PLEASE tell me there's a way, guys... please? I really do like my schedule right now, and I don't want to change it completely just yet (only on wk #3 on BFL workout). Besides, it's working well for me.

Tomorrow is lower body/leg day (I LOVE leg day!). Is there SOME way I could work a depletion into that day somehow, or would it totally mess up my LB workout?

What if....

What if I go for leg day, then switch immediately over to upper body stuff??

I looked over the Lyle McDonalds site and read the articles, but it still didn't outline this workout (depletion) in terms I could understand.

Okay----I'm also curious, because Nat is my hero---about the GVT workout, but I don't know if it will eat up a lot of my time (I don't have much to spare at all). BFL is great because it's hard, I'm feeling/seeing results already, and it doesn't take all of my time.

There's a book on the GVT workout? (IS it GVT, or am I remembering it all wrong?).

Thanks all. This is certainly a learning experience.

IMHO -
If you like what you are doing and it is working, just keep doing it! Combining piecemeal components of various programs can yield unpredictable outcomes. Stick with what's feeling good.

Well, the problem is.... BFL eating is LF, and I don't do LF. I don't lose fat on LF..lol. The workout is okay, but the diet plan sucks big time.

I've talked to so many people who tweak what they know, combine it with other things, and get fantastic results. There's a LOT of people on Atkins doing BFL. BUT.. I do so much beyond BFL with dance that I needed either to up the carbs big time, which wasn't working when I tried for a couple of months or so, or to carb up over the weekend 1-2 days, which makes good sense to me.

I know Atkids who are doing the 3day LC/3day carb up, using all kinds of carbs----although any sugar or junk food isn't allowed really. A friend of mine has been losing a ton of weight doing that, but I don't want to do it that way because I can feel the bloat after about 1.5-2 days loading, and I don't want to pack the fat on...which I think would happen in my case (I know my body pretty well).

Ok, gotcha, I thought I had read one of your posts that said you were losing fat and could feel it.
I remember about the dancing and BFL. If you are needing some more carbs why don't you up them really gradually. Some people around here consume 40-50 carbs per day when they are training hard. I need to do this on days that I do a big lifting workout.
And Iron Bull has about 20g of carbs before a big workout. It will burn off during the workout, give you some stamina, and not turn to fat.

I am! But I've felt this since following the CKD parameters sheet...I've not gotten to the carb loading section, though. So far it's been, literally, the exact same eating as on Atkins induction level. But anyone who's done Atkins knows that you NEVER stay on induction more than those first two weeks because it will stall you big time. Reports are that the prolonged low carbs without rest makes the thyroid sluggish...very sluggish. I tend to agree. I stayed on WAY too long and my weight loss slowed to a crawl and then stopped for a LONG time...months. then I was lucky to lose 1lb in two months time.

I might just do my leg day and just push it a bit harder if I can, then start my carb up after that. Not sure yet... and tomorrow's Friday, so I have to get my dookie together and make up my mind if I'm going to carb up or not. The sluggish loss was pretty bad, though, so I think I'll try the carb loading and see what I get. Nothing like being your own ginnea pig!

It's weird, but I went on a BFL "free day" style carb load (a small one) this past Saturday... I ate ben & Jerry's and lasagne. Yeah, high fat, but this week's results are FAR better than they've been in months! No joke! Just between Sunday, when I began following the CKD parameters and today (five days only) I've felt (and can see) a huge change. A couple of my students tonight commented on it. I may have done a no-no with the high carb/high fat thing, but it worked! LOL

BUT... I don't think high fat/high carbs will work for long, which is why I'm curious about the CKD style of carb loading.

Now...everyone has a different opinion about how long to load... one day, two...but I guess this weekend will be my "test run" to see for myself when that "bloat" begins. I'll base my next weekend CL session on those results, I guess.

The basic BFL program is really pretty cool. The one day free day when combined with lo-carb is essentially CKD. IMO it doesn't need to get more complicated than that for many of us.
I know there's a lot of concern about keeping the fat low, use glucocse sources and no fruit, eat exactly a certain number of grams, etc.
Right now I'm following the CKD chart for carb-up but not worrying about it for the lc days, as I've finally grooved into eating lc properly during the week. The PP guys don't worry about ketosis, so I don't either. I've never gotten more than a trace of indication on ketostix, so I ignore them.
I'm just starting to try out the per workout 20g carb bump hypothesis.
Someday I hope to be free of all the fretting about the details. For me, this is a negative characteristic of a lifetime of crazy diets. I put an incredible amount of attention on what/when and why I'm eating.
Anyway, if you decide to try a carbo-load as Lyle says I'm very interested in what happens.

Hi, Doug.

I don't have my exact LBM numbers, nor fat % numbers---but for what the CKD parameters gave me, based on waist size and something else, and my waist measurement may be off, too, because I used what number I thought I had last. I was going to remeasure today at the gym, but I forgot.

I'm not really sure if I blew it or not, but I was nibbling on skittles in the car on the way home from the gym, and I think I may have maxed out my grams for the day without realizing it. The thing is with those darn little things is that you can sit and mindlessly nibble while driving (or watching tv I guess) and lose track of how much you're taking in. DANG.... I just wonder if I can get through the day with only two 5oz servings of protein! Arrgh!

OOOHHHHH COOOOL!!!!!!!!

Doug.. I just looked at the bag again and realized I'd misread what I saw!!! I've NOT gone over my carb limit!!!!! Whooo hoooo!

In fact, I still have 389.5g still to go today!!!!!

Whew... I was really ticked there for a minute.

Now, I don't eat ALL my carbs in pure glucose polymers, do I? Don't I just go with the skittles, smarties, or whatever until 6hrs is lapsed, then switch over to the low-fat diet style carbs??

Man am I relieved!

So you see you've got to consume boatloads of carbs. It's really quite sickening, I'm finding.
I finished up a really tough depletion workout and chugged down some EAS stuff that's like Koolaid with 135g of carbs. Then I decided to try a real meal and went for a beef chimichanga and some beans and rice. Couldn't even eat a third of the meal without just getting grossed out. Then I had a large Coke. Blech!
I'm wondering if I should tone this back to a more moderate BFL style free day every now and then. My digestive system is freaking out over all the carbs. Mentally I feel like I took a sedative.
Lyle says at one point to eat high GI foods early in the carb-up then switch to lower GI in the second 24 hours. At another point he says that studies show it doesn't matter when or what type of carbs are consumed. So I guess you can play around with it.

Yeah.. I felt like that, too. I was falling asleep reading an article online! I mean, doing the ole whiplash thing. No joke. Talk about a sugar coma. MAN.

The only thing I would worry about is fat WITH the high carbs. That seems to be the lethal combo. That chimichanga sounds good!!!! I WANT ONE!!! but with my luck, the high fat/high carb combo WOULD be my undoing.

This is what I bought for tomorrow:

Sweet potatoes
brown rice
Stuff for a mushroom, chicken & picante sauce omelet (I guess the carbs in the mushrooms & picante sauce count, eh?)

I need some other ideas, though...

Pretty slim pickins, huh? I've no idea what to eat still. But Mexican food is SURE sounding for tomorrow!

i make an eggplant chalupa that is pretty good. if you are interested in it

1 eggplant sliced thin long ways, (get one that is pretty cylinderical as it is young and not so mushy)
1/2 l/c milk
soy flour with garlic, and chili powder to taste, but keep it mild and ground flax seed if you need the "help"
2 eggs

salt the eggplant and set on paper towels to get rid of the excess waters, do this on both sides. then dipp eggplant in l/c milk or butter milk if you have it that has been beaten smooth with the eggs.

dip in the soy flour, deep fry until soft and brown, then top with green chili salsa, cheese, olives, guacamole or what ever
mexi - cali flavorings and condiments desired

if you really want frijoles, get the Eden's black soy beans, drain, rinse and mash, according to the lable there is only 1 met gram of carbs per 1/2 cup serving, (8 gram carb, 7 of them are fiber). they work pretty good, i use them for chili, baked beans, ham and beans, anywhere i would need a legume,