Carrie,
 

The results will be different for everyone depending on genetics and how much you have to lose. Lana is right about the scale, you can't go by that - rather by the pants-o-meter, how your clothes fit. I do weigh weekly but with the understanding that if what the scale says causes me to lose my focus then I'll have to stop.

Others may have a different opinion on this, but I consider following the BFL Challenge to be bodybuilding. The strength training is fed by the diet, the diet allows you plenty of food but you have to transform it to muscle for the system to work properly. Don't forget, muscles are sexy. AND, to be a bodybuilding competitor you'd have to refine your regime even more, ramp everything up quite a bit.

For me, I started losing pretty soon though in all honesty I didn't even want to know what I weighed when I started so I waited a couple of weeks to weigh. It was at the END of the challenge weeks 10, 11, and 12 that I started really seeing a difference. You've got be persistent and be patient and if you do that you will be successful.

Bulking up
 

Carrie- I actually gained 3 pounds on the scale during C1, but lost 8% body fat, and 2 sizes in jeans. As Lanaii said, THROW OUT YOUR SCALE. Muscle just plain weighs more. At first, you may feel bigger because you may be gaining muscle faster than you are losing fat, but I guarentee that will change by the end of 12 weeks. A lot of women don't really see any results until weeks 10-12. I know, a long wait with a lot of hard work and discipline thrown in for good measure. But it will happen! You need to build the muscle, and as long as you are eating clean, the fat will go. Take pictures about every 4-6 weeks and you will see differences. Remeber, it's 12 week program. You're not going to lose a bunch of weight up front, like on a starvation or low carb diet. You're building a new body, not just trying to lose weight. Also, there are all sorts of things happening inside that you can't see: you're developing larger veins and arteries along with those muscles, and more blood to nourish them; your blood pressure and cholesterol levels are probably going down; your glandular system is learning how to react more efficiently to help process the food you are eating. All sorts of changes! Just takes a while to see them all on the surface. Hang in there!

mel

Thanks everyone!

Lanaii1
Believe me I am tempted to throw out the scale! I mostly use it to guage where I am and sometimes for motivation. Like, if I get on the scale and don't like what I see I am more motivated to make healthier decisions and go to the gym. I do have the book. Thanks!

I know I am not going to get crazy bulky in just 12 weeks of lifting. I was just wondering if I the only person who is using BFL more as a fitness regimine than a bodybuilding plan. I like muscles too! I actually have a decent amount and just don't want them to grow a lot in size.

ledom
I know I have to be patient. But I don't want to!!!

meliris
I am glad I am not the only one who gained weight. I was mostly concerned that I was not eating the right things or that my portion sizes were too big. I took pictures. Hopefully, I am just in a beginning funk where my body wants to hold on all of the fat!

Thanks guys. :D

Carrie - I also am using BFL as a fitness plan rather than a bodybuilding plan. But don't worry - you're not going to "bulk up." Years ago, I was living with my SIL and BIL and their four teenagers in a 900 sq. ft. house while waiting to join my husband overseas. I was there four months, and had it not been for the fact that I joined a gym, I would have gone insane. Anyhow, I worked out daily for those four months in a fashion very similar to BFL (except that I did 20 mins of cardio on weight days and 45 mins of cardio on non-weight days). In four months, I only lost 3 lbs. but I went from a size 14 to a size 10. (Boy, was I a hottie! ;) )

So I guess the moral of the story is: Be patient. I am doing this with the understanding that it's going to become a way of life for me. (Thank God for free days! :lol: )

weeeeeeeek 12
 

Hey everyone

well.....guess what tomorrow is week 12 of my first challenge....i REALLY can't believe it.........wow....i think i am down 25-30lbs....which is not amazing.....but i am pretty psyched...well...that's all for now...


one_sweetchick:dizzy:

Good for you ...one-sweet chick...You must be so proud of yourself, and WE are proud of you....
Later all...

25-30 lbs is "not amazing?" On what planet? I think it's FABULOUS - you should, too. Give yourself some credit for your harrd work!

onesweet chick,
 

it sounds incredibly amazing to me. Congratulations on completing your challenge.

I have had a great athletic day. I hiked this morning and kayaked this afternoon. I am going to sleep great tonight.

WOW!!!!
 

SO Much to catch up on ladies!!

Karen: I reading Natural Hormonal Enhancement which was recommended by someone on L&S. What can I say?? It shoul donly be reda by someone who is really serious about training and what's going on in your body etc. It is technical and quite hard to read but very comprehensive. I changed my eating as soon as I started reading it and I will let you know how I fair over the next few weeks. So far so good though! :D I finished the Dave Draper books - they were good also but a bit too simple if you know what I mean :?: The best thing about Dave's books are the workouts. I am using his lean legs one for the next 6 weeks.

Meg sounds adorable by the way. Glad the sparkster is coming around as well.

Ledom: How was your free week?

Patt: I love to ski also but it is hard to find snow in this country! I remember the first time I went skiing when I was about 14 yrs old and how much I adored it. It is my first memory of being sore from sport.

Stinkerbellah - welcome! Nice to meet you.

Lana: The life strategies book was the reason why I stuck my first BFL challenge out. I did all the assignments which was a real wake up call for me and what is really weird is that I just read my journal last night that had all the assignments in it and I was amazed at how far I have come over the past 18 months. I just love Dr Phil and his forthright attitude. Love the new avatar by the way.

Carrie: I am the type of person to forget when to eat as well. During the week at work I have outlook remind me of when my meals are so that I don't lose track of time. A little reminder flips up on my screen and I don't turn it off until I have my food in front of me. I have to be extra careful on weekends though. I ate the 6 meals on my first challenge but now I admit I eat 5 and only eat the 6th if I am hungry. Usually I will make it a protein shake as well which is easy to go down. With regards to supplements stay away from the nutrition bars etc. Stick with a good quality protein powder and make your own shakes. Don't be afraid of bulking up on the program - any muscle you do build won't look bulky - trust me. Women don't have the testosterone levels to support that kind of growth. :s:

Moxie: I was going to try Body Rx at one point but decided it wasn't right at the time. I am still considering it for the future though and have read the book so I understand how it works etc. Good luck with it all :D

Jennelle: I wouldn't worry about the water you are drinking - it's about what I drink now. Increase in thirst is part of fat loss for some people (me included) because the body is riding itself of the residue left from fat burning.

Mel: My trip was great thanks! Fairly rushed and busy but still good. One thing I was annoyed about was that my sister didn't say anything about my transformation. Even her insensitive husband and everyone else I came across mentioned it but not her. I was crushed that my only sibling didn't notice at if she did notice didn't bother to remark about it. :(

As for me, well my challenge started on the 30th Dec so I am in week 2 at the moment. Eating has been on track and workouts going strong as well although I have been totally exhausted from getting back into it. I did reach a milestone yesterday though, I went to the beach in a bikini top and board shorts. I have never owned a bikini top so I was suitably impressed that I didn't get all shy about it. It felt awesome. Now I just need to get my butt into gear so I can show off my bottom half as well! :smug:

Glad to see that everyone is so active at the moment. Let's take this new year jump and run with it!

:goodvibes :goodvibes A very happy JC :cbg:

trying to post a picture.....
 

I hope that this attaches ok....

Great it worked!

I just wanted to show the newbies one of my favourite pics! This is a pound of muscle laying next to a pound of fat (I think but anyway the weight is equal). See how muscle is the same weight on the scale but one third of the size of fat? This explains why the scale lies and you can get smaller without seeing any changes on the scale at all. If you exchange 15 lbs of fat for 15 lbs of muscle you will weigh the same but essentially you will take up two-thirds less space than you did before.

I love this image - I think it is so powerful.

JC