Hello!

[Guest guest]

Hey, Lil--

I had a similar reaction. OK, I didn't cry all day, but I was totally

horrified. I thought I was just overweight, I saw pictures of a FAT person. A

SQUARE fat person. It was truly a wake up call. If I think about dumping the

program, all I have to do is to look at those horrible pictures. That's a big

motivator for me.

I used to wonder how fat people could stand to look at themselves, and I

realized that they don't see what we see. I didn't see what my family and

friends saw. I didn't realize how my belly was sticking out. How the back fat

was always there, not just when I bent. I think that those pictures are the

main reason I have been attacking this program!

Buck up. You've taken the first step, and they say that's the hardest. I'm only

in the third week (last cardio tomorrow then free day Friday) but pretty soon I

will be in the eighth week, and then I will be done with the challenge, and I

will look so different! It's all we can do. : )

Best Regards,

beth

Hello!

Hiya All! I just joined and thought I'd say hello.

I started my challenge on Monday, Sept. 18th. So I am a REAL newbie!

I am excited...my goal is fat loss...lots of fat loss.

So I had a question. I took my before pics and I literally spent most

of the day Sunday crying. Have any of you experienced this?

I knew I was out of shape, but those pics showed me *how* out of shape

and I got the feeling were meant to be somewhat inspirational? I

thought I remembered Bill recommending to look at them frequently to

keep a person on-track. I am from Idaho and all I think when I see

them is that I LOOK like a potato!!!!

Feel free to call me a big cry-baby! Honest! But when I look at them,

I still get almost hysterical.. .can anyone relate? Or am I, for sure,

going crazy???

On an up-note, I hit a 10 on my cardio yesterday and am STILL sore in

my pecs from my arm workout on Monday...

Looking forward to bonding with you all and having ya kick me in the

tookis when I need it!

lil

[Guest guest]

Well, I kind of suck at introductions...I'm a 20 year old college

student who has too many bad habits, so I am here to see people with

better habits. You folks are working to improve yourselves, and I

could surely use some of that. I study all the time, and when I'm not

studying, I am playing a computer game or working on labs. This

semester, though, I'm taking a PE class--and instead of cheating and

marking time down that I didn't do, I want to make the most of it. It

seems like I am always either eating a pbj sandwich (yum) or a piece

of pizza. Or that new cinnabon bread we've been getting. And it

wouldn't be so bad, except that I can't seem to get the taste for

real food back. I don't want to end up like a girl who went to

college and got fat, but my butt is indicating to me that that is

happening very rapidly. On the other hand, I have no idea what to do

and I don't remember how to work out after three years of sitting on

my can. I've pretty much been doing cardio so far since I can't think

of a decent routine. Any page recommendations?

I thank you in advance ^o^ . And...in case you were curious, I am

only 5'1 " and ~130lb (lol, people say I'm skinny, but they don't

know...), so yeah...I yearn to actually look good in a bathing suit

this year.

[Guest guest]

Hi Meg,

Well good for you for wanting to make the best of your PE class. I know it

can be hard to eat well in college either in the cafeteria, or on your own.

I know from personal experience. For a while I ate as cheaply as

possible... lots of soup and ramen noodles with very little veggies or

fruit. If you eat in the cafeteria, take a good look around to see what is

offered every day. What are the foods that would be best for you? Do they

offer whole grains? Do they serve " steamed " vegetables? Meat without

gravies? (One of my favorite cafeteria foods were the chicken patties.) Is

there a variety of fresh fruit? What kind of cereal?

As for " getting the taste for real food back " ... it will take time. Start

eating as cleanly as possible, and the cravings for sugar and other

less-nutritious food will diminish over time.

Have you checked out the Body-for-LIFE book yet? If not, I suggest you do.

It not only talks about how you should be eating:

6 times per day

portion control (meat/protein portion the size of your palm and carbohydrate

the size of your clenched fist)

40% protein / 40% carbohydrate / 20% fat

1 " Free Day " each week, where you can look forward to something you've been

wanting, like that pizza!

.... but also about exercise routines:

3 days cardio (BfL version of HIIT)

3 days weight training, alternating between upper and lower body.

(and there are pictures of different exercises)

.... and finally about motivation.

Why do you want to do this?

The biggest thing, is don't give up. BFL is not a diet. It's not a race. It

does not expect perfection, but the willingness to pick yourself up from

where you left off and move on from there without starting over.

I'm in week 11 now, and I've found that I've had both good and bad weeks.

The first month was rough in terms of the exercise, as it took me that long

to get a routine down for the strenth training. I'm not going to have the

dramatic change that others have experienced, but I do look better and feel

so much better than I did when I started the program. As an ex-smoker

(11/24/2002), I can actually run on the treadmill from almost 4 miles!

Years ago, I would nearly pass out from running across a room.

So... the other thing I suggest is to take a look at the BFL website:

http://www.bodyforlife.com/

Good luck!