Hi, based on some posts I read here, I picked up the Body for Life book by Bill Phillips. I don't want to lose anymore weight (I'm at 110, 5'2") right now, but I would like to have a little more muscle. I think this will allow me to eat a little more and add to my overall level of fitness. I have ordered the eating for life book as well. I am wondering how all of you made the program work for your circumstances. For example, Do you eat six times a day? Have you figured out how many calories you consume? Do you use the shakes? Do you stick to the cardio Bill proposes or do you do other cardio? Do you use the lifts he has in the book or have you added others? How did the free day work out for you? Thanks for all the great posts here!

I haven't done BFL in years - I think the program is a good introduction to weight training, but after a couple of 'challenges' it got pretty limiting and I wanted some variety.

Quite a few of us started out with BFL as an intro to weight training, but I don't know how many of us are still doing it at this point.

Do I eat six times a day? Used to, but now I just eat when I get hungry. I used to use the shakes, but after a couple years I got burnt out on them - besides they tend not to stick with me as long as solid food does.

The free day...that's a major selling point for many looking at BFL. I know it was for me when I first read the book - the way BP writes about it (eat two Big Macs, have a couple cinnamon rolls, a pizza, etc) it does sound attractive. HOWEVER...if you tend to binge eat or compulsively overeat (like me!) the hog-wild Free Day is NOT a good idea IMO. I think the theory is that after a period of time, you'll get tired of binging on that day (and feeling like crap the day after) and ramp it down a bit. Well...that might work for some, but definitely not for me. By the next Sunday (which used to be my Free Day) I'd forget about how crappy I felt and pig out again. Kind of reminds me of these neighbors of mine from back in the 1980's who would go on a bender every weekend - just drinking up a STORM - on Monday they'd be suffering from a hangover and vowing NEVER to touch the stuff again. Of course, next Saturday they'd go to the liquor store and the cycle would start over again...

Now, on the weekends generally Jim and I will go out for lunch or whatever (standard fare is generally a chicken/rice/whole bean/salsa burrito from a local taqueria). I don't spend a day pigging out - and I feel better for it.

I wasn't even finished with my first challenge when I discovered that the 20 minutes of cardio 3 times a week was just not enough for me - since I wanted to burn fat. I've found that I have to do cardio pretty much on a daily basis - I'm accustomed to it now. And I haven't done a "BFL-style" split in AGES. Other lifts - yup - again, I need to mix up things a bit or I get totally bored! There are LOTS of sites on the Internet with different variations of lifts - check out the 'basic info' sticky here in LWL for more info. I also bought a paperback copy of Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding to get new ideas for lifts and such.

I'm not sure if EAS still does their annual BFL challenge, but interestingly enough from what I've read, very few of the contest finalists/champions followed BFL 'by the book'. Many of them 'tweaked' the program by eliminating the free day, adding a lot more cardio, etc. (As I recall the contest rules don't say you have to go by the book - you're only required to use EAS products during the 12 weeks to qualify).

Summing up - BFL is a good way to start (along with gathering info from other places - such as Krista Scott Dixon's Stumptous site http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html which is STILL the best women's weight training site on the 'net) but after awhile you'll most likely want to move on from there or risk boredom and/or stagnation.

As far as Eating for Life - it's basically a cookbook, with a summary of BFL and a bunch of before and after stories in the back. I have the book myself - there are some good recipes but whether it's worth the $35 cover price...well...

Anyway that's my two cents...

I did about 8 weeks of BFL by the book before I realized that I was bored by the lifting and needed more cardio. I went to a 4 day lifting split, and did cardio 4 times a week.

Currently, I eat 5 BFL style meals a day, 1 of them a shake (NOT EAS, I don't like them) with no carbs, and only very occasionally have a free meal or treat. Free days were a disaster for me, since I was a recovered binger at the time. Recovery went out the window with free day. I started BFL already at my goal weight, like you, to gain some muscle and firm up. Now I do a 5 day lifting split, and cardio 3-4 days a week, rarely for more that 1/2 hour. I generally do HIIT as described in the BFL book. I rarely do the same workout twice, and use many different lifts and exercises.

Mel

Luckily I didn't have to shell out $35 for Bill's book. I was very curious about his overall nutrition approach and wanted more information. I suspect that the EFL book will still not provide the kind of detail I like to have! That said, adding a few more potatoes, sweet potatoes, and brown rice back into my diet and trying the free day may be a good experiment. Adding more focused weight training (instead of some routine out of a magazine) and cutting back on the time invested in my cardio could be beneficial. What I am getting from you guys is that I need to monitor my mind and body reaction and adjust accordingly.

I had my husband take some before pics, so that I wouldn't be too freaked out by in weight gain (hopefully muscle!)

Thanks for the thoughtful responses. I still want to check out the lands site when it is back up!

Laura- don't wait too long for L&S. I think it is quite dead. It has been dying a slow death for about the last year. Karen and I were once very active posters there. What is it specifically that you want from L&S?

Mel

My 2 cents:

I did BFL not quite by the book... I really like their cardio but I feel like I need more, so I now do more now... their weight workout I got bored with because I think it's really geared towards a beginner and for the beginner it IS good...

I did start the 5-6 meals/day with BFL and stick with that now (except during the Holiday season, at the moment my meals are pretty screwed up ) I try to eat a protein and carb at each meal but if I can't I prefer to have just a protein rather than a carb alone ... Even with good carbs they make me sleepy ...

There is a new site location for LandS if you want it PM me... but like Mel said I think it's pretty much history... there's not much posting going on there ...

Hope this helps...

P.S.: taking pics is a GREAT idea... last year in a few months I had lost only 2# but the pictures were worth 10# at least....

Thanks for letting me know that l&s is pretty much defunct. I guess I was curious about the weight routines, cardio routines, and diet. Sounds like I can lurk here and get quite a bit of info. Also, it appears that the recipes are still accessible on l&s.

In just a few days, I am finding the six meals a little much and am concerned that I am overeating. It is good to hear that some of you have deviated from the six meals a day and limited cardio and still managed to meet your goals.

Did anybody gain weight or inches on the BFL plan?

thanks for you help!

Laura - that's the thing with BFL - it's a very, VERY simplified plan. That's both a good thing and a bad thing, depending on your outlook.

Probably the bad for most people is that the food plan is TOO simple, not enough detail for many people. And you have to be VERY careful about going to different message boards and getting info - during 2001, someone posted at "another" board that you could figure out the 'fist' measurement by doing a water displacement test with your fist (since it was wrong IMO, I'm not even going to go into particulars). Anyway...when I did the test, it 'told' me that my fist equalled just over a cup...aiyiyiyi.

If you can get it, I would recommend that you also read Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (it's an ebook that he has available on his site). It goes into a LOT more detail than either BFL and EFL, especially on calorie counts, lifting, cardio, etc. I'm pretty sure Mel would recommend it...

Also, check out the Basic Info sticky here - I think the link to Hussman's site is still there...ah what the heck - it's http://www.hussman.org/fitness/

Feel free to ask any questions you might have here...things should start picking back up after the holidays are over!

Laura-
I gained scale weight (about 3 pounds) on my first challenge but my body fat went from 27% to 22%. I was pretty upset about the scale gain, but pretty happy about the pants-o-meter. I lost 1 full size in clothing and looked a lot better. It was a lot more food than I had previously been eating, and waaaay more carbs. I had already been doing some weight lifting but not to failure, and was doing cardio 4-5 times a week already. The way I eat now is much more along the lines of the plan laid out in Tom Venuto's e-book, mentioned by Karen. Over the last few years, consistent heavy lifting and "clean" eating has made me much smaller without much scale change, but a whole lot of shape change. And the real beauty of it is that over time, you discover that the human body is very adaptable: if you don't like the look you are developing, you can change it to a certain degree by changing the way that you workout.

For me, 6 meals with carbs at each meal, is just too much. I was already at a reasonable weight and already exercising. I think you'll find that you will gain scale weight, but probably not change size (at 110 you must be pretty small already.) What will change is your shape: a higher, firmer butt, firmer thighs, more muscular arms and lovely shoulders!

Mel

Hello! I am currently in my 4th week of my 2nd BFL challenge... I love it; however, I do not following the nutritional part that well... I am an Atkins person and will always be; however, I have lowered my fats and upped my carbs... I eat 4-5 meals a day as 6 meals is just totally out of the question... My first challenge I lost 18lbs, 27 1/2 inches, and 3% body fat.... I am not really looking to lose much more weight but lowering my bodyfat. When I began almost 4 weeks ago I weighed (169) and then my husband hid the scale (I am obsessive) and had my bodyfat measured (17%)...

I have this past week upped my cardio as I just felt like I needed to... I still follow the weight training schedule.

Okay just had to post...
Jusl

Have had a great two weeks doing dumbbell lifts at home and learning the exercises in BFL. I will officially start my regimen on Saturday. I like the short time commitment/high intensity cardio so far. When you guys say you needed more cardio, what do you mean and how did you know?

I have toured two potential gyms this week and will check out another one today. Thanks to your direction, I checked about stumptuous.com and got her recommendations on what to look for in a gym. All the gyms I am looking at have lots of dumbells, squat cages, and lift racks. Unlike Krista, the aesthetics of the gym are important to me. I have to look forward to going there. The first gym had great equipment, but it was crammed into too little space. I don't know how you would even move around in there. The second gym had a very high testorone level, but also had a lovely historic facility. It is the second oldest gym in the U.S. I would be tempted to do Pilates just to be in the ballroom with its 15 foot windows! Today, I'm going to look at a nearby university gym.

Can't wait to check out the ebook Mel and Mrs. Jim recommended. I like to know calorie counts and macronutrient breakdown. When you only weigh 110, a lot of damage can be done in a short amount of time with wrong-headed information!

Friday is my free day, and hubby and I will be going out for a New Year's Eve dinner. The menu features Texas raised antelope! Sounds like something most weightlifters would approve

Mel, since you have had some bouts with injury, I wonder if a good thread would be avoiding injury in a lifting program. The last thing I want to do is get sidetracked with an injury. I'm looking forward to that higher, firmer butt

For me it was because I wasn't loosing weight although I was eating well and only 1300-1500 calories...

I also like the aesthetics of a gym, I also want to look forward to going there daily...

I'm lost in cyber space! I know I've been to a BFL site before because I've gotten eating tips there. But today, I can't find it. Is it still there? Can someone point me at it?

Mrs. Jim and Mel,

any way to get Tom's book already printed out? Are there options other than downloading and printing myself? What did you especially like about his information?

Ilene,

thanks for responding regarding the cardio. I don't need to lose any more weight, so hopefully I will be okay with the HIIT.

SusanB,

these are the addresses I have used for the BFL websites. I was able to pull them up this morning. So, maybe you should try again?

http://www.bodyforlife.com/index.asp?


http://www.eatingforlife.com/

I'm going to "officially" start the program on Saturday. But, I've been testing the cardio, weightlifting, and some of the nutrition plan the last two weeks. Basically, I've still been doing the Zone, but adding a small morning snack and sometimes using brown rice or sweet potatoes for my carbs.

One question. For all of you who eat your breakfast at work after your workout, what do you take?

Thanks for all the info!

Thanks lauraleigh! I'm not sure why I didn't try bodyforlife.com. Sugar-pickled holiday brains