I'm starting bfl, and even though I have the book and the website,there are still questions. I"m sure I'm not alone. I don't always want to post individual questions (threads) because I feel like I'm monopolizing the board, or being the electronic equivalent of someone repetedly tapping your shoulder...
I was wondering if there is a bfl thread out there that's alive? I'm thinking of making one on my own, but I'm not sure how to do that and I know I'm not around enough to moderate.
My newest questions:
Are there are prepackaged foods ( like smartones or lean cuisines) that fulfill bfl requirements? I just realized that I didn't do a very good job planning my meals for today, so they are going to be wierd...a prepackaged plan b would be nice..
Also, when he says 1 carb and one protein, does that mean like 1 serving? As in 1/4 c. egg beaters is the equivalent of one egg, and one piece of bread/toast, or one piece of turkey bacon?
Yesterday I had 1/2 cup egg beaters and two pieces of whole wheat toast, and wasn't sure if it counted toward 1 or 2 meals...
I really like this program, but like anyone, I want to have success with it... I may post what i eat to get a critique when I'm brave enough..today's only day 2.
Yesterday I did my upper body work out, didn't get it all done because I didn't give myself enough time...this morning I did the cardio by running and jumping in place like boxers do...kicked my butt!!
SusanB, Cat, and a few others & I used to run a monthly BFL thread when we were a little newer to it, so I'd see no problem with you starting another one that's a monthly thread (like "BFL - July" for example) where new to the program people could browse and us more experienced could also help out. Just so you know, this whole Ladies Who Lift forum started out as a BFL thread many years ago. So if you page down thru the multiple pages here and some of the stickies up top, you will see alot of old BFL threads too.
To answer your questions, I'm not aware of any prepackaged foods for BFL beyond supplements. I think to do so would not be aligned with the main concept of eating whole, unprocessed, natural foods as much as possible. And on the carb protein thing, I think the goal is just to make sure that each meal & snack have at least carb & protein. So you wouldn't want to eat just an apple for example (hi carb), but, an apple with some pbutter would be ideal, bc your pb brings in your protein component.
Yes, ubwo are hard to do in one sitting, esp in the beginning. You will find yourself getting more efficient with that as you get more experienced, and you will be able to go faster. It does take about a full hour for me, though. I found that doing exercises doubly (like a double tricep kickback or row) instead of isolating it with one arm at a time made things go faster for me. But in the beginning, you may want to keep isolating until you are sure your form is correct. Then later, you can get really crazy and do bicep curls while you're lunging!!! Complex exercises will really speed things along.
I started BFL two weeks ago and although there isn't a thread dedicated to BFL that I have found, you might want to introduce yourself here, there are a couple of ladies who post there that have knowledge of BFL plus, it's a great thread to discuss the general principles of lifting/eating right etc.
I am enjoying the BFL weights/exercise plans suggested very much so far. Before, I was doing a full body workout 3x week and not really enjoying it, I felt rushed a lot. With the 3 day weights split I feel like I am really working myself and getting more out of it. I'm not sure I agree with his 20 minute high intensity cardio advice though, I think that if you are just starting out with exercise this might be good for you but I've been on this weight loss road for over two years now, so I think I need more than 20 minutes so I've upped my cardio to 30-45 minutes 3x week.
I don't think there are pre-packaged meals available for BFL yet, if there is I haven't found them. You can buy the protein bars I think they're under the Myoplex name, which I really really like. There are two flavors I've tried, deluxe chocolate and choc peanut butter and they actually are tasty for protein bars! I bought mine at Wal-Mart.
When he says 1 carb and 1 protein I interpreted that as 1 serving of carbs and 1 serving of protein and yep, 1/4 c egg beaters would be your protein, your bread your carbs.
1/2 cup egg beaters and 2 slices toast is 1 meal not 2, if you are worried about your portions being too big, try 1/2 cup egg beaters and 1 slice toast.
I bought the BFL Eating for Life book which I have found very very helpful, it's got lots of great recipies in it. I haven't followed Bill's eating by the book though due to his reliance of and my dislike of protein powder/shakes. He bangs on about Myoplex a lot too which is a meal replacement and, imho, very expensive. When BFL came out, Bill was CEO of a company called EAS which manufactures Myplex which means ka-ching $$... You don't have to use Myoplex though, if you are using protein powder with a good amount of protein per serving (upwards of 20g per serving) then you are fine.
Most of us started on BFL or BFL-like programs. Why don't you just post in the chat thread?
From my interpretation of the original program, an apple and peanut butter is not a carb and a protein, but a carb and a fat. The program really calls for palm (protein)-fist(carb) sized portions. Fat intake is incidentally included with the carb and protein.
When I was doing BFL, my emergency food was sliced Healthy Choice turkey breast and an apple. Not the least processed food available, but a real no-brainer.
Thank you all for your help. I bought some hummuss and some whole wheat crackers to keep at work as well, in case I didn't bring anything. I learned the peanut butter and nut thing fairly early, just that yeah, it's a protein, but like you said, more so a fat.
I'm still getting the hang of timing. I was ravenous tonight because I was too busy at work to have eaten when I should have. I may have eaten too many raisins...but i know what to watch out for....it's a learning experience, what foods work the best, and when to eat. Usually I eat 1.5 to 2 hours. I pushed it till 3 because of work, hence hunger....
Thanks again for everyone's help
I'm glad this thread popped up. I'm struggling in the knowledge that I need to whittle my cals up for maintenance. I'm scared of that. But I have eaten BFL style before ... maybe that's a good option again.
When I did BFL, and even now, I do occasionally use some Healthy Choice or LeanCuisine meals. The key is that you have read the packaging and look for grams proteins and carbs to be roughly equal (or maybe a bit higher in carbs). I can tell you from experience that there are very few of these - most have *way* too many carbs.
Both brands have their nutritional value listed on their websites - print these out and figure out which would be compliant. Then make yourself a list to keep in your purse to make shopping easier!
One of my emergency snacks was always a can of V-8 and a piece of string cheese. I alway keep whole wheat crackers and canned tuna in my desk for lunches as well.
Oatmeal with protein powder is a staple for me for breakfast now, although I did Myo-Lite shakes for years until they discontinued the capuccino flavor.
BFL threads?
And on the carb protein thing, I think the goal is just to make sure that each meal & snack have at least carb & protein. So you wouldn't want to eat just an apple for example (hi carb), but, an apple with some pbutter would be ideal, bc your pb brings in your protein component.
Complex exercises will really speed things along.
