Hi everyone,

i have been reading your posts and it has inspired me to do BFL. I actually have has the book for a year or so now...and i have looked through it once and it has been shelfed ever since. but it is now a nightly reader for me.

I have started WW (again) two weeks ago. and I am going to stick to the eating plan of that. But I am doing the BFL exercise program and frequency of eating, as well as lowering the carbs intake. I know that i can not do BFL as a lifestyle, hence, i am doing a combo modified version.

Today is day four of my BFL exercise regime...it has been hard. the weight lifting is difficult. I was wondering if you do any glutes and inner and outter thigh exercises for your lower body workouts? I followed the book, but it seems a lot shorter on lower body days. also, i have printed the women's workout forms on the BFL website, and the second exercise on the upper body days is the back instead of shoulders...does it matter?

how often do you do your abs? I have a genetic tendency to story a lot of fat around my waist...and upper arms....should i do more abs and lower back exercises?

there are so many things to learn about the BFL approach. I have about 50 lbs to lose...i am 5'3 and 176 (lost 4 lbs on WW last week). Feedback, support, suggestions, comments, would be greatly appreciated. Happy pumping...

jilly

Hi Jilly-
You are exactly the same size I was when I started my transformation! And I too store fat around my middle. Unfortunately, the only way to see your abs is to burn off the fat everywhere- doing more ab work may make your abs stronger, but you can't spot reduce the fat.

Eating according to WW is not going to give you enough protein or carbs for you to build muscle, and that's what helps burn the fat. Why don;t you try BFL by the book- no, you won't see dramatic scale weight losses at first because you will be building muscle. But in the long run, you will be a smaller size with less fat and that's what counts!

Come join us on the main thread,
mel

Welcome Jilly!

Hm, so you're on WW? I haven't been to WW in eons but from what I've heard at Lean & Strong, the problem with their food plan as far as weight training is concerned is: 1) not enough food and 2) not enough protein - WW has traditionally been a high-carb, low-fat diet. From what I've read at L&S, the points are way too low for BFL style eating. Remember, you're gonna be doing some INTENSE workouts and you need to fuel that muscle with good, clean food! So if you feel the need to go to WW meetings for support - then fine but you might find that you get VERY HUNGRY eating WW style while doing intense BFL style workouts. Um, also, about that weekly weigh-in...there's a reason that you see so many posts here saying to IGNORE THE SCALE. In fact, I was just getting ready to post an article called "Why the Scale Lies" on our Articles thread here. As soon as I finish this note, I'll do so (actually I just did it now!)

Also, I'd personally TOTALLY ignore the BFL website. Remember that Bill Phillips has not been part of EAS for quite awhile now - the website is now IMO purely for the purpose of selling supplements which you don't necessarily need (and can be bought much cheaper elsewhere).

Regarding your question about abs and lower back exercises - unfortunately spot reducing is a myth. Doing a ton of crunches isn't going to make the fat disappear from that spot any quicker. As JC used to put in her signature "Abs are made in the kitchen"! With losing body fat, I've found that it is definitely a case of "first on, last off" - i.e. the first place you gained fat is going to be the last and most stubborn to lose. For most women that 'last place' is the abs/thigh/love handles area.

It IS a lot to learn but hang out here and at Lean & Strong...check out some of the links in the Information sticky...and don't be afraid to ask questions! We're all here to help each other!

I had a friend on WW and she did great until she hit the gym. She was so tired all the time but she couldn't eat any more than her 21 points worth. She ended up ditching the gym. Shame because she looks really sick and skinny now instead of lean and healthy.

Good luck and I hope that you can make it work! If it does let us know about it.

JC

Thank you all very much for your input. I have just finished day four of BFL. and you are right, i am hungry a lot. I noticed that i am hungry after an hour or so after eating. i have been trying to eat as much protein as possible. i usually keep the carbs to a minimal. I have been maxing out on my points for the past few days...and actually going over a little.

I am going to try to stick with it. When I look at the food picks for BFL, it does not appear to be too excessive when comparing to points value.

when BFL say one serving of protein...is that 3ounces? and carbs? a cup?

I eat a lot of veggies...do you think that is okay?

thanks a lot.

Jilly

hey Jilly...I've only been doing BFL for four weeks, but feel confident enough to tell you that lots of veggies is just fine! Just make sure they're not starchy veggies like lima beans or corn.

Hi Jilly,



Welcome!!

I did WW for years and years, till a couple of years ago even... In a full year on WW I lost 5 lbs.... but because I was doing weights, (and I have always done weight training), I did not loose alot of scale weight... and I did look just "OK"... but the thing was with WW because you weigh in weekly, the #s on the scale discourage you...

I ALSO felt tired all the time and ravenously hungry!! Very discouraging... When I came upon BFL, through this site, and I too had seen and taken the book out from the library I desperately needed a change from WW I had had it up to HERE with WW and paying 12$/week to be told I was up 1/2 a lb down 1/2 a lb....GRRRR.... and what was more irritating was my g/f was doing WW for the first time, and dieting for the first time in her life, and she lost 40 lbs on WW.... But she did not work out!! I really shouldn't say she did nothing she walked 2-3 times/week... But to tell you the truth, she looks "OK" but you can tell she still has a pot under her clothes... and I guarantee you that you will loose the "pot" if you do BFL....

It's ok to max out on your "points" because you WILL with BFL...
To start do BFL "by the book" , hand and fist method, then you can tweek (only if necessary) your protein and carb portions to about 25g/meal (which is "average" for most women)..... and you will never go hungry again....

Eat lots of those yummy green veggies, don't keep your carbs to a minimal, you need them too to get have energy for your WO....

I guarantee that you will thoroughly enjoy BFL....

GAWD!!!! do I sound like a convert or what!!??

OK ..... OK..... my 2 cents are said....

Good luck and we are always here for ya...

OH and P.S.: THROW THE SCALE OUT... ....if you truly decide to go BFL....


Toodles..............................

great to see you here !

i completely agree with all the above posts. first of all, give BFL nutrition a chance for a few weeks and see how it works for you. if you're working out hard i can almost guarantee you that you'll feel a whole lot better

be patient, follow the book as much as possible and get good rest too. muscles are made after the workouts, during the rest and recovery period.

you'll be just fine on this wonderful program.

i'm on my second challenge and loving every minute of it !!

take care,

adriana

hi

Lana, Ihave heard that when someone loses a lot of the weight, they still are flabby. I am definately afraid of that. I have not taken the before pictures...to ashame. and i will try to do the measurements this weekend. the scale will go, i will con't to go to WW to weigh in but unless i loss i dont want to know about it.

Jenelle, How is it going? i put the little X on my 12 weeks workout sheet. and some times, it gets really depressing that I only have 5 Xs down and 80 more to go. But i will try to stay with it.

Adriana, i have calculated my eating for the day and still be within points of WW. today is looking something like this:

*6:45 - 7:30 upper body lifting (funny, saw a guy there with the BFL book...was going to talk to him but too shy)

*8:40 Ultra pure protein drink (1 WW pt, 35g of protein, 170 cal, 2 fiber, 2g fat)

11:00 chicken breast (2.5 oz or so) and broccoli (cooked last night with TBL spoon of olive oil (3 pts)
1 orange (1 pt)

2:00 cabbage with rice noodle (1 pt)
orange (1 pt)
Protein drink (1 pt, 100 cal, <1 g of fat, 3g fiber, 21 g protein)

5:00 Smoked salmon (3 oz) salad with dressing (4 pts)
egg beater omelete with veggies (2 pts)
grapes/ fruit (1 pt)

8:00
zone bar (4 pts)

I go to sleep around 10, so, 8pm is usally my last meal of the day. do you think i should eat more frequently? Total, its 21 WW point for the day. Have to admit, i usually have a point or two more after i get off of work. I know that the protein is not distributed evenly, but i am working on it...and it is a modified BFL. i am trying to follow the BFL program as close as i can without going over on the points.

What do you guys think?

As for my workout, I work out 7 days a week now. i follow BFL six days a week and then swimming with a swimming class on saturday too....but its not much of an workout, we do some drill but not consistently swimming. also, I dont have a day off because sunday is my running day with a buddy. We have been training together for over a year. Did a marathon over a year ago...so we are trying to train for a half marathon this spring. I enjoy the company and dont want to give that up. If i get too tired, i will give up saturday swimming. but will see.

Jilly

p.s. I have been reading the posts, you guys are great. thanks!!

Jilly - mind if I critique a bit???

8:40 Ultra pure protein drink (1 WW pt, 35g of protein, 170 cal, 2 fiber, 2g fat)

You need a carb here hon - what kind of protein drink is this? Some are better than others as far as quality. I would suggest adding in some oatmeal or sweet potato. You need those carbs for energy or you'll start burning muscle rather than fat.

11:00 chicken breast (2.5 oz or so) and broccoli (cooked last night with TBL spoon of olive oil (3 pts)
1 orange (1 pt)

2.5 oz of chicken? Seems a bit small, but then again I don't know how much you weigh. That's probably not gonna be enough protein - remember what I said before - 1 gram lean protein per pound of bodyweight per day, divided into six meals. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be getting 150 grams of protein each day or 25 grams per meal.

2:00 cabbage with rice noodle (1 pt)
orange (1 pt)
Protein drink (1 pt, 100 cal, <1 g of fat, 3g fiber, 21 g protein)

Hm, the real problem here is that you're not getting enough REAL food. What kind of drink is this again? The rice noodles I wouldn't recommend personally.

5:00 Smoked salmon (3 oz) salad with dressing (4 pts)

egg beater omelete with veggies (2 pts)
grapes/ fruit (1 pt)

I'm assuming this is two meals that were put together by mistake right? Personally I'd say that you are overdoing it on the fruit. Fruit is a great carb but you need those starchy complex carbs for more energy. Basically you're not getting enough calories. Dunno about that smoked salmon either - usually it's LOADED with oils and fats (I'm thinking of Lox here). The naturally occurring fats in regular salmon is one thing but lox is quite another IMO. Why no carb with that salmon and salad (remember, carbs and veggies are different under BFL)?

8:00
zone bar (4 pts)

Bars are not the best choice - in fact they're a pretty lousy choice. Generally they are loaded with sugar and most of the protein is gelatin, which can't be assimilated by your body.

Actually I just now checked the Zone Perfect nutrition info -

Calories 210
Protein 16 grams (not enough!!)
Carbs 22grams - 13 grams is SUGAR!

Ingredients: soy protein nuggets (isolated soy protein, (soy protein is not the best for bodybuilding) rice flour,malt, salt), corn syrup, chocolate coating (sugar,palm kernel oils (bad fats here!), cocoa (cocoa, potassium carbonate), nonfat milk, sorbitan monostearate and lecithin (emulsifiers), vanilla], milk protein isolate, cocoa butter, less than 2% of the following, sunflower oil, xanthan gum, natural flavor, soy lecithin, ascorbic acid, magnesium oxide, ascorbyl palmitate, D-alpha tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, zinc oxide, fish oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin A palmitate, thiamine mononitrate, chromium chloride, folic acid, sodium selenite, sodium molybdate, biothin, cholecalcierol, cyanobalamin.

*********************

I know you're still learning - and it's really tough to get out of those old diet monologues - that's why doing WW and bodybuilding just does not work - it CAN'T work. You're not getting the nutrition you'll need to power yourself during those workouts - and you should NEVER be hungry. If you're getting hungry less than 2 hours after your meals, then that's a sure sign that your body is going into starvation mode and you need to EAT - otherwise you won't show results...

Hopefully someone else will chime in here...

Oh one more thing - if weight training and clean eating is your regimen - you are much LESS LIKELY to become one of the 'skinny fat' people. Speaking for myself - between April 2001 - June 2002 I lost maybe 12 pounds on the scale BUT went from a saggy size 10 to a tight size 4! I still have loose skin issues but believe me I've seen plenty worse - and I am certain it's because I've been working out and eating clean - which includes healthy fats such as flaxseed oil, hemp oil, or EFAs such as Udo's Choice.

Jilly- As I said before, you and I started at exactly the same size.
I lost 40 pounds doing Sugarbusters (pretty clean eating) and circuit training before I did BFL. After I lost the weight, I was a size 8-10. But very "squishy" looking"- not what I was aiming for. I weigh about 3 pounds less now, but wear a size 4 and look about 1/2 the size I did preBFL. I don't know how old you are, but I'm 48 and share clothes with my 20 yr old daughter (much to her dismay).
For me a "portion" of chicken is 4-6 oz. depending on what I'm doing that day ( big muscle group or just cardio). I'd also add a lot more vegetables. I know Karen doesn't like vegies, but a big pile of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, and some raw carrots (go easy on the carrots) really fills you up. mel

Mel's right. I'm not a veggie fan but I still manage to choke down a couple servings a day

Forgot to say - eat them veggies!!!

thank you for your input. wow....part of me think that starting BFL has opened a whole new can of worms for me. I feel like i dont know what i am doing and am a little overwhelmed. part of me is thinking that i should just stick with WW until i lose the weight and then do BFL.

I started BFL now because at the end of the 12 weeks it will be my 29th birthday. I have been having a hard time accepting that it will be my 29th and that i have struggled with weight all my life.

I dont want to fail at another weight loss attempt. I dont think i can stick with the BFL program for 12 weeks.

The protein drink is from Trader's joe's. Ultra protein drink or something.

okay, how many grams of protein is per ounce of meat? and a serving of carbs is still a handful?

I took the suggestions from the book and decided not to eat carbs for the last two meal of the day.

I love veggies and i do eat a whole lot of that.

could you give me what your eating diet is like? it would give me some ideas. maybe i can stick with it.

mel, its a great inspiration to hear that you dropped from a 10 to a size 4. how many challenges did you do?

jilly

Ladies...discovered another good side effect of eating clean...my TOM actually surprised me this month! Usually, I deal with a week of pretty black depression, plus my boobs swell to about twice their size and the slightest jostle will make me wince in pain. Those are the signs that I need to be on the lookout in the next week. Well, today, SURPRISE! Aunt Flo is here for a visit and she didn't call first!

I can only assume it's the good nutrition and the exercise and maybe the fact that I'm drinking WAY less caffiene.