Roosed, good to hear you had success adding muscle and losing fat simultaneously.  I also had some success last year for about 6 months then platued at 240 (from 270).   I think I was helped initially by being new to weight lifting.  And yes although my scale progress stopped, my progress has continued.  Most people are shocked when I tell them I haven't lost any weight since May.  I guess I have been firming up at that weight.  

Most of my body is lean now where you can see my muscles in my legs, back and arms and the fat in my face is gone, but I still have about 20 lbs of excess fat in my belly and chest area that I want to get rid of.  It is the final area of fat that will mean the difference between looking good in clothes and looking good at that beach.  

In this challenge I want to finish the weight loss phase of my transformation and be rid of that belly fat!  I plan to meet my weight loss goal by cutting calories to the point where I lose 5 lbs every 3 weeks.  The calorie deficit may slow or stall my stength gains, but I am willing to live with that the next 12 weeks.  If I am able to build muscle at the same time, all the better.  Wish me luck!

Kahoona,  I am in your position.  This past year I lost almost 70 lbs and have about 20-25 more to go. But that 20 lbs is the difference in me looking how I would like.  And it has been hanging on like glue!  So, I'm really excited to follow this program as closely as I can!

Focusedlady, ooooh that chocolate cream sounds yummy!  I think the lite one would be what I need.  I have the same concern though about when I eat something sweet my body starts craving it like crazy!  

Does anyone have any ideas for that?  Are all the EAS products sweet tasting?  I'm trying to stay completely away from any sugary things this go.  Is there a protein powder I could mix with fruit?

Shoshie, welcome aboard!!! The more the merrier in this game!

Hit the gym for my first UBWO of the year today and WOW!!! I had re-injured my right shoulder during C2, partially dislocating it for the 3rd time in 2 years, but had gotten back to 100% of my previous max lifting prior to taking 10 days off from Christmas Eve until lighting it back up Jan 3rd. I had hoped the recoup time would make the shoulder ready to rock again but sore, stiff & weak were the words for today...UGH! Had to back off 2 full iron plates on every station in order to make it through the reps required today so there's going to be some re-habbing going on the next few upper days!

Still managed 68,600 LBs of upper body iron rearranged today, snuggled in between 3 HIIT cardio clips totalling 248 calories while climbing 138 vertical feet on the dreaded treadmill. On LBWO days I get through the iron stations more quickly and therefore have more time for additional cardio before work on those days.

Rock on team!!!

Utahdesertrunner the Myoplex lite I mentioned only has 1 gram of sugar.  I have both EAS protein blen and ON Whey and both can be mixed with fruit.  I'm posting from work (am on luch break) so I can't verify, but I believe the Eatingfor Life has various recipies mixing fruit and diffeent extract to provide a variety of flavored protein shakes, some use the myoplex others just protein powder.

Best wishes on losing thoselast 20lbs and finding the protein mix you'll  like.

I use a whey powder (Body Fortress) which is very reasonably priced.  It contains 3g sugar, 6 carbs, 52 g protein and 4 gm fat.  At 270 calories.  I usually drink it in my coffee (big 32 oz cup of coffee), but have mixed it w/ fresh fruit and H2O for a powershake.  It fits into my diet goals of muscle growth and is not too heavy on simplex carbs.

HIIT the beach this morning at the crack of dawn.  Lots of new faces with their new years resolution, new sweat suits and lattes.  I guarantee they will not be down there when air temp drops under 50F.

Made the first Mile in good time.  I think I am ready to go a little farther this time.  2 miles in ~24 minutes.  A stretch goal may be to run 4 miles by the end of the challenge.

Cheers,

Frick

Some quick stats on the bloggers here:

There are 35 of us that have thrown their hat in the ring in this challenge.  17 are newbies, 3 (at least) are DNF from their last challenge and 15 have two or more under their belt.

For the newbies, let us know how you are doing.  Chime in (panting breath, weak knees,and all).  This is the toughest 14 days of the challenge.

...and keep the questions and comments coming.  Sharing ideas, challenges, obstacles, and little wins is what this forum is all about.

Weak knees thats me, rather bad knees (ACL replaced 9 years ago, 100% but it still gets sore sometimes)  Does anyone out there have bad knees? If so, what are you doing for cardio and which legs routines are you doing?

I completed my first LBWO, which was great! Max weigh wad 50 pounds. Now I am aching just a little.

Hi there, new to the official challenge, but familiar with BFL. I'm looking for tips on how to balance life with BFL. I spend at least one night per week out at social functions (happy hours, cocktail parties), so does anyone have tips on working these types of events into a cycle?

Well, it happened.  I went to a social function where I was sure I would be able to find something healthy to eat.  It turned out to be muffins and chocolate and an egg casserole loaded with sausage and cheese.  That is the last time I go anywhere without a myoplex bar.  For the record, I had a small serving of the egg and half a muffin.  Blech!  I was trying so hard to make it all the way to free day!

I am doing good with exercise but having a hard time walking past all the goodies at work. I've nibbled on a couple of things - at least I have eaten a lot less than I would usually take.

Think I need to get a life - way too many posts for one day.

@ HC - as for the knee, you can't go wrong with the bicycle, row or eliptical for low impact...or venture into the real world and bike/kayak/swim.  For weights, leg extensions and bicep curls are supposed to be less stressful than squats and lunges.

@Margo - I could probably write a book on "the drinkers guide to health".  I spend weeks at a time on the road and am subjected to HaHos and eating out every night, so some advice:

Work out in the morning.  Remind yourself at the cocktail party that you will be getting up early for your workout and drag your tired butt out of bed.  You will thank yourself all day.

Drink vodka and soda for the lowest calories.  Clear liquors with diet or club sodas are best of the vices.

Cocktail parties usually have the obligatory veggie plate.  Eat the broccoli and cauliflower.  Next best option is the shrimp/meat section - hold the bread, crackers, cheeses, and anything requiring a ladel.

Dinner - don't feel like you have to clear your plate.  Eat the veggie/salad and meat first.  Think of the starch as decoration.  You are getting your carbs and extra calories from your drinks.   For the dessert, drink coffee, instead.

Awesome advice Frick! This team is shaping up nicely!!! As has been said, the first couple weeks are the toughest! Hang in there & don't get discouraged!!! The best is yet to come!

I just started on Monday, January 3rd. The first 3 days have been great.  Lets get this going!  Best of luck, stick to it and plan, plan, plan.  I'm dividing my program in to (4) 3 week quarters!  Just think, transformation is 12 weeks away!

Hi all ~  I was in another group that tried to start before the holidays but I didn't quite make it so I did start on Monday also so I would like to come along on this journey!  Look forward to it....

Roosed ~ your name sounds familiar from maybe another group?

Did LBWO today....looking forward to weigh in on Sat.....

Also, I have a serious Diet Coke addiction....can anyone suggest a replacement besides water??? I already drink tons of water too....any advice would be appreciated!

@Everyone in our Team

I had an amazing day today!!  I did something different and went to bed early last night and got up and went to work out.  Usually I procrastinate and wait till the end the last hour the gym is still open (9-10pm)  The difference was amazing.  I had a protein shake after my workout and didn't miss a single meal.  I had SO much energy through the day that I cleaned my whole kitchen and cooked up a ton of food for the rest of the week.  You better bet I'm going to try it again for a repeat success day!

@49erFan

I used to be totally addicted to Diet Coke too!!  I quit by drinking green tea in whenever I craved it.  It really took me about 2 weeks to completely detox from the Diet Soda and in that time the only thing I let myself drink was water and tea.  I feel SO much better since I quit and the one time I went back and tried Diet Coke it tasted like chemicals so I've not been tempted again since.   I also really like La Croix sparkling water since it has carbonation but no other added chemicals.

@Mullarkey Dividing up your three week quarters is a really great idea.  Tackling 3 weeks at a time seems so much more manageable then 12 weeks.

@Frick  Thanks for the pep talk.  It makes me feel better to know someone is looking out for us Newbs :)  

@Utah I started using Now Sports Whey Protein Isolate because I'm very picky about not using artificial sweeteners in my diet.  I like it a lot.  It's not the cheapest but it is very pure.

@Hot Chocolate  Wow 50lbs!!  My max is 20lbs so far.  I can't wait to get to the point you are!