Weight and Resistance Training - Newbie to modified BLF

Hi everyone,

i have been reading your posts and it has inspired me to do BFL. I actually have has the book for a year or so now...and i have looked through it once and it has been shelfed ever since. but it is now a nightly reader for me.

I have started WW (again) two weeks ago. and I am going to stick to the eating plan of that. But I am doing the BFL exercise program and frequency of eating, as well as lowering the carbs intake. I know that i can not do BFL as a lifestyle, hence, i am doing a combo modified version.

Today is day four of my BFL exercise regime...it has been hard. the weight lifting is difficult. I was wondering if you do any glutes and inner and outter thigh exercises for your lower body workouts? I followed the book, but it seems a lot shorter on lower body days. also, i have printed the women's workout forms on the BFL website, and the second exercise on the upper body days is the back instead of shoulders...does it matter?

how often do you do your abs? I have a genetic tendency to story a lot of fat around my waist...and upper arms....should i do more abs and lower back exercises?

there are so many things to learn about the BFL approach. I have about 50 lbs to lose...i am 5'3 and 176 (lost 4 lbs on WW last week). Feedback, support, suggestions, comments, would be greatly appreciated. Happy pumping...

jilly
:strong:

Hi Jilly-
You are exactly the same size I was when I started my transformation! And I too store fat around my middle. Unfortunately, the only way to see your abs is to burn off the fat everywhere- doing more ab work may make your abs stronger, but you can't spot reduce the fat.

Eating according to WW is not going to give you enough protein or carbs for you to build muscle, and that's what helps burn the fat. Why don;t you try BFL by the book- no, you won't see dramatic scale weight losses at first because you will be building muscle. But in the long run, you will be a smaller size with less fat and that's what counts!

Come join us on the main thread,
mel

Welcome Jilly! :)

Hm, so you're on WW? I haven't been to WW in eons but from what I've heard at Lean & Strong, the problem with their food plan as far as weight training is concerned is: 1) not enough food and 2) not enough protein - WW has traditionally been a high-carb, low-fat diet. From what I've read at L&S, the points are way too low for BFL style eating. Remember, you're gonna be doing some INTENSE workouts and you need to fuel that muscle with good, clean food! So if you feel the need to go to WW meetings for support - then fine but you might find that you get VERY HUNGRY eating WW style while doing intense BFL style workouts. Um, also, about that weekly weigh-in...there's a reason that you see so many posts here saying to IGNORE THE SCALE. In fact, I was just getting ready to post an article called "Why the Scale Lies" on our Articles thread here. As soon as I finish this note, I'll do so (actually I just did it now!)

Also, I'd personally TOTALLY ignore the BFL website. Remember that Bill Phillips has not been part of EAS for quite awhile now - the website is now IMO purely for the purpose of selling supplements which you don't necessarily need (and can be bought much cheaper elsewhere).

Regarding your question about abs and lower back exercises - unfortunately spot reducing is a myth. Doing a ton of crunches isn't going to make the fat disappear from that spot any quicker. As JC used to put in her signature "Abs are made in the kitchen"! With losing body fat, I've found that it is definitely a case of "first on, last off" - i.e. the first place you gained fat is going to be the last and most stubborn to lose. For most women that 'last place' is the abs/thigh/love handles area.

It IS a lot to learn but hang out here and at Lean & Strong...check out some of the links in the Information sticky...and don't be afraid to ask questions! We're all here to help each other!

I had a friend on WW and she did great until she hit the gym. She was so tired all the time but she couldn't eat any more than her 21 points worth. She ended up ditching the gym. Shame because she looks really sick and skinny now instead of lean and healthy.

Good luck and I hope that you can make it work! If it does let us know about it.

JC

Thank you all very much for your input. I have just finished day four of BFL. and you are right, i am hungry a lot. I noticed that i am hungry after an hour or so after eating. i have been trying to eat as much protein as possible. i usually keep the carbs to a minimal. I have been maxing out on my points for the past few days...and actually going over a little.

I am going to try to stick with it. When I look at the food picks for BFL, it does not appear to be too excessive when comparing to points value.

when BFL say one serving of protein...is that 3ounces? and carbs? a cup?

I eat a lot of veggies...do you think that is okay?

thanks a lot.

Jilly

hey Jilly...I've only been doing BFL for four weeks, but feel confident enough to tell you that lots of veggies is just fine! Just make sure they're not starchy veggies like lima beans or corn.

Hi Jilly,

:wave:

Welcome!!

I did WW for years and years, till a couple of years ago even... In a full year on WW I lost 5 lbs.... but because I was doing weights, (and I have always done weight training), I did not loose alot of scale weight... and I did look just "OK"... but the thing was with WW because you weigh in weekly, the #s on the scale discourage you...

I ALSO felt tired all the time and ravenously hungry!! Very discouraging... When I came upon BFL, through this site, and I too had seen and taken the book out from the library I desperately needed a change from WW I had had it up to HERE with WW and paying 12$/week to be told I was up 1/2 a lb down 1/2 a lb....GRRRR.... and what was more irritating was my g/f was doing WW for the first time, and dieting for the first time in her life, and she lost 40 lbs on WW.... But she did not work out!! :yikes: I really shouldn't say she did nothing she walked 2-3 times/week... But to tell you the truth, she looks "OK" but you can tell she still has a pot under her clothes... and I guarantee you that you will loose the "pot" if you do BFL....

It's ok to max out on your "points" because you WILL with BFL...
To start do BFL "by the book" , hand and fist method, then you can tweek (only if necessary) your protein and carb portions to about 25g/meal (which is "average" for most women)..... and you will never go hungry again....

Eat lots of those yummy green veggies, don't keep your carbs to a minimal, you need them too to get have energy for your WO....

I guarantee that you will thoroughly enjoy BFL....

GAWD!!!! do I sound like a convert or what!!??

OK ..... OK..... my 2 cents are said....

Good luck and we are always here for ya...

OH and P.S.: THROW THE SCALE OUT... :lol:....if you truly decide to go BFL....


Toodles..............................

great to see you here !

i completely agree with all the above posts. first of all, give BFL nutrition a chance for a few weeks and see how it works for you. if you're working out hard i can almost guarantee you that you'll feel a whole lot better :D

be patient, follow the book as much as possible and get good rest too. muscles are made after the workouts, during the rest and recovery period.

you'll be just fine on this wonderful program.

i'm on my second challenge and loving every minute of it !!

take care,

adriana :smug:

hi

Lana, Ihave heard that when someone loses a lot of the weight, they still are flabby. I am definately afraid of that. I have not taken the before pictures...to ashame. and i will try to do the measurements this weekend. the scale will go, i will con't to go to WW to weigh in but unless i loss i dont want to know about it.

Jenelle, How is it going? i put the little X on my 12 weeks workout sheet. and some times, it gets really depressing that I only have 5 Xs down and 80 more to go. But i will try to stay with it.

Adriana, i have calculated my eating for the day and still be within points of WW. today is looking something like this:

*6:45 - 7:30 upper body lifting (funny, saw a guy there with the BFL book...was going to talk to him but too shy)

*8:40 Ultra pure protein drink (1 WW pt, 35g of protein, 170 cal, 2 fiber, 2g fat)

11:00 chicken breast (2.5 oz or so) and broccoli (cooked last night with TBL spoon of olive oil (3 pts)
1 orange (1 pt)

2:00 cabbage with rice noodle (1 pt)
orange (1 pt)
Protein drink (1 pt, 100 cal, <1 g of fat, 3g fiber, 21 g protein)

5:00 Smoked salmon (3 oz) salad with dressing (4 pts)
egg beater omelete with veggies (2 pts)
grapes/ fruit (1 pt)

8:00
zone bar (4 pts)

I go to sleep around 10, so, 8pm is usally my last meal of the day. do you think i should eat more frequently? Total, its 21 WW point for the day. Have to admit, i usually have a point or two more after i get off of work. I know that the protein is not distributed evenly, but i am working on it...and it is a modified BFL. i am trying to follow the BFL program as close as i can without going over on the points.

What do you guys think?

As for my workout, I work out 7 days a week now. i follow BFL six days a week and then swimming with a swimming class on saturday too....but its not much of an workout, we do some drill but not consistently swimming. also, I dont have a day off because sunday is my running day with a buddy. We have been training together for over a year. Did a marathon over a year ago...so we are trying to train for a half marathon this spring. I enjoy the company and dont want to give that up. If i get too tired, i will give up saturday swimming. but will see.

Jilly

p.s. I have been reading the posts, you guys are great. thanks!!

Jilly - mind if I critique a bit???

8:40 Ultra pure protein drink (1 WW pt, 35g of protein, 170 cal, 2 fiber, 2g fat)

You need a carb here hon - what kind of protein drink is this? Some are better than others as far as quality. I would suggest adding in some oatmeal or sweet potato. You need those carbs for energy or you'll start burning muscle rather than fat.

11:00 chicken breast (2.5 oz or so) and broccoli (cooked last night with TBL spoon of olive oil (3 pts)
1 orange (1 pt)

2.5 oz of chicken? Seems a bit small, but then again I don't know how much you weigh. That's probably not gonna be enough protein - remember what I said before - 1 gram lean protein per pound of bodyweight per day, divided into six meals. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be getting 150 grams of protein each day or 25 grams per meal.

2:00 cabbage with rice noodle (1 pt)
orange (1 pt)
Protein drink (1 pt, 100 cal, <1 g of fat, 3g fiber, 21 g protein)

Hm, the real problem here is that you're not getting enough REAL food. What kind of drink is this again? The rice noodles I wouldn't recommend personally.

5:00 Smoked salmon (3 oz) salad with dressing (4 pts)

egg beater omelete with veggies (2 pts)
grapes/ fruit (1 pt)

I'm assuming this is two meals that were put together by mistake right? Personally I'd say that you are overdoing it on the fruit. Fruit is a great carb but you need those starchy complex carbs for more energy. Basically you're not getting enough calories. Dunno about that smoked salmon either - usually it's LOADED with oils and fats (I'm thinking of Lox here). The naturally occurring fats in regular salmon is one thing but lox is quite another IMO. Why no carb with that salmon and salad (remember, carbs and veggies are different under BFL)?

8:00
zone bar (4 pts)

Bars are not the best choice - in fact they're a pretty lousy choice. Generally they are loaded with sugar and most of the protein is gelatin, which can't be assimilated by your body.

Actually I just now checked the Zone Perfect nutrition info -

Calories 210
Protein 16 grams (not enough!!)
Carbs 22grams - 13 grams is SUGAR!

Ingredients: soy protein nuggets (isolated soy protein, (soy protein is not the best for bodybuilding) rice flour,malt, salt), corn syrup, chocolate coating (sugar,palm kernel oils (bad fats here!), cocoa (cocoa, potassium carbonate), nonfat milk, sorbitan monostearate and lecithin (emulsifiers), vanilla], milk protein isolate, cocoa butter, less than 2% of the following, sunflower oil, xanthan gum, natural flavor, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, magnesium oxide, ascorbyl palmitate, D-alpha tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, fish oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin A palmitate, thiamine mononitrate, chromium chloride, folic acid, sodium selenite, sodium molybdate, biothin, cholecalcierol, cyanobalamin.

*********************

I know you're still learning - and it's really tough to get out of those old diet monologues - that's why doing WW and bodybuilding just does not work - it CAN'T work. You're not getting the nutrition you'll need to power yourself during those workouts - and you should NEVER be hungry. If you're getting hungry less than 2 hours after your meals, then that's a sure sign that your body is going into starvation mode and you need to EAT - otherwise you won't show results...

Hopefully someone else will chime in here...

Oh one more thing - if weight training and clean eating is your regimen - you are much LESS LIKELY to become one of the 'skinny fat' people. Speaking for myself - between April 2001 - June 2002 I lost maybe 12 pounds on the scale BUT went from a saggy size 10 to a tight size 4! I still have loose skin issues but believe me I've seen plenty worse - and I am certain it's because I've been working out and eating clean - which includes healthy fats such as flaxseed oil, hemp oil, or EFAs such as Udo's Choice.

Jilly- As I said before, you and I started at exactly the same size.
I lost 40 pounds doing Sugarbusters (pretty clean eating) and circuit training before I did BFL. After I lost the weight, I was a size 8-10. But very "squishy" looking"- not what I was aiming for. I weigh about 3 pounds less now, but wear a size 4 and look about 1/2 the size I did preBFL. I don't know how old you are, but I'm 48 and share clothes with my 20 yr old daughter (much to her dismay).
For me a "portion" of chicken is 4-6 oz. depending on what I'm doing that day ( big muscle group or just cardio). I'd also add a lot more vegetables. I know Karen doesn't like vegies, but a big pile of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, and some raw carrots (go easy on the carrots) really fills you up. :) mel

Mel's right. I'm not a veggie fan but I still manage to choke down a couple servings a day :lol:

Forgot to say - eat them veggies!!!

thank you for your input. wow....part of me think that starting BFL has opened a whole new can of worms for me. I feel like i dont know what i am doing and am a little overwhelmed. part of me is thinking that i should just stick with WW until i lose the weight and then do BFL.

I started BFL now because at the end of the 12 weeks it will be my 29th birthday. I have been having a hard time accepting that it will be my 29th and that i have struggled with weight all my life.

I dont want to fail at another weight loss attempt. I dont think i can stick with the BFL program for 12 weeks.

The protein drink is from Trader's joe's. Ultra protein drink or something.

okay, how many grams of protein is per ounce of meat? and a serving of carbs is still a handful?

I took the suggestions from the book and decided not to eat carbs for the last two meal of the day.

I love veggies and i do eat a whole lot of that.

could you give me what your eating diet is like? it would give me some ideas. maybe i can stick with it.

mel, its a great inspiration to hear that you dropped from a 10 to a size 4. how many challenges did you do?

jilly

Ladies...discovered another good side effect of eating clean...my TOM actually surprised me this month! Usually, I deal with a week of pretty black depression, plus my boobs swell to about twice their size and the slightest jostle will make me wince in pain. Those are the signs that I need to be on the lookout in the next week. Well, today, SURPRISE! Aunt Flo is here for a visit and she didn't call first!

I can only assume it's the good nutrition and the exercise and maybe the fact that I'm drinking WAY less caffiene.

Jigly Jilly,
Hello, all I have to say as far as 2 cents since everyone is putting theirs in is, only you know what your body needs, and sometimes when we are doin something such as drastic as dieting to our bodies and switch programs, it can have very undesireable effects, so to you I say this, stick with what you know and what your body will respond to, you did not get FAT overnite, nor will you get SKINNY in a day. Listen to your body do what is best for you, what I have noticed with BFL, is that I have regular bowel movements, my digestive system is working a lot better, the gas smells but I enjoy pooing. What women fail to do is listen to your body. Only you know what is best for you no one can answer the questions that you are asking, you need to look deep inside of yourself and make a committment to yourself that BFL or WW is something you want to do.

Every day will be a struggle but I love the fact that my body hurts because I know that pain is temporary and I will love my body forever when I get the results, but like a job you have to put in work. So take a look deep down in your soul do some soul searching, and then when YOU answer the questions yourself, you will discover that you can do BFL and that it isn't so hard to do after all.

I made that committmennt can you? No matter how GOOD you husband says you look, he is lying take it from me, i know, it ios their job to agree with us, but if you do not like what you see in the mirror then do something about it and stop comming up with excuses of the reasons why you do not think you will be able to do it, like NIKE says JUST DO IT.

You can and we all have faith in you. well that is my motivational speech for the day, but BFL has got me feeling awsome, so I have to share it, GOD BLESS.


remember you can do it;)

Hi there - not Mel but I also dropped from a 10 to a 4 - took me from around mid-April of 2001 and I 'officially' was a size four December of 2001 (meaning I could actually get into the jeans) so that is about 3 challenges. The size 4 jeans started getting baggy in February 2002 which was great.

Here's a typical eating day for me:

4:45 am - 6:00 am - workout at the gym.

7:00 am - oatmeal/eggwhite pancakes with sugar-free syrup
10:00 am - Myoplex Lite shake
1:00 pm - Lunch - varies - could be chicken/brown rice/veggies or sweet potato pie (cold cooked sweet potato blended with cottage cheese, Splenda, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla until smooth) with veggies (just a couple examples).
3:30 - 4:00 pm - generally I'll have a crisp apple, cut up and heated in the microwave with splenda and cinnamon, served a la mode with cottage cheese that has been blended smooth with Splenda and vanilla added. A nice sweet treat :)
6:30 pm - din-din! Hm. This can really vary for me. This is one of my mandatory veggie meals - meaning I have to have veggies - so I like to have things like BFL Joe's Special (made with ground turkey breast, eggwhites or Egg Beaters, spinach, mushrooms and brown rice) for example.
8:30 pm - generally a Myo Lite and then it's off to bed!

I just read what Tanya said - And I must say that I agree with her - as far as motivation goes anyway. You can't 'buy' motivation - the desire to achieve and succeed comes from WITHIN YOU! We can only encourage and give advice :)

:high: well Mel, Karen and Tanya.... You gals know what you speak of.... :bravo:..........
I need not say more.....

Jilly,

I think I know what you're going through. I bought the BFL book a couple of weeks ago and read it through in about 3 days. It sounds real good. I went through the workout over 2 days with a BFL trainer at my gym. I want to go through them one more time tomorrow and start on Monday (Jan 27).

Tonight I am feeling like maybe I won't be able to do it. It's a lot to learn.

Good luck! I'll keep checking to see how you're doing.



What I'd like to know is, can I get results even if I don't do the eating and exercises exactly right?

The eating is a big problem for me right now. For protein I usually eat 3 oz of chicken breast, 3 oz of lean ground beef, 1 can of tuna or 1/2 cup cottage cheese (sometimes I mix in a little bit of green onion).

Carbs would be 1 apple or orange or a small potato

Veggies would be 1/2 cup of mixed vegetable or 1/2 cup of any other veggie on the list or a small salad (usually just lettuce).

I find if I stay with simple meals that are not too elaborate I am less likely to eat something I shouldn't. This is how I was able to stick with the Zone.

Would this be eating enough at a meal? I'm lost!
:dizzy:

I just read some of the other posts that I guess I missed. I really want to do BFL I felt real good after the trainer took me through the exercises. I hurt the next few days, but it was a "good" hurt.

I'm just confused on the eating part because I did the low-fat thing--no good--did the low-carb thing--also no good for me--then did the Zone thing--that worked for me. Took a long time to figure out with the blocks and all, but finally got it.

Now I'll be changing again and I'm finding it hard not to think in terms of counting blocks. I just need to get my head around that part and try to forget about blocks.

HIzGal-

I did the Zone for awhile fall 2001.

I started at 138, size 10, probably around 29-30% BF (I'm 5'2 1/2"). For a couple of months, it worked great for me; at the time I was doing aerobic classes 3-4 times a week, maybe some occasional cardio too. No lifting, tho.

At 128 I totally plateaued. I also noticed that I was watching the clock constantly to see when I could eat again. Even with the 13 blocks I worked up to by doing 4 hours of exercise a week, I was getting only about 1200 calories. That just isn't enough for most people. I know Sears is always referencing athletes doing the Zone, but they must be adding a heck of a lot of fat .

For a few months I did my own Sugarbuster type thing and dropped to 125. My BF, after the Zone, was not much better; I lost as much muscle as I did fat.

Thank God I met Mel and she got me over to this board and also to L and S. After a few weeks of trying to follow a low carbish type eating style and do BFL lifting, I finally got it through my head that if you are doing BFL, you need to eat that way. My challenge was not outstanding as far as scale loss (a couple of pounds) but I did get my BF down to 23-24%.

I know what you mean about blocks, but honestly, BFL is so much easier than all that math!:lol:

Laura

Oh yeah - you're back East I think :)

So ANYway, Laura, I am sooooooooooooooooo glad that you are posting here a lot! I really know nothing about the Zone - never read the book but from what I heard the nutritional breakdown is pretty darn close to BFL eating, isn't it? Except a lot fewer calories. UGH. I am a big eater so I gotta have sizeable portions - one of the reasons that I can't stomach those Lean Cuisine type 'diet frozen dinners' (not to mention the fact that they taste like ca-ca to me!)

And if there's math involved - fergit about it. I am a total dunce when it comes to figures! Thank God for the calculator!

boy this thread is hopping !!

okay, i'll put in my bag of thoughts and see what you think HizGal.

i did my first BFL challenge last year, basically September through December, 2002. now i'm on week 3 of my second challenge. i never even bought the book either! i gathered all the information from lots of web sites and put it all together into something that has been remarkably successful for me.

it's not that difficult to follow the bfl nutrition profile, and you can still combine it with WW points if you want (WW after all is still calorie counting, bottom line). the only thing i would highly recommend first is to re-analyse you're caloric need because 21 points sounds way too low. that's barely 1200 calories!! toooooo low for bodybuilding, anyway you cut it.

one of the most effective ways to figure out your calorie needs per day is the following formula :

The Harris-Benedict formula (BMR based on total body weight)

The Harris Benedict equation is a calorie formula using the factors of height, weight, age, and sex to determine basal metabolic rate (BMR). This makes it more accurate than determining calorie needs based on total bodyweight alone. The only variable it does not take into consideration is lean body mass. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the extremely muscular (will underestimate caloric needs) and the extremely overfat (will overestimate caloric needs).

Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)

Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) - (4.7 X age in years)


Note: 1 inch = 2.54 cm.
1 kilogram = 2.2 lbs.


Example:
You are female
You are 30 yrs old
You are 5' 6 " tall (167.6 cm)
You weigh 120 lbs. (54.5 kilos)
Your BMR = 655 + 523 + 302 - 141 = 1339 calories/day



Now that you know your BMR, you can calculate TDEE by multiplying your BMR by your activity multiplier from the chart below:

Activity Multiplier


Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

Example:
Your BMR is 1339 calories per day
Your activity level is moderately active (work out 3-4 times per week)
Your activity factor is 1.55
Your TDEE = 1.55 X 1339 = 2075 calories/day


Adjust your caloric intake according to your goal

Once you know your TDEE (maintenance level), the next step is to adjust your calories according to your primary goal. The mathematics of calorie balance are simple: To keep your weight at its current level, you should remain at your daily caloric maintenance level. To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by reducing your calories slightly below your maintenance level (or keeping your calories the same and increasing your activity above your current level). To gain weight you need to increase your calories above your maintenance level. The only difference between weight gain programs and weight loss programs is the total number of calories required.

Negative calorie balance is essential to lose body fat.

Calories not only count, they are the bottom line when it comes to fat loss. If you are eating more calories than you expend, you simply will not lose fat, no matter what type of foods or food combinations you eat. Some foods do get stored as fat more easily than others, but always bear in mind that too much of anything, even "healthy food," will get stored as fat. You cannot override the laws of thermodynamics and energy balance. You must be in a calorie deficit to burn fat. This will force your body to use stored body fat to make up for the energy deficit. There are 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. If you create a 3500-calorie deficit in a week through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound. If you create a 7000 calories deficit in a week you will lose two pounds. The calorie deficit can be created through diet, exercise or preferably, with a combination of both. Because we already factored in the exercise deficit by using an activity multiplier, the deficit we are concerned with here is the dietary deficit.

Calorie deficit thresholds: How low is too low?

It is well known that cutting calories too much slows down the metabolic rate, decreases thyroid output and causes loss of lean mass, so the question is how much of a deficit do you need? There definitely seems to be a specific cutoff or threshold where further reductions in calories will have detrimental effects. The most common guideline for calorie deficits for fat loss is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For some, especially lighter people, 1000 calories may be too much of a deficit. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 per day for men. Even these calorie levels are extremely low. A more individualized way to determine the safe calorie deficit would be to account for one's bodyweight or TDEE. Reducing calories by 15-20% below TDEE is a good place to start. A larger deficit may be necessary in some cases, but the best approach would be to keep the calorie deficit through diet small while increasing activity level.

Example 1:
Your weight is 120 lbs.
Your TDEE is 2033 calories
Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 500 calories
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss is 2033 - 500 = 1533 calories

Example 2: Your calorie deficit to lose weight is 20% of TDEE (.20% X 2033 = 406 calories)
Your optimal caloric intake for weight loss = 1627 calories

===========

i've used this for the past 4.5 months and i've lost 26.4 pounds of fat. also, according to the simple bmi calculations i've gone down about 5.5% in my body fat composition, with no loss in muscle, and even a small gain of about 1 pound of lean muscle. i haven't had a bodyfat test done on me because my fat/muscle ratio is still very high and the bmi calculators are still accurate for me.

i keep my calories in the 1800 - 2200 range, varying them throughout the week to keep my body guessing.

this is a typical day of eating for me:

Meal 1 – ½ cup (dry) oatmeal, 250 grams 1.5% cottage cheese, 10 almonds, herbal tea

Meal 2 – banana, 2 tangerines, 2 slices lite whole wheat bread, 40 grams humus, 1 cup 3% milk

Meal 3 – 5 oz grilled turkey breast, baked sweet potato, fresh red bell pepper and tomato salad

Meal 4 – ff yogurt, 2 tangerines, 3 large dates, herbal tea

Meal 5 – 170 grams tuna salad (w/chopped apple, green onion and mayonnaise), 250 grams cottage cheese, fresh bell pepper salad with 1 teaspoon olive oil and balsamic vinegar

(i took this straight from this past week's meal plans - i plan my meals the night before and i stick to them 100% !)

as you can see i have no meal replacements or protein shakes. i work from home so it's very easy for me to just get up from the computer and make my meal. besides, that other stuff is just too expensive for me.

i also take a multi -vitamin and extra iron supplement because i'm low in iron.

i have changed my entire life around following this kind of plan. clean, wholesome eating, as my mother would say :smug:

so, with all this in mind i just wanted to let you see that it's not that difficult. it's all COMPLETELY do-able. i've worked out something that works 100% for me and you can do the same thing for you, and both of them will be very much in line with bfl. try bfl by the book and count calories if you want to still, till you get the hang of the portions.

don't be scared. just jump right in. this is not like getting a tatoo which is fairly permanent. it's something that flows with the days and weeks. what works, keep; what doesn't work, throw out. we each have different bodies, different needs and different goals.

you can do this if you really want to. go in and work hard in the gym. each time leave the gym feeling like you gave it your very best!! eat clean and healthy. eat like you mean it !! and don't be afraid of a *gain*, the scales are not the only indicator of progress. i've dropped two entire sizes and *look* like i've lost more than 60 pounds!!

and most of all enjoy yourself :D

life is grand !

adriana

Just heading out to the gym (after I brush my teeth!).

AACK! MATH!! AAAAUIUUUGHHHHH :dizzy:

The Hussman site at www.hussman.org/fitness has a BMR calculator you could try using...just for those of us who are mathmatically challenged (like yours truly - I feel like the turtle in that cartoon "Help Me Mr. Wizard!!!").

Off to the gym!

HizGal....I'm not doing it "exactly" right, but it's working for me. Sometimes I only eat five meals instead of six, sometimes my portion sizes are bigger than they should be, and sometimes I don't do my 20 minutes of cardio. But it's still working. I feel stronger. I sleep better at night (but I will never get up easier in the morning! :lol: ) I've lost about 13 lbs. of scale weight and I know I've lost inches because my pants aren't stretched across my arse like a drum head.

I kind of look at it this way: I know know that I will be eating like this for the rest of my life, and I'm fine with it. I've never really felt like that on any other plan, WW included. I also know that it took me months to put the weight on and it's going to take me years to get off. I'm okay with that, too.

Who was it - either Ann Landers or Dear Abby - who used to ask people, "If you don't start today, where will you be a year from now?"

Hi Galz,
I am dome with my cardio ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh my body hurts, but i like it, I can feel a hamstrin muscle developing;) :D , It looks like all of us here know what we are talking about and have goals for getting to where we want to be and also that if what we are doing is not working we can read and get ttips from each other to come up with something that will work for sure. you uys are awsome as ****, I love BFL and I love you galz.

Tomorrow is my free day and all I am cravin are hot dgos on whole wheat buns? Too funny. I know for sure that this cheat day will not be like the one I first started, oh yeah I also want some diet rite tangerine soda, I doubt if I will go back to the old WOE, this feels too good.

TOM is due next month so I should by then have those PMS cravings to a tie down, so that they will not disrupt my WOE. BFL ROCKS:D

aaawwww com' on MrsJim !!! it's not that bad! it's *times* this, *plus* that and *minus* something else. not bad at all.

LOL

take it easy,

adriana

Karen- it's true that the Zone ratios are quite reasonable; a nice change from lowfat diets to 30% fat. The best thing I got out of it was learning about how truly awful processed carbs *are*; you learn that you get a lot more bang for your buck with fruits and veggies.

But....try out the calculator at www.zoneperfect.com. Leaving aside the fact that it estimates BF way high, it gave me only 12 blocks a day. This is after I inputted that I was "very active" (just below "Elite").

http://www.zoneperfect.com/Site/content/Calculator_Women.asp

One "block" is 7 grams protein, 9 grams carb and 3 grams fat.

That's only 28+36+27 =91.

12 x 92=1092. No thanks!

BTW, even being an Elite Athlete gave me only 13 blocks a day, which is a paltry 1183.

So I understand completely why I stalled; my body just figured it was starving.

Laura

hi all,

finishing my first week with BFL. i have decided to stick with it as much as i can. Today was my weighing in day at WW. lost 1.9 pound. I am happy with any loss since i am doing the BFL exercises, i was afraid that i would be gaining. I am going to continue to do WW as much as I can too...i just have to make an effort to look at the protein grams too.

I had multigrain oats (2 pts) this morning with 4 scoops of protein powder (2 pts) (to make 28 grams of protein). MrsJim, you would be proud that i at least tried to get the protein in. But, I have to say, the oats tasted gross...cardboard. I even put equal and a little vanilla extract in it.

lunch: i had chicken strips (4 pieces) baked in the oven with mrs. dash. ~30 grams of protein (3 pts), brown rice (1 cup) (4 pts) and spinach sauteed with a tablespn of olive oil.

afternoon meal: protein shake (1 pt) 28 grams of protein and fruit (1pt)

Dinner: shrimp and scallop pasta (33grams of protein) (7 pts) with salad.

before bed: protein shake (2 pts) with fruits (1pt)

I get 20-25 points in a day. I can have a few more for exercising. but i just dont need them all the time.

I am going to take my "before" pictures this weekend...and i hope that i will look like i lost 60 lbs too after the 1st challenge.

the powder protein mixes are okay, dont you think?

thanks a bunch...

p.s. what about supplements?

jilly