I am not sure if I am in the right forum or not, if not kindly point the way.

I am considering giving the BFL plan a go and would like some feed back from anyone who has tried it.

TIA

I have tried Body For Life. I am planning on doing again this spring. This is the right forum, so ask away any questions you have. There were some stickies that were full of Body For Life information around here, they might help too.


Beth

I've been doing BFL since January... and learned from someone who has been doing it for over two years now.

I'd be happy to share my experieinces - ask away!

Kiks

hi Jalera
i just read your profile, we have a lot in common!
i am 40, married, mom.... nature lover......
anyway i am also about to begin my first time at BFL!
i have already gotten some great advice and encouragement from a couple of new friends here.
i plan to keep posting here on the thread called
"[BFL] Slow Forum, Let's Speed it up" ~ the more we post the more others might join us, right?
i hope to see you around there too!
good luck

I'm going to butt in and ask a question. I just stumbled across this thread. I was thinking about checking into BFL. I was going to start by buying the book and checking it out. I've already looked at the website, but I still am not sure it's for me. Anything you can tell me about benefits/setbacks that you've experienced would be appreciated! Thanks!

NewGal..

I would definately read the book as a start. A lot of the book is an emotional boost and "rah rah" stories - but very inspiring to read.

Benefits....
- I feel better than I have in years... actually ever!
- I eat healtheir (and save money because I'm not eating out all the time)
- I'm 50 pounds lighther.
- I eat six meals a day and am never hungry
- the BFL "free day" allows me to indulge in any cravings that i may have

Setbacks...
- You do have to be dedicated to working out. It means that you have to be prepared to workout six days of seven
- You have to have think ahead about meal preparation... I usually take one night a week to cook for the week.

It's a great program but does take effort and consitency to stick with it. Good luck!
Kiks

NewGal~
there are a few threads on BFL here. lot's of gym logs and journals too.
this is a link to a great place to start.
good luck and hope to see you around here

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=135831

I agree with nets33. It's a great program. Even though I'm not consistent (though trying to be again), I still do BFL-style weight and cardio workouts. When I did my first 12-week challenge -- and got through it, by the way -- I was feeling great.

The only drawbacks I found were in the free day (I couldn't handle it), and the emphasis in the book and on the forum (not this one, another) on oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and whole grains. They set off major cravings for me.

I also had a hard time with fatigue. This is when the people on the other forum told me I had to eat higher carbs, specifically the oatmeal and whole grains. When I did, I got terrible cravings back and ended up gaining 20 pounds. I got out of control.

What I should have done is to simply take some Potassium. I've done this since, and it works every time. If I drop the carbs down to Induction levels (20-30), I get leg cramps and fatigue. That's when I take 2 tablets in the morning and another 2 at night. I do this for a week or two, and I'm good to go.

All in all, it's a GREAT program. I recommend it highly. If you've never done serious weight training and experience how empowering it is to work your muscles, you're missing a grand thing!

Wow! Thank you all so much for all the info! I am really interested in it! I am already pretty devoted to exercize and work out 6 days a week (I drive my husband nuts because if he wants to do anything, it has to be "after my workout!). I'm pretty much just looking for a new edge. I struggled many years ago with anorexia and still occasionally struggle with my attitude with food, so I think I'm my own worst enemy for losing this last bit of weight. I have days that I feel like I eat too much, but then there are days that I know I didn't eat enough. I was counting my calories for about a week and even on days that I thought I ate alot, I only had about 1/3 of the recommended amount! That definitely told me that I need something to help me out with meal planning! I try to eat "right", but it is really hard with my husband (EVERYTHING smothered in butter or anything fattening! He's naturally thin.), and a two year old running around that needs all of the calories, etc. Anyway, I'll look more into this! Hopefully it will put me on the right track...otherwise, I'm seriously thinking about seeing a nutritionist! Thanks again!

Okay. Here's where I am at. I am 42. This morning I weigh 165lbs and have (according to my scale) 40% body fat. I have high cholesterol.

My mom died of heart disease. Now granted she was 82 but other than the coronary artery disease she was in great health.

I am sick all the time either with IBS symptoms or a respiratory tract infection. I seem to need alot of sleep i.e. I can't wait for my kids to go to bed at night and have a heck of a time getting up in the morning. Part of the problem is that I work in a walk-in medical clinic and am exposed to viruses all the time, the other part of the problem is that I have alot of environmental allergies. That I can't control. My weight and my eating I can.

But where do I start? I work 40+ hours a week and have two kids under 12. I don't have time to go to the gym. I could drag myself out of bed earlier in the morning and work out at home before work. I own a treadmill and some hand weights (all under 10 lbs). If I get an adjustable weight bench what other weights should I invest in?

I have read the book and understand the concepts but am unsure how to start i.e. how much weight to lift.

I am hoping the program will give me more energy and improve my immune system

I have to do something - I am fat, sick and getting old!

I will likely follow the diet as outlined. I am on this forum because I did the Carbohydrate Addicts Diet previously and found everyone here very supportive. I just couldn't make low carbing work long term for me.

You've made the first choice... which is to change your habits and wanting to start a program for yourself. Congrats!

You'll need to carve out that time every day to get in your exercise.... on cardio days you'll need to find 30 minutes, weight days an hour.

Cardio
...you have a treadmill which is great. I started my cardio by walking quickly for the entire 20 minutes (I've never been a big runner). Now I run for one minute, walk briskly for one, etc. At the point I reach 18 and 19 minutes into my cardio I have to push myself to run. You want to make your cardio progessivly tougher... hitting that "10".

Weights
The BFL book has some great exercises for each body area. You will need to invest in some basic weights if you want to do this workout at home. You will find that your first few workouts will be when you have to figure out what your weights should be at. When you go through the series of reps 12 - 10- 8 - 6 - 12 - 12 you should feel your muslces burning. Your last two sets of 12 should really be hard. You'll know you hit your "10" when your muscles are burning and you feel like you can't do even one more rep.
As you progress with the weight lifting program you'll find that you will up your weights as you become strong. I've been upping my weights about every 3 to 6 months.
I would suggest finding a fitness store than can help you determine what type of equiptment you'll need to get started on this program. You will need weigts over 10 pounds to get you started. As you progress you can always buy more weights.

I've found that I have more energy now than I had before. I haven't been sick in over a year...

I hope this works for you. Stop by my journal if you ever want to chat! Good luck.
Kiks

Okay, I think I am getting ready to start (tommorrow?). I have planned my first upper body workout and first cardio work out. I am going grocery shopping this afternoon. I bought a George Foreman Grill yesterday and my husband is talking to a guy he knows who has a Universal machine for sale.

Now for goal setting. I am really less focused on my weight and more focuses on getting healthy at this time. I think my measurable goals could include haveing a health waist to hip ratio (I am an apple), having a healthy BMI and a healthy BF%.

But what is a healthy Bf% for a 41 year old female. Just healthy not "fitness" or "competition" levels?

What other measurable non-weight goals should I set?

Congrats on taking that big step! (It's hard... I know )....

A Universal Machine would be a great machine to have and should provide you everything you need.

Goal setting.... I try to set big goals and smaller weekly goals. I didn't set a specific weight loss for myself for each challenge but have had, and still do, that specific goal weight in mind.

If you're not as concerned about the weight loss I would recommend weighing in every four weeks (instead of weekly). Measure your progress by the fit of your clothes. It felt great for me when I could fit into some of my smaller size pants I hadn't worn in a while. You could also measure yourself to keep progress on you BFL journey.

I measure the following:
- upper bust (below armpit)
- bust
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- arm

What I've found is that there were four week periods when I didn't lose any weight but I did lose inches. I was obvouslly taking off fat but putting on some muscle.

As for the bf measurement... I've never done it myself so I can't really answer that . There are BMI charts out there that will help you with that.

My weekly goals might include things like promising to do all my workouts, eating clean, avoiding temptation at the office. It feels great to write them down and then follow through on them.

Good luck!
Kiks

So you would suggest doing measurements weekly? I have "Wieght Commander", which I used when weighing daily for the CAD diet. It includes a place to track all body measurements including BF% that I find very handy.

A couple of questions about meals:

Do I have to fit in six or do they just have to be 3 hours apart? For example today I am off work so I didn't get up til 7:45. I did my upper body work out then waited for one hour to eat breakfast (am I correct in understanding that I have to wait an hour?) so that put me at 9:45 for breakfast. I think I will find it difficult to eat 5 more meals today!

Regarding portions. I understand a portion of meat is the size of my palm, liquids are one cup, fruits are the size of my fist (which is also about one cup), bread is one slice, veggies would be one cup too since that's my fist size. But what about cottage cheese - is it one cup also? And high fibre cereal like All Bran - I could never eat a cup of that!

Maybe you are all low carbing so not eating the bread, etc., but can you help me with my understanding of portions?

Whew! I'll try to answer these one at a time

I only weigh in and measure every four weeks. For me I find it more motivational to see a bigger loss on the scale (i.e. 3 to 4 pounds) and seeing more inches dropping off. But that's me .... I would make sure you weigh in and measure on the same day at the same time.


My meals range from being two to three hours apart.. On a typical work day I eat at 8am, 10:30, 12:30ish, 3:30, 6 and 8:30ish....

There are some days that I eat only five meals... if that's all you can get in then don't sweat it. Then again there are days when I'm up later and have eaten seven meals!
Your portions for meat and veggies sound fine. For anything else take a look at the portions sizes on the containers. Cottage cheese portion for me is typically from a cup to a cup and half. CC is great for BFL and is one of the best meals, good thing I like to eat it.
I'd be cautious on the cereal. You might find that a portion size for All Bran is 1/2 cup and is 30 carbs - read the portion size on the box. You may only need a 1/2 cup to get in your carbs, just make sure you have protien powder with it or some other protein.

I'm doing BFL "by the book" so I can understand the frustrations in looking at portion sizes. I've learned to really read the labels on foods. Some bread (i.e. Low-carb bread) servings are two slices for the caloires and carb count, others are one. I try to keep carb count for each meal to 20 to 35 carbs if I have a way of measuring.

Sounds like you're well on your way. I'm happy to answer your questions.
kiks