AACK! I was just mixing my protein shake in the kitchen using my Braun handblender...and I usually cover the top of the cup with my hand to keep any splashing down...but I was being a bit careless...so guess what happens? A piece of ice caught in the blade and KAPOW, Mt. Vestivus erupts all over me (it wasn't the whole shake but enough to make a BIG MESS!) Fortunately I have an emergency shirt in my office to change into!

Mel - if your bod is telling you to take a break, then just do it and enjoy yourself! I am actually doing the same thing next week while I'm in London. I'm going to bring a workout outfit - just one - to do some moderate cardio after I check into the hotel (after 11 hours of sitting on a plane, believe me, I'll need to MOVE a bit). However we are going to be at the same hotel as last year - they had a very lame exercise room (although judging from the website info, they might have remodeled it a bit). That will be my week off - then I'll hit the gym for 12 weeks before taking another week off.

My schedule for next week - I'm flying out to London on Sunday evening...and leave Heathrow on Friday morning - landing in SFO around 12:30 pm that same day (8 hour time difference between London and California BTW).

Patt - Welcome to our little board! Mel is RIGHT ON about the scale. Except for doctor's visits, I have basically banished the scale from my existence...and I'm a lot better off for it. Putting it bluntly, if I was measuring my success using the scale, I would've given up this bodybuilding/BFL thing about 4 weeks into my first challenge. After all, your weight doesn't show up tattooed on your forehead now does it

As far as the loose skin thing, I have that same problem and I do think moisturizing and taking EFAs (essential fatty acids) helps a great deal, along with Vitamin C and drinking a LOT of water. I've never been pregnant, but when I was morbidly obese (I dunno, does 265 pounds count as 'MO' these days??) most of my weight was in my thighs and hips (well, it was just everywhere). I do admit...I have toyed with the idea of having plastic surgery on my flanks/abs/thighs...but the cost involved - along with the pain - pretty much keeps that a pipe dream. I mean, if I had $10,000 to spend, I'd more likely buy a HORSE than some plastic surgery. Or I could lease Norman for a looooong time! (I MUST take some photos of Normie to show you guys...I really really really really want to lease him...and I know if I want something badly enough and am willing to work for it, I can do it - one of the 'mental lessons' I've learned in my BFL/BB journey is that NOTHING IS OUT OF REACH...like Pam sez, "Go for your dreams!!!")

Speaking of Pam, didja see that post of hers at L&S yesterday about dreams? I'll have to find it and quote it here for y'all.

Hi there Peony!!! just in response to your last post:

1) I feel like a wimp. I'm using 3,5,8 and 10 pound dumbbells. Is this normal? Ya know what - there's a very good reason that Bill P. doesn't recommend amounts of weight to lift - it's because WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT. If you're hitting a "10" with 8 or 10 pound weights (and you know what a '10' is, right?) then that's a good weight for you right now. The important thing in the beginning is to concentrate on FORM and speed -- don't use momentum in lifting/lowering the weight. I see that all the time at my gym - people pack on the weight and then just kind of fling it into the air and back down, like they were throwing a baseball or something. Remember in the book Bill said to say "Body-for-life" during the lift, and then lower to "I-am-building-my-body-for-life". You don't have to say that, it's just a cadence thing, ya know? What I used to do is count to myself, counting to 3 during the lift, hold at the midpoint for a count of 1, then lower to a count of 5. Now, it's just second nature.

2) I seem to have an unlimited capacity to eat lf cottage cheese with chives. That's all I'm craving! It's important to get some variety in your diet. The list in the book gives you a general idea of what you can eat. You can add just about every veggie out there onto the 'veggie' list (with the exception of olives); pretty much any fruit (excepting avocados) or whole grain (i.e. quinoa, wheat berries, millet) into the "Carbs" category. Proteins...just about any fish...wild game for you hunters out there...ostrich meat (which I've never had but I've heard good things about it!) etc. can be added. We have a Recipes thread here (I must add some more recipes to it) and there's also the Cooking Library at www.leanandstrong.com which has a WEALTH of recipes, most (if not all) of which are okay for BFL! Unfortunately one site I can't recommend for recipes or accurate info is the 'official' BFL website. I dunno who reviews the recipes but the last time I looked, many were NOT BFL (unless they were meant for free day). The thing is, that if you eat the same thing every day your body will get used to it and your fat loss can really suffer as a result. Your bod is programmed to hang onto fat with a death grip - as a survival mechanism. You need to keep fooling it!

3) Given my background of cardio, cardio and more cardio, I'm wondering about how effective those 20 MAS are...but I'm going to follow the program exactly for 12 weeks. Good for you - I learnt my lesson during my first challenge. Like you, I was a cardio bunny (up to 3 hours a day doing cardio in the gym) with little or no results. The first four weeks or so, I figured that I knew more about my body than Bill Phillips, so I did 40 minutes of cardio. After reading some posts at L&S, I decided that I would just FOLLOW THE BOOK and do the 20 MAS. Let me tell ya as a reformed cardio bunny that the 20 MAS WORKS and works well, as long as you hit your 9's and 10's (after your 10, you should be WIPED OUT - if not, kick it up a notch next time).

Virginia and everyone else looking for the book - DO TRY www.half.com - great prices and NO TAX! (our sales tax here is a whopping 8.25%!) Most of those folks should ship to Canada. I know that the Canadian dollar is worth about 60 US cents, but still you should be able to save some buckaroos.

Whew. That was a long post (this has taken me 45 minutes between answering calls and putting out fires).

JC - kick butt, girl!

Susan - pop in and let us know how you're doing!

Hello all!

Happy Wednesday (for me anyway) I had a kick butt cardio this morning although I seem to have some pain in my left foot that i will have to keep a track of. Food is great as usual thanks to Pam but I had a really foggy moment inbetween my workout last night and eating. Glad to know that her program is working!

How's everyone doing??

Peony – you aren’t a wimp sweetheart. But don’t up the cardio – stick to the 20MAS. If you aren’t about to die at the end of it then you didn’t push yourself hard enough. Next time – go harder. 20 mins is all you need and actually when I do HIIT (high intensity interval training) where you run all out for a minute and then walk for a minute etc – I can only do it for about 14 mins! It’s all about pushing yourself harder and faster.

With the skin thing – take EFA’s or oils etc. I take flaxseed oil and I swear I have great hair, skin and nails because of it. So far I haven’t had a problem with loose skin at all.

MrsJim: Thanks honey!! Say hi to my distant relatives for me!

Patt: I am a BIG believer in fitting the program to your lifestyle. If you need to take a break at a different time then do it – at the end of the day it is more important to be consistent over a longer period than to make it fit to some ideal. To be honest I normally take a break when my body says so which is about 8-10 weeks. This is about life not just a small fixed period of time of dieting.

Mel: Big kisses – how are you mate?


JC

Peony..Don't worry about the lower weights you are doing..you will be amazed at how fast you can increase your weights..I started small too, but when I did the challange the first time I kept the BFL Journal.. and looking back at it.. I felt pretty proud of what I did accomplish.. But foolishly I let the scale rule me.. I had gone down a few sizes in clothes, and almost into a size 6...(fit but only for a couple hours)..I gained 3 or 4 pounds...and boom... that was the end for me..but this time..the inches are coming off.. and the scales are hidden....do your self a huge favor... don't go near any scales... just keep on buying smaller clothes..
hello to everyone else....I worked 12 hours today and the first thing I had to do when I came through the door is come see what everyone has to say..this is like a support group.. and after the bad news I got today..(one of my stylist 1 year old boy is in the hospital and will not be coming home ever again..Kidney failure)...I is good to visit you all for some good news.. instead of the refrigerator...

I'm not real good at rest week. I've blown my eating already- don't feel "accountable" to anyone and now I remember how icky refined carbs make me feel and how fast I turn into carb gut! Hopefully that will stop me tomorrow. I just got back from Outback where I had a big hunk of steak and vegies and water. Yeah me! JC, you'd probably die laughing in our Outback restaraunts which serve huge portions of American food with Australian names, and have lots of Aussie STUFF hanging on the walls.

Lakota- great attitude about the scale! I had to laugh about your pants fitting for a few hours, tho thats probably not funny to you. I bought a pair two weeks ago that I swear actually went on me in the dressing room and that evening, but darn if I've been able to get them on since. And I even announced them everywhere and what size they were. Every couple of days my husband asks if those are my new pants- uh no, sweetie- can't zip those today! I don't know where the fat went that day or why the h**l it didn't stay there, but maybe someday I'll wear em again for more than a few hours Wish I could say it was muscle gain that pushed me out of those pants but that would be delusional!

Patt- I'd go for the 13 weeks. Just not much longer. Otherwise 2 things can happen: 1) burnout and injuries- currently the boat I'm in and 2) if you're doing BFL, mentally your psyched up for 12 weeks and much after that I think you start slacking off on nutrition or workouts cause you've already congratulated yourself (and rightly so!) for finishing. Also the boat I'm in, tho not doing straight BFL anymore.

Karen- Sounds like you're gonna have a great trip! Is Jim going this time? When we were in England last year we only spent 1 day in London- not enough! Good thinking to time your break then.

Hi JC- Enjoying Pam's menus? I did until the last week when I told her I wanted a really strict diet. Very boring! 100% egg white, brocolli and chicken breast. I smelled lovely. I think she did say she could get stricter yet if I wanted a comp diet. Noooo- those size 2 (US) pants are not that important! Not that quickly, anyway!

Susan- you out there? what's up? we miss you!

gotta go, all those illegal carbs are settling on my butt as I type,

mel

Mel: I drove past one of those when I was in the US a few years ago but my friend wouldn't take me in there because he said that I would be embarrassed by the pretend Aussie stuff! I should try it next time.

Yeah I am still enjoying her menus although it has tighten up a lot this time. I am on my 3rd low calorie day in a row now and I am really feeling the energy levels change. I was doing my cardio this morning and felt a bit light headed after about 35 minutes so I stopped (was only meant to do 45 mins) I have loads of lettuce, broccoli, egg whites, chicken and green peppers this week but I actually like that food so I don't mind it too much. I still have 3 yummy jello cheesecakes and 2 protein puddings as well, for a bit of variety. I am drinking so much water at the moment and am not exactly sure why?? Do you drink more on her program?

I made the mistake of asking Pam to find me a role model with my body type that I could aim for. Well she did and the woman - Jennifer Hanke is gorgeous but now it's scary because I can picture what I want in my head so it's given me this burning desire to go as hard at it as possible now. I need to watch myself to make sure that I don't over train and I get enough rest. Sometimes I can be a bit overzealous when I want something.

Anyway back to work!

JC

I did my first 20 minute MAS today! I'm a runner, so I did the treadmill on various degrees of intensity. I had my little notecard with a minute-by-minute mph guide!

I was wiped out afterwards!

Thanks so much for all of the info/support today. I'll stay away from the scales.

Is there a standard portion for egg whites and cottage cheese?

Thanks!

Lakota
I am very sorry to hear about your stylists little boy. That is heart breaking! I have a 8 year old boy and a 10 year old girl and I can not imagine going through such a terrible thing. I will keep the boy, his mom and family in my prayers.
Virginia

Hey everyone! (wow, two posts in one day!)

Peony - eggwhites and cottage cheese are two of the few foods that don't quite work out with palm/fist. What I do is count protein grams i.e. 1 gram of protein per day of bodyweight.

So that equation would be if you weigh 150 pounds:

150 grams of protein per day
divded by 6 (meals per day) = 25 grams protein per meal

Eggwhites have about 3.5 grams of protein...so that would be 7 eggwhites...or you could do four eggwhites + one whole egg (many gals at L&S do that). For cottage cheese - most CC has 13 grams of protein per 1/2 cup so you'd have to measure out just under a cup to get your portion.

Mel - unfortunately Jim isn't coming along - he's lacking two very important things: 1) a passport and 2) spending money! Besides, it's supposed to be cold and pouring rain next week in London anyway fortunately we have another meeting planned for London in August 2003 - that gives him plenty of time to get some buckaroos and a passport together! Besides August would be much more fun anyway!

Outback Steakhouse...I must admit I have never been there! But if you watch any TV at all, you see their commercials often. JC, apparently all you Aussies do all day is hang around the beach grilling up sides of beef and prawns the size of my arm, and eat Bloomin' Onions (a deep-fried giant onion served with a mayonaise-based dip) and giant slabs of cheesecake. Oh and everyone has a perfect body and wears either bathing suits or khaki shirts and hats. Right?

Peony - I am a runner also. I love the 20MAS and also HIIT as well.

MrsJim - well I don't know about the bloomin onions but the cheesecake is about right! No we don't all have perfect bodies unfortunately. I was just hanging around here so I could make friends because I really look like Cindy Crawford!

erhhh.... yeah right......

We do grill a lot and BBQ a lot though so I guess that's correct. But personally I don't eat prawns - hubby does though???

Our CC here is about 16 grams per half cup so when I got Pam's menu I used her measurements for the first few weeks but kept getting bloated from all the cottage cheese! I realised after a bit of investigating that my portions where slightly smaller here to meet the same requirements! No more bloating!!! I NEARLY was put of CC entirely..... Lucky save....

JC

Patt and Virginia. It's great to see so many people on the same path.

Virginia, how is your new bench working out? Mine didn't get delivered Mon. because it was raining. It should come Thurs. now. Yesterday I found a olympic barbell and a 200 lb. set of wts. on sale. Still in the back of my car - I'll be unloading and hauling down to the basement in a bit.

LBWO done by 5:30 this a.m. - now that feels good to have it taken care of for the day.

Patt, I was inspired to check out this plan by that loose skin thread too. It is weird when you almost wish for that problem because at least it would mean you are losing weight. We'll see how that goes for me. So far, not a problem. The thing that is worrisome to me is cellulite - I guess that is what you would call it. Dimpled, lumps of fat on my upper legs. Please tell me that will go away!

I did enjoy visiting the Hussman website that Karen refers to in the Sticky bulletin. I enjoyed reading how fat leaves the body, in layers like the layers of an onion. He also says that fat loss is noticeable first in the chest, face and upper abdomen. I have noticed that my upper abdomen does indeed look smaller. Lower abs- well that is a whole other story.

Have a good day everyone.

Morning all,


Ya know what I'm waiting for? Someone to notice! A while back LC posted a "what was your first time?" someone to notice your fat loss efforts. I really enjoyed all the responses it got. I am really anticipating someone noticing .... sigh it's gonna be a long weight.

MrsJim: LOL no, my weight is NOT tattoed to my forhead, it is tattoed across my butt!!!

JEC: Yes, I agree with you that this has to be a life style that you can live with. I think Bill said in the book "we gee I was kinda hoping to have a life too"

Mel: Yep, that is what we are gonna do 13 weeks and then stop. I hadn't even considered your thoughts on slacking off and stuff.

Lakota: I am really sorry about your stylists son. As a parent I just can't imagine how she must be feeling.

Ledom: Hello Yea, the horrible skin thing. Have you seen Hookies photos on L&S? She dropped 100 lbs and had tonns of loose skin hanging off her body. She had really improved that situation alot. And yes, I think the cellulite will go away eventually, I hope.......


Patt

Hi all,
I have not got the book yet, but I am taking some of the things you discuss into consideration. I have a protein drink every morning using GNC's 95% protein powder, skim milk and blueberry/cranberry juice, one banana, 1/4 cup yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of milled flaxseed. Just wondering if you think this is a good combo, or if there is something else I should have in it.
I went to GNC today and bought flax seed oil. How much should I take, how should I take it( from spoon or in something), and should I substitue the milled flax seed for the flaxseed oil instead.
Sorry for all the questions, but I can not wait to start. Any hint you can give me until I ge the book, I would surely appreciate.
Virginia

Real quick here and then back to work...

Virginia - you're not giving the measurements on the protein powder, but looking at it, I'd say you're using too many carbs...on BFL, milk and yogurt are carbs (check the labels - more carbs than protein in them). Actually milk is not even on the 'authorized' list in the book...and I'd ace the juice as well. Juice is 100% sugar, ya know.

Basically (if you check the information 'sticky' at the top of the BFL/BB forum) you want each meal to have a portion of carbs and a portion of protein. You have at least two carb portions here (maybe more depending on how large your banana is). Personally for me, I count 1/2 a large banana as one portion...but everyone's different...

How about this for a protein shake recipe...

Protein powder (enough to equal 20-25 grams of protein - check the label)
1 frozen banana (or frozen peaches, frozen mango chunks, etc). Frozen fruit makes for a better tasting shake.
Tablespoon of flax oil or flax seeds
Splenda and vanilla if necessary to taste
Cold water and ice
Blend until smooth...

Another option if you have vanilla protein powder is to make a SWEET POTATO SHAKE. Use cold, cooked sweet potato in place of fruit, and add some cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice...vanilla, Splenda, water, ice...blend...mmmm...you could probably do this with pumpkin as well (just make sure when you buy canned pumpkin that you stay away from the cans marked "PUMPKIN PIE FILLING" as they have added ingredients such as sugar in them.

Back to work!!!

Day 3 on BFL.

First day of BFL lower body weight training. I spent the majority of my time running around my new gym trying to locate all of the equipment! Oh well, at least now I'll be all set for the next lower body workout.

This morning I was incredibly lazy and mixed my protein powder in with my oatmeal and ended up with a not-bad chocolate oatmeal.

Have a great night everyone!

I'm gonna do it! Stay clean all day, drink a gazillion gallons of water and get yesterday's crapola out of my system. Did half an hour of moderate cardio this morning and felt 100% better. I think I'm just used to more blood flow to the brain.

Peony: When I first joined my gym, I actually drew a map of my workouts and wrote down the number on any machine I used. Otherwise I would have spent more time wandering than working!

Hi everyone!
mel