Well here we are at the beginning of the new year. I noticed at the gym the other night that the fitness rush is on. We saw a lot of new faces last week!

I'm still working at it. Although I must say I'm feeling a bit unenthusiastic today. I think it's because my fat loss has slowed down. I'm sure it's a combination of holiday treats and being close to goal. I'm thinking that things should start moving again now that the holidays are over. At least I didn't go backwards! I got some new workout clothes the other day with some Christmas money I received. It's nice to have something a little more stylish as a reward for all this working out!

Sherri, I emailed you about BRX and BFL. I hope you got it. When do you think you might get started? I'd go ahead and buy the book rather than wait on the library for this one if you can.

Joy, what about you? Are you going to start the Strong Women program? Are you going to work out at home or the gym?

Well talk to you all later!

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2003

Answers

Denise I did get your email, thanks so much! My mom gave me a Waldenbooks giftcard for Christmas so I went ahead and bought the Body for Life book on Monday and I've already finished reading it. It's a slow day at work today so I've been going to other websites and printing lost of stuff off to read later. I'm next in line for the Body Rx book at the library, I should have it by this weekend. And I went ahead and ordered a copy of the Protein Power Lifeplan from Half.com.

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2003

I got an "Ouch" when I tried to do this all in one post, so let's see if breaking it up into two parts works.....

When I first started talking about doing Atkins Keith said he would do it along with me. However when he read the book he decided that it was much more stringent than what he wanted to bother with, so I've been doing it solo. Monday I talked to him about the Body for Life program and how the diet is more moderate and how it also includes weight lifing to increase the fat burning. He said he would be much more interested in that sort of thing, he used to lift weights and work out on a rowing machine when he was in the Army. So we started talking about joining a gym versus working out at home and we both decided that with our busy schedules and long commutes that a home gym would probably be the best option. I said that I would start scouting around the used sporting goods stores for some dumbells and a bench, and he confessed that he's actually been wanting a Bowflex for a while now. So we're going to take the Christmas money from his mom and my profit sharing check from work and buy a Bowflex! Now I'm really psyched up.

I understand the new workout clothes as a motivator. When I used to run my buddy Lois and I always wore stylish outfits, our theory was that we may not run fast but we look good doing it. We joked that we were going to design a line of sportswear that had one of those big orange "slow moving vehicle" triangles on the back! :) I bought a bikini yesterday for my "before" picture. I want the picture to be really horrible, I figure seeing those droopy butt cheeks and potbelly in full color will be an excellent motivator!

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2003

Denise, I bought some weights to use at home. I just haven't gotten going on a program! :-( Like Sherri, I don't think I have time to go out to a gym. You know, I've had this dog for 18 months, walk her every day, twice a day -- I didn't lose one ounce from that exercise as far as I can tell. My "wind" did improve, perhaps I built some muscle in my legs. {shrug}

I am feeling gnarly and snarly. I seem to have hit a plateau. I don't know which came first, my attitude or the plateau, but I'm not a very happy camper right now. I am perservering in the eating plan, but can't work up any enthusiasm for learning and doing exercises. :-( The weather has turned dull and boring -- perhaps that is part of the problem. I notice that I am much more energetic and enthusiastic when the sun is shining.

-- Anonymous, January 02, 2003

Sherri C., one of my coworkers has been on that 'Body for Life' diet for the past three months. He does look and appear much healthier. He also reports that his energy, at first pretty tired, now has increased.

The diet change was a major adjustment, but the major regrets were only for the first couple of weeks. Once you are used to the diet, he sez the rest falls right into place.

Good luck with the program.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

JR mentioned his friend finding the BFL nutrition was an adjustment. I'm guessing he went from a very high carb diet to BFL and it may have seemed restrictive or very different to him. My experience and that of others who have been on low carb programs find BFL absolutely luxurious within reason. I eat fruit, wheat bread, wheat pasta, and Wasa fiber rye crackers to name a few of the things that were no no's on Atkins until maintenance. It seemed like a whole new world opened up. BFL is more moderate and varied making it easier to stick with. I love Atkins though. It got me over my sugar addiction and gave me a chance to start over with carbs. I lost quite a bit of weight with it and that motivated me to exercise again.

Cycle one of BRX calls for 2 grams of carbs limit per pound of body weight and then reduces that requirement a bit with each cycle. That's way higher than I would ever eat now. But it gives people a chance to reduce their carbs without suffering too much in the beginning. It amazes me that 2 grams per body weight would be a reduction in carbs for many people especially after eating Atkin's style for a few months.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

Joy, I am definitely the same way about the sunshine; in fact I've been aware of it most of my life. In college they used to call me "sunshine" for that very reason.

Even with all its faults, I was usually in a pretty good mood when I lived in LA. Here, the winters and the weeks of non-stop rain really can get to me; using the 'happy lights' helps a wee bit, but not much. I have LOTS more energy when I wake up to sunshine. When its cloudy, I have to force myself to get up. I really should move to Hawaii I think, or somesuch.

I'm very curious about this business of you not being able to eat raw veggies. Are you saying that your Chinese medicine practitioner thinks this is perfectly ok, that this is not caused by some imbalance in your digestion that can be corrected? I have never heard of this before, except in people whose system has become out of whack. Seems like one would be missing a whole lot of nutrition benefits, not to mention bowel health, if one ate no raw veggies?

I watched Oprah yesterday; I just love that woman. She's such an inspiration! She seems to have conquered her one big remaining demon: her weight, and this time doing it permanently. It sounds like she's happy about her new lifestyle instead of tolerating it like before when she always slipped back into her old habits.

I jumped on the exercise bike this morning that has been sitting in Bren's room acting as a clothes hanger! Man am I out of shape! But it felt good!

I like the idea of journaling, in this case about one's food and how one feels when eating it. It goes along with a motto I and the kids try to remember every day: What have I done today to make myself feel proud? It's from a TV commercial, but I think its a wonderful inspiration to build up one's mental health and keep open those doors to self-love.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

thanks for the good wishes JR. Since I've been doing Atkins for a little over a month I don't think the Body for Life nutrition will be that difficult of a change for me.

Denise, I know what you mean about the differences in carbs between the plans! I know the BFL book says you can just use your palm and fist to estimate portion sizes but I'm much too anal-retentive for that much guessing so I've been running some numbers. I'm aiming for a 40%40%20% split between protein, carb, and fat. If I follow the recommendation of 1g protein per pound of lean body weight then that's 100g protein and 100g carb per day. Holey moley! I've been eating 20g carb per day and now I get to eat almost that much per meal! I've started to gradually ramp up my carbs for the transition, today I had a cup of chili with beans for lunch and it was so good! BTW, where do you get that protein powder you mentioned on the low carb board?

EM, I hate these days where I drive both to and from work in the dark. I wouldn't even mind the cold if the sky was blue. It's good that you're exercising, it's supposed to help with SAD. Get those happy little endorphins flowing! :)

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

EM, I really like Oprah too. I have been thinking about mentioning a book I heard of on her "favorite things" show. It's called the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Have you ever heard of it? I just finished reading it and felt it had many important things to say. I'm going to read it again. Just what I learned in the first time reading it has helped me to find peace in the situation with my daughter and move on.

Sherri, I bought the Nature's Best Isopure no/low carb powder at the gym. They have sample night every Tues. so you can find what suits your palate. I'm still working on the same 3 lb. canister from when I started because I use it only once a day at the most. When I buy it again I will either buy it online or from ebay. If you do a search let me know what you find the best price to be. I think you are going to be blown away at how much you will enjoy the BFL food after being so strict with Atkin's. I think you are being wise in getting ready for the change. But still pay attention to what may not agree with you. I don't seem to be very sensitive but there are others who have posted that certain things bother them digestively or get their cravings going. How do you like the idea of free day?

Joy, I'm sorry you're feeling off. I know you may not be in the mood for exercising but if you do, it might really help your mood. I usually feel much better once I get moving. It's helped to keep me sane through a few rough spots lately. I hope you feel better. : )

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

I just found out that Bowflex takes 5 weeks to ship once you order one! I want one now! Waaah! I've been looking at ebay but I'm a little nervous about buying something that large and expensive there. What do you all think?

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

Sherri, we've bought all kinds of stuff from ebay, including cars and motorcycles. Pay close attention to the seller's record, and dont buy from anyone with complaints. When buying new stuff from a seller with lots of satisfied former customers, your risk is very small, IMO.

-- Anonymous, January 03, 2003

OK, I put in a bid this morning. Now it's less than 1 hr left in the auction and I'm the high bidder, but right at my maximum bid. I hope I don't get sniped! I'm watching a couple other auctions just in case.

-- Anonymous, January 05, 2003

Did you get it, Sherri?

EM wrote: "I'm very curious about this business of you not being able to eat raw veggies. Are you saying that your Chinese medicine practitioner thinks this is perfectly ok, that this is not caused by some imbalance in your digestion that can be corrected? I have never heard of this before, except in people whose system has become out of whack. Seems like one would be missing a whole lot of nutrition benefits, not to mention bowel health, if one ate no raw veggies?"

My doctor doesn't consider it an imbalance per se. The acupuncture and herbs work on anything that is "out of balance". BUT it's a weakness in my ability to digest certain things -- partially hereditary (boy and how, I see so many similarities to my father's digestive problems!) and partially due to climate. In the summer or warm weather (like if I went to Florida or Hawaii in the winter), I can eat more raw things (like fruits) or have cold drinks. In cold weather, foods need to be cooked and drinks tepid or warm.

One size does not fit all, so really, is it surprising that people have different digestions? She can help me somewhat with the acupuncture and herbs, but I will never have an easy time with some foods. Including wheat, just as Bren can't eat wheat. Think of raw veggies being just as intolerable for me. Eating the wrong things is what puts me "out of whack". :-(

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Ouch! --- second part . . . . .

As for the fiber and nutrients, properly cooked foods do still have nutrients in them, though there is some loss. Fiber from raw foods does me no favors -- my digestive system has great difficulty breaking them down. Cooking begins the digestive/breakdown process and actually makes it possible for me to digest certain foods. After all, if eating a raw food give you diarrhea (which many of them do to me), not much nutrition will be absorbed as the body whizzes the offending food out quick to get rid of it! Not to mention the loss of fluid. I hope this explains it somewhat. Ask more questions if not.

I have been up and down all over the place with feeling blah, then better, etc. I am blaming it on the weather and being under a lot of stress right now. The cats are at war with each other (literally), and I am having to keep them separated. The plan is to gradually re- introduce them to each other. I don't know what happened, but something did, and now they hate each other. They both seem to think that the other is going to attack, so then they fight -- blood curdling screams, fur flying, etc. Plus the dog ate something while out on a walk -- snatched and gulped before I could stop her -- and now she has diarrhea again. I spent two hours cleaning up the messes today. Two hours that I didn't have to spare. I feel like sitting in a corner banging my head against the wall and howling. So, my mental health isn't too good right now. And it's late, so I should go to bed. Soon.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

THIRD part! Grrr!

Today was weigh day again -- I gained a little. So now I am going to be careful about weighing/measuring food, and keeping a food diary, to see if that helps. And I'm thinking about exercising. Of course, I was going to try getting started today, but gave up that notion after spending the two hours cleaning the carpet. My back hurts from that, plus it used up all the available "spare time" (whatever that is).

Well, this was a cheery post, wasn't it? I'll try to be more positive in the future.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Yep, I got it! The second highest bidder came back at five minutes left and outbid me, so I bumped up my maximum bid by $25 and got him right at the wire. Maybe I should consider ebaying as exercise, that sure got my heart pumping.

Joy, I kinda remember from the smattering of Chinese medicine I had during my herbalism apprenticeship about people who needed to have their food cooked and drinks warm. I think they call it a yang deficiency of the stomach or something like that. Just wondering, have you tried taking digestive bitters before meals? Now that I'm drinking more water I've noticed that I can drink more if its at room temp rather than cold.

EM, I picked up a bag of almond flour at the health food store this weekend. They just had it sitting on the shelf but I was wondering if it would be better to keep it in the fridge?

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Sherri, I keep the nut flour cold; its just out in the garage now (one thing that IS nice about winter!) but I stick it in the freezer or Lotus' frig downstairs when its warm out. (My containers are big gallon size ones). Congrats on your BowFlex! I betcha you'll have lots of fun with it (at least while its still new and fun!)

My first thought was about the digestive enzymes too, but then I've already covered that ad nauseum, so people can take what they wish. Wondering how long you have had this condition Joy? I'm really sorry you're having such a tough time. Your dog problem is the biggest reason I hate carpeting. Wood or tile or stone floors are so easy to keep clean! By the way, what do you do for a living anyway that you are always so busy?

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Conrats on the bowflex Sherri!

And call me nosy but I want to know what Joy does for a living too! I don't recall her ever talking about it.

Joy, I hope you are feeling better this morning.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Joy and Julie can't tell us what they do because it's a "family" business, remember? I think they're the Wisconsin version of the Sopranos.

You don't even want to know what(who) goes into their compost pile..... hehehehe

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Hey, maybe we wanna join the 'family'! And yes, being the relentless snoop I am, I DO wanna know what's in the compost!

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

No bodies, I assure you, Sherri -- they don't compost all that well (or quickly). Heh heh, Julie is a devotee of the composting forum at GardenWeb! :-)

Seriously, the money earning situation gets the attention that it needs. The problems come in with the animal situation. Their proper care seems to be more than a full time job in itself, especially when you factor in that their "proper care" includes playing with and interacting with them and social time. These are needs, not optional. Add in all the stuff like house maintenance, self maintenance, etc. and my plate is full.

I did it to myself, yes, I admit it. No one forced me to take on these animals. But, now that I have them, I can't just give them up. They're like my children. Being without them, I would have more time, but my emotional situation would be so miserable, it wouldn't be worth it. Abandoning animals would so violate my moral code that I would no longer be able to live with myself. So, I'm stuck dancing on the daily tightrope of my life.

The computer is my escape, and my opportunity to sit down and rest my back.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

{sigh}

EM, I think about hard flooring, but it's the only room where I can confine her and where she can get some exercise (other than going on walks) -- don't forget this is an 83 lb. German Shepherd. Since I can't have a fenced yard (condo), other forms of exercise are important. If the flooring was hard, she couldn't chase her squeaky toys without slipping and probably injuring herself. Since I know nothing of her breeding, her inherited hip status is unknown.

I gotta get a place with a fenced yard. I'm working towards that, but a lot of things get delayed due to the day-by-day additional hassles.

Sherri, congrats on getting the Bowflex. Let us know when you've gotten it and had time to try it out.

And I do take digestive enzymes. They help, but they can't do everything.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

On my way home from work tonight I stopped at GNC to check out their prices on some protein supplements. I studied up on them a bit beforehand so I wouldn't look so ignorant in front of all of those bodybuilder types. I asked the clerk for a particular brand (the one Denise recommended) and he says to me "So, you're getting ready for that gastric by-pass surgery, right?"

Granted, it was cold out so I had on a bulky sweater and a heavy jacket, but I didn't think I looked that bad. I didn't buy anything there, I just came home and cried.

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

?? Sherri, I assumed that meant that the protein supplement is what the gastric bypass victims, er, patients use. I don't think it necessarily meant that the guy thinks you need the procedure. Besides, most guys are pretty clueless! ;-)

-- Anonymous, January 06, 2003

Sherri, don't let the moron at the health food store get ya down! To tell you the truth, some of the most obnoxious people I've met have been at supplement shops. They fancy themselves experts, like to give unsolicted lectures, and obviously have no clue about gastric bypasses. We've seen your photos; there's no way you'd be a candidate anyway cuz they only do them on severely obese people.

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2003

I know, it's just that my self-esteem has been a little shaky lately to it hit me harder than it should have. I had myself a little pity party but I'm ok now. Once I get buff and sexy I'll just go back to the store and kick that clerk's butt! :)

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

I'm glad you didn't let that clerk get you down for very long. He was a jerk! I wasn't aware that bypass "victims" used this type of product. but I guess that makes sense. They would need to have a way to get adequate protein without taking up much space in their tummy. When you are ready we'll both go and beat this guy up! : ) LOL!

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Denise, I just sent you an email so I wouldn't bore everyone else with my BFL nutrition question. Thanks for your help!

I'm getting paranoid about my bowflex. I paid for it on Sunday evening via PayPal. I sent an email to the seller to let him know I had paid and asking if he could please email me the tracking number once it was shipped. Yesterday I checked with my bank and the money had been withdrawn from my account, so I sent another email asking if he had received the payment and when the item would ship. This email bounced back to me because the email address he used for the auction is no longer valid. PayPal had another email address listed for him so I sent the message there, it didn't bounce but I still haven't heard anything. I checked this seller out before I bid and he only had positive feedback and it covered about a year's time, including some recent sales.

I know, I just need to take a deep breath and chill! :-]

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Sherri, has he contacted you at all? Did you receive notice of the end of auction with congratulations and his instructiions on how to pay, etc?

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

I got the end of auction notice that I'd won and an email from him with how much the shipping would be. That was Sunday evening, I haven't heard a peep since then.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Sherri, I just checked the hotmail and I haven't received anything from you. Would you like to try again?

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Rats! It looks like AOL ate my email to you Denise because it's not in my sent mailbox. In a nutshell I just wanted to know if you kept track of your daily carb and protein grams or if you just did the "hand and fist portion size" method from the book, and if you had any opinion on the question I posted on the BFL board at low carb friends yesterday regarding Impact Carbs. (I think I figured that one out on my own) :)

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

I know how you feel, Sherri. It IS nerve-wracking sometimes waiting for these people to respond, but try not to worry. He hopefully is just behind in his correspondence, but you're right, he should have contacted you as soon as he received the money to ease your mind.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

I didn't see your question about impact carbs. But impact carbs are total carbs minus sugar alcohols and fiber. What is left are the impact carbs or the ones you count because they have an impact on blood sugar level.

And as far as hand/fist, I'm a lot like you are Sherri. I was too anal to do that in the beginning. I used fitday.com to find out how many carbs/protein were in a serving to guage whether I had things balanced and in proper portions. After awhile I became familiar with portion sizes in relation to nutrients and no longer have to do that. But sometimes if I'm eating something I'm not familiar with in that regard, I will resort to the palm/fist method. It's probably not the most accurate method, but i'm sure it keeps you in the ball park.

I hope you hear about your bowflex soon.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Well my worst fear just came true. I got ripped off on ebay. The Bowflex auction was a fake. The "seller" was using a stolen aol email address. The real owner of the address (Reggie) called me tonight to let me know that he doesn't have a Bowflex for sale. This "seller" has used this email address for at least 5 other auctions selling Bowflex equipment in the past week. It's a huge mess. Reggie is contacting the fraud dept. at ebay.

There is one bright spot, it appears that I'm not out any money. The "seller" asked me to pay for the auction via a direct wire transfer to his bank account. I didn't do that, I paid via paypal and thank the gods the money went to Reggie instead of the fake seller. Reggie is sending me a refund.

I guess I'll just have to curb my enthusiasm a bit for starting my workout program. I just placed an order directly through Bowflex and it should be shipped in about 5 weeks. :(

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Sheesh! I've bought lots of stuff on eBay, but never anything that big. I guess that would be a warning sign -- if they wanted a direct wire transfer. Sorry Sherri! :-(

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Wow, Sherri, this just isnt your week is it!? Thank goodness you didn't get ripped off really, since you're not out any money, and goddess bless Reggie is an honest man!

I'll assume you'll file a complaint of your own, to help verify and bring this creep to justice. So sorry this happened though; guess there are unscrupulous characters any ol where, but ebay does have a pretty good reputation for gettin on em right away from what I hear.

-- Anonymous, January 08, 2003

Like joy said, I've bought stuff from ebay before but not anything large like a bowflex. That took some balls to try to get away with cheating someone on such a large item like that. Well, I'm glad it didn't work! :) Maybe your bowflex will get there sooner than 5 weeks. I think some companies say longer in order to not be late if something were to slow down the shipping process.

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2003

Heh heh heh! I found this article just now. I don't agree with the author's conclusions entirely, but parts of it were amusing: LINK

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2003

Yeah, Barbara's right on the money in my book, as usual!

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2003

Good news and more good news! I called Bowflex and they said the 5 weeks for delivery is a worst-case scenario, right now they're averaging 2-3 weeks for delivery. So there's a good chance I'll have it in time for the next official Body for Life challenge starting January 27th.

The other good news is that I was able to fit into a smaller size of jeans this weekend. They were still a little snug, but it was more of the "just out of the drier and need to stretch" snug as opposed to the "turning purple and gasping for air" snug. :-) I've lost 12 lbs so far with just diet and now I'm ready to kick it up a notch by adding exercise.

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2003

Well, that IS good news, Sherri! Keep going! Keep going! Keep GO GO GO GOING! GOOOOOOOOO! SHERRI! (shouted cheerleader style)

I just received these new protein bars that everyone is raving about on the exercise boards called Detour Bars. The nutritional info is really great: 32 protein, 21, carbs, 9 fat, 290 cals.It's the size of a king size candy bar. I just tried one for lunch and it was pretty good. I'm thinking though that once these are gone that I probably won't order more though. I think the Balance Gold bars I buy at Sam's are just as good tasting and are less expensive and easier to get. The Detour bars have less sugar in them and are sweetened with splenda where BG has real sugar in them. So if you are someone who can't handle sugar the Detours are probably the way to go. Neither would work into a low carb nutrition program but they work great for a moderate carb program like BFL or BRX.

We just finished cycle 1 of BRX (strength building). We made a decision to go back to BFL today rather than to continue with cycles 2 and 3 of BRX. I am getting bored and need more variety of exercises. But I tend to get bored easily and will probably do another round of bulking for a change after this new 12 week challenge. I've been excited all weekend to get back to the gym and start BFL again! I'm hoping to lose another 4% of body fat like I did the first round. That would get me down to 21%!!! Wish me luck!!

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2003

Right back at you girl! :) Go Denise! Go Denise! Go Denise!

Keep this up and you're going to have abs like a cheese grater! Do you think that the first BRX cycle helped your strength any? I'm glad that you posted about the Detour bars because I was thinking about getting some. I'm not a big chocolate fan so I think I'll stick with the Myoplex apple cinnamon.

-- Anonymous, January 13, 2003

Well we are about to finish the workout portion of our first week back on BFL. It's been great and we are sore! But a good sore, not the I can hardly sit on the toilet sore like at the very beginning. It's so nice to do some different exercises.

I have come to some realizations lately. I still love working out and being back at the gym. And we are working at it as hard as ever. I'm still very happy about it. But I've also noticed that I'm getting tired of weighing and measuring myself and taking pics. Actually I took pics up until the 10th week of the first challenge but never took an after. We did 6 weeks of strength training and still no pics! I was getting too hung up on results rather than the experience. I may take some pictures in about month or maybe I won't. If I do, it will be because I'm curious and not because I've planned it on the calendar. I think that this is a good sign! LOL! I think this means that this whole thing has actually become part of my life again and not a job or something to be obsessed about. I don't even have to think about planning food that much anymore! I'm happy with how this has evolved.

So I thought I would let you know about this (what I think is) progress even though it's different type of progress than what I have been posting about before.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2003