Hi everyone,

I noticed that the BFL thread disappeared. Too bad! Maybe it belongs under exercise (we've mentioned it in the weight training thread) but it has a food plan component also.

I am sorry I didn't contribute when it was here but I was still learning about it. It's an incredible program. It takes discipline but I am bursting with energy and getting stronger, healthier and LEANER every day!!!!

I was practicing the food plan for a few weeks while doing traditional weight training and now I am officially entered in the Challenge.

Any other BFLers interested in reviving the thread????????

Susan
C1W2D2

Hi Susan.

I am considering starting BFL after Easter. I need some time to really plan out my meals & figure out how I'm going to get myself up early in the morning to exercise before work. I have already lost 90 pounds but feel I need a more structured strength training program to really tone up.

I've read the book (twice, actually) and think it makes a lot of sense.

How long have you been following the program? Any suggestions?

Did you actually sign up for the challenge?

Good luck!

Hi Jen,

Yes I am officially in the challenge. I'm on my second week.

I started WW in January and went back to the gym in February after a many year hiatus. I started the weight training post on the Exercise thread on this board (3fc) and found out about BFL that way. I read the book, started the nutrition program a few weeks ago and started weight training the BFL way the week before I started the challenge. I took before pictures around the middle of March and omigoodness!, they are such a motivator. As many BFLers say "I had no idea I looked like that!"

I've gone down a pant size since January and recently people that I see every day are noticing that I've lost weight.

The food plan is very disciplined but the great thing is that you can bank your cravings for your free day. As long as you are following the food and the weight training, the free day is totally yours! What freedom!
The training can be tough but if you are hitting 10s you
know it and you feel exhilarated. You feel it the next day and you know you've done well. In the short time I've been doing it (officially and unoffically), I have been making incredible strides.

Planning is a great idea. I find that the key is to have all my meals planned in advance. I do a lot of cooking on Sunday and have my week planned well. BFL is about planning, discipline and hard work but it pays off so quickly, you will be amazed. You will definitely see a lot of progress on this plan especially if you've lost a lot of weight and want to take off for the next level!!!!

Susan
C1,w2,d3

Susan,

You have such a great attitude! I sure hope its catching.

I think I'd do well with a more structured eating plan. I'd be able to get all the other "stuff" out of the house and just focus on those foods. Right now, I have so many little "extras" that make it really difficult not to crave. Chocolate is my downfall. I was much more strict when I started on my plan (basically 1200-1500 cals/day & watching fat). I go through phases where I really eat poorly even if I stay w/in the calories.

What supplements are you taking? I've read that you have to have proof that you've taken one of the EAS products. I've used some of the shakes (I think Advantage or Health Advantage) before for breakfast or even as part of a meal. I've looked at the Myoplex or Myoplex Lite Shakes & bars. One of the othe rsupplements mentioned for weightloss was a pill (can't remember the name) I'm skeptical about taking that because one of the main ingredients is ephedrine.

I think this weekend I'm going to try to start planning menus and go ahead and take the pictures (not looking forward to that part at all!)

I'll let you know when I start. I'd love to keep in touch & get your input. Thanks for all of your tips & advice!

Hi Jen,

I just ordered myoplex lite for the shakes but I use a variety of "good" shakes (no sugar, good carb/protein ratio) such as Met Rx. I make ff/sf pudding with the shakes as well. I just ordered some Myoplex bars. The meal replacement drinks and bars are because BFL uses 6 small meals throughout the day and people run out of ideas for meals so they do the bars/shakes but you don't HAVE to. If you use others, they suggest you really look at the sugar content (and the amount of carb grams that are sugar) and the protein/carb ratio (want to be as close as possible) Don't use anything like slimfast.....too much sugar!!!

I only use EAS creatine and you only have to show proof of one EAS product during the 12 week challenge, though I have more. I take creatine, L-glutamine, gugglemax and a multivitamin and calcium and Vit C since I am over 40. I don't use the products with ephedrine or ma huang in in....I don't like that feeling at all......and it screws with your central nervous system.

Today I was craving Red Lobster shrimp and pasta and I know I can have as much as I want on Sunday so it is really helpful to stay on program all week long.........knowing you can go crazy on Sunday. Like I said, the program is very disciplined during the week but as long as you follow it 6 days, you will have incredible results and a full day to go nuts. :dizzy:

:D

The pictures :eek: are a phenomenol motivator...!!!

Susan

Susan,

Thanks so much for your input. I've been taking multi-vitamins for a while already.

I've looked at the before/after pictures in the book & on the website, they are amazing. I just hope I can do that!

I know I'll have to use the bars &/or shakes. I have so much trouble just fixing dinner. There's no way I could make another 3 meals a day. I think just adding breakfast & being more prepared for lunch will be enough. I just don't have the patience or energy to try to get that many meals in.

I've already warned one of my friends that she is going to have to take the pictures this weekend!

Thanks again for all of your advice & help. I plan to begin the Monday after Easter. Gives me time plan & get organized.

Good luck. I will continue to keep you posted.

Great Jen!!! Can't wait to hear your experience. I have to say that after I bought the book and looked at the pix 100 times I couldn't NOT do it. I want to see that kind of change too!!!!! (the transformations are on the EAS site and the www.bodyforlife.com site.)

I have to say that I feel amazing. I can't remember when, if ever, the time change to daylight savings time didn't bother me....I had a grueling week too (just back from spring break). I'm eating well, sleeping well, I feel very alert and energetic and like I said, I'm not taking any products that would rev me up.

I went to the gym tonight and had a good lower body workout. Came home, took creatine and l-glutamine and fixed some chicken and whole wheat pasta. Then I took my multi and gugglemax. I was so full and yet I still have a shake left tonight.

People are noticing the change in me...I like the way my clothes are beginning to feel but the energy and lack of hunger is PHENOMENOL. And I am not counting the MOMENTS til Sunday. Every day is very do-able. Although I have some weak moments almost every day, they don't last and I don't give into them.

Can't wait to hear your experience!!!!
Susan

BFL
 

Hi, I have just been reading your BFL discussion. I tried to do the BFL diet first - just seeing how it went with moderate exercise. The diet works out great - never hungry. Did not lose any weight. I felt that the points were too high (after converting all of it to ww). I was scared that I would not lose any weight so went onto the ww plan.

Then I began doing their work out with the ww eating. I lost 3 lbs the first week but was so sore from the workouts I could not really continue as prescribed. If you have not been doing weights or heavy duty exercising, I found that this was really difficult to be sore all of the time!

I notice that in a lot of the after photos, the people appear very "cut" like body builders. That is great if thats what you are going for, or if you are an actress/model but its not really necessary for health, is it? I just felt that was not what I was going for necessarily. I just want to be slim and minimize the cellulite if possible...not run for BFL lady of the year contest.

Well, my next plan is to just continue to lose weight with ww and try to incorporate the theory behind the BFL workouts...however, there is no way I can work out 6 x a week. Not going to happen, 4 usually if I am lucky 5.

I give all of you ladies lots of credit for your success with it....I wish I had found the same....

thanks for listening, interested in what you all think.

Cheers,
Linda

Hi Linda,

Thank you for joining us and sharing your thoughts.

Yes, the workouts would make you sore if you're not doing the eating plan. The eating plan is designed to feed your muscles. I believe they are designed to work together. I eased into the eating plan but I definitely need to watch my protein and carb intake more carefully when I do high intensity workouts. It's very important to follow the eating plan otherwise you will be sore. Some people swear that the L-Glutamine is what keeps you from being sore. I take it every day and I'm not sore but I can't tell you if that is it or not. :)
I think that when I was doing strictly WW, I was taking in way too many carbs to accompany an intense training program like BFL....so I have to watch my protein, keep my sugar lower than when I was doing strict WW, and keep the meals small and frequent. Otherwise I will be undermining those bruising workouts.

I don't go to the gym six days a week. I do cardio by sprinting/running some days, do it after my workouts on other days (not recommended but sometimes for me it is the only way I'm going to get it in). However, I used to spend 3 hours at the gym 3 days a week and now my routine is just about an hour so I actually find it much easier to break up. I'm looking into an elliptical trainer at home because of my knees but some people use a jump rope on their cardio days (cardio on BFL is 20 minutes so it's not that time consuming).

Also, I haven't lost any scale weight...one of my issues with WW is this is the measure they use. But I am down a pants size and a half. The eating plan would be too high in WW points to do without the exercise...they are designed to work together.

Some people stick religiously to the workout and food plan and don't see progress for 4 to 6 weeks. Others have reported an incredible change at 10 weeks. I am taking my pix each week and have been doing so since the middle of march and I'm not where I thought I'd be yet. I'm just believing that I can't be the only person on the planet this doesn't work for. :)

BFL is a very disciplined program. I watch the time between meals, the composition of my meals, the size of my meals, the intensity of my workouts and how well I stick to the schedule. However, I do get to go crazy one day a week and I already have that day lined up.

If you have any more questions or comments, feel free to jump in!!!

Susan

Hi Linda & Susan!

Linda, I don't necessarily want to end up looking like a body builder. I mainly need to tone up. I'm down to a size 14, but I still have work to do on my stomach and thighs especially. I've been walking 3 miles a day, 3-4 times a week at about a 15 min/mile pace. I've also been weight training throughout, some at home & then I joined a gym. I have lost a lot of weight just counting calories & fat, but feel I need to switch it up some & be more disciplined again like I was when I first started.

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do it all, but I'm going to really sit down & plan my meals, get rid of things that really bother me in the cabinets, and on my off days either eat out or just buy enough for that day so it's not in the house the rest of the week. As for the exercise, getting up in the morning will just have to happen.

I think WW is a great program. I've had lots of friends be very sucessful. Not every program is for every person. I think if you are happy & satisfied with what you are doing, it's a healthy program, & you like your results that's all that matters.

Susan, Wow! Already down a size & a half. That's awesome. I'm not so hung up on scale weight, I want to go more by clothes sizes. Sometimes its still hard to tell by pictures that early on. I know last year at this time I had lost 30 pounds but in pictures I feel like I looked the same as the day I was at my highest weight. I think just knowing I had dropped 2 sizes by then helped. I think that's interesting about the L-glutamine. I had never heard that before. Tomorrow will be picture day for me. I like the idea of taking them weekly, but I don't know if I want to put myself through that on a weekly basis :p

Have a great weekend.

Hi Jen,

Just to clarify my size loss. I went to WW on the 3rd of January and was very tight in my pants. I lost about 8 lbs in January and was happy to be on the way DOWN but was frustrated by the slowness of the loss. Also, I tend to take in too many carbs when given that amount of leeway. For me, the wonderful thing about WW (choice!) is the bad thing about WW because given my freedom, I choose badly. I didn't do a lot of high point carbs, but I filled most of my points with carbs. Bad idea.

I went back to the gym the 1st of February. I had once had a very successful weight training routine and when I started back, I found a renewed love of weight training. I posted about it in the Exercise section of 3fC and a poster named REC mentioned BFL. I looked into it and was so impressed by the transformation pictures that I started the transition around the middle of Feb (had dropped about 12 lbs since 1/3 by that time. My pants were looser but not in a smaller size.) I tried to WW with BFL but the more I read about the physiological philosophy behind it, the more I realized the nutrition and training went hand in hand. From 3/16 to 3/26 I transitioned from traditional weight training and WW to BFL. On 3/26 I began the official challenge and sometime between here and there I dropped a pants size and these pants are loose also. Although I believe that BFL is speeding up things, I think that I'm starting to see a cumulative effect. :)

I am still making mistakes on the program. Recently I realized that my chicken/baked potato/corn dinner that I so love is 2 carbs instead of a carb and a veggie. I think I need to turn the veggie to a green one. I also forget to take flax seed oil often enough and eat too many sandwiches during the week (I try to limit myself to sandwiches 3x a week but this week I had one for lunch every day).

Also, in the book it suggests the AB routine with lower body workout, well some weeks you only do the lower body workout once so that is a long time between AB workouts. I've added two AB routines a week to make up for this. :) and I'm still juggling my schedule around to include cardio.

sorry for the ramble! :spin:

Susan

Susan,

Thanks for the information. You're still doing great.

I know what you mean about sandwiches. I usually have that for lunch right now, mostly for the convenience. I'm hoping on the weekends I can prepare meals so I have something for lunch that I can just heat up or fix enough at night so I have something for the next day.

I took my pictures today. I'm not looking forward to seeing those at all.

I was wondering about the Abs. That's one of my real problem areas that I want to improve. I would imagine that extra exercise wouldn't be a problem as long as you are getting in the recommended workouts as well. I'm hoping to start swimming in the evenings starting in May in addition to the regular workout. I love to swim & find it relaxing. Plus, I enjoy just going out for a walk to help clear my head sometimes.

Hope you have a good Sunday.

Hi Jen,

I try to cook up a bunch of marinated chicken on the Foreman on Sunday (if I don't marinate it, it dries out by week's end) and alternate my lunch sandwiches (using whole wheat bread) with chicken and garden salad with a fat free ceasar dressing. This way I am not just doing sandwiches. Another thing I bring is yogurt and cottage cheese. If you go to the body for life clubs on yahoo there are a lot of interesting web sites with good recipe ideas.

Yesterday I had a GREAT workout at the gym. Today was free day :D and I overate as usual. I had cookies, a giant ice cream cone, bread with lots of butter, red lobster shrimp and pasta and bowls of cereal. :devil:

urp! Tomorrow back to the strict eating and gym....I love these free days though...my husband doesn't get it...I tried to explain the physiological and psychological reasons but he doesn't get it....oh well.

I'm done for today. It's amazing that I don't really look forward to my free day but I enjoy it when it is here but I also enjoy getting back to program....

:D

Susan,

I plan on doing the same thing with the chicken so I have it on hand. I think for me right now, that will be the easiest. I really just need to sit down for a while & put together a weekly meal plan.

Thanks for the info about the Yahoo sites. I'll check those out too. I found a lot of recipes on the BFL site too. They sound really good.

Right now, I am just eating as I please & I hope to get some exercise this week. I can tell that my body isn't really happy with me for not exercising. I don't feel as energized as I do when I exercise regularly. I've been really busy trying to finish up school over the past few weeks. School can't be over soon enough, although I have lots to get done before then.

I agree about the day off. I think it will help a lot psychologically. I normally did that with my regular eating pattern. On the weekends be less strict, but I think I can handle the one day a week.

Hope you have a good week.

So Jen, how is it going???????????

Yesterday I made turkey meat loaf (Using ground turkey, onions, garlic, oatmeal, egg beaters, oregano, basil, margoram, salt, pepper, dash of milk, some tomato sauce). While it was baking, I boiled a sweet potato and mashed it up with Splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter buds. It was such a great dinner and a nice break from my usual chicken, baked potato, green veggie dinner. I'm having left over meatloaf and an orange for lunch. I realized that this is another meal I can make on Sunday and save for during the week. This week I'm going to make up a batch of the sweet potatos! They were delicious!

I also ordered an elliptical trainer for home since my gym compadres don't seem to know what serious training is and they bug me very much. :mad:

This week my training is OFF due to the gym problems and I am getting free weights this weekend and looking into home gyms as well.!!!! Maybe time to start a thread on that!

Susan