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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 07:38
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Exclamation LC and BFL - Tips and Hints

If you’re interested in trying the BFL program but you do not want to give up your LC lifestyle there is an alternative. The two can be combined. Yes, you do have to make some modifications to your WOE, but nothing as serious as you may think.

You will probably need to increase your carb if you’re eating less than 20g a day, intense exercise such as this cannot be done on <20g a day, unless you’ve been exercising and LCing for a long period of time. Adjusting how and when you eat, however, is probably going to be your biggest change. Five or six meals a day is, IMHO, the key to making this plan work for you. 70-80% of any exercise plan is the nutrition. With an intense training program you need to fuel your body for the work you are asking of it.

Planning
Half the battle with this program is the planning; get a handle on that and everything else will fall into place. You have to plan your workouts, you have to plan your meals, and you have to plan to get enough sleep. If you’ve never been a big planner this is going to change you! I suggest doing a few ‘trial’ runs before starting – especially if you’re new to this type of schedule. Knowing your way around your weights and being comfortable going from one exercise to another will make things more enjoyable and you’ll be able to work at a faster pace.

I recommend downloading the excel spreadsheet off the BFL website (http://www.bodyforlife.com/downloads.shtml) and using it to plan your workouts (these are the same sheets you can find at the back of your book). I plan my workout the night before and print it off for the next day. I also make sure I’ve got a full one liter water bottle in the fridge and some workout clothes laid out (then again I get up at 5:20 a.m.)

Nutrition
If you’re already using fitday to figure out your daily calorie totals and breakdowns I recommend you continue; planning 6 meals a day takes some work. It helps if you keep in mind that you are aiming for a window of 3 hours between meals, not the usual 6 hours. Smaller portions with protein at every meal. You’re trying to provide your body with a constant supply of protein so that it can go about the business of building lean muscle. You may find in the first week or two that you’re having a hard time eating all the food – this will pass. Get in your 5 - 6 meals and if necessary adjust the portion sizes (it is OK to have that last meal before bed if you must to get it in); very soon into the program you’ll notice that eating all those meals isn't a problem and you may have to increase your portions / calories.

Don't fall victim to the low fat mindset that eating less will give you better results at a faster pace. Watch your calories! If you notice that progress has slowed down or that you're feeling tired look at how much you've been eating. And remember, what worked for you 3 months ago might now work now - your body's needs will change.

Foods like plain yoghurt with active cultures, steel cut oats, berries and apples, nuts and seeds and more veggies are things you should consider adding to your diet (which should already contain 20 to 30g of carbs from green vegetables); they are LC and provide the carbs you’ll need for the upcoming 12 weeks. A palatable protein shake is something you might want to look into – look for one that combines a few carbs along with the protein. Remember, though, that these are ‘supplements’, they are to supplement your diet, not to replace real food.

Protein requirements / needs will also vary - I would keep it at a minimum 1g per lb of LBM though. You do need to increase carbs – this kind of intensity cannot be done at a level of <20g of carbs a day. If you feel sluggish and tired and you’re doing everything else correctly then look to increasing your carbs.

F.A.T. when you LC your body’s primary fuel source switches from carbs to fat. Fat is what powers your metabolism and it’s important not to skimp on this. Reading the book may give you reason to pause – remember the book is low fat, moderate carb, high protein. By-the-book your primary fuel is carbohydrates. Protein, on the other hand, is not a preferred fuel for either method. Protein is reserved for building and repairing tissue. A diet low in both carbs and fat is akin to metabolic starvation, and is not going to give you the results you are looking for.

The only time you should monitor fat intake with an effort to reducing it is in the post resistance workout meal. Here you will want protein and carbs. Avoiding both fat and fiber at this time will ensure fast emptying of the protein your muscles need to help them rebuild and repair damaged tissue. This applies to EFAs, as well.

Body Fat %
There are a few different formulas you can use to figure this out for yourself (and I strongly suggest you take the time to do it – having the numbers for comparison 6 weeks down the road will be very motivating) Here are a few online calculators that you can use:
The Zone’s BF online site
Downloadable desktop calculator
Cool tools BF measurement website
CKD parameter calculator – this site is useful for figuring out protein / fat ratios as well

But do take measurements for your own sake, you’ll regret if you don’t. For a first challenge it isn’t unheard of to lose 8-10% body fat and gain a few lbs of lean muscle.

The workouts
Needless to day we’ve all heard about the benefits of a.m. cardio on an empty stomach. If you can manage your workouts first thing in the morning then more power to you. If you plan to workout later in the day try to not eat 2 hours before your cardio and wait at least an hour afterward for your next meal. With weight lifting you should always eat within 45 minutes of working out; you run the risk of your muscles wasting if you wait too long . This is a good time for a protein shake and some glutamine. Before any workout be sure to drink at least two cups of water; keep water with you during your workout and be sure to drink after. Hydration is very important.

Pyramid workout example

The question of more cardio
I experienced this. I had been doing 45 minutes of medium intensity aerobic activity twice a day for years prior to BFL – giving that up for 20 minutes (regardless of how high intensity it was) just seemed wrong! I quickly had that notion beaten out of me To paraphrase: "Extra cardio, in addition to the BFL style cardio of the plan, will result in muscle loss – guaranteed, unless you're eating a lot of food and a lot more protein... this will inhibit fat loss. The 20 minutes is built into BFL because cardio is not key to fat loss. Excessive cardio usually does more harm than good from a fat loss point of view"
The trap that many people fall into goes like this:

- they start with a basic program, such as BFL, that includes a moderate amount of cardio.

- they get some results

- they assume, usually based on bad info, that more cardio will yield more results.

- they add more cardio... and initially (say for a week) they will get some small results.

- after a week, or so, they notice that they're suddenly a bit "softer" and (usually) that their weight training is starting to slip.

- they add more cardio since the common misconception is that cardio "burns" fat and end up losing a bit more muscle which makes the weight training even more difficult which leads to more muscle loss (maintaining strength plays a big part in holding onto muscle).

- less muscle = less fat loss


More is not better when it comes to BFL cardio – in fact there are those out there who maintain that the only reason cardio exists in the program is to make people, who come from a background such as I, think that they are working hard. For fat loss, cardio is no where near the performer that weight training is. Stick to the 20 minute aerobic solution (MAS) – hit your 10s and watch the results. I gave up my extra hours of cardio and I’m not sorry – I have all this extra time now!

Alternating your exercises
Every four weeks you should change your routines; your muscle grow accustomed to workouts and learn what is expected of them, you are trying to fool them by switching things around. By the time you’re at week 4 you’ll feel comfortable enough to do this, don’t worry. Remember, Change Is Good

DOMS
DOMS stands for delayed onset muscle soreness. This is what you feel 24 to 28 hours post weight workout. This is end result of micro tears and inflammation as your body repairs and rebuilds. It can be mild and it can be intense – I have found that it’s less intense the lower my carbs and more intense the higher my carbs. I often feel nothing when lifting while following a LC WOE, yet I know that I am making progress (there are these new muscles I have as proof ) There is a connection between LC and lack of pain and it is muscle glycogen – or lack of. Muscle glycogen is stored carbohydrates; LCers are typically low on glycogen – it goes during that first week of LCing. Less glycogen equals less of a muscle “pump”. It is believed that this also equals less pain, as your muscle is smaller than when you eat high carb.

Glutamine
Get some! The one thing that changed my workouts at the beginning was discovering this stuff. After my second UBWO and my first LBWO I was in quite a bit of pain – walking down the stairs was torture, sitting on a bar stool was something I’d only think about Someone recommended Glutamine – this turns out to be a wonder amino acid. Not only does it help with recovery, it prevents wasting of your muscles, it bolsters your immune system, it regulates glucose, and it plays an important part in your body's production of human growth hormone. We take this every day now at home – and double up when we feel a cold coming on. For more information on when to take it, how much to take and what the different types of glutamine are check out the following: Glutamine Info. Be sure you get a powdered form of glutamine as your daily doses will be anywhere from 5g to 15g based on body weight. The pills come in 500mg doses – that’s a lot of pills to be swallowing on a daily basis.

Supplements
Nothing burns fat like your body, but who wouldn't want a little bit of help? Here are a few supplements that you might want to look at more closely:

Glutamine (see above)
Creatine - Why to use creatine more info
Green Tea (extract or tea)
ECA
Caffeine - how it helps prevent muscle wasting

Sleep
It is important that you get at sufficient sleep a night. Do not overlook the importance of this aspect. Sleep is when your muscles rebuild; they need that time. You are going to be tired at first !

Results
Visible results may take 4 weeks, or they may take 10 weeks, but you’ll see them - and you will feel them. Concentrate on measurements and not scale weight – and never, ever weigh after a free day (if you decide to use this option) Women can typically spend the first 8 – 10 weeks growing muscle; the fat loss happens after this. It is not uncommon to lose 5 lbs. (scale lbs.) in week 10. I found that I lost scale weight consistently and then at week eight I started gaining (about 6 lbs.) but measurements decreased and clothing that fit a few weeks before was hanging on me in week 9. My metabolism has increased – my Basal Body Temperature is up, I wake up hot at night under too many covers and I get hungry now between meals (so I eat more). Once again I strongly suggest taking measurements before you being (and pictures) – there will be a difference once the 12 weeks have passed!

Some resources of note
http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html This site has a very long list of the exercises along with short video clips of how to perform them. You can search by muscle group or exercise, and many variations are explained (e.g. various exercises to work your biceps using barbells, dumbbells or cables).

http://www.fitsite.com/anatomy.cfm – Fitsite, another anatomy / exercise directory with videos showing correct form.

www.LEANandStrong.com is probably the BFL message board – they are purists however and have some pretty strong views about LCing – but if you’re looking for information on supplements and / or exercise with a BFL bent it’s a good resource. The transformation gallery is a great place to spend a few hours as well.

www.hussman.org/fitness/bfl.htm Dr. Hussman’s site will give you a lot of the same information you’ll find in your book, but in much greater detail (the part about “Your Raging Metabolism” is worth the read.) He’s very low fat, but worth a look, especially if you’re into the science behind it. Just a word of warning - if you are doing BFL w/ LC nutrition keep in mind that there is a "metabolic advantage" associated with LC and a calorie is not a calorie in the way Hussman talks about them.

Best of luck everyone!
Nat

Last edited by Natrushka : Mon, Sep-08-03 at 12:44.
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 10:36
alto alto is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,171
 
Plan: Protein Power
Stats: 296/278/179 Female  5'8
BF:
Progress: 15%
Location:
Default

You really are Wonder Woman, Nat. Thank you for this -- even though I'm not a BFL person. It's wonderful to have so much information all in one place. Thank you so much for doing this! I've noticed so many BFL questions while reading journals. I'm sure this will be a lot of help to people.
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 11:32
wangeci's Avatar
wangeci wangeci is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,423
 
Plan: Atkins induction AGAIN...
Stats: 242/197/199 Female 5'8.5"
BF:ALOT
Progress: 105%
Location: Minnesota
Default

Nat,
You are a wealth of information. If it wasn't such a rigorous routine, I would certainly like to try, but I am not allowed to lift much for weights or increase the heartbeat very much. But, you have listed everything that everybody wonders about and has questions. What a researcher you are.
Cindy
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 12:13
pegm pegm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 615
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 230/197/135
BF:
Progress: 35%
Location: Wisconsin
Default

Great information and links, Nat! Thanks so much for taking the time to pass along all you've learned.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 14:54
crumbunny crumbunny is offline
New Member
Posts: 13
 
Plan: gen. low-carb/whole foods
Stats: 225/203/160
BF:
Progress: 34%
Location: Midwest
Default

Nat, thanks for posting this. I'm still researching what program I want to follow. All I know is that my former WOE was killing me and I respond very negatively to sugar consumption.

Some questions that I couldn't find in the limited time I had to peruse your links: is the BFL program something you have to purchase to find out how to eat/exercise? Do you have to belong to a gym or can you lift barbells in your home? How much time is actually spent exercising? Do you try to make your protein choices the less fatty versions since you're combining approaches?

Like I mentioned in my journal, all this info makes my head spin!
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  #6   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 16:27
Ruth's Avatar
Ruth Ruth is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,625
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 287.4/255/155 Female 5' 6"
BF:
Progress: 24%
Location: Vancouver
Default

Quote:
Originally posted by crumbunny
Some questions that I couldn't find in the limited time I had to peruse your links: is the BFL program something you have to purchase to find out how to eat/exercise? Do you have to belong to a gym or can you lift barbells in your home? How much time is actually spent exercising? Do you try to make your protein choices the less fatty versions since you're combining approaches?

Like I mentioned in my journal, all this info makes my head spin!


Hi,

I'm obviously not Nat but can probably point you in the right direction: The only thing to purchase is the book, Body for Life (borrow it from your local library if you're not sure you want to do this). There are no other fees or charges, however there will be the costs of supplements and of course gym fees or equipment if you choose to w/o at home. You can do the workouts in your home with barbells. About 4 -5 hrs a week is spent exercising (over 6 days). Dietary fat: I have noticed in her journal that Nat usually consumes around 100 gr fat each day.

Nat, have you got more wisdom for us?
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  #7   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 17:11
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default

Ruth just about covered it all, crumbunny.

The book is all you really need to get started. I bet they have cheap copies here www.half.com (they seem to have every other LC book)

Exercise is 6 days a week alternating high intensity interval training (for 20 minutes) and weight lifting (approx 45 minutes). Lowering fat is something you have test out for yourself - I found it horrid - and went right back to my 100g as Ruth pointed out.

You can get more information on the program here: www.bodyforlife.com

Nat
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  #8   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 19:09
Judi B.'s Avatar
Judi B. Judi B. is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 249
 
Plan: Southbeach (Phase 2)
Stats: 162/160/130 Female 5'3"
BF:32/%/?/20%
Progress: 6%
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Thumbs up Thanks Nat!!!

This is exactly what I'm trying to do! Thanks for putting it into relative terms. I like the idea of PP and am incorporating it into the exercise program of BFL!
Judi
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 20:01
kevin m kevin m is offline
New Member
Posts: 17
 
Plan: Protien Power
Stats: 327/298/227
BF:
Progress: 29%
Location: Stockton, Ca.
Default Nat wow

Nat:

Man I wish I took the time to really understand this program like you did. But since you did it saved me time, THANKS !!!

I bought the book today and will read it over the next few.

I have some specific questions re: using fitday.com, what is the best forum to ask you them?

Thanks

Kevin m
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  #10   ^
Old Thu, Jan-10-02, 21:18
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default

If you pop into my Journal, Kevin, I'll be sure to see any question you have - you can also post in the Daily section; there are many members who'll be able to help out.

Nat
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  #11   ^
Old Fri, Jan-11-02, 00:25
Homegirl's Avatar
Homegirl Homegirl is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,322
 
Plan: Modified Atkins
Stats: 147/128/118 Female 5'3''
BF:?/18/17
Progress: 66%
Location: Victoria, BC, Canada
Default Thank You!

So much for sharing all that information. Wonderful. But where do you find the time??????

Also hoping to get my own copy of the book from Superstore at 1/2 price when they replenish their stock.

Thanks again for all the info. and tips.

Bobbie
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  #12   ^
Old Fri, Jan-11-02, 10:00
donnaj's Avatar
donnaj donnaj is offline
Pending Member
Posts: 784
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 215/145/120
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: Huntington,West Virginia
Thumbs up Thanks Nat

I will look into the book. I have to think about since of my health. I will ask my doctor this Monday. Thanks again for all the information.
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, Jan-11-02, 16:26
bsayne's Avatar
bsayne bsayne is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 923
 
Plan: Atkins/PP
Stats: 282/248/147 Female 5'3"
BF:
Progress: 25%
Location: moving.....to....Oregon
Default Thank you Nat for all the info you need in one place!

You are so giving of your time Nat! Thank you for sharing your research and experiences they are truely appreciated and should be at least partly credited with the many successes to follow!

Beth
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  #14   ^
Old Fri, Jan-11-02, 17:35
Marlaine's Avatar
Marlaine Marlaine is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,833
 
Plan: Atkins/Stnry Bike/Physio
Stats: 225/210/155 Female 5'5"
BF:
Progress: 21%
Location: Powell River, B.C.
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Nat is a rare treasure and it's wonderful that so many appreciate her.

M
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  #15   ^
Old Sat, Jan-12-02, 13:26
Bloom Bloom is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,181
 
Plan: Dukan
Stats: 229/185/154 Female 168cm
BF:
Progress: 59%
Location: New Zealand
Default

Congratulations on your continued sucess Nat! BFL folk are so inspriation and the results make my eyes water.
A great place to have a look at lots of totally awesome results in photos and interviews you can listen to is http://www.bodychangers.com/

!!
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