i've just started BFL 2 weeks ago and had lost 2.5lbs (good encouragement) my goal is to lose BF% and gain muscle (flatter abs actually)

i've read thru and gathered that some LCers that are on BFL training do increase their carb intake....

prior starting BFL, i've checked on how much calories i should eat in a day and percentage of each nutrient i should consume to reach my goal (http://bodyforlife.com/calcalc.shtml) and the result for my carb intake is 124g...is that too much considering that i'm very keen on practicing LC?

since the last 2 weeks i've consumed 124g altho i'm starting to get bit confused now that after 2 weeks i'm just started to think that maybe 124g is too much and not consider as LC anymore? i read some that consume < 80g a day....

how much carb (g) do you guys (LCers that train BFL) consume a day? and how much is too much for one that is a LCer?

thanks heaps.

PS: also tried SBD - can now control craving over white rice (previously main meal!), bread and pasta (can go on without these foods more than 4 days sometimes!) but simply can't get over sweet stuff? always craving for those lately....what did i do wrong here?

P.S.S: does it have anything to do with PMS? how do you girls train BFL during PMS?

Hi Dazzlin,

I'm not doing lowcarb but sticking to the BFL method (never had any intention of doing low carb, I just happened across the forum here and it seems quite active)

I would stick to what you are doing just now, give it time to see what happens.

The majority of my carbs in meals comes from Wholegrain rice (not brown rice), any other carbs I might take in the form of Wholmeal pasta or Baked potatoes. These types of carb (Complex) release energy slowly compared to simple carbs (White rice etc). Using complex carbs should help you to overcome the sweetness cravings (basically your body is crying out for energy in the form of sugar (simple carb)) eating complex carbs for each of your six meals should give you a steady energy release, thats the theory anyway.

Another thing I do, for 3 of my meals a day I have Myoplex meal replacement shake and the Strawberry is pretty sweet so maybe that helps me not to crave sweet things.

Although you have said you can go without White rice, bread and pasta for more than 4 days sometimes, you really need to cut them out altogether. Stick with Wholemeal Rice and Pasta and avoid bread altogether, if you must have bread make it Wholemeal but not frequently.

Oh and drink loads of water.

Good luck with BFL, if you find yourself craving just think about your goals and what you need to do to acheive them. If you do have a setback don't dwell on it, just move on and try harder next time. If you miss a workout don't try and catch up just forget it and move on.

Above all else Enjoy it.

Keep us updated with your progress.

Mike

i do not take white rice (or bread or pasta) during BFL tho. when i was LCing (before started BFL) i managed to stay put without carb (in my case white rice) and did not miss it. now for BFL training, i'm on 4-5 meals a day. i know this sounds crazy but i do not take myoplex yet.....i just use non g.m.o soy protein as a shake untill i run out (i was also on detox and organic diet, reason why i have that soy protein and sugar was a big no-no). i might start myoplex when i run out soy protein soon. (those protein shakes are wayyy expensive here..) i'm doing all the BFL training and miss none so far. re: cravings i agree that protein shake might've helped....for now i will just save that for free day hay altho i must admit its hard to resist the 'sweet' tempt. :-O

mike, thanks i can see you're progressing good with your training 8% BF thats encouraging!

other LCers: i still would like to know what are your carb intake like while doing BFL thanks!

Hi Dazzlin,
I'm sort of in the same spot as you are - I'm starting week 3 of BFL but keeping lo-carb Atkins style, but I've had to add some carbs in the form of fruit - I now eat apples and berries, and my daily carb count is between 30-80. My daily calories range from 1400-1800. I've lost 7 pounds in the past 3 weeks so I'm pleased, but I have to keep a close watch on my meals so that I'm getting enough energy for my workouts. I had stalled before , and I think part of it was from not eating enough.

Like you, any help from the LC BFLers would be appreciated.

Hi,

Just did a quick count of a typical day for me (6 meals), 216g Carbs.

Mike

I've been low carbing as well. My carbs range from 30 to 50 per day. I try to, place my carbs closer to my workouts. Although my weight has maintained my body is looking better. My inches are growing in the right places and getting smaller in the right places too. I'm in my third week.

It can be a struggle with low carbs because you know our bodies crave them... When I do eat carbs, I stick to complex carbs... (green vegies etc.) I'm taking whey protein drinks and eating lots of fish too.

Before starting BFL, I dropped 45 lbs on Atkins. On BFL, my goal is to reduce body fat and drop another 10 to 15lbs.

The BFL plan is strenuous. So you, if you take in higher carbs, your going to have to deal with all the problems that it brings like potential alergies, mood swings and so forth... However, the BFL plan is tremendously successful. Many people are doing it and getting great results. As you know, there are many ways to get great results. Low carb diets work for some while low fat work for others. And BFL can be tweeked to work for low carb or low fat.

I'm certainly not an expert on BFL, but, low carbing is getting me results. I'll have to see how it all turns out. But so far low carbing and BFL are sending me in the right direction. And the best benefit is that I am feeling great. I encourage you to stick with it whether you transition to higher carb or stay on low carb.

By the way, your photo says it all. You are an atractive woman and it shows that you are really doing great. Keep up with BFL and go for great abs!


I wish you sucess.

David,

Los Angeles, California USA

ok update on my carb confusion

my carb these days around 70-100g average 80g and the rest foods are definitely low fat. got hungry but protein drink make up for it. i just follow sbd woe all those good carbs stuff (think bfl have similar eating principle). i dont eat anything wheat on dinner, all carbs come from just green veggies (i dont even eat potato eventho its bfl authorized food even forgot when was last time i ate it). i cant seem to eat high-fat foods since i 1st lost weight eating low ones hmm think this woe works better for me. no big cravings over regular carbs altho do indulge what i cant have on regular bfl day on my free day e.g ff jello and wholewheat muffin (homemade tho gone thru lot of alteration! ) i dont think im LCing anymore i dunno...but i'm still very very mindful about how many carbs i ate per day. i'm actually a "fat-carb-sugar-sodium phobic" dieter ha

i'm very happy with my bfl training too these days. theyre just progressing gr8.

david..thanks for your support. good luck to you too

I had good results on 50-90g carbs/day, but they really exploded when I took it over 100/day. I felt much better in the gym and could work out at quite a bit higher intensity...which has the effect of burning more calories as well as making the muscle gain come faster.

I was surprised at how much better my workouts went once I was well and truly out of ketosis. It's made me reconsider the whole LC thing if I am going to be lifting this heavy.

I'm eating 200-230g carbs/day . Moderators - please please please don't kick me off the forum! I'm still tweaking my diet. I want to gain muscle and keep the body fat about the same, although if I put on a little body fat I'm not worry about it since I cut easily. I drink a 60g carb whey protein/dextrose/maltodextrin shake post-workout on my weights days. I am experimenting with drinking a 1/2 shake after my cardio and having something light before my am cardio, since I am more concerned with preserving muscle than I am with losing fat. I'm also trying out just eating non-starchy veggies with dinner and pre-bed snack on the recommendation of everyone on a bb forum I'm on. I never want carbs (except dessert of course!) with dinner anyway.

I am leaning more toward a bodybuilding diet and have been spending some time on bb forums lately, but I really like the support here! Before doing BFL I was following The Schwarzbein Principle diet and eating 100-125g carbs and a whole lot more fat. But I have seen much better results (except in the taste of my meals) lowering the fat and increasing the protein and carbs. I don't crave carbs except fruit (mainly when I'm thirsty), but if I eat very low carb I am hungry, grumpy and have no energy. I do have a very high metabolism, am extremely active and have always eaten more than other women my size.

OK, sorry this turned into a big ramble. Hope there is some useful info in there somewhere after the first sentence.

Jen

yr funny

i feel much much better now that you guys do increase yr carbs during bfl i notice that protein shakes do soar our carb intake per day. ill stay put between 100-120g per day starting next week my 4th week bfl (recommended intake for my weight fr bfl website is 124g). tryin to lift more more weight

jen ya mentioned you've been on bb board any good advise? eg what bb supplement ya currently take? i take none so far cuz concern of getting too bulky? bit muscle is fine hmm is l-carnitine any good or hmm outdated?

The only thing that will make you too bulky is steroids. Women don't bulk up easily or accidentally. It takes hard work and heavy weights. I use the whey protein shakes I've already mentioned, and I forgot to add that I put 1 tsp glutamine in them, also drink some unsweetened soymilk with 1 tsp glutamine before my weights workouts. I don't know anything about l-carnitine. I plan to start using creatine when (if?) dd#2 stops nursing. I use an ECA stack (not illegal in my state) pre-workout on the days I work - that way it is out of my system by the time dd nurses again.

Check out www.abcbodybuilding.com for good bb advice. Only caveat is that this is a conservative Christian site. But the people are much nicer there than on other bb forums.

Jen

thanks jen.

checked the bb couple of times, not bad

also got the home-made protein bar recipe from there lol everyone's questioning whats the nutrition content innnit havent tried it yet sounds good tho

I'm up to 221 grams per day!!

Kristen

AJ_0001,

I am amazed that you are doing a strenuous program like BFL and only taking in 1400-1800 calories a day, let alone the fact that you are doing it low carb.

For your 200lb frame this is only 7-9x body weight.

This is starvation is it not?

What do others think?

after officially finished my bfl - im moving to ckd yike new challenge to keep the carb low. anyway ive gotten used to lc or not lc. average carbs during my bfl 100-150g and cals < 1800 (i didnt really starve doing 1800 cals thats lots to chew for small girl like me lol) but on free day may up to 3000 cals whoops!

for those on bfl - please keep up the good work good luck!