Hi all! Here are the results of the first 4 weeks of my BFL plan:

Bust: -1.0"
Waist: -1.0"
Hips: -1.0"
Thighs: -0.5" (each)
Upper arms: -0.5" (each)

I also lost 9 pounds. I used the body fat calculation in the Protein Power book (which is basically a formula using your waist and hip measurement as well as your height) and according to that I lost 13 pounds of fat and gained 4 pounds of muscle. Not sure how accurate this body fat method is though.

Anyway, am happy with my results so far!!!

Today is a free day for me since I have some plans to go out to eat tonight. Will get back on BFL tomorrow and look forward to more good things in the next 4 weeks!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Debbie

Debbie-Awesome results for the 1st 4 weeks! I measured today, and no losses, although I feel much tighter in my butt! I can't believe tomorrow starts week 10 for me.

I went to a family get together yesterday on Sanibel, and saw my cousin that I haven't seen in 6 years. She is a personal trainer and has been for many years. Absolutely no fat, and her arm muscles are unbelievable! I couldn't ask her any questions about training, but I am going to get her email address and get some input from her. I was actually too embarrassed to say that I work out with weights, since she is so cut!

Free day today! Enjoy!

It's a gorgeous day out here in the Bay Area!

Debbie - WTG!!! Ya done good, gal! Keep it up!

Angel Island on Friday was a BLAST. The weather was perfect. Our company had rented all the bikes on the island and I went on a butt kickin' ride around the island. There are some pretty steep climbs but I just put my bike into granny gear and spun up the hills...Of course most of the food was NOT BFL - the 'continental breakfast' was donuts and pastries. I went down to the cafe and got a fruit salad (just mixed fruit) and then went on my ride. After I got back, there were appetizers set out -- THANK GOODNESS there were cut fresh veggies, so I pigged out on carrots, cukes and jicama slices. There was BBQ chicken and fruit salad at lunch - I peeled off the skin and it was fine. Lots of water too!

Shelley - if you decide to buy Arnold's book (I don't especially agree with him on the "home vs. the gym" but that's his opinion - maybe he feels more inspired around other bodybuilders! - it DOES have a lot of great exercises and tips though) get the PAPERBACK. It only weighs 20 pounds! Check half.com or amazon.com for better prices on used - I bought mine for $13 and it was brand spankin' new.

I've also decided to CALM DOWN on Free day. No more huge breakfasts at Stacks' for awhile anyway. Just had a bagel (plain) and going to have a bowl of Special K (I'm sick 'cos I like that stuff!) in a bit. Later Jim and I are going to a place downtown called Jeffrey's for burgers and fries - after we go up to Canada Road for Bicycle Sunday that is! It's gorgeous out here today!

Also switching my 20 MAS from the Precor to the treadmill. I tried that today and got a MUCH more intense workout on the treadmill. I think my bod's too accustomed to the elliptical since I've been doing it for years!

See ya later gals!

Thanks for the kudos gals! I really feel good about what I have accomplished. I also want to thank you guys for being so positive and upbeat all the time. I started the BFL plan with a friend and she has pretty much not been doing what she should, so you guys are kind of my BFL buddies, since she kinda bailed out on me. It's really helped me to stick with it to hear your positive attitudes and to hear about the accomplishments you guys have made. I may not post that often, but I do come here and read how you guys are doing and I just wanted to make sure you all knew how inspiring you are to me. Thanks again!

Debbie

Debbie, You're doing a GREAT job!!!!!!!!!!!!

Free day hangover! But it felt so good not worrying about what I was eating! Back to the grind! Had a great LBWO this am.

Pam B posted her training/motivation/eating plan - what she did to lose 100 pounds and get her bodyfat down from 49% to 5%!

She's posted it as a Word file in the www.leanandstrong.com Training Library as well as on the message board today.

Needless to say I've printed it out and it's going in my BFL binder tonight!!!

Hope everyone's doing great - I feel terrific today. Jim and I passed on our big breakfast...instead I had a bagel and some Special K for brekkie, went bike riding, then had a burger and a shake at a local burger place that was REALLY GOOD.

For dinner, I just bought a sourdough baugette and we ate that along with some peaches and a couple of sausages. Not really a healthy day but not a food fest like my Free Days have been!

Consequently, I'm not feeling nauseated today. Had a great UBWO except for the slobs in my gym who don't put the dumbbells/barbells back. I spent a good 10 minutes today locating dumbbells all over the gym floor and putting them back. The 12.5 dumbbells are gone for good

I'm really looking into getting a set of those PowerBlocks. I saw an ad for them in the new Muscle Media mag and they aren't as expensive as I thought! Plus they don't take up a lot of room. Maybe if we have them at the house, Jim will use them too!

Well, back to work. CHECK OUT THAT PAM B DOCUMENT!!!

Ok, I need help! After signing up for the challenge three times before and not even starting it, I am finally going to do it. The problem is that the Body-For-Life site is down, and I want to make sure that I get all of the supplements, etc., that I need to officially compete in the challenge. As soon as I'm able to register online, I want to be ready to start the next day, so I'd like to go ahead and get everything ready.

Thanks!

Before you go rushing out to buy supplements, check out the archives at www.leanandstrong.com.

More recommended reading is at www.hussman.com/eas as well as the "Body for Life" book (but you already have that, right??)

Supplements (I don't put "Meal Replacement" shakes in that category BTW) are NOT required. And what you MAY want to use you can get MUCH MUCH cheaper elsewhere than EAS' website (which is also www.bodyforlife.com). Try www.netrition.com or www.vitaglo.com for starters. But first, go to Lean & Strong...read some of the archives, the libraries (Training library - check out Pam B's new post there!!! Awesome!) and the transformation pix...

Here's what I use (remember, all this stuff is OPTIONAL!!):

Myoplex Lite (I buy the 42-serving Neopolitian Variety Pack - muy cheapo!). Don't bother with the RTD shakes and the bars. They taste like ca-ca!

Most women should use Myo Lite since it has fewer calories than regular Myoplex (a nice bonus - it's also cheaper!).

Glutamine - (Labrada Glutamine 1000 is the best buy). Don't waste your $$ on CytoVol (EAS' version). Also stay away from the capsules - you'll have to take a ton of them to get the same serving size as a scoop of Labrada.

Multivitamins (I buy mine from Trader Joe's but you can just go generic on these - no need to spend a lot of $$ on fancy-schmancy ones).

Udo's Choice Perfected Oil Blend - or any good EFA product out there.

Creatine - just use the cheapest generic powder you can find. I mix mine with Tang, water, and my serving of glutamine and slug it down three times a day.

You can do the BFL program without using ANY of these products but I'd definitely at least do the Glutamine and the Myo Lite (or a comparable meal replacement - gets hard to make 6 meals a day!)

Oh, Susanje would say - stay AWAY from the scale during your Challenge. Instead, take measurements and 'before' pix (as painful as that may be to contemplate - you'll be glad of it 12 weeks from now!) before beginning the 12 weeks.

I'd also recommend - for the first week anyway until you get your bearings - posting your daily menu at www.leanandstrong.com. Tall Jen (TJ) has a daily menu thread that she starts about 10 a.m. each day. She'll give you an honest critique of what you're eating and make recommendations!!

See ya!

PS - Just re-read your post, and I guess you're signing up for the Challenge officially - while the rules state that you MUST use EAS products in your challenge, you do NOT have to buy them directly from EAS. Save yourself a small fortune and go to www.netrition.com or www.vitaglo.com. Oh yeah, it doesn't say that ALL your products need to be EAS either so if you just want to use Myo Lite, that would fit the requirements of the contest. Just save your receipts!!!

Thanks so much! I still have some research to do on the supplements- but you answered my question re:what EAS requires you to get for the challenge. I have purchased the Myoplex Lite (and a blender!), and wanted to be sure that's all I needed to get to fulfill that requirement. I *am* interested in supplementation - but I need to look into it a little more.

I've had success with Weight Watchers, but paid little attention to strength training- and I know that's what I need to do in order to change my body (in the manner that I am hopingto, at any rate). Thanks for your help-

WELCOME COLLEEN ! ! ! !
I was just like you. I did well with WW's but I desperately needed to get some consistent exercise in. The 20 minutes of "moving" that WW reccommends just wasn't enough and I always had an excuse not to do it.
Then I read about BFL and I thought I'd give it a try. It was the best thing that I ever could have done for myself!
I have gone from someone who hated exercise to one who can't wait to go to the gym and am now seeing results that others are noticing. I feel better about myself and have more energy.

This 4th time is the charm! Go for it! You CAN do it. And we are all here to help and support you. As MrsJim suggested, check in over at www.leanandstrong.com for more support and info. It also is a great site for BFL'ers.
AND GOOD LUCK!
~~~Sil

Since this is Week 5 (C2) I've changed all my exercises for UB and LB.

Today I did LBWO. I thought the Hack Squat machine was gonna be a piece of cake compared to using the Smith. Guess what? It's not as easy as it looks - trying to do it like Arnold says in his book (going all the way down) is TUFF. I can tell, though, that it'll be worth the effort!

Plus, I'm getting closer to my C2 goal of being able to do one complete chin up (or pull-up). Every day after my workout (be it cardio or weights) I go to the chinup bar and hang there for a few seconds, then try to pull myself up. Today I got 1/2 way up! I must admit I was impressed with myself - the chin-up bar I use faces a mirror so I could see my upper bod muscles straining. On my cardio days, I also use the chin-up machine (the one where the less weight you use, the more you have to rely on your own muscles to pull you up). I can do 10 chins with the weight at 80 as of yesterday. Tomorrow I'm going to put it at 70 and 60 to see how well I do!

As far as cardio, I've totally fallen in love with the treadmill, which used to be INCREDIBLY boring to me. With the 20 MAS intervals, though, it keeps me interested. Plus having some rockin' music really helps - I just got Brian Setzer's new CD "Ignition!" and that's what I've been listening to during my cardio (for strength training, believe it or not, I'm going back to my preteens and listening to Peter Frampton's 1974 "Frampton" CD at this time). I give "Ignition!" two thumbs up!!!! What a great album!

As I said before, I've printed out Pam B's training/motivation/nutrition paper from the Training Library on L&S and keep reading it every evening. I STRONGLY recommend all of you to check it out - print it out and really read it. She just motivates the heck outta me!! I also have her before and afters to really give me a shot - if she can meet and exceed her goals, certainly I can meet my own goals...

Time to hit the shower - see ya gals later!

hi everyone!

I am completely new to BFL, but am going to start next Monday. I kind of got into BFL backwards. I have been using Myoplex lite for months now (have to eat breakfast and always on the run) and just figured out that it was with BFL. Funny huh? Anyway, looking for a cheap resource to buy-- check out http://vitamins.com (parent site webrx.com).

I have been checking out the message boards for motivation and I wanted to say this board is positive and partially thanks to you all, I am going to start my own personal challenge next Monday!

I am going to measure and weigh on Sunday. I will let you all know

Sarah

Welcome Sarah-Keep us updated on everything!

Ladies-Please help! I am in need of motivation. I am getting burned out quickly. This waking up at 3:30AM to work out is taking it's toll on me. I still am not seeing major results in my 10th week. I have only 2 more to go, and I am starting to get very lax in everything (except for my weight training.) I haven't had time to eat all my meals (I have been falling asleep at 8:00.) I get home. I have 3 meals before I get home, then I have something like cottage cheese and fruit, or hard boiled egg whites and fruit. Within 2 hrs it is dinner time. After that I have been having a fruit or oatmeal, then fall asleep. I know I'm not eating right and not drinking enough water either. My motivation has gone down the tubes. How can I get re-motivated to finish this challenge and start a new one?????

Good morning everybody

Sarah~~~ Welcome to the group and to BFL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shelley~~~DON'T GIVE UP NOW ! ! ! I swear that it was in the 11th -12th week that I really started to see changes. I had seen and felt them in my arms earlier but it wasn't until the end of the challenge that others were making comments about "how much weight you've lost" or "you look so good". One of the ladies that I work with has been inspired to do BFL also (she said because of me). Don't get me wrong~I have a long way to go to reach my goal, but it is happening! I remember feeling anxious about going on free week because I was just seeing results and then was supposed to stop for a week. So hang in there Shelley.

MrsJim~~~WTG, gal! It sounds like you are doing great and I'm sure you will be at the TOP of the pull-up bar in no time!

Anyone who is interested~~~I have attached a pic of me.. I only showed the top half because there is a huge shadow on my sides (you can see it in my arms too) and it made my hips look bigger than I am (OK, so my vanity kicked in ) I realize that it make the board take alittle longer to download so I'll delete it in a few days. Just thought you'd like to put a face with a name.