Welcome to the new posters and hi to the regulars!
Please reread BFL number 28 for some great insights from MrsJim!!! It's a new year and we're all going to do so well!!!
I start my new official c1 retread on 1/14. When I plugged in my digital camera to download Christmas pix, my folder is set to my BFL contest photos from last year (I didn't enter the contest but planned to). I am actually a lot more impressed now than I was then (was expecting more progress at the time). The experience of seeing those pictures has motivated me to do a pure C1 challenge again. This time I won't have so many questions and my schedule is less hectic this spring so I hope to do well. We shall see.
Rereading the book and getting ready to go another round with BP. See you all in a week!!!
This is great! A new year and a new thread! Thanks Susan.
Well, today I start my challenge. My main goals are to keep it BFL, 100% clean: no missed workouts and no food cheats.
I had slacked off lately and am ready to give it my all. I really want to see some results. I will also be keeping my Fitday public journal up to date: helps me to be accountable.
and hope to be back on track Monday. I'll be extending my first Challenge to end 3/10/02, due to the health issues I've had. Then I'll start C2 3/25. Believe it or not, I already scouted out the Wilmington N.C. area where I'll be from 3/16-3/22 for a motel room with a microwave and a refrigerator AND located a gym that will let me join for a week!
Mrs.Jim I'm not sure I'll EVER be as successful as you but you'll always be my inspiration! I already have a custom-made two piece suit picked out if the time comes when it might be flattering.
Susanje I remember that you got really sick the last time you flew cross-country. I hope it doesn't happen again.
Thanks for the scale response. I guess on Monday I dive in for the 12 weeks and see where I end up!
Sil - I'm a fitday fan too. I find it really helps me to see how I'm doing.
I couldn't find the workout shoes I wanted in 3 stores, so I ordered them online. I love Online! Should have did that in first place they'd be here on Monday by now. New Start New Shoes!
I even bought stars for my journal. I went through answering all the questions in the book. Now I'm just fine tuning how I want to use the journal on a daily basis and set up some reward system for myself. I'm so psyched to start. Had a good cardio this morning and feel quite loose right now.
I MUST be getting old! It seems like we just started #28...wait a sec...it's already 2 pages long...maybe I'm getting a bit too wordy on you guys??
Anyway! I agree with you...new year...new thread.
I can't believe that next week is the last week of my third Challenge - time flies when you're having fun, right?
ThinBytes - you must have smaller feet than I do - or easier ones to fit. I buy lots of stuff online but SHOES I simply *must* try on in person! In fact I should buy myself a new pair of workout shoes soon - I'll put that on my to-do list for Free Week. I have a $50 gift certificate to use at Stanford Shopping Center so Bloomingdale's here I come!
Well, tried on the bikini I bought at www.ujena.com which is a medium - the bottoms fit perfectly - but I'll have to take the top back because even though I'm a 34C I still have big boobs (Jim: "so what's wrong with that?") and they kind of overflow around the sides. Fortunately Ujena is located in Los Altos which is about 20 minutes down the 280 from me, so I'm going to go pay them a visit this weekend!
Y'know, I've been reading your posts on starting over whenever you slip up (for whatever reason). Believe me, I haven't been perfect...but I just pick myself up and keep going. Tom Walsh (The running guy) had a terrific post on that today at L&S:
Quote:
Don't do it.
Never Ever start over. Renew your goals, refocus, re-energize, re-dedicate, but never stop and start over. Finish your 12 weeks come **** come high water. So you took 3 weeks off, continue on schedule. After your 12 weeks, you can say "that sucked, but I finished." Then you can learn from it and figure out how to not miss all those days and how to fall off the wagon fewer times. It will never be perfect. You don't want to know how many days I missed during my first 12 weeks in 2000 (including 5 in a row in week 11!!!!).
Why start over? Are you concerned that your contest entry will not be any good? Big deal. There's a next round after that. If you're motivated by the money primarily, then there are high odds against you of truly transforming. If your motivation is anything other than the money, as long as it's personal, odds are you will transform.
Who here has not screwed up? We have all blown it at some point, whether it's a meal, a day, or a month.
Let's say you're swimming across a lake and you get tired at the halfway mark. Do you swim back? Or do you move forward. Swimming back is defeating and you'll probably drown or minimally never try again. Swimming forward is the challenge and although the same distance, you are less likely to drown.
When you find yourself wanting to start over, don't choose to drown. Don't choose failure. You think it's hard now? Try convincing yourself to achieve after letting yourself down.
Continue. Finish. Complete. It doesn't matter how small your progress, it's still progress. Even if there's no physical change, at least you have the satisfaction of sticking to a plan and the opportunity to improve the execution of that plan the next time.
Many just started and this weekend is the first weekend and the first test. Don't panic. Others will be starting monday. Keep this in mind. You have your whole life to chase perfection. Don't throw in the towel and call for a "do over." This is not kick ball.
Kinda makes ya think...plus another post from Pam B today - LOVE this one...
Quote:
Changes truly come from the inside out. I had made up my mind that "this was it" when I started Body for Life. It was "do or die" time for me. You see I realized that IIII was the only one who could change my life... I realized I was to blame for the condition my body was in... I realized that no amount of crying or feeling sorry for myself was going to make me a better person... I realized that if I did nothing I would end up remaining a fat and unhappy person for the rest of my life. Did I want to be unhappy for the rest of my life? Of course not. The decision is yours. It's either get up off your duff each and every day, stay true to yourself and be a better person, OR do the same thing you have always done and never achieve your potential.
Who would have thought that an unhappy, lazy, mentally weak, fat and out of shape person tipping the scales at 244 pounds would be preparing for a bodybuilding contest a little over a year later?? Who would have thought that the Denver news would want to do a story on me??? Who would have thought that my mind would become so strong as to change jobs and do something that I am more into?? Who would have thought that I could have become so strong both mentally and physically? I never dreamed that I could accomplish all of this, lose 95 pounds of fat, gain 15 pounds of muscle and be in the best shape of my life!!
I guess my point in writing this is to let you all know that ANYTHING can happen! You CAN make your dreams come true! Do it and do it now!! There is no time to waste! If someone told you that they would give you one million dollars if you worked out for 84 days, would you do it? Would you delay the 84 days or would you want to start enjoying your money as soon as possible? Well, start enjoying the new energetic, fit you as soon as possible... don't delay!!!
I saw my reflection in the mirror the other day and wondered who the fit blonde was. It was me. My brain still has some catching up to do sometimes. It's a great feeling!!
Keep up the journey, it's worth every workout, every skipped ice cream cone, every moment of planning.
Do it and do it now!!!
Gals - if I'm being repetitious with quoting let me know. The L&S board moves so quickly it can be very easy to miss valuable stuff. And I know Susanje for one probably doesn't have a lot of spare time to browse through the 100's of postings each day!
Mrs.Jim I bought my shoes on line but a bathing suit top will be another matter! I actually have a worse time now finding bras that fit because I'm an unusual size.
Hi - I bought the book yesterday, and am mostly thru it, but will have to go back and redo it carefully. I'll be joining you all, but am a little leary of working outLESS ! Currently do 35 minutes intense cardio 6X week, and lift heavy (all muscle groups) 3X week, plus fun walks and short runs w/ dog, and play tennis. So I'm sure I'll have losts of questions come next week!
I'm going to keep Sugarbusters legal- don't really see a contradiction there, I just know how much better I've felt without the sugar or no-no carbs (white potato).
I had to laugh about buying a swimsuit online! There is NO way I could do that. These tatas require some major fitting LOL.
I've worn the same size shoes for years 6.5 B Standard. If the shoe is made right it'll fit.
Hey I don't mind the posts from L&S, some of it I catch but like Mrs. Jim says that site moves........ Geez you miss one day there is no catching up with everything or everyone.
Its true though about the starting over. I was one... I intend to break that miserable spell this challenge. Wish me luck.
Hi ladies! I've been trying to read through your posts (you gals are so inspirational!) and trying to get a handle on the BFL plan QUICKLY because I want to start Monday with a friend of mine. I've checked MANY different web sites and read as much as the book as I could in between working (enough to get an idea what foods and exercises I'll be needing), but I am getting conflicting information from different people. Can you all shed a little light to help me get started right?
First off, I know I can't make 6 meals. I know Myoplex is an option, but I've also been told EAS AdvantEdge is okay too (but no Slimfast). Is that right?
As far as bars go, I know there's Myoplex and Myoplex Lite and I've been told once again, EAS AdvantEdge bars are good, a bar called Doctor's and also Adkins bars? Any input on that?
I'm so excited about doing this, but I want to do it right! Any help you all could give would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Chynna
P.S. Saw Mrs. Jim's website and all I can say is WOW.
and thanks for the compliment on my website. I really need to update it soon (haven't updated since mid-C2).
First off, BEFORE you start, do try and read as much of the book as possible. Don't skip the chapter on "Crossing the Abyss"! Sit down with a pen and paper and do the exercises. Believe me they really help keep your motivation up, which is one of the keys to succeeding at BFL (heck, to succeed at anything really): motivation, PLANNING, and persistance. (at least IMO).
If you've hit a bunch of BFL websites, I'm sure you've gone to Lean & Strong. If not, check it out!!! This is absolutely the BEST BFL site around! Another good site is www.hussman.com/eas - Dr. Hussman has a ton of info there and really gets into the science behind BFL (which Bill P doesn't get into in the book). One caveat, tho' - Dr. H. does have some 'tips' for 'tweaking' the program. For your first challenge (12 weeks) go BY THE BOOK. Most people (like me) are tempted to do stuff like add cardio (yep, Mel, I see your post about that - it was a problem with me too). For my fellow cardio bunnies out there, what you need to do is focus on INTENSITY rather than QUANITITY (time spent). When you hit that last 'level 10' during the 20 MAS, by the end of that 60 second sprint you should feel like you can't run another step! And of course you can still do 'leisure cardio' such as walks, bike rides, etc. or even a favorite aerobic class on the side - just make the 20 MAS a priority along with the LBWOs and UBWOs.
Okay, about the meal thing. I had a tuff time doing 6 meals as well - #4 was my problem. For awhile I used Meal Replacement Bars (MRBs) at work (I prefer Worldwide Pure Protein - the Myoplex Lite bars taste TERRIBLE). Since they are low in carbs, I would eat like 1/2 a bar along with a carb such as a small apple. If you have a Palm Pilot or PDA, what you can do is set the timer to go off every 2-3 hours letting you know it's time to eat! Once you get used to doing 6 meals it becomes second nature, I promise! Another good thing to do is having stuff prepared in advance. Boil a carton of eggs; have cottage cheese, veggies, apples, oranges, etc. on hand; etc. Try to wean yourself off the MRBs as soon as possible - not only are they muy expensive but most are loaded with sugar and GLYCERIN, which you don't want. Now, the MRPs (Meal replacement powders - shakes) like Myoplex Lite have hardly any sugar (just the stuff that occurs naturally through the dairy in the ingredients). And I'd stay away from the Ready-to-Drink shakes - WAY too much sugar and they taste like crap to put it bluntly!
You can also use a protein shake mix such as Simply Protein - just make sure you add a carb (fruit or something like that) to the shake - remember each meal must have a protein and a carb.
There are a lot of MRPs on the market - check the nutritional info and make sure it corresponds to Myoplex Lite as much as possible, which has 190 calories; 1.5g fat; 18g carbs; 25g protein. And DEFINITELY stay away from SlimFast. Quoting Dr. Hussman: "SlimFast is sugar water". I don't know enough about the other brands such as Atkins except that they're really pricey!
Supplements is another question that comes up frequently. As long as you're eating clean (i.e. sticking to the authorized list) drinking your water (I aim for 1 gallon/day) and hitting your 10's you don't really need supplements other than a multivitamin (generic from the supermarket will do just fine). Personally I use glutamine powder (Labrada Glutamine 1000g - helps keep soreness down during recovery) and generic creatine powder (whatever happens to be cheapest - helps build muscle) as well as Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend (an EFA that I dump in my Myo Lite twice a day). If you want to save $$ DON'T buy Betagen or Cytovol, which is basically watered-down, more expensive mixtures of creatine and glutamine.
Whew! I have a riding lesson in an hour so gotta go! OH yeah, one more thing, you can check all our past threads by going to the "Diet Plans" forum, scroll down to 'View" and select "View All Topics" and you should be able to find the previous 28 threads. TONS of info. And again, check out L&S! Take care!
Oh, thank you so much for taking the time to write such an informative message for me! I feel much better now. I had seen both the sites you mentioned, so I guess my bloodhound nose must be on the right track
I jotted down all the things you suggested and I'll go that route. I also made a list of "authorized foods." Wonder if I can make myself like cottage cheese I love carbs, so finding those won't be hard.
I guess I'll check out GNC or something and see if I can find the bars and shake you spoke of. I'm on a mission!
Oh, and don't worry, I WILL read the book! I just wanted to make sure I had enough info to start this challenge Monday. Wish me luck. I'm excited, but I wondering if I can stick to it...
Hi Chynna, I'm just starting this too, so am not much of an expert, but have been doing sugarbusters for 5 months and my own brand of exercise for life for the last 25 years. One thing I've discovered about those bars (Carb Solutions in particular) is if they are not full of sugar, they are full of sugar alcohols like malodextrin, which gives some people (ME) terrible upset stomachs. I was using them as a low carb- high protein alternative on the days I couldn't get a real food meal between running from work to tennis. Now I roll up some turkey breast, a napkin, and an apple and put it in a bag with a freezy-pak if the weather's warm. My stomach is a lot happier! Good luck,
Just got back from my riding lesson and saw your messages...
I'm on my way out to run a few errands but wanted to say to Chynna - if you want to save a ton of $$ - DON'T buy stuff at GNC. Very expensive!!!!
There are a lot of great places on the Web that have incredibly fast shipping and much cheaper prices than GNC.
I buy a lot of stuff from Netrition. If you go to Lean & Strong and click where it says "Buy Supplements" on the left side frame, you will be taken to the Netrition site. Great prices and L&S gets a little kickback from your purchase to keep their site going (that is if you enter Netrition from L&S). I usually get my Netrition orders within 2-3 business days of ordering so they are FAST. This is where I order glutamine, creatine and Udos.
I get my Myoplex Lite from www.vitaglo.com - their shipping takes longer but you get FREE shipping within the US from them. This site has the BEST prices I've seen on Myo Lite - $48 for the 42-serving Neopolitan Variety Pack (chocolate/vanilla/strawberry flavors).
OH YES you can lose weight by eating six small meals a day...and wait til you get a load of Free Day. During my first two Challenges my Free Day was INVALUABLE, heck it still is. Anytime I was craving something not authorized, I could tell myself for example "it's Thursday, I just have to wait three more days and I CAN have this treat!" SOOO much better than my past where when I was on a 'diet' (I don't consider BFL a diet but a way of eating I can do for LIFE) and would just get all resentful because everyone else seemed to be eating what I couldn't have! Anyway, re-read the Hussman site for more info on the way the six small meals works...
Hope that helps out! I'm off to the mall before it starts raining again!
Body for Life #29!!!
What? #29 ALREADY???
Help, Please!
I love carbs, so finding those won't be hard. 
