wantolosealot. You are going to take a rest week aren't you? Give your muscles a chance to recoup?
Same old, same old here. The challenge this week will just be getting through it. LOTS going on at my job. I have a cabin rented for part of the weekend out on the lake and I am just holding that thought as I plow through the week.
You girls up north have my sympathy. The cold and snow must be getting old.
Okay you guys I'm a SPOILED BRAT! Last year Miami was simply lovely - nice and tropically warm. Snow? I've heard of it. Isn't it cold and white? Actually the last time I saw snow was, hm, let's see, about 6 years ago in Yosemite next to the falls, melting. Right now it's like San Francisco here! Brr. San Diego would've been nice, better yet Palm Springs But it's supposed to be warming up by the end of the week!
It's about 10 pm here and we're getting ready to turn in...planning on going to Avanti Heath & Fitness tomorrow for squats, even though it's gonna cost me $15 just to use their facilities. Ya know, in spite of all the bad mouthing 24 Hour Fitness gets, I really love my local gym and miss it desperately!
Lana - i'm glad that you're feeling much better. i also plan on using the "starting over" routine in extreem circumstances. i won't use it "just because". i'm really interested to know how you do with glutamine in the following weeks. i'm pretty sore after yesterdays legs session, but it should dissapate as the new day wears on (at least that's what i'm hoping). geez, at least i know that the soreness if from something good, and not like before when i would be sore from doing nothing
Karen - i'm with you!! forget the cold, snow and give me the warmer, dry weather every time it's a bit strange picturing Miami cold though !! hope you are getting lots done. oh and by the way..... "there's no place like home"
Mel - that's so great that you're back in the gym! 4-1/2 hours of sleep oh man, do i know how you feel. i thought i was going to die last week when i didn't sleep. there was no way i could have worked out too. i haven't had the insomnia so bad in ages, but thank God it's over for this month! hope you get some rest today, tonight, and that tomorrow you feel rested and strong!
Ledom - you'll make it through this week with flying colors ! a cabin for the weekend, huh? that sounds positively heavenly!
JC - sure is good to have you back! i was thinking about you before i came online today, wondering where you've been.
MzPen - how are you feeling today?
TKMajic - good to see you here on the board ! with all the good lifestyle that you've been living for a some years the nutritional part of bfl should be a breeze for you! i'm glad that you've taken this step, you won't regret it EVER ! hope to see you around quite a lot; let us know how you're doing.
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we have our national elections today so it's a day off for the entire country. thank God the gym is open and i can still workout. i'll be going a bit later than usual today because i need to wait till one of my older girls wakes up to watch the little girls. i don't like leaving the little ones on their own for more than one hour at a time.
i'll be working hard on my UBWO and then some moderate cardio. no spinning tonight because the gym closes early
other than that we're just hanging out on this "holiday".
I finished my first day on BFL and it felt great. I didn't get all of my meals in as I worked midnights Sunday night so my day was short on Monday since I slept. I did get my 20MAS in as soon as I got up and I felt better than I usually do after my 4 day stretch.
Thanks so much to MrsJim, Niffer, and Tideypoo for answering alot of my questions on my initial thread. I've got plenty more for you!!
I did try the cottage cheese blended with some sf jello and sf pudding mix. It wasn't half bad!! My 3 year old loved it!! Does this count as a protein and a carb or do you add a carb to it to balance it?
I think I'm going to try a protein shake tomorrow. I've seen in other posts that Myoplex lite and MetRx are both good. Any suggestions or preferences on this? Which ones taste the best? The shakes do count as a protien and a carb both don't they?
I've seen some recipes that call for protein powder to be added. Is this the same stuff as the shakes or is it the whey protein powder I've seen mentioned?
I'm going to do upper body tomorrow and will probably have a ton of questions after that.
Tideypoo,
I saw on the leanandstrong forum that you mentioned your trainer set you up on an interval of 1,2, and 3 minutes. Is this walking then running? Please explain in detail as I'm trying to get this intense cardio thing down and I'm not sure I did it correctly today.
I also saw on the leanandstrong forum that the pictures in the BFL book weren't exactly BFL results. What's the deal there? Are any of them actually 12week challenge results?
Thanks for all the support and patience with my endless questions. Please feel free to send me a private email at my email address. It's [email protected].
I started BFL yesterday and have a question about portion sizes. You see, I am terrible at guessing portions - I always underestimate the size of a portion - so I like to measure and weigh. Comparing palms and fists doesn't work for me. Besides, is that the fat fist I have now or the fit one I want
I understand the selection of the protein, carb and vegetables, but I can't find specific portions anywhere.
The following is what I am guessing right now kind of based off some of the recipes in the book. Too little, too much? I just want to start out doing it right and not find out in 12 weeks that I've been eating too much.
Any advice is greatly appreciated:
eggs: 3
meats: 3 oz.
cottage cheese: 1/2 cup
fruit: 1 medium fruit or 1 cup
rice: 1/2 cup
yogurt: 1/2 cup
whole bread: 2 slices (p.s. found sugar-free whole-grain bread yesterday!)
veggies: 1/2 cup cooked, 1 cup raw
This might take awhile since I'm working and posting simultaneously! Oh well, my boss always says that multitasking is one of my skills!
ALLLLL riiiighty then.
Valerie - you first...Now, your fist might be fat but the fact is, the bigger you are, the MORE food you need to eat if you're doing BFL-style workouts. If you don't want to go by palm/fist, then I'd suggest sticking to the list in the book and using gram measurements. As long as you stick to the BOOK LIST (not the "official" BFL site list - can't imagine why popcorn, cereal and rice cakes are on that list!!) then you can't go wrong. Now what I mean by 'gram' measurements is figure one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. In other words, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be getting 150 grams of protein per day, or 25 grams of protein per meal. So...since we don't know how much you weigh it's tough to say how much of what food you need. But let's just say you weigh 150 pounds:
Eggs - try and do mostly eggwhites as the fat in eggs is in the yolk. Eggwhites have around 3.5 g protein apiece; whole eggs have 7 grams. So with that, I'd say 4 eggwhites + one whole egg is what most women have as a serving.
Meats - depends on the meat - 3.5-4 oz. Stick to LEAN cuts, like skinless chicken breast, fish, top round steak, etc. (check the Articles thread for a great article titled "Foods that make you look great nekkid" - that'll give you a basic idea of what is GOOD STUFF).
Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup has 13 grams of protein - so you will need a hair under one cup.
Fruit - depends on the fruit - apples and berries are lower on the GI list and calorie content than, say, bananas. When you eat your carbs - make sure you mix them up - by that I mean don't have fruit at every single meal or oatmeal at every single meal. Fruit is great, but it tends to not 'stick' with you like, say, oatmeal can (oh as far as oatmeal, I generally go with 1/2 cup dry measurement). So vary those carbs.
Yogurt - not something I eat very often due to the very high sugar count (there's no such thing as sugar-free yogurt unfortunately). I would count 1 container of Dannon Light & Fit or Yoplait Light as one serving though.
Whole Grain bread - AAH the B Word! Note in the book that Bill Phillips RELUCTANTLY authorizes bread. Relying on bread (or anything processed - and all bread is processed, as well as tortillas, etc.) will really slow down your process. I don't think there's really such a thing as 'sugar free bread' - after all, yeast needs to 'eat' sugar to grow and make bread, doesn't it? Sugar comes from many sources, and manufacturers have a trick of using a lot of different names for it - corn syrup, fructose, apple juice concentrate, honey, lactose, and Lord only knows how many other names - it's all sugar though. Check the label - under carbs - and see if there's grams of sugar listed.
Veggies - Eat as many as you want at your meals. I never measure veggies - I just dump 'em in (I'm not a veggie lover so I have to 'mix' mine with the rest of my meal).
It's amazing - I know most of us here have been members of the Diet Club most of our lives and are SCARED to eat a lot. It takes awhile for that Diet Mindset to leave. Unfortunately if you underfeed yourself on BFL, you will not make much progress - your body goes into starvation mode and will start feeding off muscle.
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Holyfield - cottage cheese with Jello mixed in is a protein. If you want to make it a *complete* meal try mixing in some blueberries, or a bit of dry oatmeal. Something I like to do (along with many others at L&S) is make 'hot apples' - chunk up a crisp Granny Smith or Fuji apple, mix it with Splenda, lemon or lime juice and a bit of cinnamon, then nuke for about 2 minutes. Meanwhile have your cottage cheese ready - blended smooth with a bit of vanilla and Splenda or Equal added. When the apples are ready (I like 'em nice and hot and gooey!) let them cool for a minute or two, then pour the cold cottage cheese/Splenda/Vanilla mixture on top. It's like apple pie a la mode! YUMMY! You can do the same thing with blueberries or peaches as well!
Now - about the photos in the BFL book - of course they weren't BFL results as the book had not been written yet. There's a video about the first challenge (not called the Body for Life Challenge at that point) called "Body of Work" starring Bill Phillips and the first Champions, such as Porter Freeman, Anthony Ellis and others (I believe that EAS still has it available for free - all you pay is shipping and handling). It gives a bit of insight on how Bill came up with the idea of the Challenge - and bringing the benefits of bodybuilding to the general public. After that first Challenge, he took the ideas from the first winners, along with some of his own and from other bodybuilders, and wrote BFL (the book). So there you have it
Whey Protein Powder and cooking - unfortunately if you use whey for cooking, it loses its nutritional value (becomes denatured). I would recommend if you are going to use a protein powder, to use a blend or one that is mostly casein or egg-based. My favorite is still the MetRx Protein Plus Blend (I get it at Trader Joes). As far as MRPs (Meal Replacement Powders) I've tried quite a few (including GROW! which is the current favorite at L&S) and my favorite is STILL Myoplex Lite Cappuchino Ice flavor. Dunno, I just didn't care for the taste of GROW! at all.
Interval Training - I think I'm repeating myself here (wouldn't be the first time!) but I generally switch between the MAS pattern shown in the book and a pattern of 2 minutes moderate, 1 minute all-out for 8-10 reps (which is about 24-30 minutes).
The weather's getting a bit warmer here - supposed to be close to 80 by Friday. Yay! Jim's driving up to Palm Beach today to see where all the ritzy folk live. He is having such a great time!
Thanks for the reply Mrs. Jim. That was some really helpful information.
Let's just put it this way. Using the gram method I'd need more than 50 grams of protein per meal Yesterday I was stuffed with just 150 grams protein total.
I did Atkins during January just to get over my sugar/bad carb habit, but I was exhausted the entire time. Even since starting BFL yesterday I feel so much better and have a ton more energy. Yeah!!
As for the bread, I did pay attention to the warning in the book and am especially wary of sugar and carbs since doing Atkins. It is from Nature's Own and lists no sugar in the label. There are 11 carbs per slice, 2 fiber, 0 sugar and 1 sugar alcohol. I don't plan on eating it daily, but it's nice to have for the occassional scrambled egg sandwich (my favorite).
Melissa - I tried the Myoplex Lite premade for one meal yesterday. Chocolate flavor - it was great!
Valerie - I just noticed your location - ya know you live right near Erik/Quadzilla (the webmaster of L&S!!). There are actually several L&Sers who live in the Raleigh area - that's where the Lift for the Cure is each year. I believe one of the L&S Regional boards is devoted to the NC/Raleigh area as well, but don't quote me on that!
OH one more thing - Tall Jen, who does the Daily Menu Thread at L&S just moved to NC as well - not sure where though So you have a LOT of potential BFL buddies in your neck of the woods - and as you probably know, support is a key factor to success!
Sheesh, you guys! Did you all take the Mavis Beacon Mach V Typing Class!
Well, Hello to all Newbies. Welcome Welcome Welcome! You'll love it here. I promise. Keep asking those questions and the answers will keep flowin'!
Leesee, my week so far? Workouts - GOOD! Work, stinks. For both Mike and for me. He works for the Big Guy here in CO, and we are going through major state budget cuts. So, he'll be back on the road, soon. I guess I could clarify. Mike is a State Trooper assigned to the Guv. He was when I met him, actually THAT's HOW we met. I never wanted to marry a cop (my friends did, but not me), but Mike wasn't out there 'on the road' so to speak, stopping bad guys. He had a pretty nice gig. But now, the whole unit is being sent back to the road and my stomach is turning. So, we have that added stress. Not to mention, he could get deployed too!
Work for me isn't so good, either. Completely my own fault. I aligned myself with a few other realtors in my office a few months ago and BLAMMO! my business went down the tubes. It took so much of my time doing all their meetings and crap, I lost touch with my OWN business. So, now I have nothing closing and nothing in the hopper either. I guess I should start practicing my "Would you like to SuperSize that, sir?" speech! CRAP! I just need to get off my arse and do something about it! I was smokin during the summer. I'll just have to do it again.
Update on blood sugar (case you were a wundrin') all normal since going to the 'Carb Lovin Nutritionist'!! I am SO gonna prove her wrong doing this high protein diet ! I talked w/ Pam Brown about it. She said she was heading in that direction in Jan of 2000 (diabetes) but everything turned for her, when, TA DAAAAAA she started BFL! Lots of people at L&S have turned it around too! Not to mention, some of us here. AHEM! JC, you got anything you wanna tell us?
Karen, hope you don't get popsicle toes there in FLA! I know how cold it can be down there!
Niffer -- I LOLed when I read your first line.... it's so true....
Mrs. J...-- My gosh you are a wealth of info.... I always reread what you write and always learn something new.... Thanks BTW for the tip on adding some pudding to my protein shake, it was delicious I just had one... I have yet to find one that is to my liking, and I like to have some on hand for a change or just in case I have no clean food around...
Valerie -- Welcome... I'm not positive on this but I still think you should eat a little more protein if you are going to do the BFL workouts because you will need the energy....
Melissa -- and Welcome to you too....
Hi Ledom -- lucky you a camp in the woods on the weekend... Something to look forward to ....
Mel and MzPen -- happy you are both feeling better
Adrianna -- I'm not sure if it's all in my head but I'm finding a mega difference in using the glutamine I'm really not that sore.....
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Tomorrow, (since I can't do much about the snow) , I'm going yo enjoy it by going skiing with my D's school... Mont St-Sauveur in the Laurentian Mtns.... It's a pretty decent hill about 2 hours away... we are leaving at around 7AM so I won't be able to go to the gym but I think a day of skiing should do the trick for a good workout....... Food wise had been pretty good too...
For the interval training this is what I was recommended. Keep in mind Im not super fit, and am at least 50lbs overweight
walk briskly 3 mins
jog 3 mins
walk briskly 2 mins
jog 2 mins
walk briskly 1 min
all out jog/run 1 min.
repeat and if you're not working up a sweat then just increase the 2 min interval for jogging to 3 mins. Thats what I am going to do as I get more conditioned
Hope this helps! This is NOT a BFL workout tho. I have a personal goal of being fit enough to run 15mins by june
This board is burning up!
Niffer- You are hilarious! Your posts always make me smile, even tho you were talking about serious matters. I'm sure your business will pick up again- Colorado is a hopping place for real-estate, from what I saw. BTW, my son is going to a YMCA camp there "camp of the Rockies" next summer. I sure hope Mike is not deployed- the guv must need to keep a few of his troopers around! Good for you on the blood sugars.
Lana- Stay warm!!! I couldn't even think about skiing in this weather. My pockets aren't big enough for all the tissues I'd have to carry.
Did a really wimpy shoulder workout this morning, but kicked butt on cardio and abs. Mostly did the rotator cuff exercises and lifted green vinyl dumbells. Didn't even bother going to the gym for that. I would have been laughed out of there. Despite clean eating, these lack of killer workouts are getting me around the waistline Well, tomorrow's leg day. Ain't nothing wrong with my legs, so WATCH OUT squat rack, here I come!
Ok- gotta go fold laundry then hit the grocery store. having a job really gets in the way of my life....
Wow,
I dont think I hazve ever seen this board quite so busy. Its great! Thank you all for your kind wishes and after thinking about it , I realize that I did do quite well, all things considered for my first challenge. I have decided to take this week off for more reasons than one. My car is in the garage for repairs, and not able to get around as much as before. I also think my body needs a rest, and I need time to regroup for next week and the start of a new challenge, which I plan to kick butt in. My butt!
Anyway, thanks again!
Virginia
Way to go....
Actually the last time I saw snow was, hm, let's see, about 6 years ago in Yosemite next to the falls, melting. Right now it's like San Francisco here! Brr. San Diego would've been nice, better yet Palm Springs 
But it's supposed to be warming up by the end of the week!
hey ho !!
it's a bit strange picturing Miami cold though !! hope you are getting lots done. oh and by the way..... "there's no place like home" 
oh man, do i know how you feel. i thought i was going to die last week when i didn't sleep. there was no way i could have worked out too. i haven't had the insomnia so bad in ages, but thank God it's over for this month! hope you get some rest today, tonight, and that tomorrow you feel rested and strong!
! a cabin for the weekend, huh? that sounds positively heavenly! 
Yesterday I was stuffed with just 150 grams protein total.
Welcome... I'm not positive on this but I still think you should eat a little more protein if you are going to do the BFL workouts because you will need the energy....
