Hi everyone

Feel like I haven't been on in forever (and its actually like 2 days lol)

Great week accomplished & in the books and a better one yet to come.  Looks like everyone is handling this the best they can..its so easy yet so so hard all at the same time..just happy its Sunday..off day..watchin baseball & hockey eating my smartfood :)  Already have a grilled chicken caesar salad ready for dinner..I'm trying to not go too crazy on my off day altho I would LOVEEE some sugar free frozen yogurt...but don't want to miss these games hahah

Let's get mentally ready for another powerful week..can't wait to hear how awesome we are all doing

Keep on keepin on gang !!!!

Jodi :)

Decent aerobics workout this morning - legs weren't gonna support much pounding, but I used a concrete block and sturdy milk crate for low-tech stair stepping. Sniffed a "9" at the end but couldn't quite get there.

WEEK ONE PROGRESS REPORT:

- Weight - unchanged at about 230-1/2

- Body Fat - dropped six pounds

- Lean Body Mass - regained all six pounds I lost over Lent (mostly water weight, I'm sure - I started the Challenge pretty dehydrated).

- Belly - shrunk by 1-1/4 inches

Hi yall,

Checkin' in - I lost 4 lbs this week. Great workouts and I can barely move my legs still! LOL.

Stickles - I've never heard of Martin's Dippin' Chips (good thing!) Smart idea on going to a grocery that doesn't tempt. Good luck with your goal! Great job losing your inches and body fat!

Valliegirl- Thanks for the site. Nothing like an inspirational pick-me-up during the day!

Donnie - for breakfasts that do not include eggs, I like protein pancakes, greek yogurt or cottage cheese in lowfat yogurt, whey protein and banana shake, protein muffins or french toast w/o syrup (but that has egg whites haha).

For my goals, my first BFL challenge goal is to lose 24 lbs (2 lbs per week) and cut 30% of my Body fat.

I started 4/23 but this is my first time to do BFL. Can I join in here for some guidance? I don't have much experience strength training but I think I can handle the eating part pretty easily. My goal is to lose at least 25 pounds.

I took my before pictures and can't believe how different it was to see myself this heavy in a picture instead of in front of the mirror. It's worse than I thought!

I am going to try a cycling class tomorrow for my cardio. It looks challenging but fun.

Hi there! i tried cycling once...it's definitely challenging but very well worth it. I'll be going to a class probably around week 6 so that I can have some muscle built up beforehand because the last time I tried it, i couldn't walk for days. Don't try to keep up with the people that have been going for weeks because you might end up pulling a muscle or really injuring yourself. Start slow and workk your way up, but have fun with it :)

for inspiration, check out my photo blog at www.gethotbody.tumblr.com

@ItDoesntHurt - Sure, jump on in. I'm a newbie too, but we've got a few vets who chime in and are helpful. I had the same experience as you with the before pictures; somehow the flab just looks much worse in a picture than in the mirror.

Speaking of our veterans - How have y'all handled muscle soreness that just doesn't want to go away? My triceps are still so sore I can't quite touch my shoulders (used to be no problem), and it's been over 48 hours since my UBWO. I've been regularly gently working and flexing them up to the point of discomfort, but it's only helped a little. Have I just not waited long enough? Or should I have gone to IcyHot or something like that?

I'm not a BFL Vet, this is my first challenge I plan on completing, but I used to be a gym junkie back in high school....I used to get really sore too...and then I finally started stretching for about 5 minutes before and after each workout...and i mean streeeeeeettttching. Take the time to do it. It may or may not make a huge difference, but it definitely made a difference for me.

@VallieGirl19 - Thanks. I do do a fair bit of stretching afterwards, but I probably should do more stretching beforehand (or, to be fully honest, I should *do* stretching beforehand, period).

So-so LBWO - got my "9"s in abs and calves, couldn't crack past an "8" in quads and hamstrings. Hammies I'm having a hard time finding a good exercise for - at least Saturday I can work them on my home bench which has a curl attachment.

Triceps are still tight and sore, and I've been stretching and lightly working them, plus used Icy Hot last night. If it hasn't gotten much better by Thursday I'll probably have to step through my triceps exercises with no weight.

Awesome UBW today. I think I got my 9's in for my biceps, I'm kind of scared to go any further. Chest and shoulders are definitely at 10's...tris can probably go up another five lbs. Felt great today though :) Got up a little later than my usual 5:00...thank god for a flexible schedule. Have a great day everybody!

Applying ice packs periodically seems to be helping a good bit with my triceps - I can put my glasses on without it hurting now :-). I should have thought to use ice right after that workout, but at the time it didn't seem bad, just a little soreness. I think I'll be good for my UBWO Thursday as long as I back way off on triceps and chest (practically all the chest exercises involve the triceps).

@VallieGirl19 - Sounds like a great workout!

Hey whats up @itdoesnthurt...great to have you aboard!!!!  we are a great group here & if you read all the posts you can see how awesome everyone is

As far as muscle soreness goes...I think I am sore 6 days a week no matter what i do or dont do hahaha

Last week when I did chest , triceps shoulders (i know its not the full UBW..shoulder issues prohibit it for me so I break it into 2 sessions), I couldnt lift my arms for days, i couldnt even that day immediately after my workout to put on make-up, (& people who know me, know this is a travesty hahaha  sorry, i love my make-up, can't take that away from me)  

I dont over-do it, I dont add anything into it (maybe one additional 12 rep set of a 3rd exercise to hit all points involved..thats it)  I just think my muscles needed this for a VERY long time and they are "thanking" me daily LOL

I think what we could all benefit from is a nice BFL working hard massage..that may be the ultimate answer!!! How does that sound!!!!

Question- I know we are just starting out but  has anybody done only 2 real food meals a day with 3 protein drinks/bars for the others..just curious if it made a difference in the gym (energy/strength levels)

thanks friends

JODI   :)

Hey everyone.  I’m glad to see many of you posting,  I certainly love reading your posts throughout the day. I’m halfway through week 2 (my free day is on Saturday) and so far doing quite well. I haven’t cheated on any meals and my workouts have been intense. Sunday I was feeling really good so I went nuts on my lower body workout.  I was fine until my run yesterday but wow my legs are so sore I’m walking around like I need a cane! I think the kids see I’m limping and love to have me chase them just to see their gimpy dad move.

@mstickles- You are a posting machine! Its great to see you using the forums for motivation and recording your progress.  Triceps is something most people get very sore on because it doesn’t get used as much as some other muscles. Start out with lower weight and work your way up and you should be fine.  Sometimes the only fix I have to soreness is another workout for some reason.  But of course if you feel pain at any time stop. Ice helps in the first 24 hours because it can lower inflammation but after day 2 heat can work quite well. It opens those blood vessels so the lactic acid and other stuff get cleared out.  Maybe I just use it as an excuse to get some hot tub time in :)

@Valliegirl- I’m glad to hear you had a good workout! Keep kicking butt!  Why were you scared to go to 10s on biceps? I’m more curious than anything.

@itdoesn’thurt- Welcome to the group! That current picture you have can be a powerful motivator.  But balance it by starting to picture what you are going to look like. As that picture comes into focus and you start seeing progress it’ll motivate you to keep pushing. How was the cycling class? I love it but sometimes I’m dizzy as hell when I jump off from the exertion.

@rookgirl- Congrats on the progress thus far!  That is great news! 2 pounds per week is a very realistic goal and very healthy rate of fat loss. Did you get calipers to measure your body fat composition? I find it helps to keep track of it since scale weight is can be very misleading.

@jodie- 2 real food meals and 3 protein shakes/bars? What about the sixth meal? This is just my opinion but I only do one shake a day and I try to avoid the bars if at all possible.   The  bars are loaded in sugar, don’t have much protein and they aren’t a real good substitute for food.  I do carry some of the labrada protein bars just in case I get in a bind and I can’t find food.  Even lots of shakes can be bad.  Consumer reports found cadmium and arsenic in EAS myoplex  which becomes dangerous if you take 3 shakes per day. EAS recommends only 2 (http://eas.com/safety). I think moderation is the key and there is no substitute for good whole food! This is not preaching just opinion!

Hey everyone! In a hurry, but have a second to sit down with my plate of chicken, spinach and brown rice and my computer and read all the posts. Tonight is my cardio night. So glad that free day is over.....didn't over indulge but too much rest makes it hard for me to start up again! I almost didn't go to the gym last night! I literally pushed myself out the door....once I warmed up on the treadmill and saw a guy in the weight room lifting heavy.....I was motivated. Since I work out at night....the thing I love coming home to is a nice hot shower! That seems to take care of my sore muscles.....I can't remember when I've been so sore that I couldn't lift my arms the next day.....maybe I'm doing something wrong!! lol. Kind of jumped on the scale this morning...but I'm not going to report anything until the end of this week which will be my week 3. gotta run bye!

Well I didn't get to try the cycling class and it doesn't look like I will for a while. My husbands work schedule and mine need to adjust so I will by getting up at 5:30 to make it to the gym when they open at 6am. I did it yesterday and today and it's not too bad. It's not nearly as crowded.

But... I did beat my personal best on the treadmill today!