General Diet Plans and Questions - Body for Life #31

Thanks Sil for taking care of this while I was gone!!!!

Woo Woo!!! This thread is heating up!!! Happy New Year!!!

I am back, I have a job offer in Southern Connecticut and will be summering on the east coast!!! I'm happy about the job!

I am starting my retread C1 on Monday.

Hi everyone!!! Welcome to the newbies!!!!!

I'll talk more once I rest up some.

Susan

Welcome back Susanje :wave: Congrats on the job offer! :cool:

Good for you for getting back to a challenge! I'm in W2D1 so we're not too far apart. It seems that alot of us here have just started and everybody is doing great.

I am still learning this food thing. I asked some of the Quad Squad gang to critique my Fitday journals. The men said that I am eating too much protein yet my calories are between 1050-1350.
I believe that the women were right-on~ they said that I was not eating enough, need to increase the carbs :spin: and the calories . Gee, eat more food (twist my arm) :D
I'll give it a try next week.

MrsJim~~~ WTG! Size 4 already :cool: You'll be ready for competition in no time, gal :)

Everybody have a great weekend :wave:
~~~Sil

I can move my arms today, so I guess I didn't work hard enough yesterday:o . After what I thought was an eye-poppin UBWO, I remembered I was supposed to sub in a tennis match two hours later. I was tired and my serves where kind of wimpy, but I got through the match ( and won!- good partner), came home, stuffed down some more cottage cheese and apple, took the hottest, longest shower that the hot water heater would allow, and was asleep by 9pm.
Gotta do some research on protein powders or shakes today, I just can't get enough in with real food or the calorie and fat count seems to get too high. This is slightly more complicated than the book indicates!

mel

Mel I understand about the arms. My UBWO was Tuesday and I felt like an orangutan for 3 days, so this morning again was UB and it actually felt good (although quite achy) to do the exercises.

I'm also walking around like a cowgirl. But all in all its been a great week. All exercises were done, Ate clean except for yesterday, I didn't get that 6th meal in as I was exhausted from the week and went to bed early.

Yes the shakes, do aid when that 24hr clock just doesn't allow for preparation or you're just in one dang hurry :), At the office, I keep a stash of myoplex lites in my drawer for emergencies. For that 4th meal around 2 - 2:30, it comes in handy if I run out of whole foods.

Tomorrow is my free day and all I can think about is POPCORN! May seems lame to some but for me I'm charged :lol:

All last weekend I looked for Energy to no avail. I'm hoping to find in today at B&N as I'm going that way later. Wish me luck



.

W1D6

Hi Everyone!

Well, I'm on Day 6 of C1 and hanging in there. Mel, you're right, it's not as easy as it seemed. Thank God there's lots of help everywhere or I'd still be starving thinking I could only have a fist size of eggs :lol:

Oh, and for those of you looking for Energy, try the grocery store! I found it in Publix!

Quick question for you gals who've been doing this. Egg Beaters are a bit on the expensive side. I saw somewhere that you could do three egg whites and one whole egg??? Is that right?

And how does this menu look:
Meal 1: egg (the whites and whole) with banana bread (a recipe I found on one of the many BFL sites)
Meal 2: yogurt and cc (am I right taking a container of yogurt, taking out half and replacing it with cc...which I blend first 'cuz I can't stand the curds!)
Meal 3: chicken and an apple
Meal 4: shake (EAS)...will be getting Myoplex soon <g>
Meal 5: chicken and red potato
Meal 6: banana bread and ???? don't know about that protein

I have a hard time with the protein because I don't like fish and I can only do the cottage cheese if it's blended and put in something else. Any ideas for me for something else???

Oh, and one more question. Say I wanted to eat...yup, you guessed it...chicken with meal 6. Obviously the two together...gross. But, if I wait a little bit between the chicken and the banana bread, could I still do it?

Sorry this is so long. I really appreciate all your help. I'd post this at L&S, but I like you gals <g>.

Chynna

Congrats on the job offer, Susanje!

Sounds like we're all doing okay here. Today was my last workout day for this Challenge. Shoulders/abs/calves. I also have my riding lesson coming up later this morning. Woo-hoo!

Chynna, I usually buy the Safeway brand of egg beaters, called "Best of the Egg". You get about three times as much for the same price as the name-brand. I also use whole eggs by the way - you're right they are a lot cheaper! Most of the time they have a buy one get one free on the 18 count large eggs. On Sundays I just boil up a whole carton and take them to work with me. Actually I don't have a yolk phobia so I usually eat two or three whole eggs and count that as a protein portion. If I'm making scrambled eggs or Joe's Special, I'll mix the Egg Beaters and one whole egg together to make about 3/4 cup, but that's just me :^:

Okay, I'm gonna play TJ and critique your menu the best I can!

Meal 1: egg (the whites and whole) with banana bread (a recipe I found on one of the many BFL sites) What ingredients are in the banana bread? Personally I stay away from breads for the most part except on Free Day. If you note in the book, Bill only authorizes whole-grain bread "Reluctantly". If you must have something bread-like two good recipes on L&S are Robb P's Pumpkin Muffins and Steve L's Yummy pancakes.

Meal 2: yogurt and cc (am I right taking a container of yogurt, taking out half and replacing it with cc...which I blend first 'cuz I can't stand the curds!) You need about a cup of cottage cheese to equal a protein portion (try to go for about 20g protein for stuff you can't 'palm' measure). I recommend a yogurt like Dannon Light & Fit or Yoplait Light - use the entire container (I mean the 6-8 oz, not the 32 oz!)

Meal 3: chicken and an apple Good - just add a veggie to it and this would be an awesome meal! How about a couple of carrots or a salad??

Meal 4: shake (EAS)...will be getting Myoplex soon <g> Make sure it's Myoplex Lite...not the regular Myoplex.

Meal 5: chicken and red potato I'd add a veggie here...remember, you should have veggies with at least two of your meals!

Meal 6: banana bread and ???? don't know about that protein I'd rethink the bread - if you MUST have a flour product, keep it down to once a day...and there are so many proteins out there. Fish is great - but I know a lot of people don't care for it. I love ahi tuna filets **YUM** and baby shrimp (a great BFL meal: baby shrimp in a big green salad with some chickpeas and a lemon-based light salad dressing!). How about lean beef? You don't just have to have chicken all the time...check the protein list, there are a lot of choices. One of my other fave BFL meals is Joe's Special. Carbs, protein and veggies all in one! I posted the recipe in the L&S Cooking Library last summer - check it out!

As far as your question as to whether you should wait between your protein and carbs in a meal...I wouldn't...to me a meal means whatever you eat in one sitting...but that's me. :cool:

Just as an example - here's a typical menu for me:

#1: Myo Lite with 1 tablespoon Udos added
#2: 2-3 eggs, apple
#3: Green salad with lots of veggies and some chicken or tuna mixed in; fruit (apple, berries, banana)
#4: Cottage cheese w/Equal and a fruit (love blackberries!)
#5: Chicken breast grilled on the Foreman and seasoned with lemon/lime juice and Meat Magic; onions, sliced mushrooms, cooked barley and baby spinach lightly sauteed together in a pan sprayed with Pam and a little chicken broth added
#6: Myo Lite w/1 tablespoon Udos.

Well, gotta jam as I have riding lessons soon. More later!

Mrs. Jim,

Thanks!

Let's see, first of all, the banana "bread" is not made with flour; it's made with oatmeal. So does that make it okay?

I forgot to list my carrots and salad, so I really do have *some* veggies in there :lol:

Oops...guess I was cutting myself short on the yogurt/cc thing. I was buying Yoplait lite, so I guess I'm good there. I'll just mix up a bigger portion.

I'll head over to the L&S cooking library and see what I can dish up :spin:

I guess this week was a learning week. Next week will be better! Tomorrow is my free day and for the life of me, I can't think of anything I really, really want. Strange, 'eh? I think we're going out to dinner, but I have a feeling I'll be picking something healthy. What's *wrong* with me???:rolleyes:

Thanks again for taking the time to look at my menu. I'll be posting over with TJ on L&S so you'll see I'm being a good girl ;)

Have a super weekend!

Mrs. Jim,

Where is the recipe section in L&S? I see files, but didn't see one with a cookbook or anything...unless I'm just missing it.:dizzy:

Chynna

Chynna - The Cooking Library at L&S is in the "Libraries & Pics" file (go to the left frame, click on "Libraries & Pics" and scroll down until you see "Cooking Library". If you haven't been there yet, check out the Transformation Gallery as well. GREAT pix!

The Training Library also has a wealth of info, including Pam B's training/nutrition/motivation info.

Well, we've been trying to take pix this afternoon but Jim has to run...he has a gig tonight across the bay. All my posing pix look terrible - I'm squinting (force of habit when I take my glasses off - can't wait to go back to contacts in a couple of weeks!). So we're going to try again tomorrow...he did take a photo of me in my new size four jeans and I thought I'd post it here!

Later gals!

ugh! Got thru 6.75 days of w1, then lost it! Started free day about 12 hours early. Stayed sugarbusters legal, which I'm still doing, but for sure not BFL. SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT!
So- should I consider that my free day for food and just eat clean tomorrow? I already ruled out running 10 miles in penitence....I'd actually enjoy that too much :o .

MrsJim: You look great in your size 4 jeans. I can't wait for the day which I can wear a form fitting top and not see a jiggle above the waistband! Awesome! I managed to grease myself into a pair of size 6's last week, but NO PICS IN THOSE! No breathing either:lol: they are my goal for week 12.

Does anyone know of MR shakes without aspartame or sorbitol? I have real problems with those ingredients and Myoplex lite has both. Having troubles fitting in those 6 real food meals. Espeically since tonite's consisted of natural peanut butter, sweet potato chips, and more of the same.(and water) I WILL STAY CLEAN NEXT WEEK!

mel

Mrs. Jim,

You look GREAT!

I found the library. The way my browser was set up, I couldn't see the bottom half. Can't wait to try the recipes.

Mel, if there's one thing I learned this week is to not get so upset about any setbacks. Tomorrow's a new day. Brush yourself off and start fresh! Hang in there!

Chynna

Mel, don't fret there is no law that says your free day has to be on Sunday. Just make today your free day. Nice pictures with the pooch!

Mrs. Jim - great picture!! I'm sure your feeling quite proud.

MrsJim

You look incredible. Thanks for posting. I need the inspiration. Even though I've done pretty well with the holidays and my trip, I feel all out of sorts and looking forward to a disciplined way of eating. yeah!!!

Thanks again,
susan

Nice to be -- and feel -- all the way back. When we (my husband Brian and I) started C2 on Jan. 7, my one free week had obliterated all the progress I had made in the previous 6 week sprint (C1.5). Next free week I will stay on the message board and ask for help avoiding a week-long pig-out!

It has been a GREAT BFL week this week -- clean and tasty food, good weight workouts, good results (back to the bodyfat of 3 weeks ago). Plus, I started Tae Kwon Do, which has been exhausting but do-able -- never would have survived before starting BFL.

Mrs. Jim -- great picture in the size 4 jeans! I also saw the picture of Sparky in the Lean and Strong Playspace -- he looks very handsome and cuddly.

Hope everyone's challenges are going great!

Carrie

I want to try the meatloaf recipe from L&S, but it says add three portions of uncooked oatmeal. Is 1/3 cup a portion??

Thanks,
Chynna

Chynna - I must be looking at a different meatloaf recipe - the one I found was posted on 9 January and calls for 1 cup of oatmeal (titled "Lean $ Scrumptious Turkey Meatloaf). The one you're referring to must be a bit farther down?

Here's another one from Jeremy:

Healthy Meatloaf

2.5 lbs - 3 lbs ground lean meat (turkey/chicken breast or beef)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg
1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup organic tomato sauce
Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all ingredients with hands in a large bowl. You may need to add a bit more tomato sauce, depending on how much meat you use. The consistency of the mixture should be very moist, but not soupy.

Spray loaf pan w/Pam. Pack mixture into loaf pan. If mixture sets above edge of loaf pan, place cookie sheet on bottom rack of oven to catch any overflow from loaf pan.

Bake for 1 - 1/2 hours. (90 minutes)

The only change I would make to this recipe is rather than spraying the pan with Pam, I would use parchment paper (cooking paper) to line the loaf pan with instead - just makes it a lot easier to clean up!

Hey, I noticed we lost a bunch of posts again! Hope the server is feeling better now :?:

Let's hear from y'all!

I knew I had seen a post from Susan that then disappeared. I'll let you know how the Tae Kwon Do is going. Looks like there might have been other posts that went missing before I saw them -- so I'll check more often.

Workouts and eating are going great -- at least 6 days a week! Free day is another story. Hope your free week is going well, Mrs. Jim. Please let me know if you have any advice on "controlled freedom".

Hope you are all dong great!

Carrie

....the mystery of the disappearing posts....do do do do... :lol:

Carriej - I assume by "controlled freedom" you're referring to Free Days, right? My best advice to you is to concentrate on staying clean during the six non-Free Days. Believe me, if you stay clean during the week your tummy will soon revolt if you go way overboard on Free Day.

During C1, my usual free day started by going to Stacks' (a popular breakfast place here) for a BIG breakfast (pancakes, eggs, sausage, home fries), then later on having another big meal, BBQing steaks and garlic bread with ice cream and...all sorts of crap...

Now on free day, I will typically have a bowl or two of cereal (Cheerios usually), for lunch Mcdonald's (two cheeseburgers, fries and a Diet Coke usually) or a burrito, then believe it or not a big green salad for dinner! Don't try to control yourself at first - USE your free days. Having that Free Day to look forward to is such a big help in keeping my nutrition clean during the week...later of course when I started seeing results it became easier to stay clean.

I love what Pam B says about Free Days (I've quoted this so many times but it bears repeating!):FREE DAY
I totally used my free day for the first 3 challenges! A lot of people make the mistake of not using it and end up "cheating" on their diet during the week. I recommend that people USE IT and don't have any guilt about it! In the first few weeks, I LIVED for my free days!! I ate nachos, cookies, ice cream, pizza, burritos, etc... but I did not cheat during the week. It works, it really works!!!


Just checked the clock and it's time for my meal #3 - yep, even though it's Free Week for me, I have been staying pretty clean for the most part...as Pam B says: 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 want your week off to be a “binge week” as it can wreak havoc on your system. I am cautioning from experience here. [blushing]


Take care all!

Dr. Hussman sent me (and probably about a kajillion other folks) a very interesting email...it's long but I think you'll find it interesting - especially those of you who are in the first few weeks of this journey! FAT COMES OFF EVENLY

As you may know, you can get fairly good estimates of your bodyfat composition simply from a single skinfold, or by passing a tiny electrical current through your foot, ankle or hands. What this really means is that fat is distributed fairly precisely on the body. And while it's true that some people have larger fat deposits on some parts of their body than others, it's also true that percentage-wise, the fat on your body comes off fairly evenly.

That's important to remember when you measure your progress. See, one of the first places you're probably looking for fat loss is on those areas of your body that you think are "too fat." But in fact, that's the last place you should look, because I can guarantee that those areas are still going to look "too fat" for a little while.

Think of it this way. If you have a roll of paper towels (or a cassette tape), and you start to unravel it, you can get a good amount off of the roll before you really see a visible change. But as you get further down that roll, even taking off a little more is very apparent.

The same is true with your body. The first place you're going to see greater definition is at those areas where the fat deposits are relatively thin already. For most people, this is around the shoulders and clavicles (the two long bones that run just under your neck, connecting your two shoulders to the breast plate).

Another reason why this is important is that advertisers often prey on the belief that fat can be "spot-reduced." All the twisty ab-crunchers on the market are perfect examples. Basically, these companies get a fitness model that has followed months or years of weight training, aerobics, and proper nutrition, and have them roll back and forth in one of these things, as if they actually got in shape that way.

Or look at all the books promising to help you lose fat "for your type" - pear shaped, apple shaped, dodecahedron shaped - you name it. It's true, for example, that people who are insulin resistant tend to store more fat in the midsection, and that women tend to store more fat in the thigh area. But so what? If you lose the fat, it comes off EVERYWHERE. If a problem area looks "too fat", training that area with exercise may very well improve the definition of the underlying muscles and the overall form of that area. But it will not accelerate fat loss relative to other parts of your body.

If the body didn't lose fat uniformly, we'd all wobble around like Weebles because our relatively fixed bone and muscle structure wouldn't be able to tolerate the variation. The best way to change the size of your body is through caloric deficits. The best way to change the shape is through resistance training. The one thing you need to achieve a total physique and fitness transformation is to do EVERYTHING - aerobics, intervals, resistance training, cross-training, small frequent meals, high-quality protein and carbohydrates, low-glycemic nutrition, proper supplementation, water, and rest. As Shawn Phillips says, "the one thing, is everything."

So again, if you're looking for results in the mirror, look for the first signs of improved definition at those areas where muscle is relatively close to the surface. For most people, this is the upper chest and shoulder area. After two weeks, you probably won't see enormous visible changes elsewhere. But those changes are happening anyway.

You should definitely be keeping track of how your clothes feel. Go to the closet and pick out an outfit that's just a little too tight. Put it aside. You'll want to try it on occasionally. Waist measurements can also capture fat loss that isn't necessarily evident in the mirror.

PEAK-TO-PEAK, TROUGH-TO-TROUGH

As for the scale, remember that just on the basis of things like water retention (especially after free days), digestive contents, and other factors, your scale weight will typically fluctuate about 4% from peak to trough in any given week. So if you weighed 130 pounds last week, and you weigh 135 today, it's not any sort of evidence that you've gained or lost fat. What you really want to know is what's happening from peak-to-peak or trough-to-trough across a number of weeks.

I always get a little concerned when people start reporting their 2-week progress. Invariably, people who had been eating high carbohydrate diets prior to starting their program will report huge weight losses of 8 pounds or more (mostly water), which just depresses the heck out of people who aren't seeing those numbers. And it eventually depresses the people who report the huge weight losses because they typically slow down to a more normal pace after a few weeks.

You should be neither elated nor discouraged by your two-week progress. Just keep tracking your results from peak-to-peak, trough-to-trough. If fat loss has been difficult in the past, there's nothing quite like the feeling of breaking to a new trough. You'll get used to the fact that your weight will pop higher for a few days, but if you're sticking to your plan, it won't be long before you hit an even lower trough.

If you're seeing no results at all of any kind, do what Bill Phillips (author of "Body for Life") suggests. Fail fast. That doesn't mean changing your whole program. But it does mean being brutally honest with yourself about whether you're actually doing everything it takes. Look carefully at the caloric deficit you've actually been creating. Be sure you're not seriously underestimating your intake. Be sure you're not seriously overestimating your activity. If you've been sedentary outside of your workouts, add a walk in the evening, or walk around the house if you have to. But fail fast, fix what's wrong, and keep going.

OK -what the heck are all these muscles for? I went skiing today for the first time in 8 years, and after I remembered how, took a few hard runs, and could barely stand up. Now, I know I've just started BFL, but really, I've been lifting for 6 years! Aren't these muscles supposed to be good for something? Or just decorative:lol: ? Today was supposed to be my "no workout" day but I may re-evaluated that in the morning!

On another subject, my calipers finally arrived. I really don't know what to think. I get a calculation anywhere from 16% (that's gotta be wrong) to 22% (hopin' that's wrong too). But then when I use the tape measure method, I got 29%:o I'm not sure where to go with this. I'm very short torso'd- basically no space between ribs and hips so have always had a thick waist, even in my anorexic, marathon running days. Could that be skewing the tape measure method? I sure hope so! I'd like to have a good idea of where I am so I know in 11 weeks what my progress was.

MrsJim- Thanks for reposting some of the gems that others have probably seen before, but I'm finding them real useful. The "Fat Comes Off Evenly" one is great. I spend too much time staring at my belly and moaning! My shoulders look pretty good and I finally saw collarbones around last November. That was a great day:D

Some free day thoughts: When I started sugarbusters, all I could think about was crusty bread and regular pasta and popcorn. Now, it doesn't even look good. And the few times I cheated, I felt sooo physically awful, that there's no way I'll do free day pig-outs. I will stay sugar-clean, and low glycemic. There are so many foods that are delicious and won't cause the bloaty, sugar-starch hangover!

gotta go soak in a tub,

mel

Take 1/2 lime and juice it (I use a glass dish thing intended for a bartender) then dump the juice in a quart bottle. Add three packets of Splenda, stir, then fill with water and ice. I've been doing this twice a day. It has a delicate barely sweet taste and is very refreshing. I'm sure lemon would do just as well.

Thanks Lisa! I know that a lot of the no carb places sell packaged lemonade but it is so expensive!!! I'm sure all they do is throw some lemon/Splenda together.

:)