Hi Mike
I am back! I am so upset with myself. I turned 60 2 wks ago on the 14th and celebrated that day by running a half marathon in Dallas. However I ran it with my body not in optimal shape. I was training for a half iron back in the months of Sept and Oct and was able to get my weight down because i was exercising twice a day. But as you know and have told me many times that does not last because it is not realistic and i do have to admit that my body has gotten tired of all the long cardio workouts. I have put all the weight back on. I am at 140 and this is absolutely my breaking point. I want to weigh 125 or 130 at the most. None of my clothes fit right. I was in the best shape when I did BFL and since my body needs to recover I feel this is good timing.
I have let go of my dream to complete an iron man in my 60th year and i want to attempt this challenge once again. I need your help. Some of my major trouble areas besides the love for going for miles on my bike or running is the awful habit of hard candy, cool whip and sugar free choc in my two large cups of decaf coffee. I also know my portions are not what they need to be.
Anyway you get my drift. I feel so ready. I can't wait to hear from you.
Mary Castellucci from Katy Texas
I thought I just posted but my computer froze, so I apologize if posts twice...
Aussie Deb -
Thanks for the warm welcome. Just got home from my first workout and my arms are trembling to the point where it's hard to hold the baby. FEELS GREAT! No pain, no gain.
I do need to focus on the goal-setting this go-round. I love to write, but I'm terrible at record keeping. That needs to change!
I'm going to look for info today on taking measurements, as well as taking pics, so I have a solid starting point! THANKS!
Hello everyone :-) I'm new to the forum and have a few q's of course. A. I'm scared- scared to fail and I hate to admit it. I've tried this before and failed with a big, fat F!! I'm a Health & Kines grad student and want to look the part! I have a fit look but I'm not where I want to be. Anywho, one of my q's is, when I want to reply, do I always have to scroll to the very end of the conversation to post something or can I reply anywhere in the selected forum. For example, on this one, I clicked on page 5 and then did my post instead of posting on the 1st page. Second, can I start the challenge anytime I want and enter, or do I have to start and end on the dates that BFL gives on their website? The day I'll officially start is April 7th which is also the day some friends and I are traveling to Austin for ACSM's fitness summit- which means I really have to plan if i'm going to do this. I had planned on starting earlier this month then we went to disney world and I completely blew it. I don't want to blow it anymore! I'm bad about sweets but if I don't have them around I'm ok. Well, so that's basically it for now. I look forward to hearing some advice. Thanks!!
~Let every opposition strengthen you, not stop you~
Good Morning all!
CHIPSTER: Good to see you moving along - I agree - fruit and CC at night (I mix stickydate FF SF yoghurt instead of the fruit sometimes - yum)
MS MARY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR A FEW WEEKS AGO! Wow, 60 - how inspiring, 1/2 marathon and being so active - Thank You! I look at all the ladies around the place and with me being short and my body type puts it on round the middle not the thighs..... I don't want to be a "barrell body" - I'm 50 shortly, but I do wonder about the body being able to stay "this way" in the 60's and beyond - great to , logically, I don't see why it can't if I keep up with what I'm doing... but you don't see that many "fit and active 60 year olds do we"? GREAT to see you here!
CC: - Congrats on the first workout! You will get to LOVE that shakey feeling after workouts! All the best!
ANDRA: Posting - you can click on "reply" at any post, but that person will get the email if they selected "email me notifications".... I get all the emails because I set the thread up, it's up to you. Also the "order" in which the threads show - I thought it depended on the person who set the thread up and what they selected in their "settings", but I now think, the last person who "posts" - it reverts to their settings.... CHIPSTER - IS THIS RIGHT MATE?
Start Challenge: - The dates are only for sorting purposes for EAS - you will automatically be put into the next round if you miss a cut off point - so start ANYTIME. - All the best!
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS!
Hello, I am a newbie... completed 1st week and moving on to a healthy and strong body. still trying to get my metabolism going, it;s been dead for a few years due to lots of medications, surgeries, too much work and not eating all day....please help!!! my body will hold on to every morsel...
I felt really good this weekend, I can see alittle bit of change, but then I ate chicken with barbecue sauce, salt and cornbread on my free day, no desert, no other junk but then the scale went back up 3pounds.... 3 pounds!!!! waht the heck how can that be?????????????????????ARRGGHHHHHH
Josephine - 3 lbs is pretty normal for a free day. It sounds like you did fine with just a free meal rather than an all out free day. Don't worry because you've only got 1 week under your belt so you'll see this happen. As you progress, your body will be able to handle free day much better. Follow the book as closely as you can and remember, you are free to not have a free day. :-)
Love you some you...PERSEVERE!
Josephine ~
The salt can really add a lot of bloat. Be sure to get all your water in on free days!!! If you do eat less than clean it will help flush it out. 3 pounds is definitely not unusual. I have had less than stellar free days and gained 3 pounds. I still could have a 2 pound loss for that week beyond the 3 extra pounds. Better weeks when I didn't abuse free day. Stay focused and put that behind you. And for goodness sakes....GET RID OF THE SCALE! :-)
Keep the faith!
Faithful Renee :0)
I hope someone can help me out. I did a couple of cycles of BFL back in 2001. I was in the best shape of my life after that, but I became complacent. I'm 37 now and have put on a few pounds. I want to get back into the BFL lifestyle, but I can't find my BFL book. I've turned the house upside down trying to find it. I still have my old spreadsheets of my meal plans and my work-out routines. But I seem to remember that the first 2 days were a cleansing period. Can someone describe the first 2 days of the program for me? I want to get started right away!!
Hockey Mike - the first 2 days are like the last 2 days of BFL. 6 meals a day with a balanced protein and carb combo. Vegys with at least 2 meals.
Amazon.com "gives away" those books. Check them out.
Hey everyone! I was inspired to take on the BFL challenge for two reasons: 1) my aesthetician told me about the program and lost 30 pounds herself (TRULY inspirational!) and 2) I'd become very unhappy about myself as I've been unable to shake the "baby weight" after having my son.
I am currently in week 2 of C1 and have to say that I feel more positive mentally and happier about myself. I have no problem with the excersising-part of the program, but have struggled with the food-part. (Thank goodness for FREE days!)
I wasn't sure if I should be seeing a dramatic difference in my body shape/size by now, so I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed that the scale hasn't rewarded me with a smaller number. I thought I would've lost a pound or two by now. No? Any feedback would be appreciated!
janel
MORNING ALL AND WELCOME TO BFL!
JOSEPHINE: Congrats on getting to Week 2! Hubby still doing it with you I hope? As the others said, 3lb is completely normal after free day, or any day where salt intake is higher - the body holds on to the water until it gets enough to start letting it go again - hang in there!
HOCKEYMIKE: What Legs said mate - starts at day one and just keep on going! All the best!
JANELE: Great to see you here! It can take upto 8 weeks for the scale to move for women in particular. Janel - just trust the program, keep the faith in yourself and do the work and you will be looking back in 12 weeks laughing..... BFLMIKE - 2006 champion has a document called "the Ladies Success Document", it is made up of lots of ladies that were going to quit becasue they had not "seen" any changes.... email me (email address on my home page) and I will send it to you to give you some hope!
Here’s a little inspiration for those of you who are worried about not seeing any changes in your body so far. It’s what I call the "Paper Towel Theory" Let’s assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge). You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your "before" picture). The other one represents you (I’ll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let’s say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let’s also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge. Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can’t be working for me! But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin’ Bill Phillips MUST be a liar! But Ed is determined! He works hard! Hitting his 10’s…eating his 6 daily meals. Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!! By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al – well he’s not so happy. The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around, that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area – just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area. While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same – your perception is just different! And you’ll never see the inside, if you aren’t patient while the outside is coming off! Seems so logical when you read it like this! This article and other great stuff on www.hussmanfitness.com
Here’s a little inspiration for those of you who are worried about not seeing any changes in your body so far. It’s what I call the "Paper Towel Theory"
Let’s assume you go out and buy two rolls of paper towels, each with only 84 paper towels on it (one for each day of the challenge).
You put one aside, and keep it for future reference (your "before" picture).
The other one represents you (I’ll call your paper towel you "Ed"). The core represents the lean Ed. The towels represent the fat that is covering the lean Ed. For sake of argument, let’s say that Ed wants to lose 21 pounds of fat, so (84/21) each sheet represents a quarter-pound of fat lost. Let’s also assume that Ed loses his fat equally during each day of the challenge.
Each day during the first week, you tear a sheet off of Ed, representing the fat he has lost for the day. Next, you put Ed next to the full roll ("Big Al") for comparison. No noticeable difference!!! Even at the end of the week! This can’t be working for me!
But, being a good Ed, you continue to follow Body-for-LIFE. At the end of weeks two and three, you continue to compare Ed to Big Al, and still notice very little difference. That stinkin’ Bill Phillips MUST be a liar!
But Ed is determined! He works hard! Hitting his 10’s…eating his 6 daily meals. Three more weeks go by, the sheets peeling off day after day, before Ed gets up the courage to stand next to Big Al again. Holy Myoplex! Ed is skinny! OK, not skinny, but less huge!!!
By the end of the 12-week Body-for-LIFE program, Ed is down to his lean dream, or somewhere near it. Ed is happy. We are happy. Big Al – well he’s not so happy.
The lesson to be learned is that fat, like paper towels, comes off in sheets. When you are heavy, you are big around. And when you are big around, that fat is spread over a MUCH larger area – just like that outside towel sheet. The closer you get to the lean you, the more each lost pound of fat shows, because it is spread over a smaller area.
While the outside sheet may only cover 1 layer of the roll, the inside sheet may go around 4 times. That last sheet looks like it gives you 4 times the results of the first sheet, but in reality, the results are the same – your perception is just different! And you’ll never see the inside, if you aren’t patient while the outside is coming off!
Seems so logical when you read it like this!
This article and other great stuff on www.hussmanfitness.com
FIRST 6 WEEKS OF THE CHALLENGE!
1. WEEK ONE: Confusion and stress are usually your first visitors if you’ve never done anything like this before. In fact, it’s best to visit the gym or get your home gym set up ahead of time and do some trials of the exercises. It’s also best to plan an entire two weeks’ worth of menus before you start, so you don’t find yourself running out in the middle of the night to buy authorized food. Stick to the proteins and carbs that are listed on page 83 of the book and you can’t go wrong. The next things you’ll experience in week one are soreness and sleeplessness. Soreness is natural initially, and unavoidable if you’re working hard. Don’t waste your money on pain relievers; they don’t work on it at all. Sleeplessness and headaches and lethargy are all first week experiences for most, and they are caused by the body trying to adapt to better foods, and also beginning to expel the junk that has built up in your body fat all along. Drink lots of water!
2. WEEK TWO: Soreness and the dietary adjustments may continue during the second week. But, you’ll also notice that the diet will begin to feel a bit more natural and the exercises will seem a bit easier. You should see a little bit of strength gain at the end of week 2. There will be some scale loss for men, but almost none for women, and no great noticeable changes in the mirror yet, except that your skin and eyes may look brighter and clearer.
3. WEEK THREE: You’ll be confidently doing the exercises by now, and the diet will seem almost normal tasting to you. Your taste buds will have adjusted from all the sweets, spicy foods, and salty stuff and the fresh foods and pure foods will taste good. Most men will begin to see some changes in the mirror at the end of this week and should be able to see more scales movement. Women might have lost as much as 3 to 5 pounds by now, though no weight loss at all or even a slight gain by the end of week three is not at all uncommon.
4. WEEK FOUR TO SIX: Weeks 4 through 6 are the golden weeks. You’ll find yourself feeling great–even exhilarated–which is a welcome change from the sleeplessness, aches and pains and sluggishness from weeks 1 through 3. The guys will see quickening weight loss and a visible change in the size of the old beer gut or love handles. Women will see some changes, but usually more modest in nature than the guy. So, if you are doing a couple’s challenge, be prepared for the uneven (don’t say "unfair" just yet) nature of your changes versus your husband’s situation.
Both men and women will see significant changes in strength and stamina. Sleep habits will settle down. The diet will begin to become almost second nature and the exercise and multiple meal events will become a regular and comfortable part of your life. Especially for women it is extremely important to continue to advance in your weight training goals, lifting to failure rather than simply walking through the exercise. Unless you strain to lift, and really do hit it hard, you are essentially wasting your time doing the strength training.
If you measure them at this point, you’ll likely see that blood pressure is lower; cholesterol and triglycerides are lower, and that resting pulse is lower. This is also the time, though, that small nagging injury or pain can gets worse. Be extremely careful about working sore joints such as knees and especially shoulders. If the shoulder joints are sore, don’t lift weights overhead. It is not worth it to develop a rotator cuff or neck problem at this point.
Be of good cheer! Stay the course. There are good things coming! Patience is needed, especially for women.
Hello,
My name is Jeremy, i'm 28 years old and weigh 265 lbs with a BMI of 34, so i'm obese. Now that i'm getting very close to my 30s alarm bells are ringing off in my mind that I need to change or my risks of diabetes, heart disease would keep increasing. I was a big time party animal in my early to mid 20s, but it definitely came with a cost. After going through rehab, I substituted my drug addiction for food and beer instead of healthy living choices.
My goals for 12 weeks are to drop 4 inches off my waist from a 40" to 36" and lose 30-40 lbs. I just ordered a digital fat caliper from bodybuilding.com so once that arrives i'll know my BF %. My goal is to be below 10% body fat so I can see my abs again and weigh 195-205 lbs depending on the lean muscle mass. I'll do as many challenges as it takes to obtain these goals.
Jeremy
hello everyone - I only came across this site this morning and i am so thrilled to find people who started on BFL and now look amazing!!! I am starting today !! I have done atkins for a few weeks and started some cardio and have already noticed a bit of difference but I hope to come on here for more inspiration and encouragement
Aussie-Debs WELCOME! FROM THE MORNING COFFEE CREW - aka - Oldtimers! If you are just beginning your BFL journey we are all here to give you the support you may not get elsewhere. We will boost you up when you are flagging We will put your "fears of failure" to rest We will clarify issues that are stressing you We will kick you in the bum if you need it We will NEVER GIVE UP ON YOU! So tell us briefly about you, what you want to achieve and in what time frame, what you have read to prepare for your challenge and what help you need right now! Here is a summary from one of our "resident champions" - BFLMIKE! - Listen to him and you can't go wrong! New – what to do – quick check list! By: Mike Harris The very first thing you need to do is to acquire a copy of and read from cover to cover the book, "Body for Life," by Bill Phillips. The next thing to do is to register online for the challenge. You may have already done that, but if not, do it. Then, take before photos of yourself front and back, with swim trunks on that reveal your midriff and your upper legs as well. Take your measurements also – very important! Then, review the results of the champions by going to the Success Stories link at the top of the page on www.bodyforlife.com and go through them year by year until you find someone whose before photo looks like you, and whose after photo is what you want to look like. Then, set your goals, making them objective, carefully defined, and attainable though tough. For example, "lose weight" is not a goal, it’s just an idea. Lose 25 pounds in 12 weeks is a goal, and one that is tough but attainable. Set several goals in various areas, weight loss, fat loss, inches loss, reading some book, or competing in a certain type of athletic event (triathlon, power lifting, whatever). Next, set your starting date, get a journal and put all this information and the photos into that journal. Get your shopping done this weekend; clean out your cupboards of all the unauthorized foods; plan all your meals and workouts, and get started! Come back to the Community often for help, encouragement or questions! All the best to you. Mike Harris, 2006 body for life champion and former fat guy!
WELCOME! FROM THE MORNING COFFEE CREW - aka - Oldtimers!
If you are just beginning your BFL journey we are all here to give you the support you may not get elsewhere.
So tell us briefly about you, what you want to achieve and in what time frame, what you have read to prepare for your challenge and what help you need right now!
Here is a summary from one of our "resident champions" - BFLMIKE! - Listen to him and you can't go wrong!
New – what to do – quick check list! By: Mike Harris The very first thing you need to do is to acquire a copy of and read from cover to cover the book, "Body for Life," by Bill Phillips. The next thing to do is to register online for the challenge. You may have already done that, but if not, do it. Then, take before photos of yourself front and back, with swim trunks on that reveal your midriff and your upper legs as well. Take your measurements also – very important! Then, review the results of the champions by going to the Success Stories link at the top of the page on www.bodyforlife.com and go through them year by year until you find someone whose before photo looks like you, and whose after photo is what you want to look like. Then, set your goals, making them objective, carefully defined, and attainable though tough. For example, "lose weight" is not a goal, it’s just an idea. Lose 25 pounds in 12 weeks is a goal, and one that is tough but attainable. Set several goals in various areas, weight loss, fat loss, inches loss, reading some book, or competing in a certain type of athletic event (triathlon, power lifting, whatever). Next, set your starting date, get a journal and put all this information and the photos into that journal. Get your shopping done this weekend; clean out your cupboards of all the unauthorized foods; plan all your meals and workouts, and get started! Come back to the Community often for help, encouragement or questions! All the best to you. Mike Harris, 2006 body for life champion and former fat guy!
The next thing to do is to register online for the challenge. You may have already done that, but if not, do it.
Then, take before photos of yourself front and back, with swim trunks on that reveal your midriff and your upper legs as well. Take your measurements also – very important!
Then, review the results of the champions by going to the Success Stories link at the top of the page on www.bodyforlife.com and go through them year by year until you find someone whose before photo looks like you, and whose after photo is what you want to look like.
Then, set your goals, making them objective, carefully defined, and attainable though tough. For example, "lose weight" is not a goal, it’s just an idea. Lose 25 pounds in 12 weeks is a goal, and one that is tough but attainable. Set several goals in various areas, weight loss, fat loss, inches loss, reading some book, or competing in a certain type of athletic event (triathlon, power lifting, whatever).
Next, set your starting date, get a journal and put all this information and the photos into that journal. Get your shopping done this weekend; clean out your cupboards of all the unauthorized foods; plan all your meals and workouts, and get started!
Come back to the Community often for help, encouragement or questions! All the best to you.
Mike Harris, 2006 body for life champion and former fat guy!
" Better to believe and be wrong than to not believe and be wrong"
Hello! I am a newbie to BFL and the forum. I am Week 1, Day 3. Everything is going good so far. My body is experiencing some strange changes. I guess that's what happens when you go from eating crap and what not to very healthy. Of course I am really enjoying my workouts. My friends don't really believe that I will lose anything by just doing 3 days of weight lifting and 20 minutes of cardio 3 days. But, I told them, just give me a few weeks and I will show you. Hopefully it will make an impact and I can get them on the BFL program too. I am looking forward to reading your advice and stories from you and other BLFers and will be excited to share my own experiences. Thanks!