well, first of all my six week progress results - I have now lost a grand total of 14 pounds!!!! yay! man its such a relief to know that I must be doing it right. (I probably need to put in here that I am VERY overweight - so it comes off quite fast) I couldn't say how many inches all over but my hips are down 2&3/4 inches, my waist is down 1 inch (my stubborn area) and my thighs are down 1 inch each also. I am loving this thing!
I know this is going to make me sound like a dummie but could someone please give me the brief rundown on glutamine.
We are not using any supplements (apart from protein shakes) at the moment, and I don't feel like I am progressing with my weights as much as I'd like - would glutamine help?
If I had a choice (and the money) I would definately buy Powerblocks, a bench, and a precor elliptical trainer. I would love to be able to do my cardio at home rather than going to the gym for 20 minutes.
well ER has just come on - so must go! at least its a healthy addiction right?
Congratulations! I am so happy for you. You sound really pumped about it. Those are big changes happening to your body - be proud of your work.
As for glutamine - I don't know all the chemistry stuff with it. There is a link at L&S that explains it but everytime I try it says page cannot be displayed. From what I can gather your muscles flush out enzymes? or acids? - I think when you train them hard with weight lifting. Glutamine helps to replenish these and speeds up and helps with muscle recovery. How'd I do Susanje and MrsJim? They can probably explain it better. I do know that it helps a great deal with soreness although it doesn't completely go away. There is still a dull ache there. From what I gather it is a natural supplement. You mix it with water and it is tasteless.
I love it for LBWO days - those squats kill me every time!
I have a couple questions about BFL, I follow weight watchers plan loosely but I take one day a week off and eat what I want like on this program. I been doing this for 8 years and have been successful with keeping at goal wt. The problem is I need to tone up my triceps and lower abs. Would it be possible for me to follow this exercise plan and get good results eating the way I do, or would I have to follow the BFL plan to get good results? I have tried free wts but I only got up to 5 pound wts to work my arms, after 5 months I still saw no results so I gave up. Do you think my weights weren't heavy enough? Also after your free day, do you feel yucky and bloated? I go over board on the sugar, another thing I need to get under control LOL. I would greatly appreciate and info you all may have. Thanks!
Susan, which set of powerblocks do you have? I looked at their website and I'm guessing the cheapest set won't be enough, and I'd want to at least get the 2nd set (5-45 lbs). Other than ease of changing weights, why is this any better than buying a dumbbell set with changeable plates? I have seen a 150 lb beginner weight set for $99 at the local sporting goods store. $99 sounds a lot more tempting than $219 at the moment, especially since I'd like to buy a bench too and we're real tight on money atm
Thunderheart, how much weight is in your dumbbell set?
I definitely plan to try using the shakes, because I cannot imagine getting enough protein in my diet any other way. I'm thinking I probably don't need any other supplements to begin with. I'm confident I can see some good results without them. What are all your takes on this topic?
I too have just begun BFL program...I am almost done with week2 of C1. I already feel a lot better physically and I'm also starting to feel toner.
A little about my weightloss/fitness journey. I started WW 2/2000 to lose weight..I really needed to lose 50-60 pounds. Two years later, I'm down 45 pounds but my weight has not budged for 6 months. Also, I still feel "Blaugh!" I've lost a lot of weight, but I didn't build any muscle. To keep the weight off , and hopefully lose a little more, I need to build muscle. Also, I just look flabby.
Two co-workers have been doing BFL and I saw their before and after pictures. Wow! I'm a believer now! Hopefully I can see the same results within a few challenges. I'm trying to convince DH to join me...he's coming around. I also refuse to cook 2 different meals for dinner, so he may have no choice!
I've been lurking here for the past 2 weeks and I decided to join and start posting. I have similar questions as the other newbies. I'll post them as they come!
Looking forward to posting with all of you! You seem like a great bunch...hope there's room for one more!
We're not only a nice group, we are also cat people!
Christine: I have the lowest higher end one (the lowest one you can continue to add to). I think they were $329.00. But for me, I keep them in one corner (stacked on each other) and the lack of space they take up is worth it alone. But the design of them really helps my wrists (I have carpal tunnel) and I like that a lot. I can really isolate my wrists OUT of the exercise which is nice. One thing I do like about working out in my bedroom is that if I go up in weights too fast, I can drop on the bed. I know that sounds kinda silly but I've gotten hurt in the gym before and I know that if I take it up too much, sometime lowering the weight too fast can cause injury when the weight is too heavy. I will just drop on the bed and release them (my cats think I'm insane but that's okay). The other thing I like is that I tend to do UBWO in just my bra so I can really see the muscles working in the mirror. Can't do that at the gym plus when I see the fat jiggling, it is incentive to KEEP GOING AND HIT THOSE TENS. I really like doing LBWO at the gym and UBWO at home. Go figure.
Daytona: WELCOME! I've done WW and found that it is very carb-centric. To build muscle, you need more protein than WW really allows. You might want to try the six small frequent meals with palm sized protein and fist sized carbs to see how it compares. I think the two plans are very different. When you use your points on WW, you are done for the day. On BFL you have to eat every 2-3 hours and get your six meals in. When I was on WW, I went for the small points and ate a lot of 1 point foods which were mostly carb based because protein tends to be higher in points. On BFL, the balance and the protein is very important. I do think that if you were working out with just 5 lb weights, you probably weren't taxing your muscles enough.
Carly: CONGRATS on your progress!!! WOO HOO!!!
Thunderheart: Good explanation of Glutamine. I can't believe how sore I am when I forget to take it or lower the dose. For me, it is the only supplement that is a MUST HAVE. I suppose it does contribute to muscle growth since you are not going to work as hard if you're exceptionally sore and glutamine keeps the soreness at bay.
MrsJim: I haven't tried the Gazelle myself but my friends rave about it and one has had very definite progress so I was going by hearsay (not admissible in a court of law with certain exceptions! can you tell I'm taking Evidence this semester? )
I don't know about 10s though. The woman I am subletting from this summer has one in her apt and is leaving it so I will find out. With my allergies some days walking across the street is a ten! Cardio continues to plague me.
I do second the suggestion to try anything before buying it because your mileage (what is a 10 for you) may vary.
Well, free day turned into free weekend and I'm so annoyed and depressed....everytime I see some success, I seem to sabotage myself. I really wanted to blast thru this last week, but I didn't start it real well. At the beginning of c1 I seemed to have a lot more control than I do now at the end. What's with this? I'll have to go re'adjust my attitude this afternoon at the gym. Luckily it LBWO which I love and can realaly feel like I accomplished something.
Hello Daytona, Catwoman, and Silence- welcome aboard! This is a great place, and between us all, we generally can find answers or at least opinions.
Catwoman- You definitly don't have to cook differenct dinners. My husband and 11 year old eat the same dinners I do, just not the same portions or proportions, and they have salad dressings and sauces which I avoid. But the basic food is the same.
Daytona- The 5 pound weights probably weren't enough to do much (sorry). I lifted those 5-12 pounds for years on end and never saw real results til I switched to the BFL way of lifting to failure with heavier weights, and changed my eating. I've tried the lifting without the eating method, and the eating method without the lifting method, and doing both seems to be the only way to get peak results.
As for glutamine- I don't remember who asked the initial question about supplements, but I think it really depends on your body. I lift heavy according to the trainer I occaisionally use, and always to failure, but have rarely been more than slightly sore and never need glutamine. I know I have seen plenty of posts, tho, about people being barely able to walk after LBWO day. I think it depends on your muscles, how much you have worked out in the past, etc. I'd see if you need it before you start taking it. If you can't complete the next workout because you are too sore from the last one, you should try it.
On the powerblock issue- boy I wish I'd bought them to start with! We now have 2 bars, a bench, a ton of plates, and dumbells from 5-25 pounds, and it's not enough, so I joined a gym anyway. Working out at home usually results in lots of bruises from tripping over all this stuff all over the floor! Hopefully, that will be my Mother's Day gift since hubby and I would both use them.
OK- time to go do an attitude adjustment at the gym!
I'm SUPERBUSY this morning getting ready for next week's meeting in Miami...so going to try to make this quick...
Mel - I think the frustration and lack of control you're feeling is exactly the reason why this is a 12 week program and a 'week off' is recommended...Here's what Pam says about that subject - I've posted this before but it bears repeating (entire document is available in the L&S Training Library):
Quote:
IN BETWEEN CHALLENGES
I believe that you need a break every 12 weeks. Not only do your muscles need a break, but you need a mental break from all of the structured eating and planning. I would recommend that you eat everything you are craving, but try not to eat large quantities of it. It can really make you sick. You can set aside one “binge day” if you want, but you don’t wan t your week off to be a “binge week” as it can wreak havoc on your system. I am cautioning from experience here. [blushing]
Daytona - I emphatically agree that you can grow out of 5 pound weights pretty quickly on BFL. If you're not taxing your muscles, you can't expect them to grow. And if you're doing BFL by the book, you will find that the combo of the nutrition and training will cause your strength to build very rapidly indeed! I haven't been on WW for years - last time I was on it I think they were still doing Fat and Fiber Plan - but each time I was on WW (since I was 11 years old I've been on it a number of times) I remember being sooo hungry...I think Susan hit it right on the head with the carb-centric thing about WW, and I believe in retrospect that was the reason for my constant hunger. The issue with WW is that they advertise their program to be 'eat whatever you want and still lose weight'. Judging from my free days, and reading posts at L&S and other places, if most folks ate what they wanted it would be mostly carbs. The neat thing about BFL eating is the balance - a 40/40 balance of protein and carbs, with a bit of healthy fats mixed in. That's my take on it anyway!
thank you all for your comments on glutamine - I'm not sure if it is what I need. The reason I asked is that I am NOT sore after a workout (maybe mild soreness if I lift something the next day) so I thought I maybe wasn't working hard enough, although I do lift to failure and lift the heaviest weights I can. I have not been able to increase the weights very much (except tric & Bis) and my shoulders are just truly pathetic - I can hardly lift anything there!
I thought glutamine might help me lift more weight - but it sounds like its mostly for soreness.
Welcome to all the newbies - I hope you all do really well.
Last year my triceps especially were VERY weak - I could barely do extensions with 7.5 pound dumbbells. Now I'm doing 8 reps of skullcrushers with 50# barbells!
Just concentrate on FORM and INTENSITY in your workouts - and don't compete with others in the gym (you know what I mean - seeing what other gals are lifting and trying to do the same weight). Focus on what YOU are feeling in your muscles and use STRICT form. If you do watch the other people in your gym, instead of looking at the # of pounds they are lifting, check their form...you can learn a lot about what NOT to do by seeing what others are doing around you usually. I see it all the time!
I readjusted my knee instead of my attitude. In my second set of squats, nowhere near my max weight, my right knee just collapsed painfully. Then when I stopped squating, it felt fine. So I tried it again, and my knee collapsed again. I abondonned the squats and tried to do the rest of my workout, but couldn't get the weights up to where they have been on any quad exercises, and was afraid to try lunges. So here I am, with an ice bag on my knee, popping ibuprophen, sure hoping I can finish week 12. *&^$#%!!!!! I was just starting to see definition of the different parts of my quads, too!
I just want to say thanks for all the input on my weights and eating. I am going to pick up a copy of BFL and read it then decide if I want to change over from w/w. I agree that ww is just so much more carbs and I think I need more protein and if I am going to get results with the weights I may as well eat so I can get the maximum benifits! Thanks again,
Another question here. Hope I'm not bugging you yet!
I don't remember where I read this, in the book, on a website, or what, but I remember reading that one should have about 20 grams of protein and 20-25 grams of carbs per meal. Now, I cannot imagine this is a number that everyone could use, as one would have to eat more or less dependant on their body size and sex, no? Is there somewhere I can find a better indicator of the protein and carbs I should be eating as well as my husband? I know its said that its easier to just eat based on size of servings but I'm a numbers person and I'd like to KNOW I'm eating properly by the numbers. Can anyone help?
I know you've heard it before but the Fist Size thing really works! and it is HEAPS easier than counting. I know how hard it is to let go of numbers when we've been so used to counting them - but its definately worth a try.
My husband and I are both of the programme, and He just eats slightly bigger portions than me. I have occasionally checked the numbers and mine come out to be protein 20gms & carbs 20gms (approx) per meal. So my husbands would be a little more.
We are both very overweight - and so far the programme is working VERY well for us. The simplicity makes is really manageable and even my (can't cook, won't cook) husband knows how to feed himself properly now - by looking at the size of his fist.
I know its hard but IMHO I would try to forget the numbers and give Portion size a go!
I've been using the fist/palm measurement and it seems to be working pretty well so far. I've measured and weighed some times too just to double check and it has come out pretty close for me.
Today was my cardio day....I hit my 10 a little too quickly at about 17 minutes...need to keep working on that. I'm going to have to miss a workout once this week, so I'm thinking of maybe doubling up one day on arms and legs. Has anyone else done this before?
Mel~sorry to hear about your knee. Hopefully it will start to feel better so you can finish the challenge.
I hope everyone else had a good day. Catch you later.
wow
Good morning all!
