Body for Life #57

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  • Welcome to Body for Life number #57!!!

    Until Susanje is able to post again, I've volunteered to start the new threads. Feel free to chime in anytime!

    Basic Body for Life Information

    Must Have: Body for Life book by Bill Phillips

    BFL eating program in a nutshell (see book for more details): six meals a day 2-3 hours apart consisting of balanced (or close to balanced) protein/carb using fist (carbs) palm (protein) method of measurement. 2 meals a day add green veggies. 8-10 glasses of water per day.

    Because of the six meal requirement, some people find it convenient to have Meal Replacement Drinks on hand. This is not a requirement but a convenience.

    Meal Replacement Shakes. Look for good ratios of protein to carb and low sugar (Myoplex Lite by EAS and Met Rx not anything like Slimfast [which is all sugar!]) or use Protein Powder and add carbs such as fruit. If you shop at www.netrition.com the page for each product will list carbs/proteins/fats/sugars. check the labels carefully! If you like to add carbs, go for a low carb but keep your protein/carb grams in mind. Some of the protein shakes have protein grams as high as 42 and this is usually too much for one BFL meal for any woman so split these in 2 and add carbs.

    Vitamins: suggest multivitamin

    Supplements: l-glutamine for faster muscle recovery and immune system (this is not required but almost standard fare on BFL)

    Essential Oils: Recommended. Udos is the most recommended.

    Workout schedule (see book for more details): 45-60 minutes intense weight trainining 3 times a week working lower and upper body on different days. 20 minutes intense cardio 3 x a week (see the BFL book)

    Free Day: One day a week no workout and eat any thing you please, as much as you please.

    Rest: 12 weeks of program with one day of rest each week and then one week of rest between each 12 weeks.

    Mental requirements: commitment and dedication

    Results: AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • I'm back from Vegas, bay-bee!!! YEAHHHHH!!
    Hey everyone - I'm back!!!

    Vegas was awesome! For the price, we really enjoyed the Luxor - they had an Internet special for Thursday of $69 a night and best of all you got coupons for two free spa/health club visits! The exercise room had some fairly good equipment, mostly cardio (steppers, Lifecycles, treadmills, and a couple of LifeFitness "cross-trainers"). For weights they had Paramount stations, two Smith machines, 10 fixed barbells from 25-70 pounds, and dumbbells from 3 lbs to 60 lbs. All in all, not a bad deal, especially since it was open 24 hours which was GREAT. Noone else used the weights when I was there except for me - the few others were doing cardio.

    Now the SPA...that was out of this world! I could have very easily spent half the day there. Check out the website if you want to see it...I treated myself to a 1/2 hour massage and a exfoliation on Friday morning after my workout. I felt SO pampered!

    We spent Friday late morning and afternoon walking down the strip, with the temps up to 105 degrees... Jim wanted to walk to the Stratosphere from the Luxor, which are each at opposite ends of the Strip - plus we were walking in the big resorts to have a looksee (if we could afford it, I'd stay at the Venitian or Bellagio sometime !) and I realized I hadn't eaten in over FIVE hours.. I was bonking big time so we ducked into Caesar's and I ordered a chicken lime - chile salad at La Salsa, no cheese, dressing on the side. I just brushed away the tortilla strips, poured on some fresh salsa and chowed down.

    As far as food is concerned - the buffets are everywhere as are Krispy Kreme donuts! Every casino seemed to sell Krispy Kremes, and every third person we saw was carrying a box of them.

    But at the buffets - if you're careful - it's a good deal. I thought I was going to be living on Myo Lites the entire time but I only had one! We went to the Luxor buffet for breakfast both days. I ordered an eggwhite omlette with mushrooms - and watched the chef - he used cooking spray on his pan rather than butter. For carbs, I had oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, but they also had plenty of fresh fruit, along with salad veggies, as well. What I kept in mind is that, if I had been up in the regular restaurant and ordered the same thing - eggwhite omlette and oatmeal - I probably would have paid the same amount for it as I did for the buffet anyway. For me, that put it in perspective and made it possible for me not to overindulge just 'because it's there and I paid for ALL YOU CAN EAT, darn it!!!'

    It was actually pretty easy to stay on track eating-wise, because we were so busy! Jim rode the Manhattan Express rollercoaster last night with one of our nephews and he LOVED it (it's the rollercoaster at New York New York). It costs $10 but according to Jim, worth every penny - "Magic-Mountain worthy" is his consensus on that. Don't ask me - I can't do rollercoasters!

    Whew!

    And I felt so GREAT the whole time I was there...dare I say I felt attractive??? I'm telling ya - I felt GREAT! Strong and sexy!

    Gotta go catch up with the boards...sorry this is such a long post...
  • Someone throw me a Life Preserver
    Hi Ladies - I have to admit that I have been lurking for the last week or so trying to get the wind back in my sails. Thank you all for your kind words and condolences on the passing of my father-in-law.

    I have allowed myself to revert back to my old ways of using food to cope with stress. I am really starting to feel sick of the bloatedness and lack of energy. I really don't want to go back to the long road I just came from of losing those 80lbs. I promised myself that those were gone for good.

    I am supposed to be just completing W4 of C2 but that has pretty much been a bust. In looking at my training log I have only completed 1.5 weeks of training and maybe 1 week of nutrition. We are going to be spending alot of our weekends and 2 weeks holidays with my mother in law. She is alone now in the town she lives and we are the closest in proximity to her. Maybe I'll try and do sprints in between visits and do the best I can when I am there. I just wish I could get that spark back. My plan is to start working out again tomorrow and maybe the rest will follow.

    On the upside my internist was thrilled with my progress at my 6 month visit last week. All my bloodwork came back normal (blood sugars, cholesterol etc) and my blood pressure is back to normal. My FIL had a long history of diabetes and high blood pressure that went undetected for years because he refused to see a doctor. I am turning 40 this week and I really do want to live at least another 40 years - so I have to get back on the program!

    I noticed there are a few new people here - welcome! And thanks for indulging my venting. I am hoping that by checking in this might start the ball rolling again.
  • Hello everyone!

    Mrs. Jim--sounds like you had an amazing weekend! I've only passed through Las Vegas, never spent any longer than a couple of hours there. Good for you for sticking to your plan in the all-you-can-eats. Those are deadly for me, I stay FAR, FAR away. Gotta love the spas at those places too : )

    Thunderheart--I'm sorry to hear about your father in law. Since I've been doing BFL, I've had a few really emotional things come up when I've resorted to comfort foods. I've found that the idea of "just eat clean and workout and the rest will follow" really helps me to get through tough times. I guess it's comforting in a way to control what we can during tough times. Hang in there and keep posting. It's nice to meet you too : )

    I've spent the past couple of weeks trying to fine-tune my eating plan. I'm not really interested in getting any smaller, I've surpassed my goal of size 8 jeans already and people tell me all the time that I'm "getting so skinny". I want people to look at me and see strength and muscle, not skin and bones. On top of that, my trainer also told me the other day that I'm starting to look disproportionate and to stop dropping weight. I went back and looked at my food logs and found that I was not eating nearly enough every day to gain muscle in my UB, let alone even preserve what I have. So I've upped my calories majorly and stopped zigzagging for a couple of weeks to see if I can even things out a little bit. So, no complaints here on lots of extra food.

    The weather's beautiful here and I hope that everyone is having a wonderful weekend! I spent yesterday with my mom at an Amish quilt auction (my mom resells them) which was quite an experience. They had tons of homemade baked goods there including donuts that were better than any Krispy Kreme I've had. Yummy! I also finally set up a date with a guy I've been interested in for months. Can't wait to go, although it's not for a couple of weeks.

    Have a great day everyone!
  • WooHoo MrsJim-sounds like Vegas was a winner!

    thunderheart- hang in there, maybe you can modify workouts for the rest of C2. Sounds like you have a plan.

    Moxiegirl-eating more, how fun, if it were me I would be eating more carbs and not enough protein, the story of my life.


    Workouts were good this weekend. But I am feeling fat, tom and all. Hoping for a slimmer feeling next weekend.
    I reviewed my stats since 11/25/01 just to boost my ego and also so I could visualize myself measuring and each measurement would be less than the last time. It's better than crying into my oreos.

    Have a good week
  • Good Morning Ladies - thank you Moxiegirl and Hotty for your support.

    Just finished UBWO! It was tough but I pushed through and I actually feel pretty good right now - except for the rubber arms. I've decided that I am going to continue with C2 and just pick up where I left off. So I will check off the 1st day of W5 today.

    Today's goal is just to get through to the end of the day eating clean - and going to bed early if that's what is takes to stay on track with my night binges.

    Talk to you all later.
  • Hi everyone!
    Hope everyone had a good weekend. I shopped for a bathing suit on Saturday- used to be my least favorite activity next to gettinag a mammogram! This time, found quite a few that worked, even bought a 2 piece. But that's for lying on the deck BY MYSELF! Maybe after C3! Then Sunday I spend all day at ds's soccer tournament and forgot to bring sunscreen! Yowee! It was free day, but I couldn't stand the thought of wasting calories on the food stand hot dogs, chips or other yuk stuff, so there I was on the side-lines with my little cooler full of chicken, apples, cottage cheese, etc. Got a lot of weird looks and explained BFL a couple of times and flexed my sunburned biceps. Don't think I made a converts, lots of " OMG! I could never do that!" comments.
    anyway... glad you had a good time MrsJim. Never been to Vegas. Somehow it just doesn't appeal, but the spa sure sounds nice. Good for you at the buffets and the gym.

    Thunder-Glad to see you back, sorry you've had such a rough time. I think you're wise in just picking up where you are and adapting your workouts as you can. When I read your post, I kept thinking of Pam B's motto "fake it til you make it". Maybe the spark isn't there yet, but if you just keep at it, and start feeling better, it will come.

    Moxie- If you were at an Amish quilt auction are you in Lancaster Co. Pa? If so, I'm right next door. I wish I could say I was looking skinny- how were you zigzagging? Maybe I should try it. I'm still putting on muscle, but the body fat is movins soooo slow if at all. Still have that tummy roll and inner thigh stuff.

    Hottie- Can related to the ego boost need. I keep an old pair of last summers shorts on a shelf just so I can put them on and realize that I could fit at least 1 1/2 of me in them now. Those are for the days when it seems nothing's happening!

    Calling Susanje- are you on-line this summer?

    Hello anyone else I missed and you lurkers!

    mel
  • Good Morning Ladies - just finished 20 HIIT on my recumbant bike. Last night wasn't great but an improvement - do you ever find yourself snacking without realizing it? I think it has become habit again for me these past 2 weeks. Went to bed before too much damage was done. To borrow a phrase from SteveL at LeanandStrong - I don't want to go back to living in Sullivan County again! My FIL is in my thoughts while I am working out. Once he was diagnosed with diabetes he went on his stationary bike faithfully twice a day. I think this may have prolonged his life by about 7 years by doing this. There was already alot of damage done by the time he agreed to see a doctor. At his funeral I received alot of compliments from family members that had not seen me in 2 years. I tried explaining BFL to which they informed me that there was this new stomach procedure that would be alot "easier".

    Mel - A 2 piecer! Wow that is a fantasy of mine - some day. It sounds like you are doing really well.

    MrsJim - Sounds like you had a good time in Vegas. I went there about 11 years ago - spent most of my time gambling and at the buffets - a different lifetime. Would much rather compliments around the pool - what an ego boost for ya!

    Moxie - I would have loved to have been at that quilt show. I used to quilt quite a bit before my daughter was born (4 years ago). Managed to make my sister a quilt last year for her wedding gift. Just had an idea. I should pull out some of my unfinished projects to work on at night. Would keep my hands busy and I've always found quilting so comforting.

    Well thanks for indulging me yet again. I'm going to try and check in daily until we leave on Friday.

    Have a great day! Has anyone heard from Carps?
  • Good Morning!
    Aack...I'm doing penance for having such a good time in Las Vegas...I think I'm coming down with something!

    Got a sore throat and just feel blaaaaahhh and tired. In fact this morning I didn't wake up until 4:30 - Sparky did his best to wake me up short of meooowing - he finally put his little paw on my cheek (he's been curling up on my pillow next to my head at night) so he wouldn't wake "Daddy" up too!

    Of course I can't take any time off until next Thursday - I'm preparing for another offsite meeting which starts on Sunday and runs through Wednesday...

    Basically I've been running myself ragged trying to get everything done for this meeting...

    Thunderheart - I know exactly where you are coming from as far as the night eating is concerned. Especially the unconcious eating. The July issue of Oxygen (on the stands now) had an article called "Stop Overeating After Dark" - Do you stick with your nutrition plan by day only to turn into a muncher gone mad at night? I'd highly recommend reading it if you can snag a copy.

    I find that keeping busy and staying away from the teevee helps immeasurably. I HIGHLY recommend journaling in the evening. Sometimes it's what's eating you inside that makes you eat at night...especially when you're not hungry. Taking a long hot bath always helps me as well!

    Here's an important tidbit from that article:
    Quote:
    Turn the TV off. Don't munch mindlessly in front of the tube. Ever sit down for a flick with a bag of chips and 10 minutes into the movie, wonder where they went? Several studies conducted on children have shown that watching television tends to induce snacking behaviour while reducing physical activity. Bottom line: TV can make adults fat, too.
    Of course I still enjoy watching TV (gotta watch my Seinfeld reruns!) but I've been cutting way back. I watch the news when I'm working out at the gym (the elliptical machines are right in front of the TV sets). Seinfeld is on at 7:30 unless the San Francisco Giants preempt it. After that I'm done with TV unless there's something on worth watching (i.e. Pioneer House or a show on fitness).

    Whew! Gotta run - see y'all later!
  • Good Morning Ladies - Just finished LBWO - really did not want to do that this morning - really argued with myself - a real war going on in my head - and I had already posted here that I would be checking in, so I think that helped too. But I did it and I'm glad I did. Last night was a disaster as far as nutrition and that is all I will say about that.

    MrsJim - thanks for the reference to Oxygen magazine - I'm going to see if I can find one.

    I don't know if any of you saw the movie Vanilla Sky - but there is a line that Penelope Cruz has "Every passing minute is another minute that you can turn things around" or something like that. It's what made me go work out this morning. Just because I screwed up last night did not mean that today had to be like that too! Others that come to mind that I have heard from the BFL book or LeanandStrong is "fail fast and move on" or "progress not perfection" and one of my favourites from PamB "if you go 3 steps forward and 2 steps back you are still going forward" this one seems to be my motto of late.

    How are all the rest of ya doing? Carps?
  • Spelt, millet, quinoa?
    Hi, everyone,

    I'm new, I just started BFL (going to enter the June 12-week challenge.) I have a question for all you experienced folks.

    Are spelt, millet, and quinoa ok to eat? They're not on the approved carbohydrate list, and I was just wondering if anyone had experience using them. I enjoy them a lot and it would be great to be able to incorporate them into my diet.

    Thanks for your help!
    -Jamie
  • Hiya Folks!
    I've been INSANELY busy planning the charity event ! Considering taking another stab at BRx but resigned to being less lean than I wanted to be for July.
  • Didja think I wouldn't make it???
    Just finished my cardio today - lungs are a burnin - heart is beating out of my chest. Went back on the treadmill (1st time in over a month) to try an incline variation. Just what the doctor ordered! A little late in posting today. I slept in today - I guess it's allowed on your birthday right? I almost skipped the cardio too but thought what a better present to give yourself on your 40th - fitness and health. Looking to live another 40 thank you very much. OK now that I've patted myself on the back for my birthday - how are all ya doin?

    jdoll - sorry can't help ya out. Don't know what those things are that you are asking about. Are they vegetarian stuff? MrsJim might be able to help you but I know that she has been very under the weather of late and very busy with her job. She will eventually make it here though.

    Hope your feeling better soon MrsJim

    Quadzilla - nice to see you here. When your that busy something has got to give. Bless your heart for all you do in the name of fitness and breast cancer!
  • grains
    Hi, thunderheart.

    Thanks for your reply. Spelt, quinoa, and millet are all different types of grains, so if anything they would be carbohydrates I think.

    -Jamie
  • Getting ready to start BFL C2!
    Just finsihed BFL C1 with pretty good results. I know what mistakes I've made and what I need to change. The hardest part for me is eating a clean diet 100% 6 days a week I read on the L&S message board several people recommending the Get lean diet by Keith klein. I ordered the Get lean book today and thought it was alittle $$$$ but feel very determined to get buff by end of summer. My next step is to hire a trainer at the YMCA where I work out (if I can come up w/ the money . I was wondering if anyone has followed the get lean diet or has heard of it? I hope I'm not wasting my money! I really want to get the look of a fitness competitor (dont we all!)