lifesaver

Bella...that is fantastic. See you just need to be patient with your body and it will respond eventually. I was noticing that you are already down 50 lbs. What a great milestone to be at so quickly!!! You rock girl. Mini...I gained last week but today I am down 3 lbs. So my body is behaving like Bella's. I'll take it. Happy Friday Everyone!!!

Did you purchase what remained of his online membership also? If not or its already expired, I think you just need to register your bugg on line and pay the membership fee.....it's around $10/mo. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I've had mine so long that I'm not sure how it works anymore.

Cool Beans. I have that one on my calendar and I plan on attending. Just wondering if anything is going on for October? I'm looking forward to meeting you Chicka. RR night is always very fun!

I got my upper body BFL workout in this morning and I have had 3 1/2 meals so far with a Protein and good carb in each one. I am going to try and get a Protein shake in before bedtime. How are the rest of you gorillaz doing? 2 more days and then its a Free Day...YAY!!!! (Sunday for me)

Munch...you look very beautiful. Congrats on all your success so far. Mal...you can borrow my BFL book. Lets just make a plan to hook up. Good luck on your fill. Anyone who decides they want to join the BFL challenge along the way....is more than welcome. Adork...your questions are welcome whenever you are ready. I highly, highly recommend that you take a look at the bfl.com website and read the book if possible. When is the next RR get together? I must schedule it, or there is a chance I will doublebook. Brandy....praying for you and your family.

Shelbi, You are doing fine. I have never done BFL with the band so I am trying to figure out where I will need to adjust the program. So I had the same experience as you today....got in about 3 1/2 meals. My goal is 4. So I think if we shoot for that, we should be ok. Just make sure your Protein drinks are not low carb (unless you are adding a carb like fruit, or something to the meal), because you will need the energy....at the same time watch out for sugar. As far as the weight training sessions go, just do your best to hit a 10. Best case scenario is that you do the method they prescribe, but if that machine you need is not available for you to immediatley jump on, you might as well stay where you are at and just try and find a way to hit a 10 there. The next time you do that muscle group I would make an effort to use another machine or mix it up a bit. I would be happy to give you ideas if you are trying to figure out exercise options for certain muscle groups. Today I did a cardio session with BFL intervals because I needed to schedule my week so that my legs are not sore on Saturday, since I intend to do a mongo hike on that day...I figure that will be my lower body workout from hell. Overall, my goals are to get my workouts in, get 4 BFL meals in, drink more water, and complete 12 weeks. I don't want to be nit picky since we have the "band factor" going on, we cant chug water all day or eat a lot, so we just need to modify a bit. Dont skimp on the protein. Your body will need it to repair itself from the weight workouts. Don't skimp on the workouts.....they will change your life:-) and your body. Let me know if you have other questions. Congrats on day one....how does it feel. Any other BFL'ers out there that want to report?

Yes...cardio on an empty stomach first thing in the morning if possible. The reasoning behind it is that your body reaches for those glucose reserves and exhausts anything that is there...and that sets you up for fat burning the rest of the day. You should eat the protein and carbs within an hour of the cardio to help with recovery. As far as weight training workouts and food...you definatly want to eat before and after your workouts. Your body will need the fuel and the protein to build up the muscles. Don't ever try and weight train on an empty stomach. Totally counter-productive. I'm excited for you girls. Let's post daily for a while and see how that goes.

Forgot to post my weight......up 1 lb for the first week of the challenge. Haven't been such a good girl. Oh well, that will all change when I start BFL tomorrow. Thanks for keeping track.

Hey BLF'ers. So, I'm curious who is joining Dee and I on the BFL Challenge. I am aware of Denise and Shelbi. Let me know if there is anyone else that wants to play. I am going to provide some helpful hints and try to answer some of the questions I have been getting for everyone. We start tomorrow. First of all, if you haven't been to the website yet, it is www.bodyforlife.com. There is tons of info on that site that will be of great use. For tracking food and workouts, I love the journals they provide a free down load of at Body-for-LIFE Exercise Journals Shelbi is doing something called bfltracker....and Im not sure what it is, but I'm assuming it's an online version of the journal pages. I also highly recommend that you buy the book or check it out from the library, etc. I have an extra copy if someone local wants to borrow for the next 12 weeks. Getting started. I highly recommend that you take pics (bathing suit, or limited clothes) to start and then every week after. Because you will be building muscle it will be important to not totally rely on the scale. The week by week comparison of pics will be very motivating and will absolutley give you the evidence that what you are doing is working. BFL is about changing your body. I also recommend that you take your measurements before, at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and then at the finish line. You will be astounded by your results. I don't think it's a good idea to measure our success on this challenge by the amount of weight lost. I would rather just count success as completion of the challenge. We can post daily or weekly about if we got our food in, if we hit our 10's, etc. I will do a post that has a happy face for the weeks that we are complete. My free days will probably be one of the weekend days. You are welcome to pick whatever day works for you. Sunday is usually a winner. Free days are just that. Eat whatever you want and do not work out. Your body really needs this. It's partly to let it rest, and the other part is shocking it with totally different nutrition. Workouts. Shelbi, you can use any kind of weights. weight machines, body weight, etc. The trick is to make sure you are doing the exercises based on the intensity format they describe. For the first week or two you will be unsure of what a "10" is, but over time you will need to make sure you try and hit your "10's" on each exercise. This helps to keep you from plateauing. For me a "10" is "if someone was going to give me a million dollars to do one more rep, I still couldnt do it"....or for cardio, a 10 is me feeling like I need to throw up:-) The workouts are so short (20 minutes for cardio) that you must, must, must get the intensity in. It is not fun, but it's over fast. What I say to myself is that "I can do anything for 20 minutes". Once you are into your groove, the weight workouts are only 40-50 minutes, MAX. You will be, and should be, SORE a great deal of the time. This means that you are building muscle and is a good sign. Do not over-do it and injure yourself. Food. The food is really important because you MUST give your body all of the fuel it will need to build the muscle and keep up with the workouts. Becasue we can't eat as much as BFL would have, I am going to modify my diet to get in 4-5 small BFL meals in (BFL recommends 5-6 which I'm not sure I could do....if you can, I highly recommend sticking to their plan exactly). Each meal should consist of a serving of Protein and a good carb (Oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain anything, sweet potato, potato, corn, etc). Try and throw veggies in a couple times a day also. For the most part you should be used to eating this way. The trick will be getting enough nutrition in. It is vital!!! Your body can only change as much as you give it the fuel to do so. There are recipe ideas and shopping list suggestions on the BFL website or you can ask me. Preparation is the key. Don't ever find yourself hungry without a healthy BFL option close by. I also have found some fast food items that I use in a pinch if I am out and about without any good food. You do not want to go more than 3 hours without eating. And you must drink a ton of Water. This could be tricky with the band and not drinking with meals so I'm curious to see how well I will do. Since there is water in Protein shakes, I might be drinking several of those a day to kill two birds-one stone. IF you complete this challege and document your progress with photos/measurements, you will have amazing results...I promise! The goal is just to complete. If you are craving something, just try and remember that you have a free day coming so you can eat anything you want. If you don't feel like working out, do it anyway. THis is only 12 weeks of your life. You will have a new body by Christmas! How do you girls want to do check ins for this challenge? Do you want to post once a week about your progress? Struggles? Victories? I think Mondays are a good day to do that....since it will be after our free day. We start tomorrow and can start checking in the following Monday. Of course if there are any questions or things you want to share on a daily basis, feel free. Let me know your thoughts. Now, get your butt to the grocery store and stock your cupboards. Print out your journals and take some naked pics!!! I would love to hear everyone's plan for getting started.......

Shelbi....you can eat steel cut oats as your carb at every meal if you want on BFL. Isn't that the yummiest stuff ever?

Denver...way to sail through your surgery! Looking forward to hearing how you are feeling over the next few days. I really struggled with pain so you are already doing way better than me. I'm so excited for you. Welcome to the club. Mini...Put me down for 15 lbs for the Halloween Challenge. I am losing slower these days so not sure how realistic it is...but I'll try. I think if I actually stick to the BFL then it is very doable. Dee....my trip to FL this week was cancelled due to the pending arrival of Hannah....but I have to travel all of next week. So, why dont you go ahead an finish your 21 day detox and we will start BFL then? I won't be able to do it from the road very effectively....especially the first week which is the toughest. Deb...still praying for your dear Tucker Marcy...nice pile of wood girl. Hope that lasts you all winter. Man...I can't stop eating chocolate lately. For some reason I think that because I did a 14er that from now on I can eat whatever I want. I must shift my thinking before I do some serious damage to my progress. Our brains are silly things somtimes. Later Bandsters!

Those interested in BLF...you dont need to buy anything extra. I do recommend you go check the Body For Life book out at the library and read it from cover to cover. I think it's a great tool and will help you understand the workouts. I consider myself a BFL expert (done 2 1/2 challenges) so any questions or helpful hints you want, ask away. The bottom line for the food is this....eat a protein and a good carb at every meal (they recommend 6 meals) but we may only be able to do 4-5. A couple times a day, throw in some veggies. In order to change your body you must, you must, you must get in enough protein to build the muscles. The workouts are short, but very intense. I would be happy to have a phone call with anyone who is interested to walk through how to do the weight and cardio workouts. There is a specific method to the madness that makes these workouts very effective. Also, BFL recommends a "free day" where you do not work out and you eat whatever you want that day. It's a very nice mental health break and actually has some benefits to speeding up the metabolism and keeping the body guessing. Dee, lets pick a start date. Let me know if you want to finish your detox and start BFL after that.

OK...Patty. This post is creeping me out! I can't wait until we get to a new page so I don't have to see the head spinning scary lady anymore.

Cool. When are you complete with your 21 day detox? We can start then. I am traveling this week so it's not a good week for me to start BFL anyway. Anyone else wanna join us?

Shelbi...My heart goes out to you! My brother also committed suicide and I know my mother never recovered. When my mom retired last year, all of us kids went home to help her clean out her house so she could move and it was tragic! Every single one of us had a major melt down at one point. My mom wouldnt let go of anything....she was like your mom in that she kept everything!! Let me know if you need to talk. Deb...thinking about Tucker. How is he today? Michelle, I have never met you but I have to say that you are one of the bandsters that was posting regularly when I came on board. You are very inspirational to me and I love it when you come around. I also have problems choosing the wrong foods. The rebel in me says "I wanna eat what I wanna eat" which usually looks like some form of sugary or creamy substance that goes down easily. I justify it by saying that "it's a small amount"....but I know I am not getting the nutrition I need sometimes and even more than that...I know that I am not really creating the relationship with healthy food that I want. We are all in this together girl. I'd love to meet you at RR sometime. Dee...I have done Body for Life several times and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! If you are looking for structure and something that really works, BFL is it. The workouts are great because although they are 6 days a week....they are short! 20 minutes of intense cardio (interval training) 3 x a week and 50 minutes of weight training 3 days a week. My body changes dramatically when I am doing BFL. Which.....maybe I should start again. They recommend 5-6 small meals a day (might be 4-5 for us) that include a lean Protein and a good carb. Then you throw veggies in for a couple meals each day and you are good to go. If you decide to do it and want a buddy, I'm in. I need to focus a lot more energy on being consistent and getting good nutrition in. Denvergirl....I love Designer whey mint chocolate Protein powder. So So So yummy!!! You can buy it lots of places (Vitamin World, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, etc). The other thing I like to do is go to some of these supplement stores and see what brands/flavors they have in the individual serving size packets and buy those to try em out. As far as Ready to Drink shakes go....the Safeway Brand low carb high Protein shake is the best i have ever had! They have 20 grams of protein (Atkins and Slimfast have 15g protein), 170 kcal and I drink one every morning on the way to work. The regular price for a 4pack is $5. On sale they go down to about $4 for a 4pack. I buy a couple 4packs a week and keep them in my fridge for whenever I need some protein or want to splurge on chocolate. Honestly...I think they are very very yummy. Adorkable....for the weigh in this morning I am down 4 lbs to 171 (Since I gained last week I guess it evens out). For this challenge I am down 7 lbs....which is not 8....but I will take it. Is someone going to do another challenge? What about a Halloween challenge? It will be scary to see how much weight we can lose by then!!! Tee Hee! I don't feel like I'm on the website often enough to be able to track everyone's progress, but I would love to participate if someone wants to track. These weigh in's help to keep me accountable and conscious. Going to the Rockies game today! Have a fantastic Labor Day everyone!

Oh yeah.....very pretty tattoo!

Hey All.....quick update from me... I hiked my first 14er (Mountain higher than 14,000 ft) yesterday. It was supposed to be one of the easier 14ers...but it's the craziest, hardest thing I've ever done. THere is no air up there. I was amazed at how well I was able to climb to the top...the guy and girl I was hiking with were having a very hard time. I didn't have any problems until I got to the top and was sitting on the summit for a few minutes. Started to feel really dizzy....so we headed back down and I was crazy dizzy and shakey all the way down and for several hours afterwards. So I basically think I just got altitude sickness. I am so proud of myself for completing the hike and I am excited to do another one. I thought I would be crazy sore today but I'm just a little sore in the calves...I guess all of the hiking I did this summer paid off and was good conditioning. I'll post some of the pics from the hike soon. Denise...happy, happy birthday girl! You look fantabulous! Missed you at RR. Lap...I am heading to Clearwater Beach (near Tampa) on Wednesday for business. Do you know if the hurricane is supposed to be in at area? I'm worried about you and praying for everyone's safety. Adork...What agency to do you work for? My sister lives in PHX and works for Maricopa County SO. I go down there periodically to visit her. Maybe next time, you and I can meet up? Dee, Mal, Bookholder and Denver....It was great to meet up with you at RR. Denver...I am very excited for you and will be here to support you on your new journey. There were a bunch of other posts that I was going to reply to but I am running out of time. I hope everyone is well.

Adork...put me down for a 2lb gain. I think I can blame it partially on TOM (not Tom:-) but I've also been eating like crap so I'm accountable too. Who's in for Red Robin tomorrow night? Looking forward to meeting up with you Gorrillaz!!!

Hey Guys, I am feeling ok since the bike crash. My right shoulder is jacked up (I think). I have a lot of pain when I do side to side motions like opening/closing my patio door, steering my car, etc. Puting on a bra is fun too. I'm hoping that after a couple more days it will feel better...if not I will go get it checked. I hate being a patient! Luckily my shoulder being hurt doesn't affect my being able to hike so I should be ok for my Fourteener in a couple weeks. Can't remember who it was that was asking about a Starbucks job. I have often thought that it would be so much fun. Starbucks people are happy...have you ever noticed??? With the stress and intensity of my job I think a few hours in the evening at Starbucks would be a nice change of pace...I say go for it and think of it as a vacation from your real job:-) Dee so glad to hear the talk session helped a little. I think sometimes we need to "shop" for the right match in the counseling department. I hope you find the right therapist for you. It's kind of like dating:-) I have an idea....lets have a Red Robin night and we can all talk, talk, talk. When should we all meet??? Hope you are all well. Welcome to the newly banded.

A fourteener is a mountain that is taller than 14,000 feet. Basically, there is no air up there and they are very difficult to climb. So, in Colorado there are something like 50 Fourteeners...and it's like a rite of passage to say "I bagged a 14'er". Once you do one, I hear it is addictive and you want to do all of them....I'll get back to you on that though:-)

Mini, My restriction fluctuates like that too. As long as I can still drink to stay hydrated and get enough calories in, I don't worry about it too much. For me I may feel restriction for a week, then less, then more, then less, then less...until it's time for a fill. I don't really understand it. Tom said there can be some fluctuations depending on if you have lost weight (less restricted feeling) or it's that time of the month (which makes some people feel more restricted). Adorkable....I'm down 2 lbs this week. My exercise goals for the challenge are 1) Finish the urban adventure race 2) climb a 14er. I finished (sortof) the Adventure Race on Saturday in Denver. It was hell. Anyone remember how hard it was raining on Saturday? At one point I crashed my bike, landed on my shoulder, threw up twice, and passed out from the pain. My teammates called 911 and I got the whole EMS/Fire response. It felt like 5 minutes but my friends told me it was 45 minutes. I woke up before the paramedics got there and refused to be transported....only to be told by my team that I wasn't allowed to ride my bike anymore (I had already ridden almost 20 miles). I was a 911 Dispatcher and an EMT for a long time, so I wanted nothing to do with getting in the back of that ambulance. Our team finished the race...(which was a bitch) in 2nd to last place:-) I will definately do it again next year, but our entire team decided we needed to train/prepare more next time. It was HARD!!! Anyway...this is kind of a drive by posting because I am inundated at work and don't have time to check in that often. Hope everyone is well. Dee, I read that you are feeling blue....that makes me sad. I hope that you get your happies back soon.

Adorkable....My weight yesterday morning was 175...3lbs down, which I think is a fluke but since I have been losing so slow lately I will take it! Much....Oh, how upset would I be????? I used to work in a hospital and I absolutely hate it when people make up their own rules. Totally pisses me off. My prayers are with ya. I met a boy(man?) this weekend. Actually I went hiking with my xboyfriend on Saturday morning, had a first date with another guy on Saturday night and another date with a different guy on Sunday night. I Have never dated more than one guy at a time in my life. Very stressful. The guy Sat night kissed me which shocked the hell out of me, but I figured "what the hell" and I joined in:-) He really likes me and has make lots of plans to see me again, soon. The Sunday night guy likes me too....but luckily he is out of town on business this week....whew!!! It's shocking to me that these guys think I am so beautiful.....when did that happen? It reminds me that I still look in the mirror and see the same fat girl regardless of how others see me. Time to start working through that emotional crap I guess. A NSV this weekend. When I hiked with my x boyfriend on Saturday we went for 7 miles and I totally kicked ass. I kept up with him (he, who is 6'4" and has hiked 5 fourteeners in the last month) and I could have gone even faster. I am so proud of myself. I haven't been keeping up with the posts very well, so sorry if I missed something important.

Found it, thank you!

Where is this "video" you speak of?

Starting weight for the challenge 178 (on the home scale). The previous message I posted was for Mini....I just forgot to quote her message.