True, the "cheat" day can be a slippery slope for some of us. I can see the psychological reasons to have the opportunity to indulge in comfort foods once a week in this 12 week stretch so that we don't feel that nasty part of "dieting" that always includes deprivation. I have done some bizarre dieting and always have ended up focusing on what I was missing, which eventually became the downfall of whatever program I was attempting to do- they seemed to have failure built into them: do this for X amount of time, then go back to your old ways.
A big part of BFL is the subtle (or not so subtle, in some cases!) re-education of how to best take CARE of our bodies. BFL seems based on simple concepts: exercise to develop muscle and eat to support the development of these muscles. Keep doing this consistently for 12 weeks and the extra fat we are carrying around will disappear. It isn't complicated in theory...but in practical application...oh boy...However, I have found that I am in the BFL groove now and I feel that we ALL should be in that groove by now. Please don't think that I am lecturing you on how you should feel by now, but hey- we're in the 5th week...we should all be rollin' by now. The train should be shifting into high gear and be ready to tackle the hills that are coming up!
I read my goals and I get to decide how I am to achieve them...if I think that a slice of costco pizza on a Sunday is going to satiate my cravings, then i probably will eat it. But I KNOW I won't be able to fit into those pants I am wanting to fit into if I spend the whole day eating pizza. That's just me.
I salute those that are posting here, because some days I DO want to eat pizza all day long, but if I go online and read a few posts I can get my head back in the game. It's important to me that YOU are here, because left to my own devices...those pants will continue to mock me!
Have a HIIT day!
Had a great cardio session this morn...some days I find myself really enjoying the workout, and then some days I just grit my teeth and get thru the @%#& thing. Looking forward to my ready-to-drink Myoplex in a few minutes- I'm developing quite a taste for them.
Hope your day shines!
Great post! My hubby and I are using the Lose It app (FREE) and it is wonderful to have the calories there along with the 40/40/20 split. I have noticed a huge difference in how we are eating. I am down 9 pounds and things are really starting to firm up! Had bodyfat done today--27%--goal is to get to the 22-25% range!!! Have a great weekend everyone!
Good job Bobby A, you must be on your free day tomorrow, way to go gritting you teeth and getting through it. We did our last day of the week for weight training, UBWO felt great, I changed up the order a bit and started with bicep curls instead, it seems like when leave them for last my arms are so worn out from other exercise where biceps are the secondary muscle being worked that I just don't have it in me to get to those 10! I did better, on biceps this time, getting all the repetitions in.
Has anyone heard or read regarding how crucial it is to follow the exercised as outlined in the book by Bill? ie. Chest, Shoulders, Back, Triceps? Looking forward to our cardio tomorrow then Super Bowl Sunday my free day. Wow, getting ready to start our 6th week on Monday, half way point coming soon.
I am so annoyed with myself!
No one on here will know this but I am an all or nothing kind of person and I think this is perhaps why I have not succeeded in the past at creating the body I want!
Today was meant to be upper body and I just couldn't face it. It was so cold and windy outside....what a rubbish excuse is that??? I did extra cardio instead on the stationary bike but I have now missed 2 weights workouts in the first 5 weeks.
I have also got people coming over tonight who will all be drinking (my free day was yesterday) and I cannot decide whether to succumb and join in or sit there without drinking. The past few weeks I would've said no, definately not but because of the weight loss so far it has boosted my confidence and I want to join in and have a good time!
Can someone reassure me that I haven't blown it completely? It is only 2 workouts and it would be worse to miss cardio I think as I have a fair amount of fat to lose!
Sorry for the rant, I know it is not about being perfect but I can't help feeling gutted when I am not!
Lou xxx
@LAHerrera- I don't know how "crucial" it is to do them in order, but I believe the reasoning is that working the bigger muscle groups first is important as the smaller muscle groups are working a bit already . These smaller muscle groups, esp. forearms and biceps are being used to pick up and control the dumb/barbells when you do the exercises. If you work them out first, they might be fatigued and not able to support the weights when you are doing bench presses or shoulder raises. And then the weights will come crashing down on you like Maxwell's Silver Hammer and your enjoyment of exercising will come to a screeching halt. But hey, go for it and report back to us!
@ Lou- OK, you are a weak and worthless person...but get over it. We all are. That's why we are doing something revolutionary and dramatic like BFL. It is a program cleverly disguised as an exercise program, but in reality, it is trying to bend and shape our minds into believing subversive thoughts like "We are worth it" and "Yes, I can change" and my personal favorite "I will never be able to lose those pounds and be happy with my body".
I, too, have been using the all-or-nothing mind-set for years, only I thought it gave me direction and a feeling of being totally involved in a project. The flaw in this is when we mess up and decide to chuck the whole thing because "it's all or nothing". I had a wonderful mentor give me some advice once...he said, " When you make a decision and it doesn't work out, just make ANOTHER decision and get on with your life." This may seem ordinary and common sense to many, but to me it was a radical NEW way to approach problems and difficulties. Case in point: once I was employed in a job and it was OK for awhile,but soon went south and I kept hanging in there (likeI thought I needed to) until one day I was talking to a co-worker and telling her that I thought I was going, literally, crazy. I couldn't sleep, I was drinking heavily and my mind was totally occupied with this impossible job! She looked at me and said," you know, Bob- you could quit". I had NEVER even considered that! I thought I was supposed to just stick with it until, I don't know, my head blew up?! I quit that same day and found a different job in a week and was incredibly happy in it! What a lesson!
Lou- you are involved in a life-changer...don't throw it all away just because you act human. Just make another decision and let's head into Week 6 with renewed strength and dedication. Hey- it's only 49 more days!
Let's go!
Hi Lou,
I am so glad you thought to post here about the situation. It can seem really tough at times and reaching out to others is smart. The encouragement, the understanding and the accountability it provides are a real help.
First of all, as much as you want to do this perfectly you are still human and you'll never escape that. So, you missed two weight training workouts out of fifteen .... but you still did thirteen of them. Yay!
I am similar to you in that I really like to do things perfectly and when I have a blip or two it's hard for me to feel the same enthusiasm. But, I know I'll feel much worse if I put it aside altogether. And I know I'll feel better if I continue to do a good job as faithfully as I can.( and I fully understand how you and I think that means we have to do it perfectly all the time or we're just kidding ourselves about doing it faithfully)
I'll tell you the things that have helped me the most.
1, Making the decision to do the workout way beforehand helps me a LOT.
2. If i find myself wavering about doing it and it's due to not "feeling" doing it for whatever reason, I tell myself to not even think about how I feel about it. I put that aside and make my decision based on the other parts of me, that parts that DO want to do it. The parts of me that know I'll be happier in the end and even in the VERY near future if I just do it, regardless of how I feel about doing it.
As for having friends over who will be drinking and wanting to join them. How do you think it is best for you to deal with that? Does it help to imagine how you're going to feel tomorrow morning and think about the consequences of joining in with drinking or just joining them but skipping the drinking part and having fun anyway? Of course, you probably know the answer so maybe the question should be different. How much of a difference will drinking or not drinking make when it comes to enjoying your friends company? If you really enjoy it you may decide to do it and aim to forego a free day in the near future or find some other way to "offset" it ... but you may decide that you can challenge yourself to go through the evening drinking other things and that you'll have just as much fun as everyone else. You could even turn it into a private game and not tell anyone what you're doing. SInce it's your house you can make sure you have things you can drink that you'll enjoy and that'll look like everyone else's drinks. Iced tea, diet ginger ale, diet tonic water or club soda ... crystal light lemonade ... whatever it takes. If there are special things you like maybe you can make sure you have some of them. The diet drinks that Polar makes are very tasty. They have a diet green tea/ginger ale drink that is very tasty.
No matter what you do though, just start next week with a clean slate and do everything that helps you to succeed. Give yourself a pat on the back for all the workouts you have done and use them to encourage yourself and remind yourself that you can do this.
I have a mini challenge this evening too, I am going out to dinner and to hear live music and will probably want to have a glass of wine ... should I ...or shouldn't I? I guess I should change my question ... do I really want to or would I feel better ultimately if I skip it. I could have it be my free day but I am going out to dinner with my parents then! AND ....truth be told, I have not done my cardio yet today. I opted to not run out the door first thing this morning and although I enjoyed hanging around in a leisurely fashion I have to deal with it now. Now I have to change into exercise clothes, go out in the cold, drive to the gym, not do the other things I'd like to be doing instead ... on and on ... you get it! Okay, I will pay attention to my own "advice" ... I'm going to put on the exercise clothes - and not think about how I feel about doing this. I'm going to the gym and I'm going to enjoy the fact that it's one more week of doing what I set out to do. I am like you and I'd feel worse in the end if I skip it. It's so easy to do that but we pay the price in the end.
Regrets are a lousy thing to carry with us. We're better off paying the price now, a relatively small price too, and getting the "payoff" both in the end and pretty much right away ... just by doing it.
Let us know how you do ... we're with you no matter what!
Thanks for the support Bobby and Patricia. I managed to put things into perspective and yes, I ended up having 3 vodkas on saturday night but that was it. Eating was all still clean.
Was back on the weights tonight and I feel so proud! This is the point I started struggling last time, around week 6.
This time I am definately more focused. one slight slip up is not the end of the world.
Cannot believe in 7 days I will be halfway through!
Hey Everybody! Closing in on the halfway point...wow. I am sensing a change in my body's make-up...hard to describe, but I feel like something positive is happening internally...maybe what I am
feeling is the fat burning mechanism getting fired up! At least that is what I am imagining is going on! I am totally ready for the inches to start dropping!
So good to hear about your experience, Lou! Sometimes it takes these types of trials to solidify our intent and reinforce our desire to change. You sound like you're ready to make the last 6+ weeks count! Bravo!
I would love to have a check-in with all those left on our Team! How's it goin??!!
Hey Team, I hit a point today while looking in the mirror and the scale that I don’t feel results coming, I know, I know we should not put so much focus on the scale but how I feel and look. I am also struggling with slow results, but I am a pretty positive guy overall. I am tough on myself though the most and am angry at myself for the self pity and so I am focusing today on the positive. I’ve read some of your encouraging words and so if you don’t mind I am going to make some notes here as to help me reinforce them .
As of today, I have
worked out 32/38 days since Jan 1,
changed my diet (and I don’t mean temporarily diet) to a healthy one, were I eat good protein, good carbohydrates, vegetables and balance portions.
avoided alcohol on a daily bases for the most part with only a couple glasses of wine in the middle of the week, this week eliminating it all together because I want faster results.
felt more confident and am looking better
felt better about how I feel and look in my clothes
influence to my wife who is on this change with me
most importantly, made myself a positive role model for my daughters
@LA- those are some powerful changes YOU have made in only 38 days! Now we are out of the honeymoon phase and into the reality phase...that this is something we are to carry on with for the next 6+ weeks to get maximum benefit. We have spent the last 5+ weeks getting our bodies set up to start burning fat and using the energy(food) we put into it to accomplish this task. It is said in the book, "food is the fuel, exercise is the spark- we need both to create the flame that burns fat."
Let's keep fanning the flame!
Man, I love Wednesdays. I have the day off and get to take my son to school, then i go to the gym, come home and have a leisurely breakfast, and get a few chores done,and now I am headed out to get my weekly massage. I recommend it for everyone! Actually, I have been a massage therapist for the last 21 years, so I really need to receive the bodywork (as my job is a physical one). But- doing this kind of intense working out creates a lot of metabolic by-products in our muscles...and massage is the best way I know of to get rid of them! And it sure feels good~!
Hitting your 10's??!!
Sounds like you had a great day BobbyA, I took you advise, well kind...I made an appointment to the chiropractors today, just a for an adjustment then I'll go get a massage this weekend.
I started doing two a days, first thing in morning I do my 20 minutes of cardio or weight training, but then I do another 20 minutes stationary bike cardio after work. I work in a cube all day, on the phone or the computer so I don't get much exercise unless its a walk to the break room or bathroom, I try to use the stairs when I come in and leave but its only one flight. Do you think I might be over doing it with the two a days and not letting my body rest, I do feel my legs muscle burning after the workout but it has really helped me mentally as well to just unwind a bit before I go home.
Hello BFL Family,
It feels like it's been forever since I posted--and there's a reason for that. I have mostly talked about this challenge in terms of how it's affected my life outside of simply fitness. Well, I am in a business (building a financial practice), which is a pretty rigorous endeavor-it's all about how many people you can see and eventually how effectively you build a clientele. Since I started this BFL challenge, I have had the physical and emotional capacity to really up my game professionally--it's been awesome!
I am earning recognition in my agency, I have virtually doubled my productivity, and am pulling long, but energizing hours (which is why I haven't posted). I attribute this success to this BFL challenge. So, at the risk of over-preaching this to you guys, make sure that you are making this challenge a means to an end, not the end itself. Channel this focus you're putting into fitness into something outside of fitness be it your work, family, charitable cause, or some big vision or dream you've always had.
As far fitness itself--well things are going great. I am 10 pounds down scale weight--of course there is surely some muscle gain in that. I am hitting the level 10s and still getting stronger most every week. My eating is managed very well.
LaHerrera - I think it's very easy to overtrain with weights-- but there is more flexibility with Cardio depending on your goals. If the goal is to get lean, then you should probably feel free to hit the cardio more. That said, I would anticipate that these 2-a-days are for this challenge and as long as the increased cardio is for a specified amount of time I'd say go for it. But make sure you don't burn out long term with trying to keep up two cardios. Get something for the long run that you can keep up forever.
LA- I agree with Tyler about the 2-a-days...that they should be a short-term thing and not too taxing on your body...however, remember that you are "tearing" muscle fiber when you lift heavy (these fibers need 24-48 hours to mend back together-that's how our muscles get bigger and stronger- working out again before they are healed just short-circuits the growing process) ,so I might suggest not doing extra on your lower body days. Give your legs a chance to knit back together. I understand the frustration of us not losing weight quick enough,but you gotta believe that it will happen if you keep doing what you are doing! Realistically--did it take you only 12 weeks to get into the shape that you are in now? I know I spent years developing my big round tummy!
Tyler- Good to hear from you again! Sounds like you are taking BFL throughout your entire life- Bravo!
OK Team- Let'sGo!