Hello! After a lot of struggling with weight loss, I have decided to do the BFL challenge. I read the book and am getting ready to start tomorrow. However, some things weren't clear to me, so I looked at the BFL website and that seemed to be even more confusing! Everyone seems to be a hardcore weight lifter and I am just not at that level and need some help for a beginner. The book says to just do portion sizes, but I am afraid that my eyes will see my hand bigger than what it is. Did anyone count calories? If so, how did you determine a good amount for you? Also, I bought the eating for life book, but then read that this book is more for maintenance and not for the diet. I am a poor cook and am having a hard time with meal ideas. What did you do when you first started out? And lastly, what was your experience? Did you lose weight and become trim in the 12 week period or did it take a lot longer? I need to lose about 90lbs and everyone seems to only need to lose 25-40 lbs, so I am nervous that I should do something else first and then do this. Did anyone else have a lot to lose when they started BFL? Please advise as I am planning on starting tomorrow and I would like some insight before then. Thank-you!

Hi Chelle

I think that you can definitely benefit in 12 weeks of BFL but I wouldn't expect a 90 lb loss in those 12 weeks. Many people have done multiple rounds of BFL. I'm not sure at what interval but basically 12 weeks on, then a certain amount of weeks off then 12 weeks on.

I've never actually done a full 12 weeks following the diet but I have heard comments from women who think that there are too many grains in BFL. I think mixing BFL with calorie counting may be your best way to go. If you have a kitchen scale, you can also measure out your portions.

Thank-you for your response to my post. I wish I could lose 90lbs in 12 weeks, but sadly I have come to terms that that will never happen. But I have heard that about the grains to and that is another reason i am wondering what results other people have had.

Chelle: I used the BFL guidelines and Eating for Life as my approach to weightloss. It took me a year to lose the first 50 pounds. The following ten plus pounds the following year and now I just kind of chip away at it in maintenance mode.

Eating for Life was the book I used for food ideas. However, during the first five, six months my foods were pretty much the same. I was very critical of how many calories this might turn into as well. My solution was to plug everything into Fitday. It's a free online program. Basically, I just kept my macronutrients at 40/40/20 and then ate four meals a day. Five if I stayed up past 10:00pm.

Your going to become very hungry between feeds but just hang in there. It means that your metabolism is working and you just have another hour or hour and half before the next "fueling" Hot tea, lost of water, helps at these moments.

I still basically eat this way. That is, four small meals a day and making sure that my protein and carb intake are equal. Lots of veggies too.

Good luck!