Re: vegetables - do you want to lean out or swell up?

[Guest guest]

Vegetables are filling, they have fiber, vitamins and minerals, all that stuff.

That's not a good enough selling point for most people. How about they'll help

with your weight loss! It has to do with potassium/sodium balance and retaining

water. Fresh fruits and vegetables are loaded with potassium which acts as a

natural diuretic. The more FRESH leafy, crunchy, juicy stuff you eat, the faster

the scale will drop and the faster you'll see changes in things like your face,

your waistband, and the way your rings fit. Sodium has the opposite effect. If

you're eating a lot of canned processed, high-carb convenience foods, you're

going to be hanging onto more water weight and struggling to see changes. You

have to create a calorie deficit either way, but the more produce you eat and

the less processed your carb choices, the faster you're going to see changes.

Get Lean Menu:

1) egg whites, omelet vegetables, cantaloupe

2) deli turkey, grapes, celery sticks

3) chicken breast, giant leafy green garden salad

4) tuna pouch, strawberries, baby carrots

5) grilled salmon, lentils, broccoli

6) cottage cheese, apple

Swell Up Menu:

1) egg whites, 2 pieces of wheat toast

2) meal replacement shake

3) turkey, pita bread

4) tuna, wheat crackers

5) chicken, boxed rice mix

6) protein bar

I hope that sheds some light, or maybe makes somebody lighter. :-)

vegetables

The eating plan for BFL has been easy for me to work with. As I evaluate my

meals and experience over the last 8 weeks I would say I am lacking most in

getting the vegetables in. Does anyone know the reason for having at least 2

servings of veggies during the day? I know it's just healthy for a balanced

diet, but is there any harm done by not getting in all the required

vegetables.

I know that BFL says you need to follow the plan exact so I'm just wondering

if I would have a lack of progress based on not eating a sufficient amount of

vegetables.

K

[Guest guest]

Wow, - That's pretty eye opening.

And really good to know since my friend in Alaska and I have decided to do a

challenge together starting Monday. After looking at the two girls who tied

for first runner-up in the 25-32 (??)

(http://www.bodyforlife.com/finishers/2003/bios/bio.asp?comp=dana_and_deana_

engle) age group and their stats and what they went from and to, and

listening to Skinnieme's progress, I am convinced now that I can achieve

that goal. She is confident that we might actually have a chance at winning

something, and looking at the difference between those two menu's you listed

below is a real eye opener. I wouldn't have thought there was much

difference between the two - both have authorized foods in them.

We are both so psyched to do this together and enter as a team. If there

are any pro's out there (including ) that want to offer up some

coaching in diet or exercise or both, I'm sure we'd be glad to take it all

in! I'm at about 158 lbs right now, 5'6 " , probably around 20-22% body fat.

I'm looking to get to between 13 and 15% body fat in this next 12 weeks, and

I'm guessing that will put me somewhere between 145 and 150lbs. My husband

seems to think that I don't necessarily need to gain any muscle tissue (I'm

fairly muscular), but just lean and tighten up what I have going already.

I'm going to incorporate one of those last 2 weeks lean-out programs into

this challenge, along with the whole fake tan and professional pics thing.

So - sorry for the long and drawn out response, but we are both

super-psyched to really put our all into the next 12 weeks! Even if we

don't win anything, we will have some awesome bods to show for it! We

agreed that if we do win, we'll use some of the money to plan a trip to

actually meet in person, which we've never done.

Have a great weekend!

in WI

vegetables

>

>

> The eating plan for BFL has been easy for me to work with. As I

evaluate my

> meals and experience over the last 8 weeks I would say I am lacking most

in

> getting the vegetables in. Does anyone know the reason for having at

least 2

> servings of veggies during the day? I know it's just healthy for a

balanced

> diet, but is there any harm done by not getting in all the required

vegetables.

> I know that BFL says you need to follow the plan exact so I'm just

wondering

> if I would have a lack of progress based on not eating a sufficient

amount of

> vegetables.

>

> K

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'm a bit confused about this post m'dear. By " swell up " do you

mean in a " i want to gain big muscles but not particularly lose fat "

kind of way, or some other way?

Also, what's a tuna pouch?

in NZ

C1W6D7

> Vegetables are filling, they have fiber, vitamins and minerals,

all that stuff. That's not a good enough selling point for most

people. How about they'll help with your weight loss! It has to do

with potassium/sodium balance and retaining water. Fresh fruits and

vegetables are loaded with potassium which acts as a natural

diuretic. The more FRESH leafy, crunchy, juicy stuff you eat, the

faster the scale will drop and the faster you'll see changes in

things like your face, your waistband, and the way your rings fit.

Sodium has the opposite effect. If you're eating a lot of canned

processed, high-carb convenience foods, you're going to be hanging

onto more water weight and struggling to see changes. You have to

create a calorie deficit either way, but the more produce you eat

and the less processed your carb choices, the faster you're going to

see changes.

>

> Get Lean Menu:

>

> 1) egg whites, omelet vegetables, cantaloupe

> 2) deli turkey, grapes, celery sticks

> 3) chicken breast, giant leafy green garden salad

> 4) tuna pouch, strawberries, baby carrots

> 5) grilled salmon, lentils, broccoli

> 6) cottage cheese, apple

>

> Swell Up Menu:

>

> 1) egg whites, 2 pieces of wheat toast

> 2) meal replacement shake

> 3) turkey, pita bread

> 4) tuna, wheat crackers

> 5) chicken, boxed rice mix

> 6) protein bar

>

> I hope that sheds some light, or maybe makes somebody lighter. :-)

>

>

>

>

> vegetables

>

>

> The eating plan for BFL has been easy for me to work with. As I

evaluate my

> meals and experience over the last 8 weeks I would say I am

lacking most in

> getting the vegetables in. Does anyone know the reason for

having at least 2

> servings of veggies during the day? I know it's just healthy

for a balanced

> diet, but is there any harm done by not getting in all the

required vegetables.

> I know that BFL says you need to follow the plan exact so I'm

just wondering

> if I would have a lack of progress based on not eating a

sufficient amount of

> vegetables.

>

> K

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Too much glycogen gains from the processed carbs? The straight

processed carbs (crackers, bread, cereal) of which Skwigg speaks may

cause a larger insulin spike as opposed to holy fiberous straight

from the earth carbs (beans, corn, sweet potatoes).

Personally, the more veggies and beans (ahem) I include the fuller I

feel to where I could put away a box of Wheat Thins without

blinking. Plus, I laugh at myself when I consider a sandwich

a " cheat " meal.

Tuna in a pouch is from starkiss...sunkiss...something kiss(???) It

needs no draining and tastes a little better than canned tuna. I

really like the hickory flavor. It has a lot of sodium in it... I

loved sliced turkey breast and ham (lean of course) but the sodium

in it drives me batty. :-(

> > Vegetables are filling, they have fiber, vitamins and minerals,

> all that stuff. That's not a good enough selling point for most

> people. How about they'll help with your weight loss! It has to do

> with potassium/sodium balance and retaining water. Fresh fruits

and

> vegetables are loaded with potassium which acts as a natural

> diuretic. The more FRESH leafy, crunchy, juicy stuff you eat, the

> faster the scale will drop and the faster you'll see changes in

> things like your face, your waistband, and the way your rings fit.

> Sodium has the opposite effect. If you're eating a lot of canned

> processed, high-carb convenience foods, you're going to be hanging

> onto more water weight and struggling to see changes. You have to

> create a calorie deficit either way, but the more produce you eat

> and the less processed your carb choices, the faster you're going

to

> see changes.

> >

> > Get Lean Menu:

> >

> > 1) egg whites, omelet vegetables, cantaloupe

> > 2) deli turkey, grapes, celery sticks

> > 3) chicken breast, giant leafy green garden salad

> > 4) tuna pouch, strawberries, baby carrots

> > 5) grilled salmon, lentils, broccoli

> > 6) cottage cheese, apple

> >

> > Swell Up Menu:

> >

> > 1) egg whites, 2 pieces of wheat toast

> > 2) meal replacement shake

> > 3) turkey, pita bread

> > 4) tuna, wheat crackers

> > 5) chicken, boxed rice mix

> > 6) protein bar

> >

> > I hope that sheds some light, or maybe makes somebody lighter. :-

)

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > vegetables

> >

> >

> > The eating plan for BFL has been easy for me to work with. As

I

> evaluate my

> > meals and experience over the last 8 weeks I would say I am

> lacking most in

> > getting the vegetables in. Does anyone know the reason for

> having at least 2

> > servings of veggies during the day? I know it's just healthy

> for a balanced

> > diet, but is there any harm done by not getting in all the

> required vegetables.

> > I know that BFL says you need to follow the plan exact so I'm

> just wondering

> > if I would have a lack of progress based on not eating a

> sufficient amount of

> > vegetables.

> >

> > K

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

We can get tuna pouches here too, . I don't eat any other sort

now. They're in the same place as the tinned tuna in Foodtown.

They're like foil bags with flavoured tuna in and the small ones are

the perfect size to just dump on a slice of ww bread. I think

they're made by Sealord or West (lol, actually, I don't think we

have any other brands!). The best one for BFL purposes is the

Sundried Tomato and Herb flavour. If you're doing strict BFL watch

for any pouch with the word " dressing " on it, they usually have oil

of some kind (possibly ok if it's olive oil, just use it as a healthy

fat thing). They've all got nutritional stats on the back.

Phoenix

> I'm a bit confused about this post m'dear. By " swell up " do you

> mean in a " i want to gain big muscles but not particularly lose

fat "

> kind of way, or some other way?

>

> Also, what's a tuna pouch?

>

> in NZ

> C1W6D7

[Guest guest]

Well I've only just started eating tuna. I think I've had it 4

times. It was a scary thing for me, I've always felt repulsed by it

for some reason! It took a lot of builing up to it - my partner

would make tuna things for himself and try and coax me to taste a

bit. Eventually the desire to do BFL won out over my silly phobia

and I tried it. And I think I liked it. I think I still do. My

mind is telling me it's the worst thing in the world, but my taste-

buds are arguing. In any case, I'll be sure to look out for the

pouches! You also mention WW bread - do we HAVE weight watchers

bread? I had no idea! What does the packet look like?

in NZ

C1W7D1

> > I'm a bit confused about this post m'dear. By " swell up " do you

> > mean in a " i want to gain big muscles but not particularly lose

> fat "

> > kind of way, or some other way?

> >

> > Also, what's a tuna pouch?

> >

> > in NZ

> > C1W6D7

[Guest guest]

Good luck with the tuna-phobia! The flavoured ones will help a

lot, I don't think much of plain tuna. Blah.

Oops, sorry, I'm afraid ww = wholewheat. I have no idea if Weight

Watchers even makes bread.

Btw, did you really send Skwigg a care package of NZ chocolate? I

laughed my head off when I saw her latest blog entry! At this rate

you could start an internet business. You could call your

website " www.freeday.co.nz " !

Oh, and keep plugging away! Please, don't let the mid-challenge blues

get to you. You've done so very well over the last 7 weeks, and I

know how hard it is to push on past this point, where all the shiny

newness has worn off. Believe me, it is worth it in the end.

All the best,

Phoenix

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much for posting the swell up menu, it really helped

clarify things for me. So much so I went to the grocery store and

bought some apples, it's a start, cantelope isn't in season yet.

I now realize that I was making to many processed carb choices. I

also realized that I don't always have to have a sandwich for lunch,

this week I am going to focus on having a salad with my protien of

choice on top and an apple or a yogurt. It actually ends up being

more food!

[Guest guest]

Kathy,

Do you add a carb to this?

> > Retaining too much water does a terrible thing to your mindset.

> When your clothes get tighter, and your measurements don't change,

> and the scale goes up - that makes you doubt your whole program and

> tempts you to quit. However, it only hinders fat loss if the

> frustration causes you to chuck the whole effort and order a

> pizza. :-)

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Re: vegetables - do you

> want to lean out or swell up?

> >

> >

> > is there actually anything wrong with retaining water like

> that?

> > would it hinder fat loss?

> >

> > in NZ

> > C1W7D1

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Sure you can add fruit or black beans to this. It's just a quick

meal that I keep handy.

> > > Retaining too much water does a terrible thing to your

mindset.

> > When your clothes get tighter, and your measurements don't

change,

> > and the scale goes up - that makes you doubt your whole program

and

> > tempts you to quit. However, it only hinders fat loss if the

> > frustration causes you to chuck the whole effort and order a

> > pizza. :-)

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > Re: vegetables - do

you

> > want to lean out or swell up?

> > >

> > >

> > > is there actually anything wrong with retaining water like

> > that?

> > > would it hinder fat loss?

> > >

> > > in NZ

> > > C1W7D1

> > >

> > >

> > >