Today's actually been better, but hey, the night is still young
I feel I might be developing a gym rat disorder..I'm extremely faithful to my morning Spinning/Tae Bo workouts 6 times/week plus days/week lifting, but my gym has just set up new funky dance classes evening program and it looks awesome!! Soooo many cool things to do!
I've been thinking to give a serious shot to hip hop, a Wednesday belly dancing hour and maybe a couple of Bailes Latinos nights - after all, I do live in Spain!
Am I crazy? (Well, I know I slightly am, but am I within limits?)
Well, after doing 4 back-to-back Challenges, then taking about 4 months off (although following BFL basics during that time), I've decided to gear up and do another Challenge.
I was motivated by an email from EAS - Aug. 30th is the last day to officially signup for the last Challange round of the year, and prompted by a recent breakup with my bf, I've decided I need something to focus on right now, and that this should be it!
I'm hoping that by giving my body this little break over the past few months, that maybe doing a new Challenge, and being as perfect with it as I can be, will shake things up and give me some significant changes again. I seem to be in some sort of a set-point rut, and really need to get things moving again. I had been dropping sizes for a year, and then nothing for the past 6 months. Stalled at a size 14, and although I'm thrilled to be here, from my former size 20W, I want to try to get down to a 12 or 10.
I did gain back a bit of weight in the past few months, thanks to a new relationship and eating too many carbs again, but I'll leave my signature as is - to try to motivate myself to get back to that point, and then to bypass it. I'm sure my body fat is up as well....
So, this weekend will be lots of planning and then planning some more. Back to basics - will be cooking on Sundays for the week, and planning workouts and printing them out for myself for each day. One of my big challenges will be Saturday cardio - I workout at work during the week, but on Saturdays I'll need to go somewhere to get that in - requires a bit more effort on my part, plus I like to sleep in!
Ok, I'd better get going as I have a lot to do this weekend.... Hope you all are having a good one!
Cindy
Hello everyone! I think it's actually been a couple of weeks since I have posted here but things have been hectic. My husband had a surgery last Friday that he has been recovering from and I got the flu or something and missed about 4 workouts last week. I am still a little under the weather..I think its now allergies or something but I started working out again on Tuesday. Officially I just completed my 7th week and so far I am down 14 pounds! Averaging about 2 pounds a week so not too bad. My original goal was 25 pounds in the first 12 weeks...I dont know that I'll make it but that's okay..this is something that I plan to do for life. My husband has dropped from 255 to 225 since March! He's really showing some improvement!
Cindy! Doing 4 back to back challenges! You definitely have more experience in the BFL than I do. What do you think are realistic goals for the 12 week period. I plan on keeping up with the BFL program for life but setting the goals for each 12 weeks will help me to stay accountable. I'd appreciate any advice! Good luck on your new challenge and I'm sorry about the break-up, whether its a good or bad thing, the change always stinks.
Hey Brittnye! hope your grandfather is doing better!
Hey Bella! Welcome! We have about the same stats and goals (although I would like to be at 120....I'm a shorty at 5'3"). I would love to go to Spain! Never been. Good luck to you!
Hello to everyone else I missed...this is getting to be a pretty diverse group! Which I love! the more the merrier and the more people that I can learn from! Everyone have a great day! Today is free day for me and I am currently enjoying an adult beverage...so I plan on making this a good one! I know shame on me.....
Cindy, what all are you going to cook on Sunday? I need to do some mass cooking. Have you tried freezing recipes from EFL or BFL? I need food with SUBSTANCE. I've been eating way too much yogurt-n-cheesesticks and Myoplex Lite Bars.
I pretty much freeze anything I make that is meat/sauce/carbs. I usually cook 2 or 3 entrees on Sundays, then divide it all up into individual serving Gladware. Half goes in the fridge, for lunches and dinners in the first half of the week, and the half goes in the freezer for the second half of the week. Sometimes I have extras from other weeks in the freezer which I use just to add a bit of variety, but otherwise, I'm good with eating the same stuff all week.
Stuff I've made and frozen: Singapore Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi, Mom's Enchiladas, and Turkey Meatloaf. I also cook stuff out of Cooking Light magazine - just look for recipes with equal amounts of protein and carbs. I've made and frozen lasagna, turkey tetrazinni, beef merlot, chicken provencial, spaghetti w/meatsauce, chicken tika masala, ... the list goes on. Of course, I don't freeze anything with fresh vegetables.
Hope I've given you some ideas - I might be persuaded to share some of the other recipes in the near future.
Cindy
I gave my Mom a years worth of Cooking Lights that I hadn't even taken out of the wrapper. I'm a sucker for a good deal and I have too many magazines!! I have a few CL annual recipe books, I should look for a few goodies.
I know I am not eating enough green vegetables. I have to work on that this week. My first week back to work was from ****! It can only get better. Excercise - food, everything has changed. I know I will get into my routine but it isn't an overnight thing!
I am cooking today, for a potluck which is work related. I made some hummus which I think can be a meal for me, I made enough to keep a couple of servings.
I am making muffins and cutting up a watermelon. No real protein meals in there, I bought chicken that I should marinate and cook tomorrow. Everything seems a little piecemeal at the moment but I always have eggs, cottage cheese, and oatmeal and I just have to plan carefully even it is by the seat of my pants during this adjustment period.
I'm glad your back w/ us Cindy, you really know how to work the diet!
Oh, here are some other thoughts. For the couple of weeks before school I was putting in extra cardio. Almost every day along w/ weights. The result, I look leaner, but I got really hungry. For several days last week I was starving. This is something I need to think about. I guess, 7 clean meals every other day or so might off set that?
Are you sure your meals are balanced? I personally would look at that before I look at 7 meals. It would be hard to cut down all the meals to squeak in 7 and still not go over in calories. Protein helps you keep full longer so maybe you are eating too many carbs.
Yes my meals are balanced. I don't think I would do 7 meals every other day, but maybe every third day or just when I am starving. I think it is better to do that than go off the diet. And then some days maybe 5 meals. I'd have to go to bed early on that day though to keep from eating. Or maybe I should just cut out cardio every day.
Honestly though I am just thinking out loud here. I haven't been fooling w/ the diet much at all and may not. I was just noting how hungry the extra cardio made me.
Hi all,
Last week went pretty well with the getting protein at every meal. I didn't do great on the weekend since I seemed to devolve to 3 meals without even trying. But that's fixable. This week I'm lowering my portions, and Tuesday night I'll have some time to enter most of my frequent foods in fitday and then be able to do detailed analyses. Happy Monday!
We bought a Crossbow and it arrives next weekend. Can't weight to actually get back to my weight routine!!
Stayed the same weight-wise. DH has just started South Beach and I tried a sample day with him -- ack, the fat! -- I had indigestion, and am stuffed up today, so I know it's not a good idea for me. He loves to cook, so that diet is perfect for him. However -- when I get buff faster because my food is cleaner, he may want to join me
Hi all - so far so good with food today - just finished meal 4, and have the other two planned, so as long as I don't get hungry in-between, I should have a clean day. Still need to work on getting more veggies in - that is always a challenge for me.
Really tired myself out with my workout today - only did chest and shoulders, but worked them hard and also did a brisk 1.5 mile walk at lunch time. Now I'm draggin'!
Here's today's meals:
M1 - Myo Lite Capuccino
M2 - 1 c. cc w/.75 c blueberries
M3 - can of tuna with 1oz. whole wheat crackers, 1 c. cherry tomatoes
M4 - Myo Lite Strawberry
M5 - Leftover Paella - 3/4 c. rice with 4 oz. chicken
M6 - 3/4 c. cc with 3/4 c. lf/sf yogurt
Ledom - don't give up that extra cardio - I'm sure it's helping with your fat burning! My advice is instead of adding a meal, to up the protein in your existing 6 meals a bit - maybe turn a 4oz. dinner into a 6 oz. dinner. Remember, you want to keep your 6 meals evenly spaced throughout the day, so quantity modification should be done by making them bigger or smaller, not adding one or skipping one.
Another suggestion for hunger is to have a glass of milk. I'm experimenting with the whole "calcium promotes fat burning" thing - during my very first Challenge, I was drinking 2 gallons of 2% milk a week, in addition to my regular meals and I still lost 30# of fat that Challenge! So, starting again today, if I'm hungry between meals, a glass of milk it will be. I've now weaned myself down to skim, so the impact will be less, and I'm hoping the calcium will work to my advantage!
Ok, time to get back to work - just an hour to go!
Cindy
researching the BFL/EFL way of life and have questions
Hi! I am trying to figure out if this is for me or not before I go out and buy both the books. Are all of you really losing weight? It seems like alot to eat. Do you use the Myoplex shakes or have you found others that work? I am on a budget and if there is something that works the same but is cheaper, I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thank you so much for your help.
Kehi13
Kehi,
The beauty of this program is that you customize the food quantity to meet your needs. The purpose of dividing it all up into 6 meals is to keep your blood insulin levels fairly constant throughout the day, which promotes fat burining/loss and keeps cravings/hunger to a minimum.
Also, the reason for the food is fuel for your body - protein to allow your muscles to grow, and carbs for energy. More muscles mean you burn more calories and thus burn more fat during rest and cardio. You can't deprive yourself of the fuel needed to make this program work for you. I actually didn't lose any weight during the first 4 weeks of my very first Challenge, because I wasn't eating enough at 1300 calories a day. I increased to 1700 a day, and the weight came off wonderfully!
Many of us use the site fitday.com to track our daily intake - that way you can correlate Bill's "palm/fist" measuring to calories and/or grams of protein and carbs, and adjust your plan to improve your results.
Not sure how much fat you have to lose (this progam is about losing fat, not weight, as you will increase your lean body mass by building muscle, but will lose fat), but this is an excellent program which has literally changed my life. The money you spend on the books will be the best you've ever spent - you're worth it, don't you think?
About the shakes - it is possible to buy protein powders in bulk and make your own shakes with them. EAS sells stuff at Wal-Mart - I think the protein powder there is about 15 servings for $9.00. I buy my Myoplex Lite at vitaglo.com - for a little less than $1 a piece, which is the best price you'll find.
However, it is possible to do this program using all whole foods - you just have to be a bit more creative and learn to LOVE cottage cheese!
Your question about progress? I've gone from a size 20W/2X, to a Misses 14/L using this program, and plan to continue until I reach my ultimate goal.
Cindy
Good luck on your new challenge and I'm sorry about the break-up, whether its a good or bad thing, the change always stinks. 
I know shame on me.....
researching the BFL/EFL way of life and have questions
