I seriously cannot believe what I am reading...

to my fellow BFLer's, i would like to apologise on behalf of all Aussies for astro2's rudeness! You guys have been nothing but patient and helpful and this person is a dead set jerk. when i found the book i was completely overwhelmed with excitement and i couldnt wait to start! i cant believe this person doesnt feel the same. i'm in week 6 and ive already been the best ive ever looked and ive never even been out of shape.

astro2- the advice i would give to you is not to be so darn rude to all these people that are just trying to help you and give you advice. 44 PEOPLE HAVE RESPONDED and you still don't sound appreciative at all. all these people are here helping others they dont even know. ive asked so many questions in the past, im convinced people know me as the annoying one ha ha, but i know i can always rely on these awesome people to help me out.

this book, this site and these people are all something special and even though some of us live on the other side of the world, its this program that has changed, and is changing, our lives and has brought us together. we all come here for motivation and i can understand your skeptisism but if you want people to genuinely help you, you have to show them some respect. one member even said he won't be answering your questions anymore and i know i definitely wont be touching them with a 10 foot pole. you need to ditch this attitude otherwise your never going to get through this program. you have to WANT it.

you've brought alot of negativity to this place that hasn't existed before. your an adult and i seriously think you need to think about how you come across. and this is coming from a 19 year old.

Well, now that the OP has possibly found a great reason to not start BFL (full of RUDE Americans, lol) I wanted to chime in here for all the folks that want to start BFL and checked out this thread.

First, hi to everyone!  I'm gearing up to start a new personal challenge Jan 1.  I never actually finish them (so far!), I get to week 10 or 11 and life always explodes all over me.  But I just pick up and do it again when I'm ready.  But when I'm doing it, I feel AWESOME.

So, what you are seeing with Astro here is pretty normal (although, maybe a little combatively stated).  It's really easy to over think this and get confused and frustrated, especially if you've already hit that frustration level with trying to get healthy.  And let's face it, the book doesn't always spell some of these details out in an easy to understand way!

That's where forums, and more experienced BFL'ers come in right handy.

Once you actually figure it out, it's kind of a DUH moment - it's not rocket science, but it does take some planning, experimentation, and searching for the answers to your questions.  

As for me, when I'm doing it, my clothes fit better.  I feel muscles all over my body, I feel powerful and energetic.  My hair, skin and nails show nearly immediate results.  I'm alert and happy.

Now, the way I look at it is this:  You can just keep doing what you are doing and get the same results, or you can pick a date, prepare, and then just jump in and do it.

My goal this time is to make it to week 12, and not week 11 1/2, with some great results.  I have some personal mindsets to overcome that have prevented me from getting the results I should have in the past, so I'm preparing for that as well.  This isn't just a physical process, and I swear I learn and grow each time.

So, by March 19th or so, either I will be looking back over the previous 12 weeks feeling and looking much better, thinking "I'm so glad I started again", or I'll be looking back exactly the same as I am now, thinking "Why didn't I do it??"

The first step is just to do it.  Calm down, read up. and do it.

Ok I havent read all your repys but from the tone of your first post you seem to have a chip on your shoulder and make yourself out to be some sort of victim, here is my take on your posts

You said

* is the body for life eating schedule UNrealistic to a person who may work full time 5 days a week? sure the book says PLAN it, but how do you play around a WHOLE working day??

My response

For me its not hard and for millions of others its not hard but for you it may be, a meal can be as simple as 2 scoops of whey and a piece of fruit m or a mrp like myoplex mixed up in a shaker cup, this takes about 1 or 2 minutes to prep, do you have the time, I do, lots of others do, maybe you dont

first of all

You said

* why is there so much 'mypolex' (can't get it here i'm not american) nutriion shakes written into the eating schedule? is that healthy to depend on it 3 TIMES a day?? is this a protein shake? or diety supplementary? I hear the max you should consume of portein powders are 2 times MAX i.e one in the morning and one after training.....3 TIMES a day sounds VERY expensive even if its NOT a protein shake and merely a meal replacement, sounds more like a segway to 'myoplex', which leads me to the next point

My response

Myoplex is the brand of nutrition shake made by eas who sponsor the bfl program, you dont have to use myoplex, there are lots of brands of nutrition shakes, you dont even have to use nutrition shakes a simple protein powder and a piece of fruit will do, of course you dont even have to use any powders, whlefood meals will do but then we run into the time problem we had in your first comment so your going to have to decide, also eating shakes is not unhealthy, all the y are is powered food and they represent the same profile as a wholefood meal, lastly regarding expsense, its alot more expensive to make 6 wholefood meals as oposes tgo 3 shakes and 3 wholefood meals

You said

* no where in the book states taking protein after the workout, sure i'm only assuming after the weight training/cardio you jump into your 'meal' plans

but thats because the book doesn't state otherwise. If thats the case why would I just eat breakfast after my training?? I hear after weight training you only have a 'window of opportunity'  (probably of 10 minutes) that you should take protein because thats when the muscles need it.

My response

If you want to follow bodyforlife forget about everything else thats not in the book, the bodyforlife program was designed to make things as simple as possible, there are countless theories in bodybuilding that have not been included in bodyforlife now on the other hand u are free to follow these theories but dont try and follow bodyforlife then, its either one or the other, in bodyforlife we have 6 meals a day, portion of carbs the size of your fist, portion of protein the size of your fist, veg in at least 2 meals,1 tblspoon of good fat or 3 portions of salmon a week and thats it, no other info for nutrition is needed

You said

* the intensity  (high point) doesn't make any full on sence at all, it started off sounding nice, but how do you reach BELOW intensity 10??? I mean how do you even label a level 5 or 4?? its easy to label intensity 10 i.e you push yourself to the breaking point and you can't do anymore thus it must be level 10...minimum level 9. However how do you determine what is level 3 or 5 etc??

My response

This is where you are really over thinking things, all that really matters is that last set at level 10

You said

* how on earth do you find your OWN intensity level in weight lifting since i'm not american i'll be using (KG) as an example. lets say I'm doing "one handed dumbbell curls" and its 10kg, but it doesn't feel like intensity 5, do i keep going on with the schedule, and next time find my intensity level 5 by increasing the weights i.e it MUST be level 5,6,7,8 (i.e intensity levels don't change) ...I just tweak the weights to suit the levels??

My response

Just focus on getting the required amount of reps for each set and max out on your level 10 set, if for example for bicep curls you do 5kg for 12 reps at level 5, 7.5kg for 10 reps at level 6 but then you only get 6 reps at level 7 when you should have gotten 8 reps, then your going to have to lighten all the sets from the very beginning

You said

* if this book has helped hundreds if not thousands, why so little people in the community?

My response

There are lots of different bodyforlife communities, this one is realtively new

this book if bought new is over $50,00AUD....luckily i got it new on ebay for $6 otherwise i'd be upset if this whole thing didn't work.

I know I sound rude, but I'm sick of look at fads and going around in circles, someone needs to guide me on this whole 'body for life' plan alot better.

p.s the book also has a slot that says when you start and when you finish, why should it be so important to go at the right schedule? i.e you're not on track and you're working out alot longer then hoped for?

Because it urgency serves to increase intensity which gives better results

Hi Saralynn,

Is the official next round of challanges starting on Jan3rd??  

thanks!  -- i've checked the web site but it doesn't say when the next challange is

Kate - There is never a time when there is not a BFL Challenge happening.  The round dates are to organize.  I started in November.  When I finish and send in my packet EAS will just count it in round 1.  You can't have dates overlap, but can always do a challenge.  I hope that helps. 

Mighty Max

Astro,

You’ve received plenty of great advice here.  From reading, I gather there is a bit of perfectionism in you which is a good quality to a point. Just realize that it’s pretty hard for anyone to be perfect.

You may even have a bit of fear going on, again, not unusual for people considering BFL as an option.  I think you have enough info to get started and to come back and ask more questions.  Every one of us on here did that.  We certainly didn’t start out as certified experts.  We learned from our own experiences, shared among each other and read what others had to say.

Here’s a good quote to give you something to think about as you make your decision.  Either you are in or you are out.  Good luck in whatever you decide to do for you. :-)

"Winning is not normal and those who constantly win follow an `abnormal’ path.  The discipline, dedication and sacrifices are incomprehensible to those thousands standing outside, looking in, who are capable of joining the winning team, yet unwilling to pay the price of admission.  Winners win in a fair effort, on a level playing field; because they deserve to win... they willingly pay their dues in full, time after time, after time."  ~Unknown