Re: TY 4 input on meals-more ?'s on calorie countin

[Guest guest]

Listen to on the bulky leg issue. I felt my thighs getting

larger in the first few weeks of BFL, too, but I stuck with it because

I could also feel the muscles under the flab getting firmer. And

ultimately, it WILL work because:

Healthy food + Calorie restriction + Exercise = Smaller, Leaner You

Check out my before/after pic after two challenges if you are in

doubt. I most definitely had some hippy-chick, flabtastic thigh

action going on before I started BFL. Even now, I'd say that my thigh

circumference has only decreased by 1.5 " at most, but the distribution

of fat and muscle has changed dramatically. Most of my fat was up

higher on my hips and thighs before, so that's where my pants loosened

up first. However, because my quads have grown thanks to all of the

heavy-duty squats from BFL and Max-OT, jeans that fit my waist and

hips now tend to cling a bit to my lower thigh area right above the

knee. Them's the breaks, I guess...

http://maggiewang.com/photos/challenge2/Front_2compare

Eventually, that subcutaneous fat *will* go away if you eat clean and

hit your workouts. More importantly, after the initial newbie muscle

gains you'll see when you first start weight training, you will find

it VERY difficult to build additional skeletal muscle while

essentially functioning at a caloric deficit. You'll retain what you

have and improve strength, but you'd have to increase your calories

beyond what BFL portion size rules amount to (generally 1200-1600

calories for a woman) if you want to really increase muscle mass.

Maggie, who is now shoveling down 2000-2200 calories a day to build

some muscle

> What's happening to your legs is extremely common. If you're feeling

> big and clunky the problem isn't your new lean muscle, it's the old

> familiar fat that's still covering it. Thighs are what cause most

> women to completely freak out. I'll bet if we took a poll of female

> Body for Lifers, most women would tell you that their thighs got a

> little bigger before they got smaller. It's one of those BFLisms where

> if I had a nickel for every time I heard it I'd be rich. :-) It's

> muscle gain. Once the fat loss catches up, you'll have some sleek,

> rock hard, jiggle free legs that are smaller than what you started

> with. Witness the fat and muscle comparison photo:

> http://www.skwigg.com/fat_and_muscle.jpg

>

> Quite a few women never get there though. They gain 3/4 inch in their

> thighs the first 2 weeks of training, wig out, and go back to being

> flabby sissies. If they'd stuck it out for 12 weeks, they'd have found

> that after 6-8 weeks the fat loss catches up and their legs start

> looking amazing! It's not unusual for the measurements in your arms,

> legs, and hips to go up slightly at first but then drop like rocks. At

> the end of a 12 week transformation you'll be inches smaller all the

> way around. Most people don't stick it out though. The " waaaaaah, I'm

> getting bulky " phenomenon is an excellent excuse to quit and go back

> to something safely ineffective. Change is scary.

>

[Guest guest]

I noticed when I started weight training and running again with BFL,

my actual thigh measurement barely moved, but if you were to measure

actual width from the front, THAT measurement definitely shrank. I

suspect that as your hip flab/saddlebags leave the outside of your

legs, the growth in your quads and hamstrings in the fronts and backs

of your legs sort of balance out the fat loss, giving you a leaner,

tighter look from the front view, and a stronger profile view to your

legs.

Look at these two pictures of fitness model Hourin and notice how

lean and, well, *not wide* her legs look from the back...then check

out how her quads and hams make the side view of her legs look larger

than what you'd see on a gal who was just skinny vs. buff

Back- http://www.lisahourin.com/smalllisafullback.jpg

Side- http://www.lisahourin.com/CaptCrunchpelvictilt.jpg

Maggie

>

> I am going through the same thing right now. After 4 weeks, I gained

> an inch or two on my thighs and a bit on my calves. I was annoyed at

> first, but at 8 weeks when I did my measurements and pictures, the

> inches still hadn't come off, but my thighs looked more firm and the

> weird thing is, they looked smaller, even though there were more

> inches on them.

[Guest guest]

I too have struggled with my huge thighs... Someone mentioned about

pants fitting nicely around waist but tight around thighs... that is

me... However listening to all you ladies... I am not frettin' over

it... I know that it will all work out in the end... I am excited

about my upcoming pics... (will take them on the 9th of Jan)... I

really think I can see some changes when I look in the mirror...

Have a great day!!

Juls

> >

> > I am going through the same thing right now. After 4 weeks, I

gained

> > an inch or two on my thighs and a bit on my calves. I was

annoyed at

> > first, but at 8 weeks when I did my measurements and pictures,

the

> > inches still hadn't come off, but my thighs looked more firm and

the

> > weird thing is, they looked smaller, even though there were more

> > inches on them.