Just got back this evening from 4 days in Ft. Lauderdale visiting my brother, sis-in-law and their 15 month old daughter, then 3 days at University of Maryland watching lacrosse games and spending a lot of money on my daughter. Considering it was free week, I think I did OK- a few non-legal meals, but stayed in control except for today's tailgate party where the ham and lemon squares kept jumping into my mouth.

Florida was a blur- we (my 11 yr old son and I) hit the beach 2 days, did the everglades airboat ride, lay around a pool, and spent a lot of time standing in line at the airport. I went running twice with my bro- sure is hot in south FLA! even at 7:30 in the morning, but I managed to keep up for 4 miles, and he's 14 years younger than me. Stayed out of the gym, but it felt good to run. Oh, he was really amazed when he saw me, and kept asking more and more questions about BFL, so I left him my book which goes everywhere with me. I think we have another convert- I convinced him to go sugar free, white flour free etc last November, but he hasn't lifted since highschool. He actually looks pretty good now, but he sants more muscle and less running. Told him this was really the bast way to do it.

Then flew home, slept 1 night in my bed before I headed for U of MD. Daughter plays lacrosse for Ohio State, and they got beat by UNC in a heartbreaker on Friday night, then upset Maryland today. This is the first time in 79 games that Maryland has been beaten by a team not in their conference. They've been ranked #1 in the country for 7 straight years, and OSU has just cracked the top 20, so it was quite an upset, and well celebrated! I got in another good run Saturday along a beautiful trail around the campus, about 6 miles with some sprints thrown in just to see if I could. I'm really amazed that I can still do the distances, because I quit doing anything more than the 20MAS or HIIT when I started BFL.

To whomever asked about running: There are quite a few recreational runners doing BFL on L&S. Ask to join the MTGBIS team (Miles to go before I sleep) for tips on how to incorporate running. I'm signed up for the 1/2 marathon at Disney next January, but won't start to really train for it until September. My goal is just to finish, not interested in breaking any records. I really enjoy running, and often do about 4 miles on "rest" day.

I can't believe it, but I've been looking forward all week to getting back to the BFL routine, can't wait to get back to the gym tomorrow.

OK- gotta go check out Mrs Jim's pics on L&S then unpack and SLEEP!

ON TO C2!!!!!!
mel

I am not starting the challenge this week, BUT I will at least try their weight training program. Mine so far has given me good results, but I also know it is good to shift one's program from time to time as well. I am also starting the 6 meals a day thing too and will start buying some protien shakes etc. I am much better at easing myself into a program then just starting right away anyway. Asides from that I guess I just need to build my faith in it a bit too..

The fact remains though I feel that WW point ranges are WAY too low anyway. I was losing weight all summer having one free day a week and eating 30 or so points a day and I was less than 150 at the point as well. Yet at the same time, WW did bring me from being well over 200lbs to being around 150, it's a good program for basic fat-loss (though I feel they could probably add more calories and a more emphasis on raising protien). They do encourage activity, but it also depends on the leader. My mom weight trains (she's gone from 276 to 153 and according to her doctor has excellent muscles), but I think she's one of the few WWers that do, most people are scared of weight gain and bulk (which as we all know is a myth for most women).

I just want to be a comfortable size 4-6 again, I have moved up closer to 6-8. I can't realistically get smaller than a 4, my ribcage won't let me!

Anyhoo, Happy Easter Monday (I have class today )

Ali

I agree completely with your observations on WW. I will tell you that my BFL portions average 26-32 (I was curious and kept track for a week or two.) I still eat a very high-fiber, fruit and vegetable rich diet but WW is designed for sedentary desk workers...not athletes.

Mrs.Jim you look great. I'll check out your other pictures later.

Challenge 2 starts today for me.

Lisa: Congrats on beginning C2!!! I am about half way through my C1 retread but I am doing a 7 week sprint starting today. It will be interesting to see how things go! I do cardio today. :sheep:


My cardio lately has been making me nauseous which is a good sign but it seems to last so long afterwards (up to an hour) that I just HATE it. I hate it so much to begin with that the nausea doesn't help much. But if I am to hit 10s, I need to put up with it.
The Saucony are truly helping my shin splints and I am SO grateful for that (they were becoming the bane of my existance!)

off to cardio/shower/school!
Susan

Well, I made it back from my two week training in Houston. The Residence Inn - workout room was a joke - three bikes and two treadmills. I was so let down. I did walk and I tried to be careful with food and I consider the first challenge over after the first week things just weren't going my way. So I got up this morning did my cardio an planned my meals for the day. So I am considering today the start of a new Challenge. I don't know how often I will get to check in here - but you will see me posting as often as I can.

I appreciate everyone sharing their views here and ask that eveyone please keep it up.

MrsJim your pictures are great you and Pam B are truly inspirational to me!

Susan E.

i was reading over my post and realized that i had stated something wrong---just so you all realize i am not as fast a runner as i made it sound...when i do my 20 minutes HIIT i do 20 minutes running, that incorporates about 2 miles and the warm up and warm down on wither side makes it the even 5k, (A bit over 3 miles.) it takes nearly 40 minutes or so to finish. if i train for the 10 in july, i will be out training for over an hour each time. I KNOW that will be over the top. however, is the 5k i normally do (which includes only 20min high intensity) going to make a huge difference? i seem to feel o, and my muscles aren't sore or anything. i really am looking forward to this, and perhaps since my first challange ends in three weeks, i can start training for the 10k then, as i have till the end of july. for those of you in the bay area, you know it as the Santa Cruz Wharf to Wharf race...anyway, i just thought i would clarify, since the way i wrote it made it sound like i can run a 7 minute mile...no dice!
=^..^=

Susan-
one quick question...about those shoes you said really help with the shin splints...what model? I get those too if i run too fast or train too hard. I currently wear Brooks, an dthey are great but are finnally breaking down and i need a new pair. I have a wide foot though and tend to run off road, so i nead something that will absord shock really well and yet have a thick strong sole so as to last on gravel roads. would you recommend your brand? my sis says Saucany is great...

=^..^=

Whew! First day back to work...actually I love being back in my daily routine, as it's MUCH easier to eat clean that way...

Had a killer workout this morning. I was so eager to go to the gym I was out of bed by 3:45 am! What a nut, huh?

Susan E - just some advice - my personal feeling is that it's not a good idea to start over. Just fail fast and keep on. Believe me, very few of us are 100% perfect during the 12 weeks...especially during the first challenge. Just accept that you weren't perfect, learn from it and go on. Check out these quotes from folks at L&S: (BTW, in an earlier thread, I quoted TJ's post in its entirety, I believe about a month ago - you might want to browse the BFL threads here for it).

Before my Miami meeting, I drilled the hotel on exactly what equipment they had in their spa...then did some research on the gyms nearby...it turned out that I could have gotten a halfway decent workout in a pinch at the hotel (they had a nice set of dumbbells, lat pulldown/pressdown, leg curl/ext, etc., as well as some VERY nice LifeFitness treadmills and ellipticals) but I wanted to keep heavy squats in my routine over the week. When I was in London last year, their workout room consisted of an ancient stairclimber, a treadmill, lifecycle and a mat!

My boss is calling me, so I've gotta jam. Later all!

Hi Everyone! - and welcome to the new ladies you're gonna like it here.

Well I made it through my four days of being out of town for Easter. I missed 1 cardio workout. Can you believe that at the end of March we had a blizzard for 2 days? I was able to walk/jog my first cardio day and then came the snow - so I was really stuck as to what I could do. I was good with the nutrition part of it despite the odd looks and questions from my die-hard WW point counting mother-in-law. WW has worked really well for her but it was hard to sell her on the concepts of BFL. In the end we agreed to disagree. Oh well - you gotta do what works - whatever that may be.

MrsJim - love your new pics! You look great. I have to tell ya that I am hooked on Myolite Cappuccino Ice!!! Love, love, love it. My PP is sooo much better than the other one I was using. I got some MetRx Vanilla Butter Cream and it is sooo much better than the other chalky stuff I had.

It feels sooo good to be back on my routine - I felt a little disoriented while I was gone - maybe no internet access had something to do with that as well.

Quick question for the runners (Mel?). Did my 1st walk/jog outside while I was away and I couldn't believe how tough it was. My shins are still sore and my inner thighs are still feeling tight. My lungs were burning and I was coughing for about 2 hours after my workout. Is this normal? I usually do my workout on the treadmill. Boy what a difference! No question that I reached a ten.

Well I'm heading into the final four weeks (ready carps?) and I really want to make them count! Have a great week everyone!

Thunder-except for the coughing, that sounds about right. Outside, where the pavement doesn't move for you is a lot harder. Especially if there are even the slightest hills. But you get used to it, and it's so much more interesting and higher intensity than a treadmill. To minimize shin soreness, stretch real well after you run. Warm muscles sstretch better! Also make sure you have proper shoes- it makes much more of a difference on a hard surface than a treadmill.

Meow- You've shattered my image! I was really impressed by the 7 minute mile! I just bought a new pair of Saucony's and love 'em. Most comfortable shoe I've ever worn, I don't know why I had a brief fling with Nike and Addidas. Saucony makes a great trail running shoe and they tend to run wide. They look a little funky, but the comfort is worth it. I tried them on last week, but I'm 95% on pavement, so I passed on them. Good luck!

MrsJim- You look great! and I see those abs. Maybe someday we'll see mine.

mel

Hi Thunderheart - I was missing ya - and yes I'm ready for the last four weeks. I have to admit though, I had a terrible weekend - It basically turned into one big long free weekend - although I did workout as usual. But I just couldn't get away from the chocolate and hot cross buns etc.... aarghhh!
Anyway - I'm determined and ready for the next four!

Yesterday I did the proper bench press for the first time, and boy oh boy are my pecs sore today! similar to my first week of BFL! the top weight I managed (for my set of 6) was 44lbs (plus the bar whatever that is) does that sound totally ridiculously pathetic???? I am definately going to continue on with bench press now - my goal is 100lbs.
Mrs Jim, other long termers- what are benching on your top set? Also what are up to on the quad press? I'm just trying to figure out what are some reasonably goals.

I have an oatmeal question? When people say they are eating oatmeal - are they putting equal and cinnamon and milk on it? or are they just eating the gluggy oatmeal as it is??? I can't quite get my head around eating it without milk.

Also my husband and I are both experiencing trouble staying on course and feel hungry a lot - could this be because we are finally starting to lift some decent weight now? I don't know.

well the first of April brought Autumn with a vengeance and we all had the feather duvet's out and and the winter PJ's on! brrrrr!

Got heaps of work to do - so must run. Catch you later.
Carly

SAUCONY!!! Saucony Courageous. I get them from RoadRunner Sports. I belong to their Runners Club and get 10% discount.
Not that I run (I did once upon a time but shin splints sidelined me as early as running track when I was 14. I tried again in college and again, was in agony). But I have to buy GOOD running shoes so I belong to the runners club. I order them online or via phone and they show up in a day or so.

The Courageous are probably the first Saucony I've owned that cost over $100.00 but they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it. I LOVE THEM. I could sleep in them, I swear.

They are a brandnew style for Saucony and I don't know that everywhere has them.

RR Sports also has really good exercise bras. I am a 38DD (STILL!) and I need the SUPPORT and I wear their exercise bras as a daily bra. When I wear a "normal" bra now I feel like I'm coming out of them!

Susan

Oatmeal: I eat it a few different ways. My favorite is steel cut oats (buy McCanns Irish Oatmeal at netrition). I usually make up a huge batch and then I add egg beaters, soy protein powder (not whey), splenda, cinnamon, pinch of vanilla, and butter buds. I mix it all together and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes in a pyrex baking dish. Then I cover it and refrigerate. I cut out squares each day for one of my early meals. Sometimes I heat it up and top with blueberries. yum. You need to measure it all out to make it balance but if it doesn't, just know what you need to add (usually protein) and have some egg whites with it when you eat it. I don't have a recipe because I use different pps and different amts of eggbeaters (sometimes I throw in an egg or two). If it's "watery" before you bake it, it will firm up in the oven heat.

Another way I eat oatmeal is just regular Quaker with splenda and cinnamon and vanilla protein powder mixed in. It gets like GLUE! but I like it. Don't ask me why

You can also do just splenda and cinnamon. :-) For that I usually use Irish Oats as they tend to be really filling!

Hi everyone!

Carps -- I just started barbell bench press this challenge, so I'm not up there in weight yet -- but if your bar is like ours, it's 45 lbs. So you may be benching 99 already! I wanted to get from 45 (bar only) to 90 (bar plus 45) in this challenge -- but only made it to 75.

I do 370 on the leg press, but might be able to do more -- I'm being careful of a knee that gets painful if I overload it. My husband Brian does 950 -- he has great quads!

Just finished challenge 2.5, and made good progress but still have a long way to go. For this challenge: down 12 lbs fat, up 4 lbs lean, down 3 inches in tummy, 2 inches in hips and 1.5 in each thigh. Since starting BFL in August I'm down from 42% body fat to 28%, with an ultimate goal of 18%.

Each challenge I somehow imagine that my body will have "transformed" at the end, but then realize that I've already made the inner transformation to a lean, strong athlete -- but it will just take a while for my body to catch up!

Wish me luck during free week -- my previous two free weeks did NOT go well. My goal is mostly clean eating for most of the week: one totally free eating day (that was Easter), followed by adding a few treats but making good choices (made it one day so far!)

Hope you're all dong great!

Carrie

susanje your oatmeal sounds truley gross! sorry! And I take it you don't use milk at all? "thats not how you make porridge!" (I think that was an add here - so none of you will get it!)

also, being in NZ I can't get egg beaters or butter buds and I'm not sure about steel cut oats - and I can't order from Netrition! So that doesn't help much does it!

carrie - congratulations on your losses this challenge! well done. and I am impressed by your weights. I'm really not sure what our bar weighs, but I'm positive its not 45lbs. I will ask tomorrow though.

thanks for your replies - had a good food day today although was unable to get to the gym Argggghhhh!!! My car is at the shop, and my kids are on holiday and the gym is miles away and it all just didn't happen! really bummed out - cos I love getting to the gym.

got to go to a band practice now - see ya'll tomorrow.