Body for Life'. In fact Bill only mentions two products by name - Myoplex and Betagen - and never says they're necessary. As Susan has said in the past, using Myoplex (or any other meal replacement) is a [i]convenience[/c] not a requirement.

If any of you haven't seen the video "Body of Work" I highly recommend watching at least the first half. The part where Bill talks about 'bringing bodybuilding to the masses' is an eye-opener, as well as his view that he is already a success - BFL for him is a way of helping others (and I'm sure I don't need to mention that all the profits from the book go to Make-A-Wish Foundation!).

Okay, off my soapbox...I still like Krista's site a lot though!

Well, back to work! Later everyone! Keep hitting those 10's and don't let those Christmas goodies getcha!

It's a bit lengthy, but I found it terrific - for those of you (lurkers and posters) who still feel the need to go the 'fat free/Susan Powter/Snackwells' route that didn't work in the 90's, and the reasons as to why you should NOT cut healthy fat out of your diet!
Part 1 of an exclusive interview with best-selling author Udo Erasmus

Udo Erasmus is a "giant" in the field of nutrition. Maybe you want to know exactly how much fat you need in your diet. Maybe you're unsure about which type of fats are best to cook with. Perhaps you've considered adding oils (such as flax seed oil or hemp seed oil) to your diet, but you're confused about which ones you really need.

Read on, and have Udo (pronounced oo-doe) guide you, step-by-step, through the minefield of myths and confusion about the fats that heal and the fats that kill.

Busy? Here are three key questions Udo answers in this interview:

What are the benefits of eating more of the good fats and less of the bad fats?

Why is it a bad idea to cut all fat from the diet?

How much fat do you recommend for people wanting to lose weight?

Christian Finn: What are the three or four key benefits of eating more of the good fats, and less of the bad fats?
Udo Erasmus: Well, let's see. I don't know if I can limit it to three or four. The good fats are defined as essential fatty acids. The body can't make them, but it has to have them, so they have to be supplied from outside.

Every cell, every tissue, every gland and every organ in the body has to have them, otherwise they can't work. If you don't get enough, your health deteriorates. You literally fall apart cell by cell. And if the deficiency is sustained long enough, then you're going to die. That's how important they are. That's part of the definition of essential.

And the good news for people who have neglected the good fats, is that if you're deteriorating because you're not getting enough, and you bring back into the deficient diet the essential fatty acids that are missing, then all the deficiency symptoms that are the result of not getting enough are reversed. You recover your health.

Research says that essential fatty acids elevate mood and lift depression. They are natures answer to the serotonin re-uptake inhibitors like Paxil and Prozac. They also calm down hyperactive kids, dogs, cats, horses and adults. People feel calmer. They deal with stress better. They don't fly off the handle as much.

Essential fatty acids also speed learning and can increase IQ by 6-9 points. They help in many of the mental conditions, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. They can help autistic kids. They also help people with Alzheimer's.

The research on women and children says that every time a woman has a child, she loses 3% of her brain weight. That must be replaced. Each child depletes her further, and each child gets less essential fatty acids than the previous child does.

Older children get the most essential fatty acids required for brain development as well as brain function. On average, they have the highest IQ in the family.

Researchers think that is why younger children in large families have far more developmental and behavioural problems. And they also think it's why women get more depression than men, as well as more fibromyalgia, more chronic fatigue, more collagen diseases, more inflammatory diseases and more auto-immune diseases, digestive diseases and allergies than men do.

Women get those from two to nine times more frequently than men, and the depletion of essential fats during child bearing sets them up for those conditions. Add digestive problems and allergies to that list.

So the researchers say the women need to make sure they have a reliable source of essential fatty acids in their diet, both for their own health and the health of their children. Unfortunately, most women don't have a reliable source of essential fats in their diet.

Some men think that women are hypochondriacs, but there actually is a reason for their higher rate of health complaints. The brain is over 60% fat, so we're fat heads! And the human brain is far larger, therefore has a greater fatty acid requirement during pregnancy, than most animals.

Essential fatty acids also have important functions in sperm formation, heart function and visual function. They increase testosterone production, optimise thyroid function, lower most cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure and high triglycerides. They are anti-inflammatory, and are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.

Christian Finn: How do we tell which fatty acids are essential?
Udo Erasmus: You cannot call a fatty acid or a nutrient essential until researchers have identified at least one biochemical reaction in the body in which that nutrient is required, and without which that reaction cannot take place. So we're talking about a real clear definition.

And the essential fatty acids come in only two sizes. One is omega-3 (also known as n-3's) and the other is omega-6 (also known as n-6's). They are required by every cell. N-3's are missing from most people's diets. Both n-3 and n-6 are missing from the diet of anybody on a low fat diet.

Christian Finn: That's the problem I see all the time. People think they should cut all fats from their diet. And that's obviously a mistake.
Udo Erasmus: If you cut all the fats from your diet for long enough, it will kill you. If you have no fats in your diet, you won't get any essential fatty acids.

One of the areas where we've done quite a bit of work over the years is in the area of energy level. We're using an oil blend that I developed for the work we do. The blend is twice as rich in n-3 as n-6. And we modelled it somewhat after the Eskimo diet, which is two and a half times richer in n-3 than n-6.

That's as high as you want to go in n-3's. If you get higher than two and a half, you'll end up with flax oil, which is three and a half to four times richer in n-3. That will make people n-6 deficient if used exclusively. This down side effect is the main reason for developing a blend of oils with a safe, optimal ratio of n-3 to n-6.

Christian Finn: Are essential fatty acids useful for treating people with Type II diabetes?
Udo Erasmus: Essential fatty acids are required for insulin function. But you have to be careful when you increase n-3 and n-6, because diabetics then become more insulin sensitive. You then have to lower insulin or put them on a slower acting insulin. And most important, you need to lower carbohydrate intake at the same time. The research is clear about that.

Diabetics should be getting their carbohydrates not from complex carbohydrates, but from green vegetables. When you increase essential fatty acid intake and lower their carbohydrates by shifting them to green non-starchy vegetables, instead of potatoes, bread and pasta, you get exceptional improvement with diabetics -- both Type I and Type II -- but especially the latter.

We also see exceptional results in energy levels, stamina, and physical performance in athletes. We've worked with a lot of athletes.

Christian Finn: Well, that's certainly something of interest. In terms of specifics, what oils were you using? How long did it take to see these improvements?
In the human athletes, we use one tablespoon (15ml) per 50lb of bodyweight. We're using the oil blend I developed to do these studies because we think that's as close as we've seen to ideal in this situation. It's called Udo's Choice Oil Blend. Within two weeks -- and sometimes within three days -- they notice that their stamina increases. They recover quicker, build muscle faster, and perform better. They also focus better and sleep better.

The increase we see in stamina is often between 40 and 60% in athletes who push the limits of their performance - the ones who exercise to exhaustion. Within a couple of weeks of starting on the oil blend at 15ml per 50lb of bodyweight, a cyclist, who was doing 90km a day to exhaustion, was able to do 146km. We're talking about a serious increase. A boxer, instead of working out an hour and a half to exhaustion, is now doing two and a half hours. It's a dramatic increase. Athletes also build muscle faster.

Some of the kickboxers we worked with were putting on muscle so fast they were ending up in the next higher weight class. They didn't want to do that because they hadn't beat up everybody in their own weight class yet! They had to lower the daily dose of the oil so they didn't put on the muscle so fast.

In horses and dogs we use less oil than in humans. With dogs and cats, we give them about a teaspoon per 80lb of bodyweight.

Christian Finn: And is that what you recommend for someone wanting to lose weight?
Udo Erasmus: Losing fat is really what you're talking about. We tell people to start small (1 teaspoon) and increase gradually to take as much oil as it takes to get their skin soft and velvety. And the reason we do that is because the skin gets essential fats last and loses them first.

Essential fatty acids have vital functions in the vital organs, but you can live with dry skin. Nature's wisdom says skin gets them only when everywhere else has what it needs. So it's a good way to measure it. When your skin becomes dry it means you need more of the right kind of oil. Mix the oil in your vegetable and your protein foods.

In winter, when it's cold, people notice that their skin is drier than in summer. When that happens it's nature telling them to take more of the right type of oil. Again, take enough to make skin velvety smooth. It ballparks to about a tablespoon per 50lb of bodyweight.

It's different for different people, but your skin will always tell you. If you sweat, you'll lose more. If you have a fever you'll burn more, so the skin gets dry. You're burning more essential fatty acids as part of the bodies mechanism to deal with whatever the cause of the fever is. Your skin will always tell you how much oil you need.

When a woman is pregnant, her child will draw essential fatty acids from her body to build its brain. But again, the woman can tell how much she needs by her skin. If she breast-feeds, the child will take about 11 grams of essential fatty acids out of her body every day through breast milk. So she needs about a tablespoon just to replace what the baby pulls out of her, plus however much she needs for her own body.

Again, her skin will tell her. That's the way to measure it. About a tablespoon per 50lb of bodyweight -- less in summer. I need 60ml in winter and I can do it on 45ml in summer.

Christian Finn: So you change it according to the season?
Udo Erasmus: Yes. It changes by season but I do it by how my skin feels. In summer, my skin will be fine on 45ml, and in winter I'll need 60ml. If I go to a dry climate where everybody has dry skin, all I do is take a little extra oil and that takes care of keeping my skin properly oiled.

Christian Finn: Why does that happen?
Udo Erasmus: When you get enough essential fatty acids in your diet they form a barrier in the skin against the loss of moisture. They are nature's moisturiser. When you don't get enough you lose moisture through the skin. That'll also get you constipated, because then your body pulls water out of your stool to replace what you're losing through your skin.

Now let me get back to weight loss, or fat reduction. If we give people 45 to 75ml a day of the blend, we consistently see thirty to fifty pounds of fat reduction in a year in obese people who need to lose a lot of fat. Research has confirmed the importance of the right fat diet (rich in essential fatty acids with emphasis on n-3) for weight management.

Christian Finn: What else do you tell people who want to lose weight?
Udo Erasmus: We tell them to lower their carbohydrates, to get the majority of their carbohydrates from green foods.

Most people think that eating fat will make them fat, so they lower their fats if they're overweight, and eat more carbohydrates. That's completely wrong. The carbohydrates they eat that they don't burn will turn into fat. Most of the overweight in Western society comes from people eating more carbohydrates (sweets and starches) than they burn.

Christian Finn: Isn't that what the data shows? Even though carbohydrate intake has gone up and fat intake has dropped, obesity has increased.
Udo Erasmus: That's right. Not eating fats will make you fat. Fats suppress appetite. Any fat will do that. That's why Atkins' diet works. But he doesn't pay attention to the quality of the fat. The good fats, especially the n-3's, inhibit fat production in the body by limiting the activity of genes that make enzymes required for fat production. They do this at the genetic level.

That means the n-3's act like hormones, acting on the genetic level by turning up and turning down gene activity. That's pretty cool! N-3's do this better than the n-6's. N-6's do it to a small extent and, the research says, monounsaturates, saturates, and trans-fatty acids don't do it at all.

N-3's turn up the genes that make the enzymes required for fat burning and thermogenesis (blowing off calories as heat), and they can raise metabolic rate. We've seen this in a lot of people. N-3's also enhance glycogen production. They shift the body from burning more carbohydrate to burning more fat. In addition, n-3's (and n-6's to a small extent) turn up the genes involved in fat burning. They slow down fat production, and speed up fat burning and heat production.

Essential fatty acids also elevate mood and lift depression, so people are less likely to overeat because they're depressed. They decrease inflammation, which means that they'll help you lose water held in tissues because of inflammation. Water retention is part of overweight in some people.

And, because they give you more energy, better mood, and they make your skin nice, you're more likely to feel good about yourself to want to take care of yourself. So there are a number of different reasons why they help in weight reduction. My view is they are the most important and most neglected aspect of weight reduction.

All of the weight loss programs are fat phobic. When you go off the diet, you get fat again because they taught you incorrectly to avoid fat.

I'm not posting this as an advert for Udos, I just think it's a terrific interview and really touches on why EFA's are so important.

I feel fantastic! This past weekend (don't know if I mentioned this already) I went on a spending spree and bought myself some new tops - two sweaters from Nordstrom and two tops from Lands' End (LOVE 'em!). I am wearing one of the Lands' End tops now - a sleeveless turtleneck in a SMALL and it is BAGGY on me!!! (of course I haven't washed it yet...) I feel so good...so fit. Actually three of the four tops I bought are sleeveless - been working hard on my arms and I want to show them off!

It's amazing how quickly a year passes. These three Challenges have flown by so fast, I'm amazed that I'm already on Week 7 AND making it through the holidays without the big cookie and candy binges typical of me between T'Giving and New Years'. Actually the **true** tests are coming up starting this Saturday, with my trainers' Holiday Barn Party/Potluck. Still haven't decided what to bring, I might just go to the store and pick up something. Then on the 13th, our company has a Holiday Brunch set up in the auditorium all day for all the employees. I'm probably better off just staying away from all those mountains of food!

As if that weren't enough, on the 18th our division is having their Holiday Luncheon which I HAVE to attend, then on the 19th my department has another Christmas lunch.

And of course, Christmas.

As always, the solution is to PLAN AHEAD. This week I have just one free meal according to Jeremy's nutrition plan. I'm having that on Sunday 9 Dec (if I only get one meal, I'm havin' Mexican food, not wasting it on brunch!). On the 16th I have a whole Free Day, then the week of Christmas I have two free meals. Obviously, one is going to be on Christmas Day - I haven't yet decided what day I'll have the other free meal. Maybe Christmas Eve but it depends on what plans we have!

I've added another "healthy fat" to my list. Since I can't find Udo's anywhere locally (I order it from time to time from Netrition/L&S) I usually use flax oil, however this week I started using natural peanut butter (it's on the list that Jeremy gave me of allowed healthy fats) in my evening Myo Lite. It tastes awesome mixed with either chocolate or vanilla Myo Lite! Jim saw the jar of P-nut butter in the fridge and asked me why I bought it - then wanted to know why not Skippy (his favorite). I actually prefer the nutty taste of natural P-nut butter over the processed stuff for the most part. Anyway according to Jeremy, 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter = 1 tsp of Udos or Flaxoil (of course Udos is the best, but it's way expensive!).

See ya later gals & guys!

we even have it at our little food co-op. I'm using flax oil now though. I'm anticipating as I build more muscle and lift larger weights, I'll gradually add more "good fats" to my diet.

Mrs.Jim show off those guns! You've earned 'em.

I'm proud of my "BFL logistics skills"...so far I've missed one cardio workout due to a throbbing headache, and one meal. I travel everywhere with my containers and bowls. Tomorrow I'll be at a conference all day : I'm toting four meals with me, just in case.

Unfortunately I'm taking a break in my challenge between 12/22 and 1/1. NOT free days! But since I'll be traveling without exercise facilities or a way to prepare meals (even a blender) I'm declaring an official recess. I've got a routine worked out using resistance tubing, I've got a list of ideas for food I can grab from supermarkets and delis, I'm taking the dreaded MRP bars (last resort...better than missing meals) and I can do my cardio anywhere! This is going to be a difficult and deeply distressing journey but what I will NOT do is lose myself in food.

Off to cardio! So much easier in the gym...

C1,D18

Check out those Braun Hand Blenders for traveling. Right now you can get 'em for about $20-$25. Not too terrific for ice, but REALLY great for whipping up an MRP in your hotel room. Actually if you use the small icecubes (like the ones in hotel icemakers) you can get a relatively decent consistency.

Once I even had the hotel kitchen blend my shake for me (with explicit instructions as to amount of water and ice). But these days I just use the Braun. Better than MRPs anyday!

Also there was an article in the (I think) October issue of Muscle Media about working out in your hotel room by the Mad Russian, Pavel T. I don't recall the article in detail but there was something about doing pull-ups using the bathroom door and some other stuff. Bill P also mentions workouts while traveling if there are no exercise facilities (usually not a problem for me as most of the hotels where meetings are held do have exercise facilities - some better than others). He suggests doing push-ups and situps/crunches. Then I guess you could go for a run!

Have you seen that new Star-Kist Tuna? It comes in foil pouches. Now that I have my appetite whetted for TUNA AND COTTAGE CHEESE (ya GOTTA try it...Yummmmmmmmy!) I can definitely go for that new tuna pouch. According to the package, draining is not necessary (yay! no more smelly fingers!). I just have to wait until I use up the kajillion cans of tuna I bought on sale...shouldn't take too long though.

Lisa,

I traveled during C1 and did really well. I did not want to lose momentum. Like Mrs Jim says, PLANNING is everything. I think I had one or two not so clean meals but did pretty good overall. Definitely check out GNC for a portable blender though they don't do ice so well either. They sell out of them very quickly so I had to order mine like 2 weeks in advance. If I had to do it over again, I would take a small real blender with me. During C1 I could not live without MRPs. A good choice for me was tuna and fruit. I packed a few cans of fruit and tuna. If the packets are available like Mrs Jim says, you could even do tuna and fruit on the plane (I HATE PLANE FOOD!!!) I also stayed at a hotel that had a small gym but I did exercises in my room as well. tough but when you come off the trip, you feel so GOOD that you did it. For me, it was not a perfect BFL week but it was close enough for someone who was on the road.

Mrs Jim: can you ask Jeremy about Flax-O-Meal? I think it is a good Udos substitute (not everyday but on occasion) but I was wondering what he thought. If you don't know the ingredients I can get it to you or they sell it on netrition which always lists the ingredients. I got past the pencil taste and now I really like it. :lol:

thanks
Susan

Check this out - betcha thought I was just making this up!

http://www.starkist.com/pouch/index.html

Susan - I think Jeremy's on vacation this week. He hasn't been posting on L&S this week, in addition no newsletter either (he puts out a really GREAT FREE e-newsletter from his website www.peakphysiques.com). With a wife, a child and a fulltime job in addition to his personal training, the guy definitely NEEDS a vacation!!

Here is the list he gave me of the fats on the program I'm on:

Almond butter
Almond oil
Almonds
Butter
Canola oil
Cheese
Healthy fats
Macadamia nuts
Olive oil
peanut butter
peanut oil
peanuts
pecans
pistachio nuts
pumpkin/squash seeds
safflower kernels
sunflower butter
sunflower seed
walnuts

Most portion sizes: oils = 1 tbsp; nuts = 1/4 cup (except for macadamias, which are 1/8 cup); butters = 2 Tbsp. On high-calorie days I get 3 portions/day; low-calorie days 2 portions.

Just FYI!

Does Flaxseed (ground) = healthy fats? I would think so.
hmmmmmmmmmm.

I don't see why not, as long as it meets the same nutritional levels as the oil:

Here's the nutrition facts from my bottle of flaxoil:
1 Tablespoon:

110 Calories
11 g fat
1 g saturated fat
8 g polyunsaturated fat
2 g monounsaturated fat
Omega-3 alpha linolenic 6200 mg
Omega-6 linoleic 1810 mg
Omega-9 doeic 2040 mg

My flax seed meal has 4.5 grams of fat in 2 tbsp, along with 4 grams of carbs (all fiber). It looks like it is basically fiber plus the flax oil, so 5 or 6 tbsp ground flax seeds should be equivalent to 1 tbsp oil. I wouldn't worry about counting the fiber -- I try to get as much as possible. I threw some into my last batch of pumpkin muffins.

We get our UDOs at Netrition, but it is also available (for more money) at our Co-op market -- they have a refrigerated cabinet for their healthy oils. We did just buy some flax oil at Trader Joes, too, because of the price -- haven't tried it yet.

Hand blenders have been working well for my Myoplex Lite -- yes, that is hand blenders, plural! I burned out the motor on my bottom of the line version, and just got a Braun. Hope it holds out better.

Carrie

I've been so busy answering other threads, that I've been neglecting our BFL thread a bit, sorry!

Just got back from a KILLER Quads/Hams workout. My legs are shaking! Usually I kind of jog home from the gym (I love living withing walking distance!) but today I just couldn't. I'm going to take a hot shower and get ready for my riding lesson this morning. It is really gorgeous here but COLD. Hopefully my legs will have recovered enough for me to be able to 2-point (for those of you who don't know what a "two point" is, it's when you lift your butt about an inch out of the saddle - KILLS your quads!)

Right now Kitty is running around the house like a dynamo! You know how cats can get crazy all of a sudden. He wants to play I guess! I can't believe the change in Jim since we got Sparky. Jim is WONDERFUL but sometimes he overstresses a bit about work, the band, etc. Now when we come home Kitty is there waiting to play and be cuddled, especially by his "daddy".

22 days til the new year...5 weeks til the end of my third Challenge...I need to get my tree today! Let me know how you all are doing!

I'm bringing the Braun! (wand blender) but I may not always be able to use it. For instance, if we're stuck in a back bedroom somewhere. I ordered a collection of heavy-duty tubing that allows work-outs anywhere. We'll be staying in the cheapest possible motels when not with family...almost certainly no gyms. Believe me, I've been planning this for weeks! But there are too many factors beyond my control to cover every situation so while I'll do my best (I can always decide whether or not to eat something!) I don't want these days to be part of my challenge. Cardio is always possible, I'm used to being outside in ANY weather.

I've been using the tuna packets even though I HATE tuna with nothing in/on it.

Mrs.Jim can you give me the amount for the cheese? as a possible source of fat?

Looking forward to Free Day tomorrow. I have a house tour with my mother during the day, and a dinner engagement.

I cooked four pounds of boneless chicken breasts as described in L+S last week, simmered gently in seasoned stock until tender. The meat is delicious! I'm measuring out portions tomorrow for the freezer, and I've got the stock for soup. I also baked an apple and made steel-cut oats today since I was home doing chores and finishing a writing assignment in Spanish. This is going to be a great week for eating clean.

Yesterday I managed my breakfast and three meals at an all day conference. The lunch included salad and a platter of roasted vegetables...I did eat those! They also had fresh fruit so I had that with my cc rather than yogurt.

C1,D20

It was pouring rain last night and this morning but right now it's gorgeous outside (but FREEZING). My butt is killing me right now - yesterday during my riding lesson, I was riding Tucker the ex-racehorse. He was filled with energy and one of the other horses cantered past him, he took off suddenly and down I went into about 5 inches of mud. Nothing broken but I was so sore...still am! Live and learn...

Linda, I am not exactly doing BFL right now. Since it's your first challenge, I'd advise to stay pretty clear from cheese except on your Free Day (i.e. go by the book). Actually in the book, Bill uses cheese as a flavoring or condiment in one of the menus (he uses like 2 tablespoons shredded low-fat cheese).

In fact, even though it's on my list of "healthy fats" I haven't eaten cheese at all. 1/4 cup of shredded cheese is not a very sizeable portion. But for reference sake, though, I'll list what Jeremy put on my program:

Cheese - 1/4 cup: 13 g protein, 1 g carb, 18 g fat, 218 calories.

Most of the time I stick to the lower-calorie healthy oils such as flax, Udos, EFAs. I will probably stop using peanut butter for awhile after this jar is gone. It's just too much of a temptation to have around the house!!!

I don't know if you guys have been following L&S lately but Pam B had a WONDERFUL post this morning - I'd like to copy it here as I think the first-timers and some old-timers would appreciate it!
I was talking to some relatives about Body for Life. They have started doing the program... well... sort of. You see, they said that they were going to do BFL only they weren't going to eat as much protein (they had some method for calculating # grams/day), and they were going to eat more carbs, do more weight lifting, more cardio, etc... Then, is this REALLY BFL? I think not.

The thing I had to ask myself when I started this thing was, "Pam, if everything you have tried so far hasn't worked, then why don't you just buck up and do this thing EXACTLY as it is laid out in the book?" So I did. I didn't weigh or measure anything, I didn't increase the number of weightlifting exercises, I didn't do loads of cardio, I didn't skip free days, etc... I did exactly what Bill Phillips said to do. Do you think I had my doubts? Sure I did. But I decided, I mean REALLY decided, to give it 100% effort for at least 12 weeks before tweaking anything. Just a reminder: I lost 14% bodyfat, lost 45 pounds of fat and gained 9 pounds of muscle by just doing it by the book.

Bill Phillips made the BFL plan simple enough for anyone to follow. He made it so people could actually DO it. When you start cutting carbs and tweaking all sorts of things, you get out of whack. You start to expect grander results, start getting discouraged and then bag the whole program.

Did I tweak the program? Sure! Only after I had lost 90 pounds and had some different goals. These were temporary tweaks though. Now I am back on the BFL way of eating and working out (although I am not doing alot of upper body exercises due to a shoulder injury... surgery in January ).

You can do this... it's simple... GO FOR IT!!


Well, gotta take off...we're going out for Free Meal in a little bit. La Pinata and Mexican food, here I come!!! YEE HAW!!

I've finally come to the conclusion that BFL by-the-book is the way to go. After doing the zig-zagging, watching calories and carbs it has become very apparent that BFL includs automatic zig-zaging if you do not eat the same thing everyday. Once you have determined that you need a few high days, a few mod days and at least one low day, the rest is automatic.

On the high days you would would make choices like salmon and lean beef, potato, pasta. On the other days you would make choices like chicken, egg whites, tuna, barley,apples, etc. The low days could be a matter of choices or just take alittle smaller portions of the carbs.

You're still doing the zig-zagging that keeps the body guessing, but it keeps "guess work" out of it.

PamB is right. BFL makes all of these adjustments automatically as long as your food choices vary from day to day.
IT'S EASY AND IT WORKS!

I'm back to BFL and very happy :) :)
~~~Sil

I don't think I ever announced that. Online I'm usually "tortoise123" and seldom use my real name. I've also used "horsegirl" because a boyfriend once referred to me as "his bookish horse girl."

No cheese in my program now. I'm already jotting down notes for C2 and C3.

I had a great UBW workout at home on Saturday using my broken weight bench. I need another set of dumbbells though.

A busy Free Day, out for breakfast and dinner.I'm becoming more selective in my indulgences!

I am so lousy at names...duh. I should have remembered that you post as Lisa on L&S!!! :dizzy:

Sil, I'm right there with you. After this Challenge I go back to BFL "by the book" as far as nutrition is concerned. The reason I went to Jeremy's program is I felt like trying something new and I wanted to lose a great deal of bodyfat (which I believe I have done!). Actually his program is pretty darn close to BFL with the difference of measuring stuff in ounces, etc rather than 'palm/fist'. One thing I have REALLY learned in this third challenge is that I was making my portions WAY too big. I was having an entire chicken breast when I should have had half that size (remember, a "palm-sized" portion of protein = your hand MINUS the fingers!!! :) )

My protein portions on Jeremy's program have been pretty small but I've gotten used to them. For example - 1 protein portion can be 1 3/4 oz of poultry or fish; OR 3/8 cup of cottage cheese; OR 2 1/4 oz lean beef. Pretty tiny huh??

In addition, especially at the beginning of this challenge it was kind of a pain to have to weigh and measure all my portions - something I haven't done since my Weight Watcher days. MUCH easier to use Palm/Fist and that's what I'm going to go back to beginning in January!

Yesterday I was scheduled to have one Free Meal but I kind of blew it, because I had ice cream about an hour or so after our late lunch (we went to La Pinata for Mexican food). I was comfortably full after my free meal and didn't feel like ordering dessert at that point, then we went to the mall to do a bit of shopping and got ice-cream. Jim kind of enabled me in having the ice cream saying "well, in a free meal you're entitled to dessert, right??" Well... looking at it that way, I guess he's right! Anyway, I stayed clean for the rest of the day. So next Sunday I get a Free Day, then the remaining 3 weeks I get two free meals a week, which will probably work out great for the holidays, but I think overall I prefer Free Day over the Free Meals! :o

I'm always interested in what others are trying...didn't Bill Phillips suggest "standing on the shoulders of giants?" You were one of the reasons I began this program (when I read the hundreds of archived messages I was amazed at how many coincidental similarities there were in our histories) and I really said "gee, if this lady can do this, so can I!"

I don't expect the same results as you or anyone else but I'm more inspired by folks I "know" than by stories in the book.

I feel the same way you do, Lisa.

Actually I hardly read the stories at the beginning of the book, I just flipped through them. I realize that Bill had to begin the book with transformation winners but like you, I'm much more motivated by seeing the everyday transformations on the L&S website - esp Pam B's, LC's, Robb's, Steve L's, and on and on.

First-time BFL readers need to realize that the "Champions" of the BFL/EAS official challenge contest are the very best among THOUSANDS of entries. We can't all expect those kind of results - you definitely get back what you put into it!

Steve L. had an interesting way of putting it, I'll try to paraphrase it here: You put out 100%, you'll get 100% results. If you give it 90%, you'll get maybe 70% results. Give it 80% - you might get 50% results - or NO results.

Oh I also wanted to say one thing more about Jeremy's program - not that it isn't good - but after four weeks on it, I noticed (duh!) that he put carrots in as a CARB rather than a veggie! I had spent four weeks nibbling on carrots as they are one of my favorite veggies (and my 'favorite veggie' list is VERY short - I'm not a big veggie lover at all, unless they're stir-fried or mixed with brown rice or something like that). I didn't even look closely at Jeremy's veggie list, assuming that most of the veggies would match up to Bill's list in BFL (except for peas, which Bill lists as a veggie but I personally consider a starchy veggie). I am not saying this as a way of putting down Jeremy because I think he knows his stuff. But as far as I'm concerned, after this 12 weeks is over, carrots are back on my VEGGIE list and off my CARB list! :lol:

pumpkin is almost identical to carrots if you match up the nutritional values (in fact pumpkin has a fraction less carbs) but in BFL it's a carb. I call it a vegetable but I only use it once or twice a week (in a shake.) Winter squash is much denser, at least the buttercup variety I eat, so that IS a carb, and I use it that way. I try to eat a lot of the vegetables I do like as well as some that I don't (brocolli, BLAH!!!) I eat tons of veggies in the summer, and I USED to eat tons of fruit in the winter. Cutting back on fruit has been the hardest part of BFL for me, and it's the one food group I'll increase when my challenge days are over.

And I'm an MRP addict! I've made protein powder shakes a few times but they just don't make the grade for satisfaction. I intend to use the PP in the spring and summer with fresh fruit for breakfast but MRPs rule.

Have a great day!

C1,D23 (I can't believe it!)

a friend still reminds me that when we met more than thirty years ago I had gravel in my teeth because I had been tossed off a recalcitrant mare in the back forty and hadn't cleaned up yet. It's not always a canter in the park!

Actually the soreness from being tossed went away yesterday morning! ;) Thanks to a lot of glutamine and hot baths (and of course I kept up my workouts). Being tossed into a thick layer of mud didn't hurt either I suppose!

Hmmm...about carrots' similarity to squash/pumpkin...I never thought of that. It just never occurred to me that carrots would NOT be considered a veggie. In fact according to Jeremy's carb list you get a lot more bang from your buck with pumpkin - 1 3/4 cup has 2g protein, 14g carbs and 60 calories - vs. 7/8 cup of carrots with 2 g protein, 14g carbs and 63 calories. In other words you can eat a lot more pumpkin - but carrots win as far as convenience is concerned! (besides I always have a lot of carrots in my fridge for horse snacks).

On high-carb days I really LOVE pumpkin mixed with a vanilla Myo Lite and some pumpkin pie spice! Mmmm.

Last night I had one of my favorite dinners - chopped onions and mushrooms sauteed in a little garlic Pam with a dash of "Vegetable Magic" seasoning, then add spinach, a dash of sesame oil, some cooked brown rice, then last a couple of beaten eggs and mix until the eggs are set. Yummy! (of course Jim looked at it and went yeecch...he doesn't care for mushrooms in the slightest).

I am so happy today - this morning I entered the gym to find out that they FINALLY got new dumbbells!!! If you'll recall the smaller dumbells (up to 30#) were mysteriously disappearing at my gym (who would steal dumbbells???). Over the weekend some pallets appeared in the lobby - and I suppose yesterday they were unpacked. My 24 Hour Fitness now has two sets of dumbbells from 5 lbs all the way up to who knows, 100+ pounds. Best of all, they go up in 2.5 lb increments - starting at 5, then 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 17.5, 20, 22.5, etc. etc. Yippee!!! :)

Gotta finish up a spreadsheet so I'll check ya out later gals!!

Hi! I saw Mrs. Jim's post over on the L&S board, so I thought I would come and check this bb out. How is everyone doing today? Mrs. Jim, sounds like you are a horseperson? And you live in the Bay Area? I also live in the Bay Area, near Santa Cruz. Draeger's gave it away for me. Love that store. But it's a bit spendy.

Well, I just finished my first challenge and am on my last day of free week. I haven't totally had a "free" day every day this week, but I haven't exactly been perfect either. And not going to the gym has been really challenging. I did do a non HIIT cardio one day 'cuz I was so missing it. But only one day. Now I'm fighting off some sort of bug. I hate that! congestion, sore throat and cough. Yuk.

Well I just wanted to say hello. Oh, during my first BFL challenge I lost about 20 inches, lost 2 pants sizes and went from 29.6% BF to 17.6% BF. I will do a mini challenge between now and the beginning of the year. I start a new challenge officially on January 7th. C2 :)

Have a great day everyone!
Jenn L.

WELCOME JENN ! ! ! ! !

I recognize your name from L&S. Do drop in anytime!

I live in San Mateo and our Draeger's opened about 3 years or so ago. Love it (esp their salad bar and produce section) but it is sooo expensive!

I don't know if I qualify as a 'horseperson'. I love horses (esp. Arabians) a bunch - not an owner (yet!) though. Taking English riding lessons was a dream that I've had since childhood (Mom and Dad always made me ride Western thinking it was safer). After I become a competent rider (i.e. sit the trot and control Tucker!), I'm planning on doing a part-lease so I can start doing some fun shows. And I totally know how you feel about Free Week (trying not to binge and REALLY missing the gym!).

Well I just had my Meal 5 - a melange of mushrooms/spinach/eggs/couscous (same as last night's Meal 5). Jim said ewwww again until he realized he's getting the "blue box" (Kraft Mac & Cheese) for HIS dinner. He loves that stuff - well so do I actually. But not enough to have it on Free Day.

Announcement!!! After reading Pam B's post today on the L&S Bodybuilding board, I went to the naturalbodybuilding.com site and checked out the contest schedule...I'm going to have to do a lot of research, but my new 2003 goal is to (can't believe I'm typing this) ENTER A BODYBUILDING CONTEST!!! (as long as I don't have to do a dance routine!). I'll keep you all posted!

Hi!

Feeling good today -- cardio (20 MAS) was a little late today because first I wanted to get in one of the last aqua aerobics classes of the season (I just do that for fun). But I got home and got the cardio done on the exercise bike while watching figure skating, which makes it much more tolerable. Still working to improve my cardio attitude!

Mrs. Jim -- I saw Pam's post on the Lean and Strong Body Building board too, and aiming for a contest sounds like a great idea. You would do terrific, and I'm pretty sure the dance routines are only for Fitness, not Body Building.

Jenn -- welcome to this board! I'm starting my next official challenge on Jan.7 also.

Great to hear from everyone!

Carrie