BFL 411 additions
 

This thread is for any general/generic/timely information that members come across that could be helpful to other BFLers and isn't included in the Basic Information sticky.
I have been looking through the checkin threads for information that people have posted about good websites or helpful hints and can't always find it. (someone posted recently about a website that was better than X website and I can't find it).

Or any other finds you come across.
Enjoy! :)
susan

I'm still catching up on my summer reading...and noticed that Muscle and Fitness Hers had a nice 45 day Ab plan in their July 2002 issue.

:idea: Since we're doing a 40 day sprint, the pullout chart and 45 day roadmap might be helpful (You can do what I'm doing and modify it for your whole program, but I like the "candy land" type road map).

It even incorporates free day. :yes:

Susan

Well, I was going to post this on the Basic Info sticky, but I'll post it here as well...just so y'all catch it.

Actually it's from the Cooking Library at L&S - Pam's Nutrition Guidelines...

Originally Posted by :
NUTRITION GUIDELINES


· Never go more than 3 hours between meals – your body will begin to burn muscle rather than fat if you do.

· Always eat a portion of lean protein with every meal. A portion = the size of the palm of your hand. Good sources of lean protein: turkey breast, chicken breast, eggs, lean ham, round steak, fish, shrimp, protein powder, low-fat cottage cheese

· Eat one portion of starchy carbohydrates with most meals. Good sources of carbohydrates: sweet potatoes, yams, brown rice, wheat tortilla, fruit, corn, beans, barley, 100% whole wheat bread, oatmeal.

· Include at least 2 portions of fibrous veggies per day: romaine lettuce, greens, asparagus, green beans, squash, cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, tomato, peppers, onions, mushrooms.

· If you are trying to focus on fat loss, eliminate starchy carbohydrates from your last 2 meals of the day and double up on fibrous veggies at those meals.

· Sugar should be avoided. Sugar spikes your body’s insulin level and puts your body into “fat storage” mode. Sugar creates cravings for more sugar.

· Occasional nuts and seeds are okay (about 1 oz. 2-3 times per week)

· One meal per week allow yourself the freedom to go outside the norm and enjoy something you are craving.

At Susan's request...here's the link to the article for "Best and Worst Abdominal Exercises"

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/libr.../aa020402a.htm

Best to worst exercises for strengthening the rectus abdominus:
Bicycle maneuver

Captain’s chair

Crunches on exercise ball

Vertical leg crunch

Torso Track

Long arm crunch

Reverse crunch

Crunch with heel push

Ab Roller

Hover

Traditional crunch

Exercise tubing pull

Ab Rocker


Best to worst exercises for strengthening the obliques:

Captain’s chair

Bicycle maneuver

Reverse crunch

Hover

Vertical leg crunch

Crunch on exercise ball

Torso Track

Crunch with heel push

Long arm crunch

Ab Roller

Traditional crunch

Exercise tubing pull

Ab Rocker

Had to post this...

This was on another BFL board...there was a debate going on regarding free day (re: how "free" free day should be). I thought the following reply was pretty insightful:

Originally Posted by :
I have been reading this thread since it started but decided not to respond to it initialy because the original poster already decided that the "free day" was too much for her based on her first challenge. This is why she decided to do the free meals through out the week vs. all in one day.

But I decided to reply now because I want to explain what "free day" means no where in the book does it say to for go free day in favor of a free meal or 2 and no where does it say that free day means to pig out either. It does say that the individual is free to do as he or she pleases on that day for food/meals which means that they can eat what ever or how much/ how little that the individual wants to [if the person wants to eat nothing but sweets, and fast food burgers etc... then so be it this is that person's choice, but if a person feels that they want to be able to just eat a little larger portion of clean foods than that is fine as well or even somewhere in between.] But I will tell you all from my past experience of being on these boards for the past year and by having been through it myself, that IF around the 6th week of the challenge and you are wondering why the progress is not as great as you would have hoped for and you have been really enjoying you free day than you may want to rethink the amount you are consuming on that day.

The whole "Free Day" concept that Bill Phillips put in his book was to make the BFL concept more appealing to the general public who want to loose weight/get in shape but don't like the diet stigma of deprevation.

Also another thing a person needs to think about here as well is that BFL with the full blown free day does work very well for someone who has a lot of weight to loose, mainly because just by eating healthy 6 days a week in limited quanities and working out those 6 days as well is still creating a large enough deficit that the full blown free day doesn't take it's toll [due to the sedentary lifestyle the individual had before and the extremely poor food habits or over consumption of food the person had prior to BFL]. But for someone who starts out on this program with not a lot to loose [or a larger person who only has a few more lbs. to loose] will find it very difficult to keep that calorie deficit in tact if they continue with a full blown free day every week.

According to all of the fitness experts out there including Bill Phillips; they all do agree on this~that it all comes down to calories taken in vs. the calories that are being burned off through excercise [creating the calorie deficit].

Now for anybody out there reading this if the full blown out free day is still working for you and you are happy with your results then that is awesome...you should enjoy them if they help you to stay on plan the rest of the week. But for any of you that are taking the full blown free day and are not happy with your progress than you need to find out why the results aren't as good as you hoped, it could be the free day, it could be not enough water, it could be that you aren't pushing yourself hard enough in your workouts...but this is up to the individual to decided what they can and can not give up, or what is more important to them.

I hope this helps clear up the concept of free day~ in short you're "FREE" to choose what YOU want to do.

My thoughts? Well...free day was one of the main features of BFL that attracted me initially. Personally, I think that for the first challenge anyway - as long as you're eating clean the rest of the week - don't stress too much about Free day. My personal experience is that with eating clean 6 days a week, you will lose your cravings and even get totally sick for those greasy foods you used to love because (on conventional low-calorie diets) you couldn't have them. When you have one day a week to have anything you crave, the guilt goes away...and you stop wanting it so badly!