9ers

Natalie CA - hope you are on the mend...sounds like you are getting more active every day. Stay healthy for the finish of C1 and then in a little while it will be off to a good start for C2 with the rest of the gang.

BK sounds like you ARE making good progress and that you are coming in close to your goal. Who knows what the next two weeks will bring.

I don't think I will meet my weight goal at the end of C1 …it will be close...but it is just a number and I know I will be continuing so I know I will get there eventually. In fact for C2 I am setting a weight goal that I have not been at since between undergrad and grad school several decades ago. If I remember right I was at that weight while eating pizza and beer several times a week. Those nights are long gone...thank goodness.

Today for me was a day of weakness which in the end turned out alright with support from my spouse.

The story…Leaving work late 6:00 PM

and hour and a half commute up the freeway.

I call her from the car phone ..."on my way...let's loosen up and have maybe a turkey burger on the grill and enjoy the warm weather."

She says, "we don't have those but I have some Brats, that I have not brought them out before for I did not want to temp you...do you want me to *** them?"

Me "Yeah!"

I hang up and start singing to my favorite song on the radio with the car windows down (yeah, it ain't pretty)!

The car phone interrupts the song about three minutes later...my spouse.

"Hey I just wanted to tell you the Brats have 24 grams of fat...we’re not doing that any more. I'll cook them for our nephew later this month. We're having Cod tonight"

Me sheepishly, "Thanks for saving me honey. See you in about an hour."

Hanging up, I belt out another karaoke verse to My Body by Young the Giant (still not any prettier).

Just finished a 45 minute cardio elliptical so I guess I am starving for Oxygen...sorry for the silliness...

...just cannot believe that after tomorrow week ten will be behind me.

Take me home 9er family...I think I see the barn just off in the distance!

Have a great night group!

@ Run4 - very inspirational story.  Thanks for sharing.  

Since I am on a slightly different track with my BFL that I call maintenance mode, I am excited about the next three weeks.  I keep track on a rolling 84 day cycle and 84 days ago we were in the heart of the holiday season.  Let's just say I was off the wagon and in the ditch, that's why I found you guys to keep me in line and blogging about my progress and amen moments.  The good news is that, as Bill said, your body regenerates new cells every 84 days; you become a new person, every 84 days.  For me, bad days are rolling off of my 84 day calendar, so my target averages are moving in the right direction.

Stats include:

workouts per week: increased from 4.4 to 5.0

carbs/day down about 10% to 161/day

simplex carbs/day down 4%

protein per lb of LBM increased from .82 to .93 grams/lb of LBM

I expect these numbers to improve greatly in the next 3 weeks.

Rock on 9ers!

home stretch

Frick - I hope your hangin with us for C2...

You always get me thinking...

Like with your last post.

Your carbs are about 100 grams better than mine.

I am tracking mine with an online tool which allows me to easily/quickly select foods and their parameters that I consume.

I know there are times when it selects higher in categories than I know I am eating (E.g. the carbs in the system might be higher than I know I am eating as I do not have an exact match for the type of food item I have consumed), but that is OK for it is painting a worst case scenario for me.

But the carbs for me I know are still high compared to how you are managing them.

I think some of that comes from my reluctance to totally give up sugar.

Still an additive in my coffee and an occasional baked good ...etc. I am not into the artificial substitutes so I guess that means I need to figure out how to reduce my sweet tooth.

It does look like you are trend along well.

I think for me in C2 once all the easy fat goes off my body, if I want to continue to make progress I will have to really buckle down on the nutrition. I am sure that while I have made progress in C1 it would have been greater if I show more discipline with the nutrition. As someone said, it is 80% of the program. I am starting to think that might be true.

Anyway appreciate the post... as always it got me thinkin'

@Run4 - Yes, I will be around for C2 (C9 for me?!?). Carbs numbers take some experimenting to dial in what works. On my first challenge, B4L had me at Carbs = Protein, and it didn't quite work for me. I was about 230-260 range. Speaking to dieticians, doctors, adkins afficianados, and the internet, I started to float this number down. I found that my greatest fat loss occurred during challenges when my number was closer to 160 grday (target weight for me is ~183). Right now I am paying for the simplex carbs I took in, in December, so I know my average is about to take a nose dive. I should be really close to my target of 155 in 3 weeks (I started on jan 15). You are also trying to build muscle as I recall, so you need carbs=protein to achieve the rebuilding phase of your workouts. Keep doing what you are doing, but try to focus on complex carbs. I gave up pineapples with my cotage cheese in the morning - now do blueberries.

Also, one thing that really turned the corner for me was stevia. you are jacking your numbers through the roof with simple sugar in your coffee. I was doing that, but switched to STEVIA IN THE RAW (brand name). It is a totally organic sweetener. That brand is cut with maltose - not maltodextrin like Truvia, so nothing artificial. Maltose is a little more of a complex sugar (5 carbon molecules, if my brewing education serves me, vs. dextrose which is two). I cannot taste the difference.

My wife ordered me a stevia plant, so I hope to be totally off the grid from "big sugar" by summer ,LOL.

All just points to ponder, you'll find out what works for you, and everyone is different based on their goals - build bulk, lose fat, maintain target, etc.

I just did my cardio run on the beach. Spring break is here for sure. The beach was packed at 11:30. Almost tripped over my tongue a couple of times - rofl...stayed in the zone for 25 minutes and definitely hit my 10's.

Eat Clean/Lift Dirty, Y'all

Sorry, Truvia is cut with Erythritol...sounds even worse.  Stevia in the Raw is cut with dextrose or maltodextrose (a starch derivative) used as filler for it's cup-for-cup fluffier version.

Hi everyone

Just wanted to say I'm still here - and hanging in with the original crew for a strong finish.

run4life - I agree with your post 100% - after 8 weeks of virtually zero results, in the last 2 weeks I have lost 4 pounds with the answer all coming down to CARBS and switching better "Val4Cal" (value for calorie) protein options.

While I was eating clean, the portions were too big, and I needed to be eating much less salmon, and more "cheaper" calorie options such as chicken and seafood.

Results started to happen OVERNIGHT.

Not sure if people read Charles Polyquin - but its common for alot of people to struggle with carb intake, and as soon as I modified my carbs to be sourced more from vegetables and fruit things started to happen.

I was at a macaroon cooking school a few weeks back (ON MY FREE DAY OF COURSE!!) and the teacher emphasized everyone to take responsibility for a recipe that worked for them. I had an Oprah "ah-ha" moment... and while it felt like I was starting again at the beginning of Week 9, I decided to knuckle down and take responsibility for figuring out what version of BFL is going to work for me (FOR LIFE).

On a basic level:

- the BFL eating / calorie level is a tad too much for me

- I need more cardio (I am a marathon runner, and my body is accustomed to more sweat time)

- source greatest volume of protein from lower calorie options: cottage cheese, seafood, chicken

- source greatest volume of carbs from vegetables and fruit (in that order)

I have already bought my second BFL journal, ready for C2.

I'm so proud of everyone here.

I too read all the posts, and it has made all the difference when the going has got tough.

Well done!

Kathy

Thanks Frick...

I will definately check Stevia in the Raw out.

I knew the sugar (Turbinado) was doing me in but I thought a little sinning would not hurt.

Now I realize that might not be true and the effort to balance it out is not worth it...place as you pointed out I am probably suffering in the performance catagory as a resut of it.

I guess it is a maturing process.

Glad the HIIT run was good and fun for you!

Pool done yet?!?

Kathy - Glad the weight needle is moving again for you.

Glad you are getting prepared for C2.

Your recent weight success is inspiring me to take a closer look at what I fuel am putting into my body.

You and Frick have definitely got me thinking.

I have actually been stuck weight wise a little the past two weeks during/after my travels.

I think you and Frick are on to something for me so I will hit the nutrition books some over the next couple weeks.

For C2 I will definitely focus much more on the eating and I am hoping that will put me at my college weight by the end.

I need more study here so I am making  informed decisions when my taste buds are preparing to mutiny while teaming up with my tummy's preceived hunger pains.

Appreciate you guys helping me focus.

I have completely fallen off the wagon thisw week! Time change on MOnday I could not get out of bed, cardio on Tuesday and then got a horrible kink in my neck so no ubwo on Wednesday. Now the legs are killing me from the knees down...ugh! I trully am ready to throw my scale out the window, have been stuck at 10 lbs loss for the past 6 weeks or so and it is driving me nuts! Really looking at my diet, cutting out a meal a day will hopefully help.

My typical day consist of:

7:30 Myoplex Deluxe

10:00 Cottage chesse, corn, brocolli and carrots

12:30 myoplex lite bar and handful of almonds

3:00 cottage cheese, corn, broc. and carrots

6:00 what ever we have for dinner ( which is usually pretty healthy)

9:00 another bar

Think I am going to cut out one of my meals and see what happens.

Definitely interested in C2!

hang in there all and I am glad to hear that the scale is starting to move for some.

Guys - I'm not sitting here thinking I've got all the answers, but I honestly think if the scales are stuck, look again at the food. My scales were stuck for virtually 6-7 weeks, and I decided to drastically shift my eating. If 80% of what we look like is down to the food we put in our mouths, food has to be the answer.

I must admit I have been hungrier than I was following the strict 6 meal BFL plan, but I am in this for the weight loss - so it was a no brainer to make that sacrifice.

bartmarshall - the only thing I would chip in, is you may wish to consider trying a week without the bars. I now only take my shakes after a weights session, and I really do consider the bars a once/twice a week treat max.

Hang in there everyone.

Kathy

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh...a 45 minute cardio elliptical...refreshing!

week 10 is now just a fact in the history books!

(-:

Hi 9'ers! I'm still here! Been a while since posting. Road trip to AZ was a bit difficult, staying with family who wants to FEED you! Surprising how RICH all the foods were! Stuff I used to eat without a second thought.... ugh. But did pretty good at tiny portions. Missed a workout while driving all day, but not going to beat myself up over it. (Not like the TWO pieces of cake at the Church party tonight........why do we do this?) Anyway - the big picture is still good!

Kathy, Hooray for your change!!!! It's been a long time coming for some of us! (thanks for the thoughts about carbs)  I'm with you and Bart, my scale has not moved for six weeks! Finally this week saw two more pounds down! That is still only eight altogether. But I'm OK 'cause I know things are changing. It's kinda weird sometimes, I literally eat, drink, sleep this new lifestyle. I think constantly about it! I read a bunch of blogs about it, I workout every day, I feel my body changing and so half the time I'm surprised when I look down and still have this belly! I feel like this first challenge is all about the mental part and laying a solid foundation of muscle to actually build a better body on in challenge 2. I will so be ready for that!

I actually had a milestone this week - one I almost hate to admit to this group of runners, but it was a marker for me none the less - I went running! Yup for the first time in... a... dunno?.. maybe thirty years....  

I've never been athletic, HATED running in gym class, scared of dogs, etc. etc.  I am a forty-eight year old woman and all of a sudden ( maybe it's just the spring weather...) but I felt the NEED to run!? So even if the scales are slow to react, there is a new me in here somewhere!

Thanks for posting everyone! You are all a part of what keeps this change part of my everyday!

PS TMasto - How is the new job fitting into the regime?!

Good morning niners! Well, I admire all who are working AND doing body for life even more than before. I started working a bit this week to ease back into the routine. I made it through 2 days of restaurant visits as a carryout customer without eating a slice of pizza, a breadstick or a wing....have two freezers full of pizza though! Probably drove 150 miles a day with a car full of pizza. The smell was fantastic!

While diet did not suffer this week, when I ate and worked out did. I skipped lunch and afternoon snack both days I worked. I meant to bring some EAS bars both days, but forgot. The evening workouts I did were not my best either. Just lower energy level and a racing mind thinking about everything else that needs to be done before bed. The days flew bye.

Like I said, kudos to those who are tending to family, working and doing this program....you are my heros!

Since 1/9:

Weight: 205.2 (down 28.8 pounds or 12.3%; down 3.0 pounds this week)

Body fat: 23.1% (down 6.4 points or 21.7%; down 0.7 points this week)

Muscle: 36.8% (up 3.1 points or 9.2%; up 0.2 points this week)

Calories per day: 1,400 (up 33 calories versus last week)

Meals/Snacks per day: 3.5 (down .5 versus last week)

Thoughts / Learnings:

- 10th straight week of weight loss: last time at current weight:  December 2008 - 39 months ago

- Blended ubwo and lbwo to create one 45 minute routine to do 3x per week.

- Diet doesn't seem like diet any longer....just how I eat.

9ers...

..It begins!

A fortnight of lifting and cardio to reach the end...WOW.

TMastro excellent job on the job and what will power.

Pizza...now that is one of my extreme weaknesses.

In fact I was doing lots of running several years ago and on many of the local runs at the end they would have pizza...cookies...bananas...apples.

Well you can guess which ones I went for.

30 minutes...an hour’s running depending on the distance...all those calories burned off...

...only to be put on in five minutes or less with a couple slices of pizza and some cookies.

Anyway glad the job is going well and your numbers continue to amaze me...a clear demonstration of dedication and sacrifice...You are my Mentor!

Pizza and cookies are my main weaknesses. Glad there is a Free Day but I still have to be careful. I love cookie dough and I can consume way to much. I have had moments when I 'wanted' to just peel back the wrapper of Toll House cookie dough and just eat it like a big banana, I haven't ever done that though.