3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/)

- General Diet Plans and Questions (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/general-diet-plans-questions-10/)

- - Body for Life #17 (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/general-diet-plans-questions/9160-body-life-17-a.html)

How are you gals (and guys)?

Hope everyone is doing well. Still somewhat in shock after Tuesday's events but trying to live normally - remember that is part of the terrorists' agenda - to mess up our lives and freak us out. But we're Americans - we don't back down! I've been taking out my anger towards those terrorists during my workouts and hitting a lot of 10's as a result.

I thank God that I didn't have any relatives or friends in NY when this happened. My brother in law is still in Baltimore but is planning to come home as soon as he can - by train if necessary. Something tells me that Amtrak will be getting a lot of business this year...

Jim and I are going to give blood this weekend (we hope). I've been calling the blood bank hotline but it's always busy or I get a recording! Needles really terrify me but I feel we have to do our part for our country.

Shelley - I hope that you're having a relaxing Free Week...and that it stops raining soon! Gotta hop in the shower so everyone take care!

I just started Week 4, and I'm feeling pretty good. I can see slight changes in my body- particularly the muscle tone in my legs. I am going to get my body fat measured soon, just to see how far I've progressed. I've been weighing in at the gym (I know, I know- scales tell you nothing! I just can't resist weighing myself when the opportunity presents itself!), and have lost about 4 pounds in "scale weight," and I *know* i've gained muscle, so I'm pretty optimistic about Challenge 1. I had some trouble in the beggining sticking with the meal plan, so for the past two weeks, I've been contributing $5 for each day I stay perfectly on plan to a "reward jar." I used to spend close to $5 a day on sodas and snacks at work! Ugh, it makes me sick to think of the way I used to eat! (I can relate to your prior Friday night meals, MrsJim!!!)

Oh, Muscle Media now has a new magazine for women, called "Energy"- it has some really good articles. Of course, the entire magazine is one big advertisement for Body for Life and EAS products, but....

Energy magazine - I give it a B+

Not bad for a first effort...some really good articles. I especially liked "Seduced at the Supermarket" about reduced fat and fat-free foods; the nutritional bar info; and the two BFL Challenge winner stories.

Since all the major "muscle" magazines are owned by supplement companies (Muscle & Fitness/M&F Hers owned by Weider; Oxygen owned by the company who makes Xenadrine; etc) it's really difficult for them NOT to be biased towards their own products. However, right after the magazine came out, one of the chief editors of Energy posted on Lean & Strong and asked for feedback - both good and bad - from everyone. To me, this bodes well for the future of Energy!

Personally, I think Oxygen is the *WORST* of the bunch. I bought an issue a month or so ago and there were two multi-page 'articles' that were just ads for Muscle-Tech bars and Xenadrine. They weren't even marked as ads (most magazines will put "Special Advertising Section" in the header or footer) but as "special articles". The tip-off is that these two 'articles' weren't listed in the table of contents. First and last time I buy that mag!

I don't mind Energy focusing on BFL because that's what I'm interested in. After all, Weight Watchers has THEIR own magazine. As long as Energy doesn't repeat stuff from Muscle Media (which I also read) I'm fine with that!

Omigosh- you are ABSOLUTELY right about "Oxygen"!!! I would begin reading an article about proper supplementation, and 15 minutes later, I'd notice the words "Special Article" at thebottom of one of the pages... it was repulsive...!! "Energy" seemed pretty unbiased in the articles it had on supplementation (or maybe I'm thinking about "Muscle Media"- I bought that last night, too!)

hello all, please read my post "newbie here" it was suppose to go here. thanks

Hi all -

My first post! I've been lurking for a few months and wanted to tell all of you what an inspiration you've been. I'm on Challenge 1, week 6, day 5 --- so far, so good! Clothes fit better, energy level is increased.

I have decided that Body for Life is a promise to myself that I will keep.

hi downsizing, sounds like you are doing a great job. could you give me some advice??? i just started yesterday, and i am kinda of confused about what to eat. do we have to eat just what is on the list? or can we pick out any protien and carb to eat at each meal. some other people on this said they eat string cheese and boca burgers. but they are not on the list of carbs, proteins and veggies. even in his recipes in his book he lists ingredients that are not on the lists, like lowfat cheddar cheese and chicken broth and lowfat sour cream and ff mayo, now these things are in some of his meal suggestions but are not on the list.

so how are we supposed to know what is allowed if it is not on the list in the book?? and can we have more veggies than just with two of the meals?? i am very confused. i want to do this right. any tips or advice will be very helpful. thank you

Just some answers to your questions...

String cheese is **not** authorized BFL food - save it for your free day...boca burgers are okay I think - I don't eat them myself.

I STRONGLY suggest that you pay a visit to www.leanandstrong.com's message boards. During the week, Tall Jen (TJ) has a daily menu critique thread. You can post your planned menu and she'll give you the run-down on it. Also check out the "Cooking Library" (see the button on the left side of the L&S frame) for some great recipes and nutritional info.

I don't remember a recipe containing cheese or low fat sourcream in the "Body-for-LIFE" book - was it on the website? Many people post recipes on the website that aren't exactly authorized and that aren't removed right away.

and YES! You can have more than two veggies a day. The book says a minimum of two of your meals should include authorized vegetables. If you want to have authorized veggies at all six of your meals, go for it - just make sure they're on the list. And you don't need to measure them since they don't count as either a protein or a carb.

Here's what Dr. Hussman says about nutrition on his website ( I highly recommend checking out the entire site - tons of great BFL info - at www.hussman.com/eas ):

Quote:

The core of the Nutrition-for-LIFE aspect of this program is to eat 6 limited, high quality meals a day. As Bill says, "A meal doesn't mean you have Mom lay out a napkin, and put a fancy plate of food out there. A meal simply means a portion of protein and a portion of carbohydrate. So a meal for me may mean a protein drink and a piece of fruit." If your goal is fat loss, remember: frequent, but limited (particularly in terms of refined carbohydrates).

Bill's advice seems to target about 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat (which is largely contained in the whole foods you eat, even "lean" meats). Since you'll be doing weight training, shoot for at least a gram of protein per pound of lean weight daily, regardless of your specific goal.

A few words about your free day. You should think of the free day as an opportunity to choose "unauthorized" foods. It's not about losing control. It's about making choices and enjoying those choices. If you need a rationalization, use this one. The free day may help counter the risk that your body senses a fasting state. You're trying to convince your body that it doesn't have to lower its metabolism, shed muscle, or defend its fat stores in response to the change in its "environment". It's good if your free meals make you feel warm, and it's great if you actually break a light sweat. The free day gives you something to look forward to, keeps your body "confused", and gives you a chance to have that pizza and ice cream you've been eyeing all week, but don't go way overboard. There's some evidence that cycling high and low caloric periods with weight training can help muscle gains, but the effective cycle is evidently about two weeks, not one day. And if your primary concern is fat loss, I wouldn't try to get that fancy.

If you prefer, my impression is that you can substitute the free day with 2 "free meals" between any Sunday-Saturday period (following the program for other meals on those days). Don't try to "spread" your free day across the whole week and then kid yourself that you're following the program. Unauthorized foods just throw off the metabolic processes too much. High sugar intake, for example, raises insulin levels and inhibits the release and metabolism of fatty acids. Sugars such as dextrose can be useful if they are taken within about 60 minutes of an intense weight-training workout, since they will be used to rebuild muscle glycogen. As with the free day, extra carbs at that time may reduce the chance that your body lowers its metabolic rate to defend its energy stores. But otherwise, stay away from simple sugars.

As for how much to eat, Bill's "portion rule" is simple, and gets the job done. To keep it as simple as possible, Bill advises scaling your portions by the size of your open palm or closed fist. If you feel that you must count calories, or you want to do the calculations once just to make sure you're on track, see the section about "How calories work" on my main fitness page. You'll also see fairly quickly why Bill didn't include that discussion in his book. That said, try to keep it simple. The Body-for-LIFE program will work just fine using the "portion rule", as long as you're not holding your hand under a magnifying glass.

Notice that reducing calories has more to do with smaller portions, simple record-keeping, and better choices than it does with depriving yourself. Have half. Skip that handful. Lay off the high-fat meats and choose fish, skinless chicken breast (no skin or wing), and great tasting veggie alternatives like Boca Burgers. Lay off the prepared carbs (muffins, breads, white rice, pastas) and choose fruits and vegetables more frequently!

See? He mentions Boca Burgers by name!

I do encourage you to check out Dr. Hussman's site - he isn't selling anything, just putting what Bill Phillips calls "giving back to others" in action...take care!

thanks mrsjim. i will go to that website, as i know i will always have questions. the recipe i was talking about is on page 95 of his book,it is for a breakfast burrito. maybe because of the small amount used it is ok, but i wouldnt of known that because it is not on the list. he only uses 1/2 tablespoon of lowfat cheddar cheese and one tablespoon of lowfat sour cream. you have been very helpful. i do need some meal ideas. so i guess it is off to the other website. i will also check out your web page.

Just checked the BFL book...

...no wonder I didn't remember any references to cheese or low fat sour cream - he's using them in miniscule amounts - kind of like a seasoning.

1/2 a tablespoon of lowfat shredded cheddar cheese and 1 tablespoon of lowfat sour cream in the breakfast burrito isn't going to hurt you - those are tiny tiny amounts - maybe totalling 20-30 calories at the most. I use chicken broth frequently - Swanson has a low-sodium light version - the whole can is only 20 calories! Fat-free mayo is fine as well - it's just a condiment (as long as it's FAT-FREE, not the regular kind).

Again, on page 89, he mentions vegetables: "...which should be included with at least two of your daily meals..."

Hope that helps...

Hi willbethin

MrsJim's advice is excellent (as always). When I started eating "clean" one of the things that helped was to make lists of all allowed foods, like proteins - white meat chicken, white meat turkey, fish, egg whites, etc., carbs - brown rice, potatoes, grains, etc. I made 3 columns - protein, carb, veggies - and then made supportive meals by picking and choosing 1 from each column. I also went through my recipe books to find things that, with a little tweaking, could be made "clean" - chicken chili, turkey meatloaf, etc.

TallJen's menu thread on leanandstrong is great. There are also some good recipes on the site. I think that, besides planning, making sure you always have 1 or 2 meals on hand, both at home and at work, make it easy to stick to the program. I also try to remember "never let yourself get too hungry, and never let yourself get too full." Basic common sense, but it works!

Susanje - just a note: hope you're feeling better. Reading your posts always gave me a lot of motivation.

yea i kinda thought it wasnt too much, so he really doesnt talk about it. i like ch broth too. i just visited the L AND S website. i did find what you were talking about with the menus she is very helpful. tomorrow is my freeday, so i will start posting some of my menus to see if i doing it right, on sunday. i believe i am, but i need to be reassured. i am sure i will be talking to you.

thanks downsizing, you gave me some great tips, oh and i did go to tall jens place, what a great help that is, i think i might even start posting there too.

Starting my 2nd challenge Monday! Mrs. J, Sil, Susanje-If you have any tips for changing exercises, I need them! I have been in touch with someone on L&S that is starting her 2nd Monday also, and she works out at home too so I'm hoping she can help me. Did any of you start with totally new exercises and higher weights, or what??? I still haven't decided what to do! I have made a journal like Mrs. J has, printed up all the pages again, and am ready to go!!

I haven't done any exercise at all this week, and have eaten a few things (mostly cereal) that I have missed. Feeling yucky eating all those carbs, but at least I am getting the cheating out of my system! Haven't had any chocolate, though!! Today I am going to do a video, just to get myself back into exercise mode, since we are still flooded from yesterday's Gabrielle.

Welcome Willbe and Downsizing!! Looking forward to more of your posts!

Tall Jen's daily menu thread on L&S

Hi WBThin!

Maybe you should change your penname to "Will Be STRONG" :D

Tall Jen only does her menu thread during the work week - things get pretty quiet on the main board on weekends. I think you'll enjoy L&S once you get accustomed to the fast pace there.

I'd suggest that (if you haven't already done so) you go to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) link as well. Some of the questions that will undoubtedly come up may be answered there already. The www.hussman.com/eas site also has a great Q&A page that answers many of those nagging BFL-related questions.

Of course, if you have a food question on the weekend, you can still post it on their main board and I'm sure someone will answer it - just takes longer sometimes. I've found Steve L., Shannon, Liz, and (of course) TJ to be VERY helpful!

Also, check out some of the other boards at L&S. One that may interest you is called "Eating to Live". I've posted occasionally there but enjoy reading the posts as well.

Off to the gym, then I have my riding lesson later this morning. See ya, gals!