OK I've taken the plunge and started BFL. Or should I say, a modified BFL. It seems that quite a few people on this forum are doing their own version of BFL, mainly LC.

For me, it's a slightly different exercise program. I love my swimming and I am in a squad twice a week. The sessions are 90 minutes long. For the next two weeks the training is mostly low intensity distance sets, covering 2.8-2.5km in the 90 minutes. The four weeks following that it will be interval training. This latter part is more like BFL training but 90 minutes instead of 20. For the third aerobic session I am running intervals around the local park.

The weight sessions I am doing by the book. Hopefully I can handle this as well as the longer aerobic sessions.

As for eating, I have decided to give Atkins a rest after 5 months and 25 pounds. I figure that LC is just too hard on BFL - at least for me. Strict Atkins was pushing it with just my swimming and a few runs.

My eating plan is the based on the following BFL weight loss formula: 6 meals, calories 10x body weight, 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat. I am a bit disorganized in the food department so far but I will get it together soon. Bought my first ever protein powder (Aussie Bodies). Mmmm. Not bad with skim milk. Other foods I am taking are canned tuna (Lunches), Steak/Chicken/Pork with veggies for dinner, cereal for morning snack (I have been careful here - using high bran content, no sugar, wheat based cereals), lots of skim milk and the protein shakes twice daily. I haven't figures out how to get the variety in yet or any other types of foods. I kind of started the program in a rush.

My goal is to get from 26% body fat to 20% and from 209lb to 198lb. I do expect to put on some lean weight. I am hoping I will experience a net weight loss however. Oh, and add to that, going from 38" trousers to 36".

What do those experienced in doing BFL out there think about this as a reasonable goal given what I am doing?

P.S. Are BFL'ers on this forum posting before/after challenge photos? I would be interested to see typical results.

Tornado welcome!
Ok where is your low glycemic carb with the tuna? If you have let's say 20 grams of protien in a meal you need 20 grams of carb..like half a sweet potato. Dinner where is the carb veggies don't count , you need protien and good carbs at each meal and two servings veggies a day. So for dinner you could have pork and yogurt or fruit and veggies. Are you eating six meals. Each serving the size of clinched fist or palm of your hand. If you have protien shake you need yogurt or oatmeal to go along with it. In the morning if you have cereal you need a protien with it like fat free cottage cheese. I would be happy to help...the program takes so getting used to. Please let me know how you're doing. Best of luck!

Looks like I am way off track already. I was used to Atkins - just spot the food and you know if you can eat it - vs. Balancing each meal.

I can see already what I have done is eat each meal from predominantly one food group instead of balancing the meal. Breakfast - mainly carbs. Lunch and snack - mainly protein. I will work on this.

I don't remember reading about the "veggies with dinner don't count". What's all that about?

And if my protein shake is taken with skim milk, won't that go at least some of the way to providing the carbs for that meal?

I am sort of with you, I just need that bit of guidance.

bfl sample meals
Milk is a protien..how many carbs does it have? Important to balance..each meal with same amount of protien and good carbs. Take a look at the link above. Veggies are not a carb source..you can have two a day and they should be in the form of green..but they don't count as part of carb/protien.
Let me know what you think of the link!

The milk I am drinking is (For 100ml):

46 calories
4.9g carbs
3.4g protein
1.3g fat

The protein powder I use is (For 40g):

151 calories
3.3g carbs
30.1g protein
1.5g fat

So a mini-meal with the powder and 400ml of milk is:

333 calories
23g carbs (27%)
44g protein (52%)
7g fat (18%)

True, not the 40/40/20 balance I am aiming for. If I added a 100g banana and backed off 10-20% of the shake this would make closer to a 40/40/20 meal and the calories would be pretty much 1/6th the total daily goal. How does that sound for fine tuning at least the shake meal?

Looking at that 7 day meal planner I have my work cut out for me with the other meals. I think breakfast, dinner, the morning and afternoon meals will be simple enough. Lunch will require more organization with work. The late night snack - well that might be a balancing meal anyway.

What I do for lunch mostly Tornado is either Wholemeal Pasta or Wholegrain Rice with cooked chicken breast (I buy this precooked from the supermarket), this is my main base for all my lunches.

I vary it buy adding a slightly different sauce to it, such as a sweetfire pepper sauce (hmmmm)

Takes about 8 minutes to cook the pasta and thats it, simple