Thanks everyone for the compliments. It was HARD but I was thinking of you all when I was workign it out in my head. Also, since I had my health problems over the fall and winter, this is the longest I've gone in a challenge (almost 8 weeks). I am committed to going to go until the 25th of May but I am very very happy to have made it this far with almost 100% clean eating. I have had weeks where my schedule is impacting my workouts but I have tried, really hard, to stick to my workout schedule and I do one free meal a week instead of a free day. I have added things like walking and yoga to try to make up any exercise deficit that might happen from time to time. Anyway, the support means a great deal! I couldn't do it without you all!

Mel: I completely think you should do the IRON WOMAN contest!!!
That would be GREAT!! I don't see many 45+ women at my gym either.

Carps: sometimes the days get away from us. I'm sure you will stay committed!! Fail fast and move on!!!

thunderheart: it sounds like you're going to have GREAT success in C1 with those baggy legs. I'm sure your muscles will pop through sooooooooooooooooooooooon. I have to laugh at Mrs Jim's first postings in her L&S transformations. She writes "back flab is less........." NOW SHE HAS NONE!!! Very impressive. This is how it is done. One challenge at a time!

Well, off to study and before bed I do my UBWO with my powerblocks which means I have to have my last meal in about an hour and I just ate my dinner. I hate when that happens! But I like to do my UBWO on my swiss ball in front of my bedroom mirror with just a bra on top (and pj bottoms!). It helps me see exactly where I need to work and it helps me stay motivated. work work work.



Susan

Wow! have I been on fire this week or what?

Did you all catch the now infamous Bread Thread at L&S? It got so controversial, QZ moved it to the Pub. Check it out - it's hilarious! And I stand by my statement that ALL bread is processed, in one way or another. When you take unprocessed wheat and make it into flour (even if you sprout it first) and bake it into bread - it has been processed. Same with raisins - they're just processed grapes! Okay, enough already...

Thunderheart - I'm surprised that Susan didn't tell you about HER C1 results. If memory serves she didn't see any results until the last couple of weeks...keep it up, work out and eat clean and I PROMISE you will see results and you will be SOOOO happy...

I'm supposed to be eating a lot of turkey this week so I went to Draeger's on Sunday and bought one of those Distel Natural Boneless Turkey Breasts - don't worry, it's not one of those 'chopped and formed' ones - it's just pure 100% natural turkey breast meat with the bone removed. I bought the smallest one they had which was just under 4 pounds for around $22, and yesterday I roasted it. I'm going to use it over the next week for both Jim and myself. I just basted it with lime juice and cooked it for 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees. Haven't even cut it yet - I hope it turned out okay because that is an expensive piece of meat!

Everyone sounds like they're doing fab! You too Carps - Susan is right - fail fast and move on - learn from your mistakes...

Later all! gotta do some work here.

Hi Everyone!

My personal trainer has set up a plan for me that is almost a mirror of BFL, so I'm getting some good additional information here!

Sorry if this has been addressed before, but I'm leery about the free eating day. I understand in theory how it works, but it makes me nervous to give myself permission to have a free day.

1) Does it really work? and

2) How did you get over the mental hurdle of allowing yourself a free day?

Thanks!

well, all I can say is, it's worked for me (go to www.leanandstrong.com and check the Transformation Gallery for my progress pix).

For me, there IS no 'mental hurdle'. My Free Day is usually on Sunday (except for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving). Free Day starts on Sunday morning (actually I like to eat a 'clean' breakfast - usually eggwhites and oatmeal, cottage cheese and apple, or Myo Lite) and ends when I go to bed at night. Now I'm not saying that I eat like a pig all day - but at first I DID do that. I found that, since I was eating clean the other six days, my capacity for grease, sugar, junk food, etc., really decreased - to the point of getting ill on one slice of Round Table Pizza.

Having the Free Day to look forward to also helps me from going off the eating plan during the week. If there's a treat I MUST have, I can always tell myself "I only need to wait "X" more days until I can have this". That generally works for me!

In addition - if you don't wanna eat 'unauthorized' foods on Free Day, you don't haveta A lot of folks at www.leanandstrong.com eat clean food, just a lot of it - or instead of baked potatoes, they have mashed potatoes, for example. Some people even fast - but that's not for me

Hope that helps and WELCOME to the board!

Thanks for the reply and the clarification!

Hi TiffanyGirl - I still have a couple of weeks to go on C1 but free day is one of the components of BFL that has helped me to make it this far. Anything I'm craving I will wait until free day and I have been taking full advantage of it. Knowing that I can't be deprived of certain foods has helped a great deal. It's now a matter of controlled management of those foods. The other thing that helps me is, this is the first eating plan I've been on that actually insists that you eat a meal before bed. I have struggled all my life with night time eating. Knowing I can have that clean meal before bed gets me through the evening.

Mel - I meant to tell you to GO FOR IT! You Ironwoman you!

Carps - Hang in there - progess not perfection.

MrsJim - Checked out the bread thread - holy moly! I don't know how I missed that one, but it took me quite a while to read it! Someone seems to have disappeared though hmmm?

I remember reading about Susanje's results during the last few weeks. I just can't see how those jeans of mine are going to fall off my A$$ in two weeks! But then again the pantsometer only reads one area of the body. I'm feeling a little less anxious today. I gave myself a slap upside the head last night to remind myself that finishing the challenge was the number one goal for me - I've never attempted anything remotely like this before. The results were only supposed to be side effects of the journey. And what a journey it is - I am going to consider myself an athlete in training rather than someone on a "diet". This training period is preparing me for the next one. I can't believe how much knowledge I've gained just from the day I bought the book! Thanks to all you ladies and L&S.

Thunderheart - you have such a GREAT attitude! That's exactly how I perceive myself - as an ATHLETE. Makes it easy to get out of bed at 4 am to work out (although Mr. Sparky was meeooowing again for much of the night...until around 2:30 when he curled up on my pillow next to my head and dozed off...)

Yeah, about the little $10,000 bet - now I HAVE to go to Raleigh don't I? Just wish Jim could go too...but he's got gigs lining up this summer. In fact, his band has an early gig tomorrow right next to Pac Bell Park at a place called "The Curve" after the Giants/Dodgers game! Should be pretty cool (I'm not going though...one of these days...)

Oops, gotta meet Jim for lunch. Later gals!

Hi there!

I have heard such WONDERFUL things about this, and was wondering about some things.

I am on a low fat and low sugar diet per doctor's advice. So. Would BFL be a good place to be? What foods can you eat and what foods can you NOT eat?

I LOVE the exercise part of it, but wonder if this 330 pound girl can do it all????

How long does it take you to plan your meals? Can a person on a limited budget do this easily?

Thanks for any answers you can give me!

Did a killer back and rear delts workout today. Started out with a slight "crick" in the back from putting away somebody else's too heavy dumbells yesterday (continuation of MrsJim's rant) but that sure was gone by the time I was finished. I hope my whole back isn't one big crick tomorrow!

Well, I saw some of the competition for the Iron Woman contest at my gym, now I'm not so sure I wanna do it. I don't know where these babes have been hiding out and why I haven't seen them before, but WOW! At least they are way younger than me. Maybe they go from gym to gym, joining wherever there is a contest? Have to eavesdrop next chance I get.

Thunder- Hang in there. My waist is my bugaboo, too. Everything else has changed, and I swear it looks smaller, but the tape measure tells me it's exactly the same. I know I've lost blubber there, I just can't figure out why no inches. But it sure looks better. I love your attitude. I'm way too results oriented.

Freedom and Light- To understand the program and the eating, you REALLY have to read the book. If you look at the top of this thread, Susanje gave a short synopsis of how BFL works. Basically 3 intense lifting sessions per week, 3 intense 20 minute cardio sessions. Food: balance lean proteins with unprocessed high quality carbs (brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potato,etc) and eat as many vegies as you want with your meals, at least 2 servings. Some people use protein powder mixes for some of the meals. High quality protein may cost a little more, but eggs(whites) are cheap, and even if the food costs a little more than mac and cheese, it sure is a lot cheaper than poor health. I'm not a big planner- just make sure there is always the right food in the house, and I make large quantities of whatever when I cook, and just keep eating that til its gone. My husband and son don't complain too much. You need the book! If you are already working with a trainer, I'm sure you can do the exercise portion. That's the beauty of this program- everyone brings different physical capabilities when they start and you do what you can. For some, starting by lifting 5 pound weights is intense. For others, it may be 50 lbs. I know some of the other women on this board started out heavy, so they might be able to better answer specific questions for you. Hope you join us!

MrsJim- The bread thread had me in stitches, but I didn't read it all. It was a busy day. Did you make a bet too?? I only saw SteveL's scorcher.

Susanje- Which powerblock set do you have? I've been thinking of begging for them for Mother's Day and trying to convince Jon he'd like them for Father's day I'd love to do some of my workouts at home, besides cardio. Then I could do the morning thing and see if it really makes a difference.

keep on

mel C2W2D3!

Did you call your bank yet???

Hey, if you're supposed to be low fat and low sugar, then BFL should be right up your alley!!!

And don't worry about being 'too big' to do BFL. Check out the Transformation Gallery at www.leanandstrong.com - there are quite a few people who've had successful transformations and had 100 pounds or more of fat to lose (of course, the most famous one is probably Pam Brown - check the thread in this forum titled "Hi All! MrsJim was talking about you all..." for her pix...she is TRULY inspiring...)

And I agree that you must read the book...and Susan's synopsis at the beginning of this thread will give you a good idea. But the book is IMPORTANT. Try your local library and see if they have a copy if you don't want to buy it - or go to www.half.com (that's where I buy most of my books).

Now, the cost of doing BFL? for me, not that much. What I do is buy those big ol' 4 pound bags of individually frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (Safeway usually has 'em on sale for less than $10 a bag - I'm sure Costco is even cheaper). Eggs are always on sale (usually buy one carton, get one free at Safeway) and fruits and veggies are cheap if you buy in season...brown rice, dry beans, barley, potatoes (both white and sweet) - heck those are all muy cheapo! And you DON'T need to use supplements - Bill does talk about Myoplex but he also says it is NOT required. However, it does make things a bit simpler. When I'm eating BFL style (I'm currently on a competition diet at this point) I usually have 1-2 Myo Lites a day - at meals #1 and #6 - simply cos I love the taste...just don't order from EAS because they are the most expensive place out there...I recommend Netrition through Lean & Strong or www.vitaglo.com for the best prices...

Good luck and keep us posted!!!

I'm in the process of buying the book...LOL...a fellow member here has one for sale and I'm sending her the check tonight.

I just don't want to fail at something else, and needless to say, after the way Provida has been treating me, I'm really hesitant.

Thanks for your answers!!! I've lurked on the other board for a couple of days now to see...and while there are still parts I'm a little worried about (but I'm hoping the book can straighten me out ), it still looks like a GREAT program.

Meliris- I don't currently have a trainer...do I need one? Will I need to join the gym? I currently walk or do Tae-Bo a couple of days a week and use 2 pound weights during that.

MrsJim- No I haven't called my bank yet- I'm at work, and I don't have the info with me (I leave most of my cards at home ) . I saw your befores and afters and you ARE an inspiration! You look fabulous!! And Pam does too!! Her before looks a little like me, which made me really look at this program a little closer.

Thanks for the info about the protein shakes and stuff. All of the high protein things I can find have a LOT of sugar in them...how much does Myoplex have?

I can't wait to get the book and see about this.

Thanks again!!!!!

If you're trying to avoid sugar, AVOID the Ready to drink (RTD) Myoplex shakes (along with the Results for Women, AdvantEdge and of course SlimFast - or as we call it here, SlimFat ). They are LOADED with sugar.

The Myoplex Lite (which is probably what you should be using rather than the regular Myoplex) has 20g protein and 25g carbs -- and only 2g of sugar - I believe that trace amount is from the whey or milk sugar in the product). Besides, Myoplex Lite is significantly less expensive than regular Myoplex!

DO avoid the 'protein bars' if possible. Those have a TON of sugar in them - even the so-called "low-carb" ones (from sugar alcohol which IMO is still sugar). Besides, they taste like ca-ca anyway, so you're not missing much.

Susanje and I think a couple of other folks work out at home at least part of the time - my place is way too small (besides I LOVE the gym - I know, I'm sick). You don't need a trainer unless you feel it necessary. The exercises in the book are pretty simple.

Oh, and feel free to hang out at www.leanandstrong.com too - I believe most (if not all) of us lurk and/or post both here and at L&S! Between them you've got a GREAT support network!!!

hi girls, just popping in (between visits to the bathroom) to say that I'm sick today Just woke up with a tummy bug - oh well

did a great ubwo last night - although again I didn't work my shoulders - thoughts on that???

Freedom and Light - I started with 100lbs to lose and I am loving the programme. I personally need a lot of structure, so BFL is perfect for me and the great thing about the exercise programme is that you work to your own level. My level 10 will be different to Susanje's - but as long as I work to mine the programme will work. It will probably take me 3 or 4 challenges to reach my goal, but I'm going all the way with this one. Like Thunderheart, my main goal with this challenge was just to complete the 12 weeks - I am so used to never finishing anything, that I knew that would be a challenge in itself. Well I only have two more weeks to go, and while it hasn't been perfect - its been an awesome change in my life and my outlook on food. My addiction is under control (recovering, not cured) for the first time in years, and it shows.

I sincerely hope you give BFL a good try - it will truly amaze you!

got to go, starting to feel woozy.
Carly

oops! Sorry, got your post mixed up with Tiffany's who I think said she had a trainer. No, you don't need to run out and join a gym , but you do need some basic weight or resistance eqipment. Sorry...

mel

Welcome Freedom&Light and Tiffanygirl!



You will like it here! this is a great group!

Re: Powerblocks

I have the Pro Rexan set. I probably could have gone with a lighter set but I thought my husband might want to use them at some point (okay, I was wrong! )

Actually it's good because they are expandable. Not that I ever think I'm going to top out on these bt if a guy was using them, he might.

C1 Results

I find that with BFL you are losing inches ALL over. It's tough to deal with when you want to lose in some places more than others. I find that, for women generally, it is harder to lose in the middle and it seems to come off dead last whether it's your hips that you're battling or a pooch or both. It is especially harder as you get older.

However, I'm glad to see things like thinner ankles that really can't be measured with clothing. My pants are never tight at the ankles. but when I wear a skirt, it's nice to know they are thinner. My shoulders also tend to bulk out and I lose that as well. Another thing I don't seem to lose is my bust and I would really like to not be a 38DD. That would be so nice.

I also see people's inches swoosh off in the last weeks of C1 and then it doesn't budge again the beginning of C2 and they can't believe it. But you will have another swoosh in C2!!! Just hang in there!

Susan (waiting for a swoosh as we speak. :-) )