This was a really difficult, and weird, day for me. I didn't have any time to slow down to actually eat a meal...until dinner. I did have the EAS shakes and bars, though.. well, one shake and one bar, so I wouldn't be completely without calories, nutrition, etc.

Anyway, after dinner I started getting VERY bloated... I mean really puffy. My jeans are tighter...well, you know, like that "fat" feeling when you eat too much. So while I was running around doing errands, etc., I grabbed some macadamia nuts and almonds. I probably had 2oz earlier and about 3 oz later on----when I realized that one meal was most likely going to be it today.

Now, I've been considering going off Atkins (I've tweaked it so much that I don't think I'm doing it anymore anyway) since starting BFL, but I'm not sure how to make the transition from LC to LF. I'm also going to do my free day on Saturdays because Sundays are too weird for me. So having said that, if I do my free day tomorrow and then start the BFL eating plan on Sunday, I guess that would be okay???

I'm also a bit confused about what to get to eat...as far as carbs. I'm so used to low carbing that I automatically think of low glycemic index carbs...most of which aren't appropriate for BFL according to the allowed foods list in the book.

Any suggestions?? And do we follow to the letter the list that's in the BFL book without exception???

Thanks in advance, all!!!

You are having trouble having one meal for the day and so you want to switch to BFL eating that has you eat SIX meals a day?

Ok. I don't get it though. I've been doing a bit of a cross between the two. Trying to eat six meals a day, trying to make sure that most of what I eat is low carb. Allowing a little more bread on the idea of "eating some carb and some protein".

Mainly I'm just trying to relax with it. Eat enough to keep from getting crazy with hunger, eat regularly, but not huge amounts. Not eating excessive carbs, but more than Atkins induction level for sure.

Hahaha... the difference is, the other 3 meals are "quickie" meals you can eat on the run if you have to (myoplex shakes or bars).

I'm telling you, though.. I have to do something. Yesterday and today I have felt like I've been gaining, and I mean fat. I'm bloated like crazy (fingers, feet, tummy), and it's not even close to time for TOM yet, so that's not it. I just have that same feeling I used to get after binging.

I'm wondering if the fat on Atkins combined with the myoplex bars and shakes (even though I'm using the low carb ones...thinking of switching to lite ones) isn't making me start gaining fat? All I know is that something doesn't feel "right" to me here.

I was looking over the posts in the CKD section and I saw where someone had mentioned that you know when to stop your carb loading when you begin to feel that "puffy----putting on weight" feeling. It wasn't in those exact words, but that's what it meant. It was suggested when you get that feeling to STOP carb loading and return to eating normally, because if you don't you would be crossing that threshold where you begin gaining weight----fat.

So, I guess I don't really know what to do. Someone said that a person's CCL raises a bit more then they're lifting heavily, etc. but I don't think mine has. I've been getting in around 40g to 55g a day and I know I'm not losing fat anymore....well, as of raising my carbs to around 50g anyway. If I keep LC'ing then I may have to stick with keeping my carbs around 30g-35g.

See, this is why I had mentioned about the cardio. Only sometimes does dance make my heart rate climb high enough to be considered aerobic. I've been doing it so long that I'm used to it, and I just can't force the movements to the point where my heart rate goes up---just to get an aerobic workout. Ya know? But on the other hand.... using the stairmaster every other day...

.....I dunno. Wish I knew what to do. I would've done stairmaster today, but I've already eaten breakfast.

I have a very, very difficult time losing weight anyway, for some reason, so it's so frustrating trying to figure out why. I've never really found an answer, but I'm a slow, slow, slow loser, but I can gain at the drop of a hat.

Eat real food. Take something with you and make sure you eat real food. I doubt if the fat is what is making you bloated (the Atkins part) it is more likely the shakes and bars.

I'm sure the extra excercise is making you hang onto some water too. My scale is up today which I think is a result of that, but I think my body fat percentage is down. I FEEL thinner, my calipers are measuring me about 2% less than they were at the beginning of the week, and I just think I may have a little more water in here than normal.

The other thing, and I know this is going to be really hard for you, but I'm going to say it anyway. You should do the aerobics in such a way that it does elevate your heart rate. You may have to add in something, I know it is going to be difficult with your schedule, and you DON'T have to do it on an empty stomach, although that is supposed to be the most effective.

Maybe get up a half hour early in the morning and do it as soon as you get up. You don't have to go to the gym to do aerobics, anything where you keep moving will do it. I did a combination yesterday of running up and down my stairs, carrying weights up and down stairs, using my healthrider and doing obilque crunches at a quick pace.

Aerobics bore me silly, and I haven't done a lot of them throughout my life, but I think, that they are what caused that change in the calipers. The weight training no doubt helped, but I have been doing weight training all along, just not at this particular regularity or "pyramid" type arrangement.

Carbs (a lot of extra) always make me retain water. And that may be all that you are experiencing.

Thanks, Sherry, but I honestly don't know when I can fit in more exercise time. I teach dance 4 days a week, and that eats up a few hours right there, then my own practices take up another 3 hours, then the gym 3 days a week, yet another 40-something minutes on each of those days, plus driving, changing, showering, trying to fit in cooking time and eating (which is why I do the shakes, etc. or I miss meals).... it's hairy.

I do get up early, but I can't do anything until my fiance's son leaves for school (VERY VERY small house!!!), and then I leave and go to the gym, or on inbetween days I do my dance practices early while I still have energy and time to do them before the showering, cooking, eating then teaching starts.

I know I'm not going to do very well not getting in time to do aerobics, but I just don't know what else to do. I really don't. You should see me trying to cut up stuff for salad! It's a mess because I'm literally rushing as fast as possible trying to get it made so I can eat it and get out the door, or be done in time for students to arrive. Some days I have two choices: teach or eat. Those are the days I can't eat dinner usually... because I can't eat and go straight to bed (we get up here around 5:30am, and certain times of the year it's 4:30am). Anyway... I appreciate the help and encouragement. I really don't know if this is just water or not because it just "feels" wrong.

I've been doing this for 2 weeks now and I don't feel smaller at all. I did one day, but I was really dehydrated...very much so. But other than that one day, I actually feel fatter----thick, heavy, sluggish.

As for the bars and shakes, again... I have to use those because I cannot cook and eat that much during the day. It just wouldn't happen at all. At least the shakes and bars have something to them (protein and carbs, etc.), whereas it would be hunger for hours several days a week.

Man. Sometimes, I think I need a new life. Ya know?

That's scary. You do need a new life. Or maybe you just need to slow down some. As for cutting up salad, buy the precut up lettuce in the stores and save yourself that time. Buy precooked chickens at the store too and keep one in the fridge. You can grab some and either eat it cold or microwave it.

I buy precooked sliced roast beef at the deli part of my market, you can always grab some cooked roast and eat it without any time spent.

I agree it doesn't sound like you need or have the time for any more excercise. But you do need to make the time to eat. And you do need to eat some high quality protein with this much weightlifting.

The bars and shakes, well I don't really use them. I've noticed even the low carb bars tend to make me gain, so I don't like them, I think the "convenience" of them is overemphasized. It is just as easy to grab some pre cooked meat to take with you.

But it sounds like you are doing the best that you can, so just keep on keeping on. I think I read some posts earlier about women who felt like they were gaining on this excercise program about mid way though. I think you may be gaining some muscle, and that does weigh a lot more than any fat, so don't get discouraged too early.

Jalilah, I hate to tell you this but that "fat" or "bloated" feeling you are having is probably due to water retention from all the salt on those nuts. Unless you are buying and consuming nuts that have ZERO salt on them.

I am unsure if there is a limit to nuts on Atkin's but I would think 5 oz is pushing it unless you are on the fat fast.

Instead of changing eating plans, why not cut the nuts out of your diet. Try grabbing something a little less salty and a little less processed like celery with cream cheese.

Agonycat... there isn't really a limit on Atkins to the nuts, but if you eat too many of them it could stall because of the high calories. I was going to miss an entire meal again for the day and ate those because it has a nice blend of fat, protein and carbs. ) BUT... I think I'm going to say "asta" to those nuts unless it's on my free day. I am combining Atkins and BFL so that I can get that boost over the weekend. Too many have done Atkins for so long that their thyroids begin to function sluggishly (because of too low carbs for too long).

SHERRY: The roast beef idea sounds really good, but I'll have to wait until next Friday to get any. Looks like it's going to be 3 meals or less this week..LOL.

This is going to be one trying week.

My 2 Cents:

When I started doing BFL I upped my carbs from induction levels to anywhere from 30 - 100g a day, depending on what I ate. I DID follow Bill's advice to eat PROTEIN at EVERY meal (in the from of meat, fish, cheese- hard cream, cottage, eggs, nuts) and I also included some kind of carb (peppers, celery raw carrots, cukes, apples, berries, etc). It really wasn't hard.

Now switching from 3 meals to 6 a day was hard. I tried a protein shake for the mid morning and mid afternoon "meals" but quickly found I enjoyed eating food more.

It really does take A LOT of planning and preparation ahead of time to be able to fit it all in and there are some days when it doesn't work.

However, only getting in one meal a day is going to work to your detriment and you will not end up getting rid of those excess 23 lbs you want to lose if you don't do something about it.

Granted I don't work outside of the home which gives me a definite advantage (both with prep and actual mealtimes). However, I am often out and about for those mid-AM or PM snack times. I carry boiled eggs, pork rinds or even containers of meat. They will keep just fine w/o refrigeration providing you are eating w/in a few hours.

You might have to sit down and plan out a few days food at a time, cook everything and package it up the night before. Then get yourself a small cooler to carry back and forth to your dance studio.

Thinking and planning ahead are the keys to my doing the program successfully.

Hope that helps!
Bobbie

Hi!

I'm currently on Challenge 2 - Week 2 - Day 6 (C2/W2/D6). I love BFL! I've never, in my life, lost weight before. But, since I started this program, I've gotten stronger and leaner each day. BFL rocks! I lost 18.5lbs and 6% bodyfat during the twelve weeks of Challenge 1--plus many MANY inches, including 4 inches from EACH THIGH! It's so simple, I can't believe it's actually working...


My approach was to use the BFL six-meal-a-day plan to keep my metabolism elevated. And to control my carb-intake in order to keep my insulin and blood sugar regulated. And I did the BFL workout plan. Both the weight training and the 20MAS in the AM on an empty stomach. Thus, I combined BFL principles with low-carb principles.

During Challenge 1 I used the Myoplex Low-Carb Ready to Drink shakes, Myoplex Low-Carb bars, and Nitro-Tech Low-Carb bars. Sometimes I had a shake or bar with a piece of fruit. Sometimes I just had the shake or bar. I listened to my body, and proceeded accordingly. During Challenge 2, I've added Isopure Zero-Carb Ready to Drink and EAS' Precision Protein Zero-Carb Ready to Drink.

Due to my busy lifestyle and intense workday I absolutely HAVE TO use the convenience products. I work in an office BUT sometimes you get trapped by a meeting or a conference call and you LITERALLY cannot get away to get your real food out of the fridge. OFTEN, I attend baseball games, restaurants, picnics, boattrips, nightclubs, etc. with friends during the evening. So, I always keep a bar and a ready-to-drink beverage with me AT ALL TIMES, day and night.

Personally, I haven't experienced any setbacks due to using convenience foods. I have 2 - 3 real meals per day and 3 - 4 convience meals, depending on my schedule. HOWEVER I haven't yet missed ANY meals--I have 6 meals each day according to the plan. I eat every 3 hours, like precision Swiss timing.

I know, from experience, that if you have a lifestyle that REQUIRES you to use the bars and shakes they CAN be used effectively. BUT the point of using these foods is that they enable you to eat 6 times per day. If you're using them and still only eating twice per day, then that defeats the purpose.

So, I just wanted to say two things about your current setback:

1.)
If you aren't actually eating often enough to take advantage of the metabolism-boosting effect of frequent feedings, then you're missing out on that. And if you aren't doing the HIIT cardio or 20MAS, then you're missing out on those advantages. So, you're missing out on 2 of the 3 benefits of BFL, neither of which is related to whether or not you use Atkins-style eating. So, changing your diet won't change this situation.

2.)
It's only been 2 weeks. BFL is a 12 week program. I ended up losing 2 inches on my waist by week 12, but I lost NOTHING ZERO ZILCH at my waist until week 8. My thighs, which had the most dramatic decrease, got LARGER during the first 3 weeks. I, personally, needed to chart my progress carefully--every 2 weeks--using tape measure and bodyfat calipers. If you don't do this you might miss out on what you're REALLY losing. Personally, if I hadn't seen the results on the tape measure I would not have known how well I was doing! There were weeks when I was SURE I'd lost an enormous amount because my skirt "felt bigger" but when I measured, I really hadn't made much of a change. And there were weeks when I pretty-much felt the same until I measured myself and found out I'd lost some serious inches.

Maybe BFL won't work for you. Maybe Atkins won't work for you. But you won't know until you give them a fighting-chance by following their principles and then measuring your progress objectively.

Good luck! I hope it all works out for you...

Trilbe

I hope BFL works for me... I really really want it to. I'm having a good time at the gym and don't want to just let it slip away.

I never cheated on Atkins and was counting everything religiously.... but I'd run into SO many people with the same story.. "I lost at first, but then never lost again for about 2-3 months. I gave up." It's a common complaint. I think it works very well for some, and not well at all for some. I still think it's a kick-butt program, though.

The reason I wasn't doing the aerobics was because I have such long dance practices and i was concerned (like Natrushka mentioned) that I'd end up doing "too much" and actually hinder my results. But... I think I'm going to try and squeeze it in anyway. LOL.. I really need to do something, and I think it would help----but then, what do I know? I'm so new at this.

I guess I was just real concerned because of the bloat and "yucky" feeling I was experiencing... wasn't sure if it was normal or not.

As far as meals... if it weren't for those bars and shakes I wouldn't have eaten much at all some days. I get at least 2 regular meals in, and I always shoot for 3, but it sometimes just doesn't happen...unless I eat RIGHT before bed (which guarantees my waking up retaining lake michigan).

TRIBE and HOMEGIRL... thank you SO SO much for the input and the encouragement.

I've switched my "free" day to Saturday (for several reasons), one of them being that I like the idea of Sunday starting out with Aerobics (I have the freedom that day to get up when I want and head straight to the gym!). I'm pretty sure it will help me feel ready to go with the weights on Monday, too.

Thanks you guys....everyone. Hearing your own story helps me tremendously!!! You have NO idea how much!!! You guys rule!