Hi Everyone! I'm so happy to see everyone posting again :)
Jo- I just uploaded the calorie counter. That will help because I'm worried that sometimes I'm not getting enough calories in. (I'm still nursing so I need those extra calories, but not too many.)
Sharon- Yes, I do plan on doing a back-to-back program. I really do feel much better and healthier as Jo said.
Joe- You're right! We've already started our fitness goals. Doesn't it feel great?
Bob- Please share that recipe. I am so glad you shared that gold nugget. I thought a 10 meant muscles burning, sweat pouring . . . not burnout. I need to ramp up my hill running too. I worry I might pull a muscle in aiming for a burnout. Does anyone else worry about that?
Monica- Good advice on my husband. He is the skinny type too. Joe, I've gone over the program with him but he thinks I look good enough already.
So . . . I plan on killing the last month of this program. From what I read, this last 1/3 is where people see the greatest difference. I'm going to work out harder, push it and most importantly---- EAT RIGHT----- I'm living THE SECRET and in my mind I've already hit my new weight loss goal (135 lbs.), I am happy, healthy, and where I want to be. I just have to wait for time to pass. :)
Anyone else just doing free weights? I'm worried I might not be doing heavy enough weights
For tomorrow, I'm following the food plan. I took a free day today because it is my anniversary***7 years*** It will be hard to pass up the goodies at my friend's house, but it really will be worth it!
To a new and well-rounded year :)
Rachel
Rachel,
I used a pressure cooker for the beans and rice. Normally you have to worry about soaking both for awhile before cooking but the pressure cooker cooks both fast. I cooked the beans first and then the rice but I think both could be cooked at the same time. I cooked the beans in just water for 20 minutes, removed them from the cooker, rinsed it out and then cooked the rice. I added 2 onions and 3 cloves of garlic, red pepper flake to taste and Worcestershire sauce to taste and salt. I would have added some old bay seasoning if I could have found it. I know I have some around somewhere but I couldn't find it. I used 3 cups of brown rice. I didn't measure the water, just had a little more then twice the water as rice. I cooked the rice in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes. When the rice was done I added the beans to the rice in the cooker. I had to drain off some of the extra water that didn't get absorbed in both the rice and the beans. I stuck them in the fridge after it cooled, made enough for 5 large plastic containers you get when ordering Chinese food. I thought I made enough for several days but between my wife and I we've almost finished it off. By the end of today it'll be gone. I add a splash of Tabasco sauce before microwaving but I like it spicy. There's some evidence out there that spicy food is good for losing weight. I use the bean and rice mixture as my carb even though it is a complete protein. The rice has protein that the beans don't have and visa verse. Together they are a complete protein. I make chicken breast meat cubes, all spiced up and broiled and mix it in with the rice and beans. Be careful with the amount of rice and beans you put on your plate, it's very filling. Play with that recipe, I like tweaking recipes that I get from others to make it mine. I've been trying to get away from bread, that's why I did the rice/bean recipe. Bread (whole grain) is so easy to use as a carb but I need to get some variety into my diet. Enjoy!
I hope everyone has a fantastic New Years day and a great 2012. Keep you the good work and keep that momentum up. We've all put in a lot of hard work so don't blow it with too much crappy food on New Years day.
Happy New Year and God Bless, keep the faith!
-Bob
Hey guys-
I'm still here with you. I'm not proud to say that this week, I didn't stick with the program like I should have. I haven't gained any weight back as I've continued my workouts, but haven't eaten as cleanly as I should have. Anyway, I'm back on the horse and looking forward to the last month too. One thing that I have recognized from the beginning is that this is much longer than 12 weeks for me...
Rachel- I love the "I already look and feel as good as my goal" thoughts.
I also read the "what's a 10?" and loved it. 10s are hard to reach sometimes!
:) Laura
Here we are it's 2012. Here is the question I have for everyone. Are you going to go into 2013 with regrets about your fitness goals or are you going to come out of 2012 with your head held high looking for even more challenges to take on? Now is the time to decide and begin a journey of success.
I believe today is the 8 week completion mark or the start of week 9 however you want to view it. I am staying away from the pictures this time. Congratulations to everyone for still being here after 8 weeks, there are some amazing people on this thread, thanks for being here and helping me.
I fully plan on continuing on after the 12 week mark, my goal for 2012 is 40 pounds from today's weigh in at 269. That would be 60 pounds since the start of this. I also plan on continuing to post here through out the year, so please stay with me I need you people.
I did my UBW today with a renewed sense of what a 10 is. Had a great workout that I never would have been able to acheive 8 weeks ago. I could barely open the car door to get home from the gym. Speaking of the gym there were a lot of new faces there today. Good to see so many people trying to start the new year off right.
Another question for the group. What do you do for fun when you can't eat or drink? Every where I go we are surrounded by bad food and drink, every party, event, meeting, family get together it's all bad. My whole life has been conditioned to eat like crazy whenever there is a get together for anything. The plan for every weekend has been to go out and eat or a movie. What else do people do? I am serious we can't go bowling every week and the weather will now suck until March.
Let's have a good week and keep those posts coming.
Keep the faith people!
Joe
You have done what you could — some blunders and absurdities have crept in. Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. ~ Emerson
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO MY BFL FAMILY!!!!!! May 2012 bring you all the health and happiness you deserve.
@Bob - thanks for the Red Beans and Rice recipe. I made it yesterday so that I would have some yummy food ready to go today!
I am super excited to see that some of you plan on continuing past these first 12 weeks! I will here with you too. I guess officially - today is my Day 1 but I made a fair amount of progress in Nov and Dec so I am not really starting from scratch. I think that it doesn't matter for me what week or day of the challenge I am in at this point. All I care about is that I got up, got dressed, went to the gym, got my workout on (lost some upperbody strength for sure these past few weeks but it felt amazing to just be doing it again), made a terrific BFL breakfast, and am now ready for my day!
@Joe - socializing while being healthy definitely takes a shift in mind set. This holiday season - including many rounds of college football and holiday parties, I found that I did best if I ate before I went out so that I wouldn't be as tempted. If I knew I was going out to a restaurant, I check out the menu online first. I decide before I ever walk in the restaurant what I will order and how I will have it modified if necessary. At parties, I do soda water with a lime twist. It is festive and fun and looks like a "real drink." I like the clean taste and nobody nags on me about getting a drink. If I am hanging out with friends or family and I know we will be snacking (like watching football), I just started bringing my own munchies. I have had a few people as about it and I just explain my challenge and my goals and that seems to be good enough.
What to do with your free time...that one is a bit tougher. I live in Arizona so this is actually the time of year where the weather is amazing and I want to be outside. Golf is my new hobby. It is kinda expensive right now and I am not very good but it gets me up and out of the house and outside for the majority of the day. Summers for me is when I hibernate inside. However, I think that movies are a great idea. Instead of going out to eat, maybe make the whole dinner making an event itself. Get everyone involved in picking out BFL meals and prep them together. With everything that has happened to me, I am taking some pretty long walks just to give myself time to reflect. I also have some fun with the WII to include adding that to Girl's Night In :-). Extra time at the gym is always an option. Do you ice skate? That might be an alternative to bowling! Do you like to read or play games? How about puzzles? We did a lot of that as a family when my girls were growing up. How about cultural events? Do you like the symphony or museums? How about local festivals? Again - tough when I don't know exactly where you are or what your likes/dislikes are...
I did take pictures today (didn't actually look at them), weighed in, and did measurements. Down 13 pounds since November 7th : ) Not a bad way to start 2012 - I'll take it!
Hope you all have a terrific BFL day!
~Sharon
Bob! I can't wait to make that recipe :) It is on my to-do list for today.
All-- I think most of us will be continuing this challenge at the end of the month. I like dividing it into 12 week segments because I feel as though I can accomplish that much and then turn around and do it again.
Joe- I live in southern Texas right now so, like Sharon, this is the time to be outdoors and having fun. I have however, lived in a more "regular" climate most of my life so here are some suggestions:
Go on a hike/walk in your winter boots in some fresh snow. Shovel the walk while listening to music. For fun: play games, watch a movie (bring your own food), go on a nice drive to a nearby place you enjoy or have not been to before, go to a sporting event (even a local one---bring your own food/snacks that can fit in your pocket) . . . Read a book out loud with someone, do something artistic . . . even if you are not an artist. There is nothing like bringing the kid out of you again. Do things you used to do when you were a kid. Make a target and throw snowballs at it . . . you know, silly stuff :)
I am not a drinker so the question of how to handle oneself around other drinkers is easy for me. I let people know before I go out that I don't drink. You could use, I am cutting back on my drinking or, I am not going to drink anymore. Using the excuse of "a new year's resolution" is fantastic during this time of year. I should say, it is socially accepted and doesn't make people less confident feel guilty and/or jealous.
I went to a New Year's party down the street. I just moved here so people don't know a lot about my habits. I made it clear that I do not drink, I ate the healthy choices and most importantly ***I stayed away from the food table.
I agree that I need to rewire my brain when I watch a movie, go on a long drive, hang out with friends, etc. My new method is to just plain stay away from the food-- because I DON'T NEED IT. Also, I enjoy talking to people, so I will focus on others and help out with clean up, preparations etc. and meet my health goals while using the law of reciprocation.
The kids are calling . . . Here's to another awesome 4 weeks! I can't wait to hear all of our results now that we used to the program. Time to hit it hard :) Thank you all for your support!
Happy New Year Everyone!
I did my upper body workout this morning and really pushed myself. I set my weights high enough so that I was sure I couldn't get that last 12th rep in but I got a lot closer then I thought I would. I remembered that phase in that post 'What's a 10?' that if you can do 12 on that last set its time to up the weight. I print out my workout sheet that shows my plan as to what I'm going to lift, target weight and reps and tape it up on the wall in my workout room. If I don't get the number of reps in, I cross out what I was planning on lifting and write in what I did do. Today's sheet was all marked up. During the last sets I had to do the primal grunt to get the weight up. I don't know why it seems to work but it helped me. I guess there's something to it since all the tennis players do it when they try to hit that winning shot.
Joe I know it's tough when you're surrounded by people that aren't on the plan and want to live it up during the holidays. You just have to stay strong. Remember, you put in a lot of hard work to lose that weight and eating junk just sets all that hard work back. I look at it this way, eating junk food gives you short term pleasure. Sure it tastes great for the minutes that you're eating it. But then the guilt and feelings that you've failed at your dietary goals set in and you feel like crap for hours and sometimes days later. I don't brush off those bad feelings, I used them to remind myself the next time I have a choice between eating right and eating junk. If I choose to eat the right stuff I feel good about myself for hour or days later. If I choose to eat the junk I'll feel like crap for hours or days later. It's an easy choice to make for me. Eating wrong give short team pleasure that is fleeting, eating right give you pleasure for days. It reminds me of a quote from the Emily Alvers website, "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". Sure we aren't skinny yet but if you make this a lifestyle you will be. Picture yourself pulling up your shirt and seeing a hard six pack there. Won't that be worth giving up all those fleeting moments of pleasure eating junk food? Hell ya!!!!
Sharon - I like your suggestion about eating something before going out to a party. A full stomach helps to keep you mind off of eating some of those tempting foods.
You know we've all become accustomed to thinking you have to be busting at the seams to consider yourself full. I'm starting to look at being full as not being empty. Having enough food to satisfy my nutritional requirements. Giving myself enough food to raise my blood sugar to a level in which I can function. Before I eat I feel a little depleted and I can notice my blood sugar level is getting a little low. I don't want it to get too low so I try to time it so that right when I notice a slight week feeling from low blood sugar it's time to eat. After eating I'm fueled and ready to get back to work if it's a work day or play if i'm off. Moral of my point, let's stop thinking that a meal means we have to feel food pushing against the walls of our stomachs but eat to fuel the body.
Another great website I found that supports BFLers is hussmanfitness dot org. I put this in this way so that the forum wouldn't mess it up. I hope you guys and girls can figure it out. That site has tons of stuff that explain a lot about the science of BFL. Real good reading.
That's all for now, have a great BFL day and year everyone!
Happy New Year! I pray that good health, joy, peace, and increase be abundant for you all this year and the many to come!
So sorry for pulling a Houdini these last several weeks. The stress in preparation for my breast reduction surgery (12/19/11) was a lot to handle in addition to getting things squared away at work for my medical leave, wrapping up a semester of grad school, and trying to get my home organized for my recovery. I put so so much emphasis on the surgery that I didn't think a whole lot about the recovery process and this has been a journey within itself! The good news is that I am on the mend physically and working on my emotions day by day :0)
I was thinking I could get back into the swing of things workout wise starting this week, but have learned that I need to take things very slowly to avoid splitting internal stitches, creating open wounds, and other types of setbacks related to surgery. So my new goal is to work on regaining my range of motion through light stretching and on training myself how to eat right. The diet that has been proposed to me as beneficial to my healing is right in line with the Eating for Life guidelines, which is great!
I've pushed back my new date to officially start the BFL challenge to 2/6/12 which should be right in line for when the current challenge for this group ends. I will be checking in on this board from time to time and look forward to beginning again with those of you who are doing back to back challenges. I've read through some of the posts and see that you are all hanging in there despite challenges and hurdles. It was very inspiring and is helping give me a boost while I am recovering :0)
You all are the greatest!
Caroline *smiles*
Caroline!!! I'm so glad you are back :) Way to have a plan in place . . .
So . . . I'm back to my weight I was at before the holidays. Wow! Those were rough. I'm super excited to see the muscles pack on. I don't know if I will be able to lose much more weight. We'll see. This is pretty lean for me. I'll keep my mind open and follow the plans and I bet I'll be surprised :)
Let's work extra hard this month. I love how Joe said he could barely get out of the gym he hurt so bad! Bob, yes, keeping records are the best way to push to more and more weight.
Ok BFL family--- keep it strong!!!
"Happy feelings will attract more happy circumstances" ~ The Secret
Happy Wednesday all! If you haven't yet watched The Secret - what are you waiting for???? That is where this, along with hundreds of others, come from. Life changing if you embrace it and let it be...
@ Caroline - WELCOME BACK GIRLFRIEND! I am honestly not at all surprised that your recovery is more difficult that you anticipated. I have had a few friends and relatives have the same proceedure done and the road to recovery is slow. Good mindset for you though! Do what you can, don't push yourself too hard, and be ready to dive right in once given the medical "green light."
@ Rachel - nice job getting right back in it! I am very excited to hear that you are at the weight you want to be and that you are now seeing muscle tone and definition. I can't wait to get there myself...much longer road (2-3 challenges) but that is totally ok. I didn't get this way overnight and I am not going to be able to fix it overnight. As I have said many many times, this has to be a lifestyle change for me.
As for me, I would like to get back to posting more often. I am still picking up the pieces here and probably will be for a very long time. However, it is now 2012 and this is MY YEAR!
I had signed up for a winter break elective in Project Management before all of my proverbial "*** hit the fan." This is the last elective course that I have to take before graduating with my MBA in May. I contemplated dropping it but it took me two years to actually get a seat in the class. It is only offered once a year and it is very popular. I love the content and the professor but the workload is kicking my butt (which is already painfully soar from a killer LBWO :). It is a 17 week course compressed into 5 weeks. Crazy amount of reading, 7 team based projects, 5 online modules, 5 quizzes, and a final exam. Intense doesn't even do it justice. So...I am continuing to focus on me, taking care of all of the loose ends my husband left, running a business, going to school, and keeping up with this class. Busy is good so I am managing. However, I need to make this forum and my challenge a priority as well.
Keep me accountable guys and gals! I know that most of you are now a few weeks ahead of me in your journey but I need your "golden nuggets", motivational stories, quotes, recipes, whatever...I also need to post that I am here, I am on track with my diet, I am working out, and focues on only the positive (well - trying to at least).
Have a great BFL day!
~ Sharon
I am proud to say that I hit a 10, finally in my weight training. I did finish the last 12 but I nearly died from 6 reps to 12. I am going to push for this every time!
I hope all are well. Can you all believe how far we are in the program already? Crazy! We're doing this and we are doing it well!
I wrote my 2012 goals last night. I am going to have a Body For Life year (unless I get pregnant again ***groan****). That means almost 4 back to back challenges this year. Anyone know what the maintenance program is? Same thing?
I'm so happy so many people are posting who we have not heard from in a while. This really is a program of progress, not perfection. I love it.
ONE MORE REP!!!
Good Morning Everyone. Not a good day for me. I did my LBW today and tried to hit the 10s. I also walked on the treadmill for a while. The workout was not all that bad. I seem to have hit a plateau. I have been stuck right around the 20 pound mark for 4 weeks now. I managed to gain a pound this week from last weeks weigh in. I have picked up my intensity with my workouts and I have not missed any workouts. So it must be my diet. I ate very well during the week. This weekend was tough I just cannot seem to get it in to my head that food is not the answer for my happiness. I am surrounded by people that eat like tomorrow is a rumor. Everything is a freaking food party. This is where my commitment goes out the window and I get frustrated and bag it. I have lost this 20 pounds about 50 times in the last 15 years. My goal is 40 more pounds. I hate the comments people make about my weight at work things like " a lot of beef in this isle or looks like an an offensive line over there." I know they are kidding but after 42 years of this *** it gets old. I work out 6 days a week at 5:30am, I ran over 150 miles last summer and ran 5 races. What the hell do I have to do? I know I eat better than everyone I know and they never gain weight. If i slip up for 10 minutes or miss 1 workout it sets me back. You people are the support group, HELP!
Joe,
I don't know what to tell you. Make sure your house is clear of unauthorized foods. If it's not there you can't eat it. If you think you might be making your portions too large then buy one of those food scales and measure your portions. Don't hang out with people that eat like there's no tomorrow because if you eat like that there might me no tomorrow. My father died of a heart attack at 64 and weighed less then I do. If I don't change things my days are numbered. This program will add years to your life so hang in there. I've been stuck at my weight for 2 weeks now but that's how it goes. I'll be stuck at a weight for weeks and then all of a sudden I'll get on the scales and I'm 5 pounds down. If you're working out hard you're gaining muscle mass that will eventually work for you at losing fat. I don't know about you but I'm planning on continuing after the 12 weeks are up. My target is 40 pounds in 12 weeks but if I don't get that it's no big deal because I know it'll eventually be gone since I don't have a fixed amount of time. Make it a lifestyle, clean out your house and stay home instead of going out with food friends. My last advise for you is don't get so down on yourself. Your body is the result of a lifetime of eating and exercise habits, it'll take awhile to reverse that. 2 years from now you'll look at yourself and what you see will be the results of your new eating and exercise habits. I hope they are the right ones.
Good luck to your and be careful of those free days, it's easy to over indulge.
Bob and Joe,
Here are my end of week weight results: week 6- 140.2 week 7- 138.4 week 8- 138.8 week 9- 138.4
So . . . just like you two, I am stuck at the same weight. But! As Bob said, I believe I am gaining muscles mass. I feel firmer, my clothes fit better and I am happier. Joe, are you measuring? Maybe look at that instead of just weight. I trained for and ran a marathon when I was 20 and didn't lose a pound. Yet, my body looked completely different. Not, 10 years later, I'm 22 pounds lighter. Sometimes we hit a plateau and have to ride it out. The body for life for women book suggests that if you hit a plateau, up your cardio to 4 or 5 times a week. (Still stick to the original weight lifting plan.) Do what works best for you.
The weight and fat will come off. Don't let others bring you down. You are a winner---- prove it to them!
I believe in my Body for Life family. Let's do this! I cannot believe how little time we have left!
Remember why we are doing this and finish strong. Self-respect!!!