Mrs Jim: We watch a lot of LA Law in our Ethics class. :lol: Of course, they do EVERYTHING wrong on LA Law!

My smallest cat, Boo, is a cap fanatic and we call it playing hockey too. She loves the caps to sports bottles (water) and the smaller ones are her favorite (some water bottles are bigger and bulkier and she'll play with them if she can't find any others). We have caps all over the house, whenever there are no caps to be found I have to start looking under dressers and furniture for them. She'll be meowing softly (she's really tiny so she has this small meow) and I know she's cap hunting so I help her out. When she sees me reach under a dresser her little ears perk up and I throw the cap and she scampers after it and then prances around the house like she just killed a gazelle. :lol:
People in school think I'm nuts when I spy a cap on a table and I pick it up and say "Oh a Boozie cap." and stick it in my backpack.

:)

love those kitties.

You know on the LSAT they had a cat question and the question had to do with why cats sleep 90% of the time yet aren't giant fat things (well, there are a lot of giant fat cats, I have one, but most cats are not). One of the answers (that I picked) was that they have a higher rate of metabolism. Another answer said they get all the exercise they really need by stretching after their nap. I thought that was ridiculous! And THAT was the right answer.

See what you need to know to get into law school??? :) Even with cats I blew it.
Susan

Hello Ladies, I hope you do not mind if I butt in.

I am new to body for life, I began my first challenge on the 3rd. So far I am stumbling through it. I am not doing the diet portion...I have this stomach problem, and if I eat too many carbs (my passion:devil:), I am in agony...so I am doing CAD. I tried (BFL diet) it for 2 days, and It couldn't stick with it, so I returned to CAD.

I love the workouts though. I wish I could come up with more time, so I can always get them in....that is my biggest stumbling block right now. Making sure I fit my workouts in.

I could use any support you ladies could give me, and advice too. As I said, I am stumbling through this right now, and wish I could get it all down pat...need to make it a habit.

WEll off I go to the weight room...

Mrs. Jim....I loved the cat diary!! Too Funny!! :lol:

I know the real answer...
 

it takes a **** of a lot of calories to grow enough fur to shed your own weight three times per year (for shorthairs!)

SUSANJE if you find ethical flaws in L.A.Law your class must LOVE the Practice. They would have all been disbarred 100 episodes back if there was any reality attached to the show.

Susan - One of my sister's cats at her warehouse, Tigger, got up to 28 pounds...bigger than Garfield! He's VERY affectionate and likes to jump up on your lap. Oof! Once Jen was very worried because she was locking up for the night and couldn't find him. Jim went out and found Tigger stuck in the wheel well of a parked car between the tire and the car body (he apparently went up there for a little catnap). Jim lifted up the car and Tigger was able to unwedge himself and walk away with dignity :lol:

Unfortunately because of his weight, Tigger developed diabetes and now Jen has to give him insulin shots and monitor his diet - he's already lost almost 10 pounds...

Sparky's method of losing weight, apparently, is vomiting whenever he eats too much. I have a bulimic cat!

Do you watch a lot of Court TV? Jim LOVES "Cops" and they show it incessantly!

Lodyangel - Welcome to our thread! I don't know a whole lot about CAD- Carb Addicts right? - as I haven't read the book. I would be interested to know exactly WHY the BFL eating plan didn't work for you. If you're training the way the book says and hitting your 10's, then you absoutely NEED those carbs for energy! That would definitely be a question to pose at www.leanandstrong.com IMO!

Back to work...later all!

bad cats, bad cats, what you gonna do?
 

My husband used to paraphrase the "COPS" theme song when we came home to signs of feline misbehavior.

I'm paraphrasing Captain Steve from L&S:

"It's hard to get too many quality carbs"

especially in combo with like amounts of quality protein.

Of course, the only problem I have with carbs is an inability to stop eating white bread and sugar! BFL is the only WOE that has ever worked, and that was gradual.

I used some of my tax refund to buy weight-lifting books at half.com and send off a big order to Netrition.

Lift heavy, eat clean, and have a great weekend!

Welcome Melody! The take on low carbing here is not terrible favorable but I have had a few different experiences so I hope you understand that I (and others) are not slamming the low carb approach but there are definitely hazards in trying to low carb with intense workouts.

I once had a stomach problem with carbs because I ate too many of the wrong kind. I was a big bread and white rice and cereal freak. It upset my stomach greatly. not only were they were wrong carbs, but the portions were too much.

I tried to do BFL low carb last winter and failed miserably. Unless you are doing a controlled carb add in once or twice a week, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to maintain the workouts without losing muscle. I looked into NHE and also the CKD (Cyclical Ketogenic Diet). Both are for low carbing body builders and both insist on having carbs in a controlled fashion on a regular (once or twice weekly) basis. If I was completely serious about body building AND had the time to count these things, I would have liked to really have given CKD a try but it was just way too complicated for me to deal with given my schedule and lack of room in my brain.

I know that body builders will cycle carbs and/or calories but BFL C1 is not a body building routine. it is to restore balance to the body and get the lean muscle/fat ratio more in line. The way to do that is by balanced workouts (cardio/weight training) and balanced eating (protein/carbs).

I know that my low glycemic BFL carbs and smaller portions do not aggravate my stomach and I am probably more energetic than when I tried to low carb it. Just my 2 cents.

Susan

Beautifully put...
 

SUSANJE I couldn't have said it better myself!

I KNEW Susan would hit it spot on, since I recall her problems when she attempted a 'low-carb' version of BFL last year.

And recall that last year's Grand Champion in the Body-for-LIFE/EAS Challenge was a diabetic and he had a GREAT transformation.

I personally don't see how eating veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans, sweet potatoes, etc. could upset your tummy. My mother has an ulcer and eats all those things with no problems...but I'm not a doctor...

Oops, got a meeting I must run to - more later!

Thinking of trying
 

Hi all!
I have been thinking of trying BFL. I have checked out your website and the results look so positive. You look great!!! Maybe I'll have to give it a go.

Portions?
 

I really don't want to sound too anal, but like I said, major fear of CARBS here.

I'm having trouble with the fist/ 20 grams carb thing, esp re: steel cut oats, brown rice and beans. My fist is 1 cup; but I know that that doesn't always equal approx 20 grams of carb, in fact it would put me over that in a fairly major way with most if not all grain products.

Beans are easy enough to figure; the measurements are on the cans. But what does a 20 gram serving of brown rice measure to? I'm fairly certain it's more like 1/2 cup.

Any help is appreciated, I feel like such a newbie ;)

Laura

Laura - When I said "20 grams" I was referring to PROTEIN, not carbs. And everyone's different - some women might need more than that, others less.

As far as carbs go, you can find out your fist measurement by doing a 'water displacement test' - get a four-cup measuring cup, fill it to the 2-cup line, now put your clenched fist all the way into the water and with your fist in the water, see what the measurement reads. I just did mine and it went almost exactly to the 3-cup mark - therefore, my 'fist' carb portion is a little under 1 cup.

As long as you're varying your carbs (some fruit, some grains, some beans) and not eating bread often (I actually save bread for Free Day - remember, it's RELUCTANTLY authorized in the book) everything will even out and you should be just fine!

Remember: KEEP IT SIMPLE and you'll do great ;)

Oh yeah, if you're going to use canned beans, wash 'em first - they have sodium and some other stuff you don't necessarily want (I like using dried beans myself).

Gotta babysit so more later!

More on carbs
 

Well, I think wise ol' Steve is just plain wrong! I have been diligently having a quality protein with at least 4 meals a day, especially post-lifting, and I'm gaining FAT!!!! Too many servings of sweet potatoes, brown rice and steel cut oatmeal. And it is definitely fat that wasn't there 4 weeks ago. I'm going to try cutting the starchy carbs (no matter how high quality) to 2-3 per day, and use fruit for the rest. This just isn't working. Maybe for a 200 lb guy with 185 lbs of lean mass and no history of metabolic abuse, but not for a perimenopausal short woman.

end of rant. yeah, i've got pms too. and fat.
mel

Mel,

as a perimenopausal short woman, I do vary my carbs. I don't typically have steel cuts and sweet potatoes and rice all in the same today. today I had steel cuts for breakfast with egg beaters, rice for dinner (with chicken and veggies) and oranges (with chicken and veggies) for lunch with 2 "lite" MRPS (one designer protein strawberry [20 grams of protein per scoop] with 10 frozen strawberries and an ABSberry Sundae with 27 grams of protein and 13 of carbs with 5 frozen strawberries) in between (I'm post c1 so I only do 5 meals most days though if I am famished, I do have the sixth (rarely).

I find that like you I have questioned the manly approach to carb intake but I have also gone the no carb route and that isn't okay either. I think that I have it right at this time. It's been working VERY WELL for me this way.

I know the carb debate fairly well from having tried it a few different ways. I think you're right that men can't really tell women how to do it but I think that at least 2 meals a day of filling (ie real not MRP type) carbs is necessary.

susan

IWANNA LOVEME:

Welcome! :wave:

Feel free to ask any/all questions!

MrsJim- I understood that protein and carb grams should be approx equal- did I not get this right? I weigh 125, so I figured about 20 grams of each per 6 meals.

Also, yes, I already measured my fist and found it to be 1 cup. I never eat bread; I had one piece on my first free day. I don't eat ww pasta either.

Typical carbs for me in a day: 2 fruits (ex: apple, banana, orange) 1 servings beans, 1 brown rice, 1 steelcut oatmeal and an MRP. I am just concerned about using 1 cup of brown rice, oatmeal or beans, when clearly 1/2 cup is closer to the 20-25 gram range.

I agree with Susan that lowballing it just got me tired. There's got to be a happy medium between *chunky* and *exhausted*. ;)


Laura
also heading towards perimenopause, I guess
and definitely short
but my PMS isn't til next week :)