Debszies journal - BFL

[Debszie]

wahoo Monday is nearly here which is day 1 week 1 of BFL.

Met up with my pt yesterday -

Height - 166cm

Weight - 64.6kg

BF - 35.4%

BFL Target BF - 18% (gulp - is this realistic? Can i do this?!) :pray:

Fat to lose - 13.8kg (Gulp again!)

Target weight (64.6kg-13.8% fat and + 10kg muscle) - approx 58-60kg

Partner and child off to the vege markets..."Don't forget to buy heaps of eggs and chicken and kumara!!!"

Protein powders and bars in the cupboard, brown rice for africa, veges galore, cans of tuna and salmon everywhere, sprinkling of nuts...umm what else can I eat again? Time to consult 'the book' and the forums once more

[teamfatboy]

Great to see the journal, Debs

To answer your question: yes, of course it's realistic. You're already over the hardest bits: admitting you want to do it; getting a PT to set you up; and having partner on-side.

The rest is easy - particularly with the advice from some of the folks on here. Don't get me wrong - there will be sweat, tears and all the drama - but you can do it if you want to.

[Small]

BFL is a 12 week programme correct?

While its reasonable to expect a decent drop in body fat (around 1 percent per week is excellent i.e 12% drop) adding 10kgs of muscle is doubtful (most lean gains to expect in a year is around the 5-6kg mark i have read)

Ofc you are new so your body will respond well to this programme and you should see decent gains and losses (the good one repectively) i feel your are over shooting your targets.

Probably be something more like this (optimistic):

Met up with my pt yesterday -

Height - 166cm

Weight - 64.6kg

BF - 35.4%

BFL Target BF - 18% [23%]

Fat to lose - 13.8kg [8kg]

Target weight (64.6kg-13.8% fat and + 10kg muscle) - approx 58-60kg [64.4kg-8kg fat and + 3kg muscle)= 59kg

Now your still aiming for the same body weight, but realistically in the time frame (is it 12wks or 16?] i think this is more likely to be the body structure outcome.

Just food for thought

[Gym rat]

Cool a new journal \:D/ \:D/ look forward to reading your progress.

[startinfromscratch]

awesome chick! i look foward to watching your progress, bfl is by all accounts a great programme - esp. for someone with your enthusiasm.

good luck!

[Lamborghinilova]

BFL is a 12 week programme correct?

While its reasonable to expect a decent drop in body fat (around 1 percent per week is excellent i.e 12% drop) adding 10kgs of muscle is doubtful (most lean gains to expect in a year is around the 5-6kg mark i have read)

Ofc you are new so your body will respond well to this programme and you should see decent gains and losses (the good one repectively) i feel your are over shooting your targets.

Probably be something more like this (optimistic):

Met up with my pt yesterday -

Height - 166cm

Weight - 64.6kg

BF - 35.4%

BFL Target BF - 18% [23%]

Fat to lose - 13.8kg [8kg]

Target weight (64.6kg-13.8% fat and + 10kg muscle) - approx 58-60kg [64.4kg-8kg fat and + 3kg muscle)= 59kg

Now your still aiming for the same body weight, but realistically in the time frame (is it 12wks or 16?] i think this is more likely to be the body structure outcome.

Just food for thought

Although i think those goals are difficult, if we take into account the high BF% to start with, and the fact that she as a low body weight, so losing 2 kg of fat will be worth 3%. (my math will be wrong) if she can really nail her diet and training, something a PT will greatly help with, if you focus on diet in the first 3 weeks. you could drop 2KG a week but this is extremely high, and you wouldn't be able to keep this up, and you would have to adjust your diet to reflect this new weight. but i don't think you can gain 10KG of muscle in 12 weeks. If you start lifting weights you should gain muscle quickly, but i am not sure if muscle gain for women is diffrent (i am sure it is, i'm just not sure how)

It can't hurt to try, but i think you should be prepared to review your goals if needed.

If you average 1.5% fat loss over the 12 weeks, then you will reach your fat loss goals, but gaining lean body mass will be harder. remember that if you put on 5 KG of LBM then your BF% will decrease. If you can get your training right, i wouldn't be surprised if you were able to gain 0.5 KG of muscle each week, but it gets more complicated when you are trying to achieve fat loss and muscle gain at the same time.

does that make sense?

[teamfatboy]

To qualify my earlier comments, I'd overlooked the 12-week length of the BFL programme.

Small's absolutely on the money - within the life of the programme, her forecasts are possibly more likely. But don't let that put you off - in the long term, those goals you stated are well within your reach.

As the clock ticks through the programme, don't focus on the numbers alone - use girths (measure chest, waist, hips, arms, thigh) and skinfolds for objective measurements, or simply how your favorite clothes feel. Relying on weight alone can really mess with your expectations (says the voice of experience).

[Small]

i am not sure if muscle gain for women is diffrent (i am sure it is, i'm just not sure how)

hmmmmmmmm... maybe the lack of testosterone!

[Debszie]

Thanks guys. The bf% loss goal was taken from the tanita (sp?) test print out. I have no idea of what is healthy, measurable and achievable in terms of bf %'s. Its hard for me to visualise what 23% bf etc looks like. But the changes that Small posted sound good.

And yes, BFL is a 12 week programme. Also the 10kg of muscle was also from the tanita test, but judging from the voices of experience on here that will obviously take a while to gain.

Im just so glad to be making some radical changes and doing something that I have thought about doing for about 3-4 years now.

[Lamborghinilova]

i am not sure if muscle gain for women is diffrent (i am sure it is, i'm just not sure how)

hmmmmmmmm... maybe the lack of testosterone!

Yea, I know that, mean I am not sure to what extent it will affect how much muscle you can gain in 12 weeks.

[Small]

Yea, I know that, mean I am not sure to what extent it will affect how much muscle you can gain in 12 weeks.

if i could gain 10kg in 12weeks by god you'd be seeing me onstage at nationals this year hoouge!!

I have no idea of what is healthy, measurable and achievable in terms of bf %'s. Its hard for me to visualise what 23% bf etc looks like. But the changes that Small posted sound good.

thats great debszie good luck. i just dont want to see you (being so enthusiatic and all) get detered when your not able to make targets [that may have jsut be unrealistic in the frsrt place. if you prove me wrong, and make all the original targets then all power to ya

[Lamborghinilova]

Yea, I know that, mean I am not sure to what extent it will affect how much muscle you can gain in 12 weeks.

if i could gain 10kg in 12weeks by god you'd be seeing me onstage at nationals this year hoouge!!

what would be realistic figures for you? (or any other women who have recorded this)

like per week, or per month...

i'm curious...

Also, is it easier or harder for women to lose weight? i know that women have higher BF% based on requirements, but in terms of losing fat...?

But i think you summed it up best, Good luck debszie, and it can't hurt to try.

[Debszie]

Day 1 of BFL. 20 mins cardio on the treadmill using HIIT. Finding the balance of what is too hard for me. On Wednesday I will be able to increase the intensity a little more, I know i had more to give. Followed by a core workout using the swissball. Made grunting noises similar to that of a woman in labour :oops:

Got sick of the barrage of questions and comments from work colleagues today. "You dont want a muffin? You sure? Why not? I can get you one? Why dont you want one?"

and

"is that all you're having for lunch? ohh that looks disgusting, brown rice and chicken with broccoli, yuck, here have half my panini, here have this muesli bar"

"Body for life, whats that? Is that like aitkens?....Aye you're not fat! you dont need a diet"..."its not a diet? what is it then? oh so now you want to be a body builder? you dont want to be a body builder? just have some more muffin"

sigh

The 10kg of muscle thing was just something pulled out of a hat, or pulled out of the tanita machine, not a goal I want to strive toward in 12 weeks. Tomorrow at my pt session she is measuring me up and we will talk about it some more :nod:

Bit hard to think about long term goals right now. 12 weeks may be a short time but right now it feels like a long time. will review longer term goals at week 4.

[Small]

just tell them u have an illness and doc told u u need to eat healthy. then u got no explaining to do.

and if they ask bout gym, just say to du sum exercise-dnt, for the life of you, get into lifting weights etc its a battle you can't win with the ignorant

[teamfatboy]

Day 1 of BFL.

Bit hard to think about long term goals right now. 12 weeks may be a short time but right now it feels like a long time. will review longer term goals at week 4.

Yep, it seems like a long time now...but take it in one-day increments (I was going to say 'one-day bites' but that would be cruel!).

Suddenly, when you see the changes, as you surely will, it'll seem like no time at all.

[nicksmith3]

Looks like ya log could use some sugar and spice.

Zimmer frame race!

[Debszie]

hmmpff, well day 2 and im typing with 1 hand because i have sprained my wrist and done some minor nerve damage to my wrist while doing barbell rows. picked it up and felt an instant electric shock in wrist but kept on going anyway. half an hour later, pins and needles, now hand to shoulder, plus pain. told my pt who booked me in for physio.

too be honest im f**Ked off (with myself) that this has happened but i know its only a small set back. no upper body again till saturday so hopefully will be ok then :pray:

[VampireChick]

Got sick of the barrage of questions and comments from work colleagues today. "You dont want a muffin? You sure? Why not? I can get you one? Why dont you want one?"

Grrrr work colleagues are the worst! They make you feel guilty for wanting to eat healthy, just so they don't feel bad about grabbing that extra mini pie or muffin. Total negative influences.

[marky65]

Good luck with the goals Debsize and don't let the workmates sabotage you. Just go for it.

Shame about the injury so early into it.

I did my wrist in a few weeks ago and ended up buying one of the gyro balls. It was the best thing I did. Great for strengthening up the wrists. They are about $20 on trade me.

[Debszie]

thanks marky

wow its amazing how quickly im starting to feel like crap, cant do anything with this wrist, cant even type, bloody electric shocks blasting up my arm and hand, i dont want a disruption ive only just bloody started! dont have time for an injury esp not this early on!!!!!!

got kids to look after and essays to write, food to cook and a house to tidy, and a gym workout to do and a body to aspire to

oh well this will all work out i know. cardio tomorrow (treadmill) and legs thursday, cardio again fri and arms saturday, hopefully all healed over by then

[teamfatboy]

Don't sweat the injury...it may well not be the last (says the voice of experience heheh) - think past it. You say as much with your "body to aspire to" comment :clap:

Besides, when you've trained legs, the fatigue will take your mind off your wrist!

[Debszie]

hand/wrist feeling a little better, still tingling

Todays diet:

M1 3 egg bwhite omlette and a yolk, 2 pieces of toast, plain

M2 100gms cottage cheese, tomato, banana

M3 brown rice (1 cup cooked), tuna, veges (leeks, broccoli)

M4 myoplex lite protein shake (with carbs in it...?)

M5 100gms chicken, brown rice (1 cup cooked), broccoli, leeks, mushrooms

M6 protein bar OR shake

Feel TOO full, stomach is all tight and feels yuck. still got meals 5 and 6 to do tonight, arrgghh do i HAVE to eat it all :shock:

Did cardio today, felt great, but i know i can push myself a little harder

[startinfromscratch]

good stuff deb, sticking to eating what you have to eat and not what you dont means your halfway there!! :grin:

[Lamborghinilova]

I'm no expert, but i would say that if you are full, if you're not bulking, then you could cut back on your meal.

possibly you could not have rice in M5?

[marky65]

Also your meal 6 should be the shake. Save the bars for morning smocko or similar, but before 3pm if you can.