Wanting to start with Body for Life, need help!

[Hazelsmrf]

Ok so I've read the stickied threads and this sounds like something I could do. I have a few questions:

First of all, I've been following Atkins for the past year. I'm currently eating 20 to 30 grams of carbs, and haven't been as good with exercise as I should. I'm meaning to change that. I love the weight loss I've had with Atkins (about 10 pounds per month, it fluctuates, sometimes more) but although my goal weight is in 40 pounds, I'm incredibly flabby (38% BF). I am not too obsessed with numbers on the scale if I'm weight training, as I understand this will slow down as I build muscle and likely retain some water from the exercise. Lately I've been getting cravings for more fruit, dairy, and whole grains. I'm not really sure how to address that, as I've always been told these were healthy things to eat just not really on my plan!

There is a woman at my work who is also a personal trainer, and says that I really shouldn't be doing any weight training with this little amount of carbs. I don't really understand all the stuff that goes on in your body when you train without sufficient carb levels, is this something that would be likely to hinder me or cause me any problems? Would I be better off to eat more carbs and lower fat, something more towards South Beach phase 2? This is a very scary decision for me as I've had great success with Atkins and the appetite suppression has always been key for me. I've tried weight watchers and low fat in the past, and was even followed by a dietician with little to no success. The thought of trying to fix something that isn't broken is a bit scary.

Also, my appetite only allows for me to eat about 1000 calories a day on Atkins. Keep in mind, I am not doing meat and egg fast, and all my carbohydrates come from veggies like brocolli, green beans and cauliflower (after 6+ months of daily salads, my tolerance for romaine lettuce has gone down the toilet) and traces from eggs. Protein isn't a problem for me, I try to limit red meat and most of my meats come from tuna or skinless chicken breasts. I do enjoy alot of eggs, but limit cheese and hardly ever eat bacon. While following Body for Life, how many calories should I be aiming for, I'm guessing 1000 calories a day is pretty small? (I'm 5'6", sig weights are accurate, and I'm 28 years old)

Also, I'm debating between joining a gym and building a home gym. Right now, the idea of a home gym is VERY appealing to me as it would cost about the same as a years worth at the Y, and my husband would be able to use it as well. The only problem is the lack of a personal trainer, so I'm scared at how daunting the task of figuring out what weight to use for which exercise, but knowing myself I know that the convenience of having it in my own home would make it much more likely that I'd follow the plan to a T.

I'd have about 1000$ to invest in a home gym, I'm not really sure where that money should be invested. I have the garage that I'd want to convert for this, as we don't have a car. Right now it's just used as storage. I already own some equipment: A good recumbent bike set up for interval-type training with a monitor, an exercise ball, a set of 20 pound dumbells, a set of 1 pound and 3 pound hand weights, ankle weights, resistance bands, 2 floor mats, a step, a heartrate monitor, a small 13 inch television that I could mount on the wall and a dvd player for something to watch/listen to while doing cardio or to use fitness DVDs (of which I own a variety). I seem to have most basics covered. To this I'd like to add some shelving to put everthing in it's space, and a home gym system (equipment, to make it easier... I know it's a different movement than freeweights, but I'm afraid of injuring myself). The problem is I'm completely CLUELESS as to what features to look for in a home gym. The exercises they list as the gyms being able to do, I don't know what they are. I'm in Canada, so my stores are limited. For example, this is the type of equipment offered at Sears, and I have no clue which is good and which is not?

Well, this is all pretty overwhelming for me right now, I don't know where to start! I'm mostly afraid of doing something wrong, or not using the correct weights etc.

[WendyOH]

Julie-Welcome!!!! You have made an incredible step by coming here to help reshape your body. Congratulations on all the success you've had so far, but as you've realized, there's a bit more to it than just nutrition alone There are MANY of us here who are coming off of very lowcarb plans, and I do not know anyone who has NOT been able to increase their carbs substantially. It is very scary at first. I did induction level Atkins for 2 years, followed by 60g carbs for the next year. Although I was at my goal weight, I was flabby and not happy eating as low calorie and lowcarb to maintain my weight. I have now completed 7 weeks of Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle, which is very similar to BFL. My weight has remained unchanged, but I have lost 9 inches!! Also, I have gradually increased both my carbs and calories. Two months ago I was eating 1300 calories and 60g total carbs. Five days per week I now eat 1600 calories and 140g carbs, and two days per week I cycle up my calories to 2000 and carbs to 200g. I cannot believe that I am able to eat this much and get smaller. I do 3 twenty minute HIIT cardio sessions and 3 strength training sessions per week. Here are some things you might want to consider:

1. If you are scared of increasing carbs, begin by adding carbs before and after your workouts. Your body will thank you and they will not be stored as fat. Some great starchy carbs to start with are oatmeal, brown rice, and sweetpotatoes.

2. Eat 5-6 meals per day. I had a hard time with this at first. I just didn't feel like eating. Once your metabolism kicks in, you'll find yourself very hungry every 2-3 hours; this is a good thing!

3. Slowly increase your carbs and calories each week. For your height, I would think you would want to shoot for at least 1500 calories per day minimum. Your body needs this fuel to workout and to show it that you are not starving and it will start to let go of the fat.

Once you start increasing your carbs and exercising heavily, you may want to avoid the scale for a couple weeks b/c your muscles will initially take on some extra water. This is NOT fat!!

During your carbier meals, use minimal fat.

4. Start taking measurements so that you can see those inches melt away!!

5. I don't have much advice for creating a home gym. I began by lifting in my home, with a set of adjustable dumbbells. I do my cardio at the fitness center at my apt complex and now my lower body workouts there as well.

6. Please join us in the daily thread and don't be afraid to ask more questions. This group is incredibly knowledgeable and supportive!!!!

[3-for-me]

Welcome, Julie! You've done an AWESOME job losing your weight so far. Way to go! First thing I would recommend is popping over to www.bodyforlife.com and reading about the program there. Then see if you can get your hands on the book at your library or a bookstore to have while you're using the program. Body for Life is a great program. A balanced way of eating, emphasizing moderate carbs, moderate protein and low fats which helps you to BUILD muscle and burn more fat. The author of the book, Bill Phillips also put together a 12-week challenge to give people more motivation to stick with it and work hard to goal. *If* you're at all interested in making your use of BFL into an official challenge, you need to register online before July 4th. There's information about that on the site. I've been working out and eating in a Body for Life way (5-6 meals, lots of weights, balanced protein good carb meals) for a couple months now, but decided to register to do the challenge cause the top prize is 1 million dollars this year and I WANT it!!! But you can compete with me if you want, that would be great!

Do come to the daily thread and ask lots of questions. So many really knowledgeable folks there. And STRONG women!

How cool that you have some funds to build a home gym. What a great beginning for you. I have free weights up to 60 or so lbs cause my dh lifts too and a weight bench for my lifting. I do all dumbell exercises. And I walk/jog outside and use step aerobics DVDs for my cardio.

You're going to be one strong and fit chica soon!

Jami

[DisneyPrincess]

Welcome. I just want to say I am no pro, but I do have a few comments. One, I am also very low carb and started BFL while on atkins. Since starting I have increased my carbs week by week and have not gained scale weight! The extra carbs really are doing me good. Like you I am terrified of the extra carbs which is why I am taking it slow. I do however eat other things like fruit and softer cheese (cottage cheese). Also, from what I have seen and observed your calories are REALLY low. I am 4'11 and eat 1250-1300 calories a day, and have been told this may be too little. I am working on trying to increase this number as well. One thing at a time though. I wish you luck. You'll find this group to be GREAT! and they know alot!

I dont know anything about a home gym, but I do my workouts from home with free weights, then on cardio days I either run outside or use the elliptical machine my gym has

[inatic]

Nice to see you on this side of the BB.

Your going to LOVE BFL, it is a great program.

All of the above advice is great. If your carbs are low, you may want to take it slow increasing them. PRE/POST workout are a great time to increase them as mentioned. Start by having protein with every meal, veggies, and then add br. rice, oats swt tator, beans and fruit post workout. THere is a sticky that shows in what order you can add carbs according to the atkins ladder, Adding carbs back in

your cals are very low, the do need to come up. Most women can eat atleast 1500 cals.

www.bodyforlife.com and www.exrx.net show exercise videos to help you demonstate how to do the workouts.

I started bfl with a home gym. It contained a bench with leg extention/curl, Ajustable Db set. I have upgraded it to better equipment and also have a memebership at a gym. It is nice to have lots of "toys" to play with.
IF you can find something with a high and low cable/lat pulldown, that would be great. You mentioned you already have the cardio equipment. Something like this would be great and you would probably never out grown it. http://us.home.lifefitness.com/content.cfm/rack Perhaps hunt around on sites. Or see if your local fitness stores carry something like this.

[SherryBerry]

Julie!

All the above information is great! I just wanted to wish you much success with BFL.

Join us in the "Daily Chat" thread...everyone is very supportive and helpful.

[Hazelsmrf]

Ok so, after sleeping on this and talking with my husband, I'm still pretty excited about the idea of doing this 12 week challenge program. It's a great timing since I'm going on a caribbean cruise in mid October, so I should finish the program slightly before then.

Still really wondering about the gym though. After reading all night about it, I really think freeweights would be better. I looked at the demonstrations and videos on the body for life site, and figure I could do those, I mean, I have the demonstrations right in front of me, how could I do them wrong?

So considering that, I went around online to see what kind of stock local stores carried. I couldn't find any big box thing like was recommended to me, but I found these:

These two are cheap (under 200$) and available at a store a few blocks from my house:





This one is simpler but is located at a store on the other side of the city from me:



Finally, this is about the only type of GYM I'd be able to afford, it's a precor:




So those are my options right now, the actual gym is really at the upper end of my price spectrum (even a bit over) but there is a fitness warehouse on the other side of town that sells used Precor equipment and they may have it more in my price range. It's iffy though.

Ok so now that that's out of the way, what about weights. As I said, I have a pair of light 1 and 3 pound hand weights which I figure won't do much good in a program like this.

I also have a set of York dumbells that contains 8 X 2.5 pound weights, and 4X 1.25 pound weights (well plus the weight of the bar). What other types of weights would a beginner typically need? The store has cast iron weight rings, in 5, 10, 25 and 35 lbs. I can also buy vinyl dipped dumbells in 2,4,5,7 and 10 lbs.

Also finally, when they say do a set of 12 reps, then a set of 10 reps with a higher weight, then a set of 8 reps etc, how much extra weight are you putting on? I'm I'm going by the York dumbells I have, the minimum amount of weight I'd be able to add on is 2.5 pounds (2 X 1.25 - I'm guessing you have to add the weight to both sides to keep the barbell balanced?) Isn't that a bit much, if your muscle is already straining to finish 12 reps at the lowest weight, you're adding alot of weight for just 2 less reps, and then after that you'd have to add on another 2.5, and another 2.5? That seems like an awful lot! And the idea of fiddling with the weights and getting them ready again when i'm supposed to be resting for a minute also seems unappealing? How do you guys do it?

[Hazelsmrf]

Ok I know I'm asking alot of questions, and yes I am going to buy the book tomorrow, I promise However I'm having questions about the menus.

As I said earlier, I'm currently on Atkins doing about 20-30 grams of carbs a day. I'd be interested in upping that some, and following a nutritional approach like the one here. (6 meals, moderate low-glycemic index carbs).

But... 6 MEALS. That's alot! I understand palm sized portion of protein, so I guess that would be like, slightly smaller than a boneless chicken breast? I typically grill my breasts on the foreman grill with an herb and garlic marinade, is this ok? Fist sized carbs, is this only veggies, or would other things work like, a banana, a slice of whole grain bread, cereal?

Would a breakfast like a bowl of all-bran cereal and some milk be good, I dunno what type of protein to add to that? Breakfast is a horrible time for me, I either need something I can make the night before, or something that literally takes 2 minutes to make, because I HATE waking up any earlier than necessary, I'm awake and out the door within 15 minutes flat, so my lunches and meals have to be prepared and set out the day before.

Edit: I'm admittedly horrible with food. I don't really enjoy cooking, and I really just like knowing what I'm going to be eating and when. If I could somehow come up with a balanced 7 day meal plan with the right amount of calories and the right amount of meals and the right balance of carbs to protein to fat, I wouldn't mind duplicating that same meal plan every week, it would actually make grocery shopping a ton easier. I don't really tend to get bored with what I eat. Do they have sample menus like this in the BFL book that I could switch around and tailor to my tastes? Or is this really a "you're on your own" type of thing.

[inatic]

julie, Your question are always welcome. The book will be a great source of reference and information. If you cant purchase it, try the library.

If *i* had to choose between the free weights and the precor set, I would actually chose the free weights, and try to find a rack to safely do squats and other exercises that might need some spotting. The bench noted with the lat pull down isnt very study but if can find one sturdier, that would be a bonus. Some online sites have free shipping. There are so many exercises that can be done with free weights while that unit is pretty limiting, but a good start.. You'll want to advance to something more, or free weights pretty quickly, so it might not be as good of an investment.
Also you might have a used sporting goods store like we have here in the states. It is called Play It Again Sports. Try the newspaper. THere must be stores that sell workout equipment? Nobody works out over there?

When chosing a wt, your not going to start out at the highest weight you can lift. For example.. Start with 2lbs for 12, 5lbs for 10,8lbs for 8, 10lbs for 6, 12 reps at 10, switch to second exercise for 12.

Part of doing a "challenge" is learning all aspects , nutrition, training, discipline, in all areas. It wont come fast and easy, you have to work at it. Some aspects might be easier than others.

As for the eating. The bfl site has a menu/plans if you chose to follow it. It is higher carb than you are currently eating. See here.. for the nutrition aspect. http://www.bodyforlife.com/nutrition/index.asp
BFL meals contain both a protein and a carb.. Cereal and milk are both considered carbs. Perhaps you can put some of that all bran in some cottage? That would be a balanced meal. If you cant eat 6 meals start with 4 or 5 BUT work on increase them OR add a bit more macros to eat meal so that your getting your meals/cals in.

If you using veggies, dont worry about how much your eating. you are NOT going to get fat/gain fat, eating veggies. Also here on the bfl bb we have a eating thread. It originally started with Lite and I, eating a trainers menu, others have joined in toward the last pages posting their menus.. for either bfl, bffm and atkins. . see here Today's Menu - Whatjya Eating? If you post a menu/etc we will help you tweak it.

Hth

[3-for-me]

Julie,

Here's a great site with info about food, working out, inspiration, etc. www.skwigg.com

Here are a couple of my quicker meals: 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and 1/4 cup frozen blueberries with pkt of splenda, quick, good protein and yummy. Diced apples with cinnamon and splenda are also good with cottage cheese. I usually have a whey protein shake with frozen strawberries once a day, usually post-my evening workout. Make a large salad with lots of veggies and 2 grilled/baked/whatever chicken breasts early in the day and then divide it in thirds for three of your meals. 3 oz tuna pouches are VERY handy for quick meals, I stir-fry some frozen veggies, dump in a tuna pouch and put a little soy sauce on top when it's done, serve with brown rice if you're doing whole grains. Check out the recipes at the top of this forum, there are GREAT oat/egg white pancake recipes and make-it-yourself protein bars. These could be made at the beginning of the week to have for a quick meal. I sometimes have an egg-white omelet later in the day, rather than for breakfast. Cottage cheese is your friend if you like it or aren't lactose intolerant. Good no-prep protein.

You're on your way!

Jami

[Hazelsmrf]

Thank you Ileen, I posted a menu that I've been working on in that thread There also is some used equipment stores around, but I don't have a car which hinders the process somewhat I will find something soon, am excited to purchase something and get started but don't want to rush into a purchase before I'm sure it's what I want. I can always start on freeweights without the bench for now and tailor the exercises accordingly. Of course there's absolutely no reason i couldn't start the cardio anyways!

Jami, thanks for the ideas, it filled out a blank spot on my menu And I will check out that link

Also, why does everyone have shakes on their menu? Is it not preferable to eat actual whole foods?

[SherryBerry]

Originally Posted by Hazelsmrf

Also, why does everyone have shakes on their menu? Is it not preferable to eat actual whole foods?

Sometimes it's a time saving thing. If you're not really hungry and it's time for a meal some people will have a shake instead of whole foods. I use shakes for my post workout meal because I workout very late at night and don't want a heavy meal sitting in my stomach when I go to bed.

[DisneyPrincess]

Hazel- just want to comment on the weight question you has since thats about all I do understand for real! I posted a full body workout on the thread you can look at, I am however at higher weights since I have been doing this for a while now. What inact said is right though. You start really low as your 1st 12 reps are just a warm up reallthen increase by only a few lbs each time. In BFL he has the highest weight at 6 reps, then back to the same weight you used to do the 8 reps to do the 2nd set of 12 reps, then a tad lighter to do the final set of 12 reps with a different exercise. Phew- does that make sence? Just look at my WO and maybe it will help!

[DiamondDeb]

Welcome Julie!

I'm glad you're joining us. You've gotten a lot of great advise already.

What wonderful motivation you have in the cruise! It really is perfect timing!

Yes, whole, unprocessed foods are better. As Sherri says, sometimes it is because they are convenient. I love my shakes; they're always a treat. They make me feel like I'm indulging a bit.

On the 5-6 meals per day, it may also help if you start with 3 meals but add small snacks in-between. Gradually increase them in size. I will seem like a lot of food to you at first. Stick with it though. Your body will get used to having more fuel & you'll discover you've got an appetite and that you're burning more calories!

Good luck!

[sassy_red]

This is a great thread and all very useful information! I'm thinking of also doing A lower carb version of BFL - likely no more than 30-40 carbs. Good to know about all the information available.

[terez]

I'm interested in weight training and have asked questions from others that lift; because of some injuries I have, I'm looking at a home gym. One cheap option is this thing that Chuck Norris advocates; sort of a pulley system using your own body weight as resistance. I don't know; it really looked boring; I can't see myself really using it; and I'm looking at the Bowflex2 also.

Thoughts?

[2bflawless]

Originally Posted by terez

I'm interested in weight training and have asked questions from others that lift; because of some injuries I have, I'm looking at a home gym. One cheap option is this thing that Chuck Norris advocates; sort of a pulley system using your own body weight as resistance. I don't know; it really looked boring; I can't see myself really using it; and I'm looking at the Bowflex2 also.

Thoughts?

This may get buried here. Why not start a whole new thread in this section? I know a lot of experienced weight lifters that lurk and post here. I am sure some will be able to help with your specific needs! Hopefully, Ileen will weigh in here.

[jamistar77]

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I love Wendys post here! This really helped me in the beginning!

[jamistar77]

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