Weight and Resistance Training - BFL/BB #69 - C3FC Week 4!

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK everyone!!!

Next time I want to FLY down to San Diego. 8 hour drive...try more like 10 hours! Whew! Traffic has really gotten MUCH WORSE since the last time we were in SoCal. We left at 9 am on Friday...got to Cardiff oh around 8 pm or so. Of course we DID have to make a few 'pit stops' because temps en route were between 93-101 degrees. UGH. I HATE traveling on interstate 5! It goes right thru the hottest, yukkiest parts of the California valleys. So... on the way back - we took the 5 to LA, then went to Hwy 101 and stayed on that through San Jose. JC or anyone who has not been to California before - if you're going to drive it's length - take 101 or (if you're REALLY not in a hurry) the Coast Highway 1 - a MUCH more scenic drive. Urm, though, not for us on the way back because Jim decided at 11:30 pm last night - after we got back from visiting his family - that we had done everything and wanted to beat the traffic by driving at NIGHT. We got home this morning around 9:30 am - just stopped at a couple of rest stops and took catnaps. So of course after we got home and played with Sparky a bit (of course he's SO HAPPY we're home!!!) we went right to sleep with Kitty snuggled happily next to Jim. :)

Even with traffic nightmares San Diego was GORGEOUS. We took our bikes and went cycling down around Mission Bay and the Boardwalk for a few hours, just enjoying the sun. The funny thing is...I forgot to eat! That cooler filled with cooked chicken breasts was a lifesaver. It was so easy to just grab a napkin and a piece of chicken and munch it down. We had dinner with Jim's family at a restaurant called The Beach House in Cardiff. Since it was mostly fish - no problem ordering 'clean'. Steamed veggies, salmon, and a plain baked tater. Jim's mom had the hot sourdough bread which was placed on the tables moved AWAY from me :) so the aroma wouldn't tempt me!

It turns out that Jim's youngest brother (who is 16 years younger than he) enjoys lifting weights. I wish we'd had some time to go to his gym - he belongs to a Powerhouse gym and goes just about every day! Driving through LA and San Diego Counties, I noticed a lot of big beautiful clubs called "LA Sports Clubs". I was tempted to stop Jim so I could just check out one of those places (naturally none around Cardiff where we were staying). Todd (Jim's bro) told me that they are REALLY SET UP with tons of free weights and all the latest and greatest machines!

Well I was going to hit the gym this afternoon, but I've still got quite a bit of sleep to catch up on (I couldn't sleep on the drive back) so I'm going to hit the hay early this evening and get 8 solid hours of snoozetime before lifting the weights!

Okay, sounds like we're all trying hard here...I HAVE been feeling things loosen up a bit. Unfortunately, Ms. Busy (ME!) didn't take the time to measure herself or take photos, so I'm going strictly by clothes size, look and feel. Unless some financial crisis pops up, I'm signing up at the end of this week (after payday!) for an all new session of CPB -just like JC. I have London coming up in November as well as my 40th birthday the weekend I return from the UK and I wanna LOOK and FEEL great! BTW JC, I thought your pix were AWESOME. What a difference! :cp:

Susan - I'm like you - it takes awhile for me to see any real changes - at least in my THIGHS and hips. My upper body develops fairly quickly - my shoulders really pop out I think!

Anyway I still have TONS more reading to do...and it's Free Day as well - I've got a salad from Draeger's salad bar with TONS of veggies and some sourdough bread :) and we're going to Yumi Yogurt later on this evening! YUMMY! :cloud9: I highly recommend Carbolite frozen yogurt if you have a frozen yogurt shop around...

Yay!! Hello everyone!

It’s Monday here and I so didn’t want to get out of bed this morning, but I did nevertheless. When I got to the gym the attendant said to me – Weren’t you here just last night? I was like ‘Yeah’ and she just said ‘oh’. What like people don’t go to the gym regularly??? Um hello???? I had a nice clean day yesterday and even my friend Jayne who posts under Jaylizbet at L&S came over to talk about CPB. She has ordered 4 weeks as well and we are getting our new plans at the same time and she is so excited! It will be interesting to see how she goes because she hasn’t been very successful on BFL so far so I am not sure how she will handle CPB. I am going to help her as much as I can though and we have made a date to go bikini shopping in December which is an additional motivator for me! Also I am seeing my entire family at Christmas and besides my Mum I haven’t seen any of them in about 18 months so they haven’t seen my weight loss yet. Thus of course I want to look my best when I go to visit them! So much is happening right now…….

From the other thread:
Susan – I know what you mean by having an area which is your nemesis – mine is soooooo my hips and thighs. I know that I am going to have to hit low BF’s to get those babies to slim down! Thanks for the encouragement as well. With the aloe vera it’s even better if it’s fresh from the plant. Let me know how it works. I posted the recipe on the recipe thread. I use gloves as well because I hate the calluses. I once nearly ripped my hand open when I forgot my gloves one day.

Wcolleen: Way to go on the great numbers! Congrats and keep up the good effort.

MrsJim: So glad you are back! Thank you for you lovely comments - I sure am trying hard enough I think! It's nice to get results even if they take a while. I hope that at least one person sticks to the program because of my pictures. I would love to inspire people the way you do!

Well I can’t believe that it is week 4 already! Last night I was lying in bed with hubby just reading a book and I was a bit hungry so I grabbed one of the CC/jello mixes to snack on and a cup of tea. Anyway, I was sitting there and hubby grabbed the spoon and took a mouthful of it. The next thing I know he is downstairs and a minute later he jumps back into bed with one of my other CC/jello containers and a bunch of biscuits. He ate them all and just said to me – Honey you are out of lemon CC – can you pick some up tomorrow and make more of this stuff for me?! I just laughed at him and said no problem honey – if you want to eat stuff and it’s healthy then I don’t care! I am just GLAD that even tried it! What a laugh though….. :lol:

The other cool thing on the weekend was we had a free dinner on Saturday so I bought some pasta and garlic bread. Hubby wanted fish and chips (a very Australian take-away food) so he went out and bought it. He hadn’t eaten fried food in quite a while so I knew what was going to happen. Well wouldn’t you know it he got through ¾ of the fish and ate maybe 5 chips and then threw the rest out claiming he felt ill. I said to him – sweety your body is telling you not to eat that crap so don’t! He said that he would stick to pizza from now on…… Ah the joys….. I am creating a monster. When he got up to go to work today he took 4 meals with him (he is trying to gain weight) – I never thought my husband would be so dedicated. It’s awesome! :D

Have a great week ladies!

JC

WEEK FOUR!!! :dance:

MrsJim: I was thinking of you on your trip. I drove from SF to LA (took the 5) last Christmas and it was over 8 hours.........how fast does Jim drive???????? :lol: I thought it was a long and boring trip. San Diego is beautiful though. I really love it there!

I checked out some gyms in LA last Christmas and they had everything! 24 hour fitness is good but in LA they have the latest and greatest.

I love carbolite everything!!!!

I wish I could order CPB now before the price hike but I am still waiting on a university check :( I will definitely get 8 weeks when I order later on!!!! Hopefully I'll have it by the time we do camp 2.

JEC: low BF's? I know I will figure this out as soon as I log off, but what is it anyway? My current nemesis is my lower gut and I read the thickening in perimenopausal threads on a menopause site and I just want to punch the floor and go no no no. I used to be a hip/thigh person but I can live with bigger hips and thighs if my waist is small. When I started camp3fc my pooch was bigger than my chest (and my chest is huge). I think that has changed (hopefully!) but progress is still to be had. I'm going to start doing abs everyday. I did that before and it had a nice impact.

I cannot wait to make that cc/jello thing. I'm not a big cc fan but that sounds GREAT.

I am going to Dallas next weekend for an interview. I will be free daying it on Saturday. (I've turned free day into a verb :lol:

I'm traveling on Friday so what happens there remains to be seen. The airlines don't seem to serve meals any more...not that I care much for them but I don't eat a lot of carry on foods. Any ideas for plane food???

The hotel is very classy and has a first class resort there so I will be able to swim and exercise on Sunday morning before I leave. yeah.

Got to get to homework and laundry before the Sopranos. :)

:strong:
Susan

:lol: :lol:
Sorry Susan BF is bodyfat. Good luck at the interview!
Spare a thought for us Australians! 24 hour gym - never heard of - I am lucky that my gym opens at 5:30am - most don't open until 6am! I would LOVE to have a 24 hour gym!! :D :D
You have to try the CC/jello - it's incredible!!!!

MrsJim: BY THE WAY I have been to SoCal before. I went there last year (May) before I got to know everyone!! I plan on heading back to the US probably next year so I will have to DROP by and say hello!!

JC :s:

I love the allnight gym. When I was in NYC this summer, I had a big problem because most things in NY are open all night EXCEPT gyms!!! Mine opened at 5:30 and it was an EARLY gym. Here, I get to go to the gym at 3:00 am. That is a BLAST!!! I was there at 5:00 am this morning and I felt like I was LATE! 24 hour fitness definitely has its problems but when you go on off off hours, it's a dream.

:dancer:

Hello girls,

Welcome home Mrs.J.... Sounds beautiful in SoCal.... Hope you had air conditioning in your car driving in that hot weather, I know I can't live without my air on long car trips.......I was in Hollywood CA in my 20's, we were 5 girls, we had a blast.....

My weekend was pretty good....

Friday was my free day and free day it was :moo: :ink: ..... I ate everything....muffins, cake, pizza, popcorn.... not a good thing... But I had no problems getting back to eating clean on Saturday.... and I drank plenty of water....

Sunday I had a prep day of food for the week, I made the chicken recipie, it is delicious. I made 13 4 oz packages for the week and froze them.... I also made a delish soup with carrots, turnip, cabage, green beans, 10 fresh tomatoes from the garden, l/f chicken broth, garlic and spices...then when all the vegetables were cooked I used my hand mixer and made it into a creamy sort of soup.... It's really good.... I also froze than... I love soup in the fall and winter....

24 hr gyms in Cornwall is not available at all... the population here is only 40,000 and there are only 2 gyms... mine opens at 5:30 but I get there at 5 sometimes and there's always someone there with the doors open to let us in... the other gym, I hear opens at 4AM.... I heard....

Well girls have a great week.... and week 4!! OMG how time flies..l.

Lana - we HAVE air conditioning in the truck, but Jim doesn't like to use it often - he usually just turns on the fan unless it gets REALLY BAD. I was wearing shorts on the way down and my thighs were sticking to the seat!

You GUYS...no 24 hour gyms?!? I would have a VERY hard time doing this if I wasn't able to get to the gym at 4:30 or 5 am. After work, it's impossible since that's when EVERYONE wants to go. Ick. And the early morning folk seem to be a lot more focused. The earliest I've hit the gym is around 3 am if memory serves...

Jim just called to remind me that our WEDDING ANNIVERSARY is this Friday - it totally slipped my mind :dizzy: I mean how many wives forget the wedding date? In my mind, our anny is on 1 January - that's the day we became an 'item' in 1995. Of course we're planning on celebrating on Sunday (freeday!).

JC - if you're ever in the Bay Area let me know...I don't know when we'll be going back to SoCal again. Hopefully we'll be flying down rather than driving...

Well it's Tuesday here in very sunny Sydney and what a lovely day it is! I just finished up a bowl of apple and CC with cinnamon and Splenda and am feeling very satisfyed with myself since it is a high carb day. I went for a nice run last night before Grad School and then a gentle short walk with the dogs after Grad School with hubby who was grouchy because he isn't getting enough sleep lately. :mad:

I got an email from Pam yesterday to say that my new plan will be ready soon! What a doll she is! :D I tell you I can't wait to get it I am so stuck for ideas with food lately.

MrsJim: Yeah our gym not opening until 5:30am (on the dot) was one of the factors as to why I can't go in the early morning. I can do it some days but others I just don't have enough time. Then on weekends it is only open 9am to 7pm so Saturday is cool because it's free day but Sunday I have to go by 4pm otherwise I run out of time! Also unfortunately 5:30am is one of the busiest times as well so it makes no difference because I always get a crowd :(

My wedding anniversary is next month but I normally forget it because it's my birthday the week before. I am having a birthday party (joint with hubby) on Saturday so that will be nice. CONGRATS to you Karen! That's kinda freaky though because Ray and I got together in Jan 1996? :?:

Where exactly IS the bay area?

Lana: I love soups but haven't thought about trying to make any on this diet. When I think about it it's a good way to get some veggies into me though isn't it? Can you post the recipe for me? Thanks

Well duty calls! :D

JC

Hey I need your help!

I am about to get another package sent to me from the US and I was wondering what kind of FF and SF stuff you have over there? I already get the SF maple syrup and FF/SF pudding mix. What else is good to work with?

Note we don't have much of anything in Australia!

JC

Hello again girls,

Mrs.J ~ hubby's BD is on Friday.... he'll be 45 finally... I WAS 45 in January... :(

JC ~ The "recipie" doesn't really have any specific ingredients, I got the idea when I was on WW years ago, they had this veggie recipie that had "0" points so this is where I got it from....

Here it is and I will also post it in the recipie thread:

In a large pot with FF and low sodium chicken broth: 2 lbs of carrots, a small cabage, a small turnip, a bunch of green beans, onions, 10 peeled and seeded fresh tomatoes, add any veggie you like more or less to your liking...covered it all with water, brought it all to a boil and let it simmer for a while till veggies were soft....oh and a bay leaf too... let it all simmer till done. .... I cut all the veggies in cubes...

I then added fresh garlic, basil, oregano, hot pepper flakes... I also added some chicken flavouring but not too much of that because its high in sodium.... simmer a bit more...then if you want a creamy kind of soup take a hand mixer and make it to your favorite consistency...

It IS a great way to add veggies to your meal... When I reheat it I will sometimes add brown rice to it or chicken or beans.... Whatever you like really.... At lunch I had ground turkey leftover and kidney beans and added it to the soup it was a great meal in a bowl.....

Well I have to go to bed it's 10PM....

later all...........

Yes, JEALOUS because it's already Tuesday there in Oz and we're still on Monday here in the US. You're that much closer to the weekend :)

Oops...I thought EVERYONE knew where the Bay Area was! By that I mean the San Francisco Bay Area - Susanje lives here as well - though pretty far from where I am on the Peninsula. Basically the Bay Area is all the counties that circle the beautiful San Francisco Bay - San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Solano Counties (hopefully I got that right). Except for the cost of housing, I really love it here!

Hmmm.....fatfree sugarfree stuff...other than the syrups, pudding mix and Jello I don't use a lot of it. I find it incredible that you can get sugarfree Jello mix but not FF/SF pudding mix since they are both made by Jello! Weird stuff! And I beg to differ about Oz. I've never been fortunate enough to go (YET) but quite a few folks I work with went to Sydney for the Olympics as my company is one of the major partners and they LOVED IT. Lovely weather, nice friendly folk and (this I get from my Arabian horse connections) GORGEOUS horses and lots of riding room!

Lana - I'm with JC - I haven't been 'doing' soup that much since starting this. HOWEVER!!! There are some REALLY GREAT soup recipes at the Lean & Strong Cooking Library. I've tried one - the Hot & Sour Soup and it was pretty tasty!

Lana: thanks for the recipe!

MrsJim: Well it's not Jello brand it is Cottee's which is Australian (the jello I mean - which is jelly over here and your jelly is our jam) Are you confused yet? Also pudding is not really a common food over here - so there isn't much variety. I can't even get Low-fat let alone FF.

Oh and I really LOVE Sydney actually - it is beautiful and very bushy. We have hundreds of trees and bushes around - we are a very green city indeed! The Harbour is INCREDIBLE also! AND Yes there is plenty of room for horse riding - I often see people riding around the University Area near home.

JC

Hey I had an idea after reading some other threads?! We should grab some photos of pets, ourselves and hubbies etc to post so we can put faces to names! What do you think? Except sparky of course I have seen THOUSANDS of pictures of him! ;)

My wedding anniversary is the same week as my birthday also! :lol: For me it goes my oldest son's birthday, halloween, my birthday, my anniversary, thankgiving, my youngest son's birthday, christmas. What was I thinking??????? :lol: We have months and months where there is no "occasion" and then it's like bam!

AND my husband tends to remember it more often than I do, though when we got married, we had it engraved on everything.

JC: I have always wanted to go to Australia. I just find the trip to be so long!!!!!!! Now that I'm living in CA, I have friends from the east coast who stop over here for a few days on their way back from Australia. I have to stop being a stopover and go myself. After I take the bar exam in July I plan to go to Europe for about a month!

Well ladies yesterday I was in a "bulky" state. Feeling very bloated and yet sore from all of the weekend's exercise. This is the "thing" I battle on each and every challenge. To work this hard and wake up one day just feeling 20 lbs heavier than the day before (everything was tight). :p :?:

This is when I get psychologically challenged. Like, this just isn't ever going to happen for me. I'm hanging tight but it's very hard when I walked 5 miles in the blistering heat yesterday WITH a backpack and my quads were SINGING from the leg presses over the weekend and then looked at myself in the mirror and I looked FAT FAT FAT. I don't know what it is. I'm sure it's hormonal but it's emotionally debilitating. I'm hanging in there. Usually I just shut down and talk about it afterwards, after it has caused me to throw clean eating and exercise to the wind. Now I'm talking about it NOW, so that I don't throw it to the wind.

Thanks for listening.

I go thru the same stuff myself - getting bloated and feeling icky. Don't give up!!! Drink some fresh clean water and eat clean and you'll feel better soon...also you said you were going to start CPB? I'm feeling that will be a good shake up for you - and a lot more structured as well. Couldn't hurt!

As for me I will most likely be signing up for a new 4 weeks of CPB this Friday or Monday...I'd love some new menus to work with!

I've been reading Dave Draper's two books "Your Body Revival" and "Brother Iron, Sister Steel". Both really great. I'll probably quote from them in the next day or so. Actually Dave lives not far from me, in Santa Cruz, where he runs a gym - I believe it's a World Gym. It would be so cool to go there and meet him! Santa Cruz is a fun place anyway, what with the beach and Boardwalk, the Surf Museum and some really great bicycling (both road and offroad).

JC!!! I haven't taken 1000's of Sparky photos yet - only about 200 or so :dizzy: but I think posting pix is a great idea - only not here at 3FC as they are not really set up for it, and you have to make the photo so small you can hardly see it. What say we post at the L&S Playspace as most of us hang out there anyway? Actually I have a really cool photo of Jim and his brothers that I took this past weekend so you can all see what a bunch of hotties they are :love: (of course I think I got the best one!).

Had a great workout this morning - back and hams - and followed up with a quick 20 minute MAS on the elliptical. Let the day begin!

Howdy everybody!

Hope everyone had a great weekend – mine wasn't too bad, although I chickened out on doing any squat lifts. I just became too intimidated!!! But, there's always next weekend.

The weather in Chicago has changed, literally overnight. On Saturday, it was sunny, humid and in the mid-80s (I'm not sure what that translate to in celsius . . .) On Sunday, it was in the mid-60s with that very cool, fall-ish air. When I went to the gym this morning at 6:30, I could see my breath! I'm not ready for the cold yet. Brrrr.

Anyway, things have been progressing here. I convinced a friend to join me at the gym in the a.m.'s. Since she lives along the way, I pick her up/drop her off. It's a great motivator -- I now know that I have to get my behind out of bed at 6:15 or she'll be standing on the corner, in the cold. Although she's not doing BFL, it's been fun to have a gym companion.

from the previous thread:

JEC: I'm not sure where exactly I'll be going in SE Asia – we're working on the itinerary now. If the political situation remains relatively stable, we'll probably head to Indonesia and do some kayaking. If not, I'm thinking of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. (I was in Thailand – Bangkok and Chaing Mai) about 2 years ago.) Any suggestions? I've also always wanted to visit Australia. Perhaps that'll be my trip in 2004?

Finally, what's MAS?

Hope everyone is hanging in there okay.

TH: Where are you???

Mox

Hi girls,

As I'm reading your posts, I realise that I have NOT travelled much at all.... and would love to... I've gone to the Barbados several years ago, 18 to be exact .... Went to Disney 4 years ago, my how time flies, feels like just last spring.... Prince Edward Island two summers ago, that's a gorgeous place if anyone gets a chance to travel to Canada.... Where I am here we are an hour away from Montreal, awesome city, and an hour away from Canada's capital Ottawa, which we go quite regularly because the doctors in this town suck so if we need someone specialized we make appointments there... I go for my eyes every 6 months because I have this dreaded disease, keratoconus.....I really need to get out more....l:lol:

Susanje ~ I totally understand the "bulky state you speak of also... as soon as I'm PMSing I look in the mirror and see a humungus person :ink: It's awful... But I seem to ride through it better since I've been following a cleaner way of eating, and eating every 2-3 hours helps enormously....

Karen ~ I think posting photos in the L&S play space would be alot of fun, since we now have a scanner but I am big chicken about this.... probably because of all the horror stories you hear about things on the Internet....

Mox ~ Having to meet a friend at the gym is great.... I have been working out with someone for the last 4 months.... and on SEVERAL occasions I have not felt like going but because I knew she was there I would get up and go.... Like this morning for example, I went to bed later than usual, 10:30, and I was exhausted this morning... I stayed in bed 6 minutes longer, and almost stayed there, but I got up and went on my way, I was out of the house withing 15 minutes of getting up....It's now noon and I'm still tired and wanna go to bed....:tired: I can't wait to get home tonite....

Anywho, gotta go.....

Lana - I actually hadn't traveled much prior to getting this job. Before then, my first husband NEVER wanted to go anywhere - not like we had the money anyway. I remember once we went to Vegas for the Jazzercise convention but I was by myself most of the time since he wasn't exactly into it :lol: .

When I was growing up, my family did go on a lot of trips - down to the Southern states where most of my relatives live, and road trips around California for the most part. Every summer we'd go to Lake Tahoe and Konocti Harbor at Clear Lake (up above the Wine Country). Most of the traveling I've done has been on the company dime - including our whirlwind trip to San Diego this past weekend since Jim had won a travel award :) from work. (actually we both did - mine helped get me to the Lift for the Cure in July!)

I posted a photo of Jim and his brothers in the Playspace at L&S. Of course since I took the photo as the sun was setting over the Pacific Ocean, it's pretty dark as you will see: http://www.leanandstrong.com/newlib/tg/162/3bros.jpg They are ALL hunks aren't they?

Hey Mel - you out there hon? I've seen a couple of your posts at L&S today. All I can say is you must be having a low-carb day - and WOW I know how that feels...I loved your post to the mysterious grouch Carl Z!

I guess it shows. Plus TOM made a surprise visit- it's always a surprise at this point! Ha you all have so much fun to look forward to! I'm thinking of deleting my post to cnik- part of it was downright nasty.....

I'm in exactly the frame of mind Susan wrote about. I feel I've had zip progress the last 6 months, but I'm sticking with it. Haven't given in to anything yet and won't. But I'm not a happy camper today, so I'll just get off here before I bring everyones else down. You all are great.

Mel :(

L&S has been down for a while- I can't even try to go make nice there. So much for good intentions.

I think I must have some sort of bug, too. Stomach just feels horrible. I bullied myself through a workout and had to sit down and put my head between my knees after my "curl bar to failure" set. Broke out in a cold sweat and saw stars! If that's "Sullivan County" I don't wanna go there again.

mel

Ooh, I wouldn't worry too much Mel. Cnik has a pretty thick skin for these kinds of things ya know. :lol:

And you're not bringing ME down! :) What would the use of this board be if we were just happy happy joy joy all the time? Shoot, even I have my crappy moments once in awhile!!!

I know there's some sort of tummy thing going 'round. I've seen a few folks posting on L&S saying they're under the weather.

Hi girls,

Ok, I must confess.... I fell off the food wagon, :eek: I ate 3 granola bars, they are absolutely my downfall, I have been pretty good at keeping them for my free days, I send the kids to take them to the basement fridge...I just blew it after supper tonite.... of course they are the chocolate covered type too... chocolate covered, caramel, peanut butter ....Oh I feel so bad....:sad: with a cup of coffee....

Hey as I'm talking about it .... I think I know why I had it.... I was stressed tonite because it was meet the teacher nite at my daughter's school and she's having such a difficult time in math... poor child she's just like me.... grade 7 math, and it's way over my head.... Anywho I was a bit :stressed: about it... but all went well and her teacher is extremely understanding and very willing to help her.... Kids these days go through so much, the curriculum in grade 7 is unbelievable, the govt. wants Canada to set its standards very high in education because we are way behind in comparison to the rest of the word.... Oh well.... we do have FF foods tho ....:lol:

Anyway, gotta go .... I'm :tired:........

PS... Mrs.Jim, which one is your hubby? and I agree 3 hunks....

Well I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a headache so I called in sick to work and slept in instead. My hand is aching also because I actually electricuted myself at work changing some flouro lights yesterday and the shock went through my right hand and up my arm. I have a nasty bruise on the back on my knuckles from where the current was earthed. Crazy me thought that I could get away with working out but by the time I was up to my last couple sets my right arm was killing me at all the joints. So I just went for a slow run and finished up my workout. At least I gave it a go I guess. I will see how I feel later but I have chest/hammies tonight so we will see what happens with the bench press.

Anyway so I am in the comfort of my study at home now typing away. We live in Sydney as you all know but what you may not know is that Sydney is dramatically expensive when it comes to housing. Hubby and I had a long chat last night while we were walking the dogs and decided that we may have to move up north to Queensland where it is warmer and cheaper. It's a big step though so we have lots to consider. Have any of you made major moves like this before at all? What are your experiences?

Susan: We have a similar thing in our family, my birthday, hubby's birthday and our wedding anniversary are in a 5 week bracket between Sept 10 - Oct 17. We normally have a joint thing to keep the costs down - like this weekend is our joint birthday party with another friend Jayne (jaylizbet off L&S). It should be good. The trip to Australia and back IS long - I went stir crazy on the plane over there but slept most of the way back home. I think it was 17 hrs there with no stopover. :mad:

I know what you mean about the bloating and the mental battles you go through - they are the TOUGHEST. Just know that we are all 110% behind you this time and you are right if you talk about it - you will feel better and it will also gives us all a chance to maybe say something back that will brighten your day or change your perspective on the situation! I PERSONALLY think that CPB would be INCREDIBLE for you, the way it has been for me.

MrsJim: Cool on the photos idea Karen. If everyone else agrees then why don't we just post over in the L&S playspace whenever we have time and then put a message over here to let the others know! I would love to see what everyone looks like and to show off my beautiful puppies!! :s:

Mox: The weather here has changed overnight as well! It's so hot at the moment as we are approaching summer. I would love to visit Chicago one day - the 'windy city' :lol: On the SE Asia front there are definately places to go and not go in Indonesia. I will talk to hubby (who has been to 22 countries) and get back to you with his opinion. I haven't really been to Asia much because I sometimes I feel like we live in Asia already! That's not racist by the way is just a fact of life. I have 120 people in my grad school course and only 25 of us are Australian. I have been to Vanuato, the US and a few other small islands. Hubby and I want to do Europe next. My Mum (mom) went there last year and LOVED it.

OH geez I need to stop this post so I can check our MrJim!

JC

Back soon.....

Okay you guys, I'm going to attempt to attach the alternate shot here...it's a BIT brighter but not much. BTW that's Jim on the left, then Scott in the middle and Todd (the muscle dude) on the right.

Hooray! It WORKED!!!

I'm all psyched to begin the new CPB - I am DEFINITELY doing a four week session. It'll be fun to have new menus and ideas. JC, when do you start - this weekend? I suppose it depends on how busy she is...

JC - I admit that I haven't really moved far since I was a baby. When I was six weeks old, my parents up and moved from Washington DC to San Mateo, and I've lived here (or in the county anyway) ever since! I hear ya on the housing situation...it's just as bad here in the Bay Area! STUDIO condos - essentally apartments - go for $200,000 if you're lucky. When my parents moved here I think they paid maybe $12,000 or $15,000 for their first house - the same house would probably go for $700,000 now. On the other hand, outside the Bay Area you can still find some good deals - but the job market isn't that great. :(

Oh well!!! I still enjoy living here :)

hmm going to try something....

ok well above is my hubby - YES that is my husband and people wonder why I hate him so much!!! He never does an ounce of cardio and just lifts weights and eats like a :devil: He has the opposite problem to me - he can't keep weight on - seriously if you saw our shopping bill you would die - the amount that boy puts away is crazy!!

Below are my two dogs Bas and Ben (Sebastian and Benjamin)
They are my children.

JC

MrsJim: Well I wasn't going to start until next week but Pam said that she may be able to sneak me in a bit earlier since I was so motivated! What a doll she is!! So I should be able to start this weekend hopefully.

As for house prices - well you can only buy shacks for about $400 k at least here and that is for about an 1-2 hours radius around the city, even apartments are at least $250K minimum. Our property bubble is about to burst though in the next 18 months so things MAY change but I don't know how much by. Plus home ownership is one of our dreams ao we want to buy eventually which may mean moving. Hubby would love QLD because that's where all of his friends have moved to in the last year or so.

JC

Hi everyone!!!!

thanks for the encouragement! I felt better yesteday but today I feel bloated again. I'm trying to watch when I take my estrogen but so far it doesn't seem to make a difference.

However, one day of feeling like I am making progress was good for me, PLUS the support of the group here. When my interviews are over (next week) and I finally get paid from the university (that should also be next week), I think I am going to do CPB and the 4 day split that MrsJim posted in the other thread. Shoulders/abs/calves? Now that is a good combination for me. I usually do okay on my abs but shoulders and calves are usually not done as well as they could be (sandwiched in among other things as they tend to be).

Anyway, I have hope and while I'm sorry that others are struggling (Lanai, Yes, I do feel humongous! Mel, you and I have a lot in common!!!), I'm glad that I'm not alone.

:grouphug:
Susan

you guys posting all these cuties here! Wow.

JEC and MrsJim: do ya have a "couple" pic? of you and the big guy? :)

I'm so distressed that my digital camera "disappeared" over the summer while I was away. I might be able to dig some up and post on here.

Lots of wacky things to do today....interviews, trying to get an emergency loan from school..........etc.

But clean eating and exercise are definitely on the agenda!

:dance:
Susan

WOW!! He looks like a hunka hunka burning luv! :eek: Cute doggies too...I'm going to have to remember to bring the camera to the stables one weekend and take some snaps of Butch, Penny, Orion, and my other equine buddies...

Susan - I'll have to hunt around for a 'couples' photo - usually I'm the one taking photos of Jim and vice versa. Of course I have lots of wedding photos but they're four years old as of this Friday...

I've been reading the two Dave Draper books off and on. I HIGHLY recommend "Your Body Revival" - it's geared more towards women, including a short chapter on menopause that should be required reading for guys who just don't get it - and a terrific chapter on fad and yo-yo diets as well. BTW I bought my copy on Half.com for about $7.50. "Brother Iron, Sister Steel" is also a good read - I haven't been reading them straight through, but rather jumping from chapter to chapter.

Today was a rest day weights-wise - just did 30 minutes of HIIT cardio (BTW, "MAS" is the interval training outlined in BFL "20 Minute Aerobic Solution" and HIIT means "High Intensity Interval Training"). There's a Pi-Yo class this evening at 6:45 and I might go - the only thing is that the evenings are generally when I do dishes, laundry and all that other yukky stuff that piles up otherwise!

So how's everyone else doing? JC - I wanna hear about the new CPB menus!

JC: Electrocution sounds really, really bad. Have you had someone take a look? Your dedication to working out in the face of being shocked is pretty awesome. I would love to hear what your husband has to say about traveling in SE Asia. And cute husband and puppies . . . MrsJim – cute hubbie as well!

Lana: One of my passions is travel, and I've been really fortunate to have had the opportunity to do it. (Hint: It helps to have friends who live abroad . . . ) I've visited parts of Canada – I think Montreal is a great city, with a fantastic art museum – and have always wanted to go to Prince Edward Island – I was a huge Anne of Green Gables fan growing up.

But, I'm not sure if I'll be capable of posting any pictures – I'm pretty computer illiterate, as my frequent problems posting illustrates. I also don't have a digital camera. But, if I ever figure this tech stuff out, I can post pictures of the only living thing (besides myself) that I've taken responsibility for – my bamboo plant. (It only needs to be watered about once a month, which is another reason why I can travel a lot.)

Regarding the definition of MAS and HIIT, I thought the BFL cardio routine was HIIT -- building to higher levels of intensity and repeating the cycles a 4 times. But, if it's MAS instead, what would constitute a HIIT routine?

Mox

Mox - well...actually the 20MAS IS a form of HIIT (Interval training). I just use the term MAS to mean the cardio as outlined in the BFL book.

Generally when I do 'HIIT' (I alternate between the two) I'll go for 30 minutes - moderate for 2 minutes, then all-out for 1 minute, so I do 10 high intervals.

Thanks for your comment on Jim. He really is a great guy - I consider myself blessed beyond what I deserve! :lol:

Hey just a quick one because I just got to work and have seen my new diet sitting here from Pam! I am DYING to take a look so I will post later...

Thanks for the remarks about hubby and yes he is a total stunner - he has been offered modelling jobs before but turned them down - he's very down to earth and doesn't like frivolous stuff like that! Although his ego shot up from it. The other thing you can't see is that he is 6'3, which makes him even better.

I will look for a couple shot soon, there aren't many around but we had some taken at a dinner recently that I am trying to hunt down from a friend. Will get back to you!

JC

AACK! 6 FOOT 3??? He's a giant! My Jim as you can probably tell from the photo is the short man of the family - he's 5'9". Scott is over 6 foot and I believe Todd is as well. Oh well, for a shortie like myself (5'4") Jim is a perfect fit for me. We both have some hunkalicous hubbies! :love:

Got a little Sparky tale for ya - yesterday I was grocery shopping and impulsively bought him one of those "Giant Kitty Ticklers". When we first adopted Sparky, I used to bring home those ticklers and toys all the time but not for awhile now. Usually they have feathers at the end but this one had leather thongs in different colors (Jim calls it the "cat o'nine tails" :lol: ) WELL yesterday I walked through the door and kitty saw the stick protruding from the grocery bag and immediately went nuts! He has been Mr. Playtime ever since then. Amazing what a new toy can do for a kitty-cat!

My pics are always to big and when i shrink them, they are so tiny I can't even recognize anyone! How do you post such big pics? my digi cam has fairly high resolution, maybe that's the problem. Anyway, the pic I was gonna post is in the L & S playspace under "the kids, the mom, the dad and the dawg" or something like that- posted June 2002. I checked and it's still there.

Today is a much better day- even tho the carbs and calories are even lower :eek: I'd forgotten the brain fog and exhaustion from 1100 calories and a HARD leg day workout! I've really gotta switch either my split or my menus so I don't have legs and back on low days. Luckily tomorrow I'm back up to 1450- almost normal! I don't know if my bf% is dropping, but I sure am hungry!

JC- Try not to electrocute yourself again. That sounded terrible. I've gotten a few good zaps wallpapering around electric outlets and switches, but nothing that bad. Is your hair curly now? Enjoy your new menus- I'm sure all of ours are different, but I found week one was definitly the best. The food variety has gone steadily downhill, BUT I"M STICKING TO IT! I don't know whether Pam is super busy or becuase of my particular goals. I do a lot of cardio and eat a lot of chicken and squash and egg whites. And lettuce. BTW- your hubby is a real HUNK!!!!

MrsJim- I just ordered "Your Body Revival" from half.com too. Can't wait to get it. I love Brother Iron, Sister Steel and Draper's online weekly newsletter. I read it or BI,SS whenever I need a dose of revival! I'm still annoyed that I had to take dd to Columbus the day that he was near Philadelphia for a book signing! Also, just finished "The Bone-setter's Daughter" which I saw you recommended. I was in a teary mood for the few days I was reading it- book was very good, emotions were tough. I've read the rest of her books also. Great "brothers" pic, too!

Hi everyone else! How are you holding up Susan? My bloating is disappearing and I feel almost like a person again. Good luck on the interviews- heck, good luck getting thru the day! Your schedule sounds wild! I can't imagine going back to school again, tho til about 2 years ago, I still wanted to go to law school.

Gotta go- my quads are STILL burning 7 hours later!

mel

WOW! My menus are awesome! I get fajitas, chicken and broccoli soup, jello cheesecake, ff puddings, chicken with orange salad, round steak with hot pepper salad, mango protein shakes, banana muffins! Yummmm......

My workouts seem a bit easy though - but I have emailed Pam about it. Also, loads of cardio... By the way how do you DO moderate cardio??? It's been so long - do you go for a heart rate or something?

I am still absorbing it all ..... but it looks awesome.

Mel: LUCKILY I don't make a habit of eletricuting myself :lol:

MrsJim: Ya he is a giant - sometimes I get a sore neck! ;)

JC

Hey Mel - your daughter is gorgeous - lucky thing!

JC

Hello ladies! Did ya miss me?

I have been so busy the past couple of weeks. But I've been sticking to the CPB plan but there's been a few rough spots. Those low carb days just don't get any easier, do they? Thank goodness today was a higher cal day with delicious chicken fajitas for dinner.

As of this week, I'm done with CPB menus and workouts. I loved it!! I have definitely seen results, my jeans are loose and I'm seeing nice definition all over. I think I'm going to take Saturday as a free day and then do two weeks of high volume training, cut back on the cardio and finish our challenge that way. I'm going to do a zig zag, but I'm going to do my own numbers and bump up the calories slightly to compensate for the higher reps. I'd still like to lean out a little more before bulking again. I'm all for going on with you ladies, I just have to adjust my goals slightly.

Mrs Jim--glad to hear that you had a wonderful trip! It's so nice to visit family and get away.

JC--hope you're feeling better! When my mom was pregnant with my sister, she got shocked on a weedeater. We always joke that it caused my sister's wildly curly hair. About moderate cardio--I found it to be a nice change of pace. I had forgotten what it's like to do 45 minutes on the elliptical, though!

The Dave Draper books sound awesome--I'm going to have to look for them myself.

Well, ladies--I'm off to bed. Take care, hang in there for the rest of the week!

Maggie

hey Maggie - nice to see you again! Yeah I am still trying to work out what to do for this moderate cardio thing - I mean I like to run but is a job too strenuous? Should I stick to a bike? and how do I know that I am doing it right? At least with HIIT I just go as fast as I possibly can?? Anyway I am sure that I will figure it out eventually.....

I am a little bit scared about dropping HIIT out completely and have begged Pam to let me do it at least ONCE a week. :lol: Sounds crazy to ASK for it to be harder....

I am having a great day but all of my food seems boring now after looking through these menus! Glad I am starting it this weekend.....

I hope everyone is still going strong - we are coming up on the end of 4 weeks soon!! Yippee doesn't time fly ??

JC :D

I meant a JOG not JOB! :lol: :lol:

JC

Hey I just got my first bottle of FF/SF maple syrup in the post from the US and it is INCREDIBLE - you guys are so lucky to have all these awesome things!! I used it on oatmeal and it was delicious - next thing will be Pamcakes! Woo hooo!

JC

Isn't FF/SF maple syrup a great thing? Even on my free days, I don't eat real maple syrup ever. It's actually too sweet that it makes my teeth hurt!

As far as moderate cardio, Pam had me doing four 40-60 minute sessions a week. Two of the sessions I used the elliptical trainer and planted myself in front of the TV, usually the Food network, I have to admit (don't know if you get that in Australia) and then the other two sessions I did a run/walk in the park (I love to run this time of year). I just did a nice moderate jog until I felt too tired then would walk for a while. I figure moderate cardio should be done on a level where you can still carry on a conversation. It's way different than HIIT, but a nice change of pace.

I have to admit that there were times when I felt like Pam's food was a tad boring (sorry Pam if you're reading this) but I tried to look at it as food as fuel, and I was willing to sacrifice my usual maintenance food to get really lean, and it is only four weeks. You can always use spices and such, no reason to cook your chicken the same way every day. This week's menus were definitely my favorite by far!

I actually have this entire day to myself, no preschool to work at and no clients to train today (they all cancelled for today, weirdly enough), so I'm taking it easy, going for a run in the park and then hitting the gym to do bis and tris. Catching up on laundry and going to try and finish a book that I'm loving.

I was bargain shopping at Barnes and Noble last weekend and picked up an old Cory Everson book called "LifeBalance." The food/training section is a little dated and a little light weight/high reps for my liking, but what's really great about is her chapters on self-empowerment and getting over negative thinking and developing a better self-image as a woman and bodybuilder. Lots of books like this, but when you hear it from someone who's been there and done that, it seems to ring true.

JC- I don't think a jog is too strenuous! I've been either jogging with few higher intervals thrown in, or doing recumbent bike at a level 1 or 2 down from what I do for HIIT or 20MAS, or doing the "fat burning" program on the elliptical instead of the intervals.

You guys are FOR SURE getting different menus thatn I am! But I asked for it- told Pam my first set of menus looked less clean that what I had been eating and the workouts were too easy. So she fixed that! What I can't understand is why the scale hasn't dropped thru the floor yet. So far in 2 weeks I've lost 2 pounds! I keep reading the testimonials on l&S of lossing 7 or 8 pounds in 2 weeks. and waiting. But I'm seeing more definition when I'm not all puffed up like a few days ago. Hopefully all that will be gone by tomorrow and I can really see how I'm doing. Did a leg session with Robert the Incredible yesterday (totally not Pam's workout) and he near killed me, but also commented how my legs are looking better. Gave me a bunch new exercises for hitting different parts of quads, hams and calves. OUCH! He's gonna do my BF probably on Friday, so we'll see. Partly I don't want to- if this isn't working I just don't want to know! But if it is, I DO want to know, and the teariness days are over, so I'll get thru it!

enough babble. Hope you all have a great day.

Thanks JC for the comment about my daughter! That was taken right after lacrosse season and she was in incredible shape. Refused to lift over the summer, and saw the results. Aside from getting a good dressing down from her coach when she went back to school! Hah! Mom knows best.

mel

Karen, I love San Diego, I lived in Vista for a short while back in the day when I was the bohemian and finding myself. San Diego is nothing short of heaven to me. I loved it.
I mulled over your workout schedule and think I like it, will incorporate it next round. This group is really laidback, I like it alot.
I have noticed a change in my body lately, but have been taking measurements and gauging with pictures, also, the ones on the fridge do so need to be replaced and they shall.
Make this day your own....................
Hugs,
marie

I LOVE LOVE LOVE reading these posts!!! I can't wait to be able to sign up for CPB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think my food (my own designed menu) is boring too. I think of food as fuel. It's only my fruit salad that I truly love. For me, a free meal could be fresh fruit salad with low fat granola and grapenuts sprinkled over it.
I'm becoming a boring person. :) I ask myself, do you want to be fat and exciting or lean and boring? :lol:

I also love to travel. I have spent so much money on travel in my life that I always think what I could have had if not for those trips, but was it worth it? u betcha.

Mel, thanks for asking about the bloating. It comes and goes which makes me think it is definitely hormonal. I'm having a rough week....eating clean and working out but life is ganging up on me. Last night I had a check rejected at a store. For no reason. There is a check system that certifies and for some reason, it rejected my check. HOW EMBARRASSING. Because we live close to the edge financially, I just assumed it was me. I went home and called and the man said he had NO IDEA why the store rejected my check. I'm traveling this weekend and had all my traveling "supplies" in that cart...lots of shampoo and that sort of thing, PLUS a new blender which I really need since my blender fell apart midcycle (WHAT A MESS!) last weekend. Okay, it's not electrocution but it was messy and getting near the blender while the blades are whrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrng was difficult.

And to top it all off, I'm getting sick (head cold) and I have interviews this weekend. I'm taking gallons of vitamin c and echinacea. Anyone have any other suggestions???? I'm flying tomorrow and the thought of flying with a head cold is making me want to crawl under the covers and never come out!!!

Susan--I hope you feel better soon!
For your cold, try taking 50mg of zinc once a day. Zinc does wonders for keeping the sniffles at bay!! I don't think your menus sound boring at all--I thought you had a good variety in your post in the recipes thread. I get really bloated too at times. I can gain between 5 and 10 pounds on one free day with too many carbs and too much sodium and not enough water.

I think I'm the only one who isn't able to access the Main Board at L&S - wassup??? :dizzy:

Hope everyone is having a great day! I am except my NEIGHBOR IS BACK. You might have heard me talking about her before, she works in the office next to mine and has the world's loudest voice (she also keeps five candy jars on her credenza). She was off the first few days this week and it was so nice and quiet around here - heaven! :)

I completed my form for CPB this morning. Can't wait to see those menus - I start on 6 October. After hearing about all the yummy stuff that the 'new' CPB has on it, I'm really eager to see what she comes up with for me!

Susan - You're NOT boring in the least - all ya need are some fresh ideas for food! I tend to get comfy with the same old same old as far as regular 'clean days' go - eggwhite omeletes, protein pancakes, chicken breasts with veggies, oatmeal, cottage cheese...

Marie - both Jim's mom and his brother Todd (the muscle guy) live in Vista. We stayed in Cardiff. I agree that SD is gorgeous but next time we're FLYING down. The traffic in SoCal is so bad these days, what with all the new houses going up.

Mel - Not like I'm a doctor or anything, but I'd be willing to bet that your problem has to do with menopause. I don't know much about it - other than the PMU foals situation (farms outside the US that keep mares pregnant for the urine they use in Premarin - most of the foals are sold in killer auctions - truly awful and sad situation http://www.tierrescue.org/premarinapp.htm ). But after reading that very short chapter in "Your Body Revival" I think I have a better understanding of the whole thing. Right now my boss is going through it - and she's been gaining weight, much to her disappointment. Losing bodyfat is an uphill battle anyway, but going through 'the change' at the same time sounds like going uphill WHILE pushing a boulder in front of you - just makes it that much tougher (at least that's what it seems like to me). My mother never went through menopause as she had a hysterectomy prior to that time.

Keep pushin', though - I think you're doing awesome :)

Marie - did you see that 3FC has a journal option? I haven't tried it yet, but those of us who want to can put their workouts there. Looks pretty cool-I'll have to give it a try soon!

Moxiegirl - I did bis and tris today myself. Felt really strong too :strong:

Well, I'm waiting to hear back from QZ on the L&S board thing. Anyone else having problems accessing it or is it just me?

Yesterday's workout of "new" exercises just about killed me. I've been glugging glutamine and am wondering if I could make a paste of it and rub it on my hamstrings and inner thighs! I did heavy sets of "plie" (like the ballet) squats: legs wide, toes waaaay turned out. Hit the inner thighs and inner glutes so hard. Then leg press with feet together really low on the platform- that killed my quads. Then lunging with weights thru the parking lot (always a fun way to meet your neighbors). Cardio this am was kinda limp.

I bought a pair of size 2 RL jeans today, and a pair of size 4 Calvins!! I can even breathe in them! :lol: But probably not eat. YET.

Karen- I'm sure you are right about my fat loss/hormonal problems. And I made a typo in my last post- its only been 2 pounds in 4 weeks! But at least I'm not getting BIGGER like most of my friends my age! They mostly have developing stomach pillows, even the previously slender ones. I swore years ago that I would not be fat going thru menopause because everyone said it was so much harder to lose after that . I just started this journey about a year too late!

Susan- Whenever I think I'm getting a cold I use something called zicam(?) that you squirt up your nose. It's basically zinc. It seems to work really well at stopping the cold, or shortening it. Got it at any drug store. Hope things are looking up for you.

Moxiegirl- Sounds like a lovely day. It's finally raining here at the other end of the state!

Off to cook MORE chicken- I'm gonna buy a flock and grow my own!

mel

I'm really sleepy today, even though Thursday is my sleep-in day (I work out after my yoga class after work). Anyway, Susan, a cold-fighting recipe my mom recommends (although it's totally not a "clean" food) is to drink hot water with lemon, honey and Bourbon. This always makes me feel better, although that could be because of the whiskey. . . :s:

Mox

I also just noticed that somewhere along the line, I became a full-fledged member (instead of just a junior . . .) :cool: Mox

CONGRATS MEL!!!! Now stay off that scale young lady! If this doesn't prove the scale is a total crock of...I don't know what will!

I think as long as you can BREATHE in them you can EAT in them (just not Free Day!) as long as you're LYING DOWN at the same time. Jeez. I'll probably never see a 2, oh well, I'm happy at a 4!

AACK! I still cannot get into L&S to save my preferences! Every time I try to, I get the screen saying I can't access. I can read the board, but when I try to post or change the prefs then I get tossed out. It really sucks!

I hear ya on the chicken. BOK BOK! Fortunately Safeway has boneless skinless chicken boobs on sale for $1.99 a pound this week, so I will be STOCKING UP big time. :lol: I've been using Rich's recipe for making a lot of chicken at once, this will be the fourth time I've whipped up a batch of these puppies!

JC - ya there yet? How's everything going in Oz?

Mox - I think that once you reach a certain number of posts, you become a regular member. I notice Moxiegirl is using the journal feature - let us know how that works...

Ya I am here but just trying to upload our website at work.
Will post soon!

JC

Hey I can get in L&S ok....

Moxie: It’s incredible – I had it on pamcakes this morning and they were so delicious. Pam emailed me about the moderate cardio so I have a better idea of what to do now. No – we don’t get the food network over here and even so I don’t watch TV at all. I find Pam’s meal just different since I have been on an old program of hers anyways. I just needed a change of food. She actually has me eating a lot more fruit than I normally do which is interesting.

Mel: I said the same thing to Pam actually. I asked her to remove all of the bread and the high-glycemic carbs etc, and she had no problem with that. Hey if you are already fairly lean then you may not lose any weight at all?? Just try and focus on your clothes size – which is awesome!

Mox: I just became a member as well!

Damn I have to work!

JC

I am such a sucker for workout journals. All I did was click a little button after reading Suzanne's post and voila! the journal button was under my name. I don't know yet if I'm going to use it or not, it'd be nice to be able to log my weights and such on something other than paper. I'll have to think about it.

Tonight was my free meal for the week--Mexican! Yummy. Although right now I'm very very full. Beans and rice will do that to you. I decided to do it tonight so that I can take pictures and measurements this Saturday without all the bloat.

It's starting to rain here thanks to the tropical storm and I have to get to bed, so have a great night ladies!!

Maggie

I'm definitely doing Mexican on Sunday since it's my wedding anniversary this weekend - and a REAL Mexican sit-down dinner...not just a burrito from Pancho Villa (though they are wonderful - that's been my usual Free Day lunch lately)!

What is it with Mexican over there? You all love it so much!

My normal free day lunch is a lebanese chicken kebab with garlic sauce - yummy!

Have a great weekend everyone if I don't catch up with you before that sicne it's FRIDAY here!! Yippee!

JC

Mmmm. Mexican food is my most favorite free food. It's probably what I miss most about living in California. About the most authentic Mexican food you can find around here is at Taco Bell and the place I went to last night (about 45 mins away). My ex-boyfriend from CA was Mexican, and he introduced me to many many yummy things. His mother didn't like me all that much, but that's a whole other story. He's actually traveling in Australia right now, JC.

Still raining here, going to try and get to they gym for a treadmill run later this afternoon. I'm thinking the gym might be a little crowded, though, so maybe I'll use the elliptical at home. Decisions, decisions.

I'm drinking all my water today in preparation for pics and measurements tomorrow. I'm excited to measure because I know that I've lost some inches. My 6s are loose on me now right out of the dryer and too loose to wear after one washing. I don't have the money for new jeans right now, so I don't think I'll try and lose any more for the next couple months. Pretty weird that I have to gauge my leanness on my budget!!

Congrats, Mel on your new jeans! I always gauge my efforts on what size jeans I can fit into. A year ago it was tight 12s, today loosed 6s. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could wear a 6 someday. You must have a bigger jeans budget than me--I wear Old Navy jeans!! Keep it up girl and stay off that scale!

Hello girls,

Everyone seems to be doing so well.... What is this ?? You girls are all in sizes 2 and 4!! Arggg.... I'm envious.... I'm still in a size 14, although its loose, but still can't get into a size 12....:(:( I think sizes are different in the States and Australia, because when I read here and at L&S that people are the same size as I am from the descriptions and they wear a size 8 or less... I get confused :?: ...

I haven't had a good week I must be PMSing :( I've eaten 3 granola bars 2 days in a row, then last nite had some chocolate that my D brought home from school to sell, not alot of it but still I had some...I'm exercising so that's a good thing... thank goodness... I think I may have some kind of bug my stomach is sore, like a pain in it... It's hard to describe really ... When I'm hungry it really hurts, then when I eat it subsides but comes back half an hour later....

Hubby and I are off today.... we're still in the painting mode but we should be finished this weekend... The house is a terrible mess and becaue of my stomach pains I don't feel like cleaning...I'll putter around tho because it MUST get done. The house looks like we're about to move or something.... It's awfully depression....:lol:

Hubby thinks the stomach pains may be stress.... I was very stressed about work a couple of weeks ago, because they've eliminated one secretary and we are soooooooo busy we can't even look at each other in the office and have some decent conversations.... The guy I work with around 1:30 in the afternoon is pooped after a full morning of go.go.go.go constantly... I've finally stopped verbally stressing about it and just try to do the best I can in the time I have at work.... NO ONE in the office can finish their day's work and we CANNOT work over time..... So things are pilling up on our desks....

One thing that is encouraging, for me, is that I won't be there for long because I'm a temp and my post will be filled soon... and I will be able to say buhbye to this position and leave....

Mexican food is NOT one of my favs at all.... I do like spicy foods but Mexian nope....

We can't get SF syrup around here either I've been looking.... the NY state border is near here and sometimes we go shopping there so I may pick some up next time... I asked the lady in the health food section in the grocery store about it the other day and she said that it's so full of chemicals that she doesn't carry it and won't because you're better off eating a bit of the regular stuff than all those chemicals....

Well girls, have a good weekend, I don't envision any free day per say, because of my down falls this week but maybe a glass of wine to celebrate hubby's BD... You won't believe this but I forgot his BD, it was yesterday, and I never thought about it till 7PM or so... I am so bad.... He would NEVER foget mine I know it... but he may now.... yikes... time to make up...

Oh and another thing before I go how do you download a pic to this site or an avatar with your pic on it?? I scanned a couple pic the other nite and tried to send it as an attachment, but the file was too big... so let me know K?

Later all............take care............:grouphug:

Hello again girls, I just got this in my e-mail and thought I'd pass it on to you....

>A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape...but a woman of strength builds relationships to keep her soul in shape.
>A strong woman isn't afraid of anything... but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.
>A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her... but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.
>A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future...but a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be unexpected blessings and capitalizes on them.
>A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face... but a woman of strength wears grace.
>A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...but a woman of strength, has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.
>Pass this on to GREAT WOMEN ... I just did!
>
>
>
Marla Davey-Light

I actually like being a "junior member" – it made me feel younger . . . now I have to be a more responsible "member". How intimidating.

Well, maybe after 7 or 8 weeks of struggling to get up in the morning, perhaps my body & sub-conscious is starting to get the message. I woke up briefly this a.m. (at 5:30), looked at my clock and realized I had another hour to sleep – which I, of course, took advantage of. During this hour, though, I had a dream about getting ready to work out, convincing my family to join me, and then going to the gym!!! I can't get away from this even in my sleep. :lol:

Anyway, I can't wait for my free day tomorrow. In addition to having work out dreams, I've been craving all sorts of bad things. I'm chalking the cravings up to TOM. :moo:

Mel: Awesome job! I can't recall the last time I was in single digit jeans. Right now, I'm just happy that all of my clothes are feeling a little looser! But keep up the good work.

I don't have a lot else to report -- I'm getting a little bored with the BFL routine, but am sticking with it. I'm a bit envious of those of you doing the Pam-Camp-thing. Sounds like fun. (And I've always enjoyed starting new things -- sticking with them is a bit more difficult.)

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Be safe. Mox

Hey everyone

Just a quick check in because I am about to go out soon but I just wanted to reassure Lana that the sizes ARE different in different countries.

I am a size 10 on top and a 12-14 on the bottom half. When I look at Karen who's a size 4 or 6 (can't remember exactly) I think OMG!! Then I have to remember that sizes are different. I am not sure if anyone here know's Sue (netsurferchick) but she is a size 8 in normal days and a size 6 during competitions and she is tiny! Actually they normally don't sell size 6 over here she has to shop at certain stores to get sixes. The normal range on the shelf is 8-16. I always find it so frustrating.

JC :D

The sizes in Canada and the US are the same tho- and depressingly so are the stores. At least in southern Ontario where we used to live, malls look just like the malls where I live now, in southeastern Pa. Same stores, same junk food.

JC- we are built exactly the opposite- I'm an 8-10 on the top and a 2-4 on the bottom! I have really wide shoulders and a big rib cage. Now that the ribs are showing, I know it's not fat.

Mox- how long have you been doing BFL? For me, boredom is the surest way to failure. I had been lifting long before I found BFL, so the workouts bored me to tears after about 4 weeks. If you have the time, I'd say look at a split workout next time you change-up your workout. I know it's heresy to say "tweak" if you haven't done 1-2 challenges, but if it's boring and routine, or too easy, it's time to shake things up. Lots of us here can help you with different and effective split routines.

Lana- I was a syrup purist until about 6 months ago- if it wasn't 100% pure maple, it didn't make it thru the door of this house. HOWEVER, the real stuff is so sugary you just can't use it doing BFL or any other program. I use just about a teaspoon of the SF Log Cabin on my oatmeal and pamcakes, otherwise I couldn't swallow either one of them. I don't think the health food store is the place to look for it- try Loblaws or whatever big store you have there. I know I've bought it in St. Catherines.

Today is the end of 4 weeks CPB for me, still waiting for next weeks menus. I'm down (almost) 1 jeans size, and 3 pounds on the scale. Had one cheat night of cake and ice cream at my son's b'day party. Can't wait to do another 4 weeks, tho C3 officially ends next week for me. I 'm just going to keep on going, probably til Thanskgiving week. I don't feel burned out (except on low carbs days) and am thrilled to finally make a few breakthroughs!

have a good weekend,

mel

Hi ladies!
Just wanted to let you know that I have started to use the journal feature that's under my name on the left. I think I'll just use it to keep track of my food and workouts, including weights, reps, etc. Keeps me on track knowing that you all might be looking at it and I hope that it may motivate other people using this site that BFL and bodybuilding is a great thing because you get to eat lots and lots of food!! Just had that thought looking through others' journals...

I'll try to keep the journal to the details and still post here. Today was technically my day off from working out but I woke up this morning and the sun was out (it rained here the past two days from the tropical storm) so I headed out and did a 1.5 mile run/walk with my dog. She loved it so it was definitely worth it. It was nice to get outside before all the mosquitoes recover from the storm too.

Tomorrow is back to the gym, although I'm switching up my workouts but keeping the same split. I changed my mind about doing a high volume for four more weeks--I did my measurements and I did lose a whole lotta inches on CPB, but my lean mass has been steadily decreasing in the past four months or so....from like 104 to 96lbs now. I have lost scale weight, but I'm still in the high teens in terms of body fat. Do I just chalk it up to the calipers or should I be worried? Reading that made me not want to go any lower, so I think I'll up my cals and try and gain some lean mass. Lots of clean clean food and heavy weights, but I just have to remember that it's CLEAN food and not any old food that will give me those muscles. And honestly, I don't really want to go any lower than what I am. I'm comfortable being a size six, and can't afford smaller jeans right now anyway!

Take care, everyone and have a great night!
Maggie