Well! Thought it was high time to start a new thread!

Now time to get caught up a bit...

Amazing how busy I was at work today considering a lot of folks (including my boss) are on vacation...but I have tomorrow and Wednesday off - hooray! What I enjoy doing on days off when Jim isn't around (he's working - I have way too many vacation days and want to use them) is doing cardio first thing in the AM, then going back to the gym an hour before Meal #2 and weight training, and that's what I plan to do the next couple of days.

Patty - Free Day is amazing isn't it! My first challenge I could not wait for free day...my breakfast feasts were legendary. but now I just have a regular breakfast - oatmeal and eggwhites. Mostly Free day for me means having a couple of treats and not planning. Yesterday I had an incredible urge for OREO COOKIES so I bought a package...ate some of them (okay a lot of them!) but packed the rest up and Jim took them to work today. McDonald's used to be a favorite Free Day food, but I dunno, it just doesn't appeal to me anymore...does anyone else find that the stuff they used to crave - the junk - doesn't taste nearly as good as it used to?

Mel - I have the same 'problem' as you do - my upper arms tend to bulge out a bit. But ya know - it looks great! I get so many compliments on my arms ("muscle girlie" and "buff chick" are the most popular nicknames around work). Most of the tops I've bought since December have been SLEEVELESS. Hey, I worked hard for those arms - why not show 'em off a bit?

Cheddar - I actually got a bit of flak from hubby on that 'squat' photo. Jim maintains that I should always wear a weight belt when I'm lifting - he has never gone to the gym with me so has never actually seen me squat in person. I told him NO ONE at LFTC was wearing a belt - I actually have one but I haven't used it in eons - it mostly gets in the way. Following strict form is SO IMPORTANT when lifting. I've seen a lot of people at the gym just get carried away with trying to lift a lot of pounds - and not paying attention to form. That leads to injuries big time!

Whew - already 9 pm. Yeah, I know, I have tomorrow off but my body-clock is saying night-night! more later everyone!

Mrs Jim: I like my arms too! But I can't go sleeveless here all year and it bugs me to have to buy bigger sizes than my body needs ( I worked hard to get here!) because the sleeves are made for stick people! Like the yellow sweatshirt I bought at gap on Sunday. Small fit fine, except for the bulging biceps. I've been wearing nothing but sleeveless thissummer tho. Which I NEVER would have done a year ago.

On weight belts: WHY? I've never used one. What's it for that good abs don't do? Yesterday at the gym there was a group of new guys- all Villanova University football players obviously re-starting their conditioning programs. The were belted and strapped to the teeth and had such awful form I wanted to go "help" and point out they'd do a lot better if they improved their form, and would actually work the muscles they thought they were! The funny thing is they were grunting and groaning to do about the same weights as I do without the straps and belts! I kept my mouth shut, but if they are still there in a week or two, I may say something. Maybe ask one to spot me and tell him why I do it MY way . Or maybe I should just learn to keep my mouth shut!

Leg day today! Lookin forward to it. Time to change up my routines some. Need to get the books out and peek at Krista's site for some new ideas. One thing I never change is squats, tho. Can't imagine leg day without squats!

mel

The belt thing - Jim works in Facilities and our company REQUIRES the guys down there who have to do lifting to wear belts at all times. Guess it's a workers comp thing. I've explained to him that I am SO careful with my form and I don't lift more than I think I can handle - I only go up 10 pounds at a time (right now I'm up to about 210# on barbell squats - in the photo at LFTC I was squatting 145 as a warmup). What cracks me up are the guys (and they are ALL guys) at the gym who ALWAYS wear a big ol' leather weight belt - even doing cardio! Just too funny.

Yep, leg day for me wouldn't be complete without squats. I change my foot position to hit different areas. Deadlifts are also a 'must' for me - straight-legged for the most part. I do want to try the kind where you lift from the floor (like Robb was doing in that pic from LFTC where I was watching all impressed!).

Well today I have the DAY OFF (although I am going to do a bit of work from home) and I'm going to be heading back to the gym at around 9:30 am or so to do shoulders/abs/calves...I also have to clean out my klunker - I'm donating it to Goodwill and will start looking for a new vehicle in a few months. Actually we are planning on doing some 'test driving' this weekend just for fun - before I buy I want to get the bills paid down a bit...looking at the PT Cruiser, VW Beetle, or Jeep Wrangler...

Wow, 30 days is gone. I just finished doing the 100 reps with low weights......the verdict is still out, I am measuring tomorrow. I don't feel much different, but I did come to the conclusion that I need to build a lot more muscle before I try the fat blasting workout again.
So I am doing 3 sets of 20 reps and upping my weights, less triceps, more deltoids and adding 1 more lower body workout per week.
After i take 5 days off, I have girlfriends coming to do some wine country activities and then i'll be back at it.

TCW--it was the east side exertech, I knew it had changed names, but I forget what's its called, the one in Parklane.
I lived in Wichita from 1974-1995, minus 4 years while I was in school in KC. I have a lot of good friends there and I miss them most of all, don't miss the hot summers or the cold winters.
I try to get there 2 or 3 times a year.

Suz

OH MrsJim, I meant to ask, since this is the weekend you would have been competing, do you think you reached your BF goals?

Suz

Wow, it's been quiet here this week!

Actually quiet at work too...a lot of folks are on vacation. I really miss Susanje - Sue, hopefully you're reading this...Thunderheart... are you doing okay - concerned about ya, gal!

Yeppers...this is the weekend I would have been competing. It just popped up on my Outlook calendar this morning. I'm a bit bummed about it...but I had to think REALLY hard. Basically it comes down to 1) dollars and cents - it's EXPENSIVE to compete, especially for the ladies - I just about had an aneurysm when I priced posing suits!!! and 2) giving up my free day. Yeah, I know I'm a weakling

Anyway, once I had determined that I was not going to be able to do this, I went back to BFL eating - before I was doing Camp Pam B which is VERY high in protein and low in carbs (actually it cycles between low and high carbs). After about 15 weeks of CPB I did GetLean for a bit, which allows for a lot more carbs, but a very restricted menu - no fruit or dairy products, no red meat...

Since I don't measure my bodyfat (I totally go by the mirror and the 'pants o meter' - the scale and calipers are pretty much history as you can tell by my new signature!) I have no idea what my BF% is/was at its lowest. I'd estimate around 14-15%. My size 4's actually got fairly loose in the butt/thigh/waist area - right now they're comfy (but today was a leg day for me - my butt and legs tend to blow up a bit after a leg workout).

BTW today I reached a new high on squats - 6 reps at 225#! too cool!

Gonna go hit the gym now - it's lunch time for me and I want to get some cardio in! More later!

Hi , I'm still here kinda lurking. Between L and S and some other msn boards, I'm swamped

Mrs Jim- did you not need to know your weight and/or BF for the CPB plan? I haven't really looked at it myself (very happy with BodyRX so far) but I figured it was customized to the individual user. Or is it a palm/fist kind of thing?

WTG on your squats! I am not currently squatting; I'm using the angled leg press instead. I did manage to add about 30 pounds to it in my 6 week Cycle 1.

And Mel- buying sweatshirts already?

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I finally got some glutamine so maybe tomorrow night (leg day today) won't be the limpfest it usually is.

Laura

Laura - Hi there - haven't seen ya here in awhile...

I hear ya on being swamped. I actually lurk on a bunch of boards, but only post here and L&S as far as health/bodybuilding/etc are concerned (plus a couple of equine-oriented boards so I stay pretty busy).

As far as my info for CPB - the last time I weighed myself was when Pam asked for it on the questionnaire I completed - which I sent along with front and back pix. CPB is most definintely NOT a palm/fist thing - everything is strictly measured! If you're gonna do a competition diet, everything MUST be measured to the ounce. It is VERY strict - makes BFL by the book look like a smorgasbord!

I remember going back to BFL eating after being on CPB for 8 weeks and it took me a couple of weeks to stop thinking that I was cheating day in day out. BFL seems like walk in the park after going on a competition diet for a while! MrsJim is right too you have to measure everything down to the last ounce (or gram for me!) and you have to eat at exact times and drink water perfectly etc.

But the thing that really got me on CPB was the exhaustion. You don't get really hungry or anything but on low carb days and the morning after a low carb day you get sooooooo tired. I had to let it go despite excellant results because I had started the soccer season and I was totally flaking it during my games! My teammates were not impressed to say the least.

I finish soccer in about 4 weeks (after semi-finals) and want to give it another go for a short while to push me in the next size down - which was my original goal. I want to lose some more of this fat before summer hits Australia! I would really like to wear a bikini this summer to impress hubby (and myself) plus I am going on a holiday to the Northern Territory (NT) to see my sister-in-law and her family so I need to look good for that - the NT has tropical weather and gets very very hot in the summer. Up to 40 degrees celcius most days. I can see my six pack peaking through I just need to lose that last layer to be able to see them! Oh that and my thighs I am shaped like Karen! (MrsJim)

Mel: I know what you mean by tight sleeves. I make a note to only buy fitted tops that are made of stretchy material now. I hate getting somthing to fit perfectly in the bodice and then squeeze onto your arms. In the summer I always wear sleaveless or singlet tops. (thin straps) I love showing off my arms now!

Last night hubby and I were shopping and he made a joke about me so I squeezed his wrists to annoy him. He couldn't believe how strong my grip was, so I flexed for him and he said the words I have been longing to hear! They were 'You are so ripped honey-look at ya!' Ah wedded bliss!

On the weight belt issue guys I have been told that it compensates for the weight you are lifting. If you AREN'T wearing one you will only lift what you can. If you ARE wearing one you will probably lift more than you can and thus more likely get injured from it. I strongly suggest that a weight belt is NOT needed, as it provides a false sense of security.

It has been soooo busy at work for me - since it is the end of our financial year here. I always found it strange that our school year ends in December and our financial year ends in June and you guys over there are the direct opposite! It's a weather thing I presume. Summer holidays and the like.

Anyway I have a million journals to write so I had better get back to work! Take care everyone.

JC

BTW OUR financial year here at work ends Sept 30th

As far as CPB I might do it again next year. I remember reading that Keith Klein (the author of Get Lean) said that you should never do such strict comp dieting more than once a year. I believe he is right - I mean it would be one thing if I was trying to be a FITNESS MODEL but I'm not. I want to be the best person I CAN BE - inside and out!

I was really tired the first couple of days on CPB but I told Pam (that's one of the great things - she is very responsive to emails!) and she tweaked the menu so I was getting a bit more carbs in my diet - then it got better. But on the low-carb days I was SO CRANKY. On the bright side, my abs popped out after 8 weeks which was a good thing! I still have all the menus if I want to go back to that WOE, but if I choose to do a comp diet again, I'd probably go for Get Lean, since I enjoy carbs so much - you get to eat lots of potatoes, brown rice, cream of wheat, oatmeal...but I might do another round of CPB in September...until then I'm treading water with BFL right now and that's the way I like it - it's a heckuva lot easier for me to eat clean when I know I'm getting a FREE DAY on Sunday!

Gone for a few days and I have a lot to read!

A friend of mine purchased the software that PamB uses for her Camp PamB. I need to go grocery shopping for some of the stuff, but I plan to do the diet (very strict with measurements as MrsJim and others said) for four week sprints and see how it goes. Until I get to the store (we're on a tight budget), then it's BFL eating for right now--it's so much easier to plan and prepare, I think.

Hotty, it's funny that you mention the old Exertech in Parklane because I'm going to the gym that replaced it! It's Fitness 2000 now, it's 24 hours except for Friday and Saturday nights, and I really love it. I've lived in Wichita all of my life (1969 to present), and I plan to probably stay here. You're practically on the other side of the earth in CA according to "us Kansans."

Has anyone read in the latest Muscle and Fitness (and I read it somewhere else, too) that people who either took a calcium supplement or consumed the required calcium per day were able to lose more bodyfat? Guess who started to take her calcium supplement again? This baby fat just needs to MOVE.

Tracy

Karen: WELL in New Zealand their financial year end is 31st March! You must be a subsidiary of a foreign corporation.

Geez it scares me that I even know that!

I wanted to have a look at the Get Lean program but it isn't available in Australia yet. I went looking for the book and couldn't find it. I know what you mean about goals though I don't want to be a model or compete either - I just want to get rid of my belly!

Ahh free day..... hmmmm yummmmmm it's tomorrow for me and the ice cream is waiting! I had a weird craving for marchmallows last week so I bought a packet but I only ate a handful in the end!

Tracy: I haven't heard about calcium helping fatloss before and I don't take one separately. I take a multi-vitamin, zinc, milk thistle, chromium picconolate and flax. If you want to know why I take any of them then just ask and I will explain it! I won't go into it now because I don't want to bore anyone! I am a bit dubious about new supplements or advice in magazines. I thoroughly read the sports supplement review by Bill Phillips a few years ago and decided what to take after that. I tend to stick with that list because it works for me. The other supps I take in spits and spats depending on my needs at the time.

JC

JC - Get Lean isn't in any store - you have to order it from the Labrada site...and currently the kit is on back order - apparently they're updating it... http://www.labrada.com/store/kit.html

Ya know, I have the same thing happen with me on free day - I think about a certain food or foods during the week...but then when Sunday rolls around, they just aren't as appealing. This past Sunday it was Oreo cookies. I ate a bunch and the rest of the package went with Jim to work where they were quickly consumed by him and his buddies.

At this point, I'm at the same place you are - I don't want to be a fitness model - just want the belly to go away. Right now I think it's mostly loose skin...but it's tightening up.

Tracy - I've taken multivitamins, creatine, glutamine, CLA, and a bodybuilder's supp called "Cuts II" but right now I'm scrimping and saving - not even buying Myo Lite and I miss my cappuchino ice fix but I gotta tell ya - the creamed cottage cheese mixed with Jello or vanilla/Splenda ROCKS! Something else I tried - putting in some instant FF/SF vanilla pudding mix along with the vanilla extract and Splenda, cream the cottage cheese well and then stick it in the fridge. The pudding makes the mixture 'set' and become the consistency and taste of CHEESECAKE!!!! YUMMMMMMY!!!

I really appreciate your concern but nothin to worry about. I'm still lurking but I just can't seem to get my mojo back. I keep starting and fizzling out quickly so I guess I'm just not ready. I've been in this valley of weight loss despair before and I know that I have to really want it. I've been reading everyone's posts at L&S too - particularly inspired lately by the Rev - he seems to be going through the same struggle. I just don't have enough guts to post about it - I feel like a whiner if I do - wait, not a whiner - a failure for so many starts and stops. I've been lurking at the ETL board on L&S too and wondering if I should try their Tato. I seem to have alot of the same eating habits that I read about there. If I can get this going for at least a week then I'll start posting regularly again - everyone just seems to be doing so well here. One thing I do know is that I never felt better when I was following BFL eating and working out 1st thing in the morning. TomW posted a response to the Rev the other day about examining your failed days with a fine tooth comb to figure out the reasons for failure - I will have to start focusing on that. I know that one of my big problems is preparation. I went out and bought all of the food I would need to prepare the other day and never prepared it. Some of it is still sitting in the fridge waiting - see what I mean? Maybe I need to "fake it till I make it". The good news is my knees are back to normal - so when I start again (did I just say WHEN?), I will have to take it slow on the treadmill to avoid whatever I had - maybe incline instead of speed to get the heart rate up. I'm still lurking which I consider a good sign - I haven't totally given up on myself.

I have to tell you MrsJim that I certainly admire and appreciate the long road that you have come down - you really are inspiring!!