Maegen's BFL Blog

Tips from a "Lifer"

2007-04-01T13:45:00.000-04:00

I pulled this from my BFL guestbook post today b/c I think it sums up a lot of what I've found to help me during each challenge:

"I hope everyone is using that free day as a great time to rest the body and let it recuperate and get ready for the new week ahead! Enjoy your guilt-free FREE MEAL /DAY and get right back to it tomorrow! Plan your meals ahead and have a Plan B and C in place in case "life" comes up at the last minute and you can’t do your workouts, etc. Take your program one day at a time and stay focused on your goals. If you’re in the middle of your program, it is common to have a "slump" in motivation pop up anwhere around weeks 5-7. Expect it to happen and be READY so you can push, no PLOW right through it!! The 12 weeks are short and fast and fly by! Where will YOU be at the end of them?!"

Challenge 8: SUCCESS!

2007-04-01T13:32:00.000-04:00

Challenge 8 ended with amazing progress in fat loss and muscle gain! I lost 20 lbs of fat, 10% body fat and gained 9 lbs of muscle! I lost a total of 20 inches all over my body and lost a lot of cellulite. It's not all gone YET, but I have started another challenge right away and can't wait to see where it takes me! I have really transformed inside and out during this challenge. I am so motivated and want to get everyone I know on the BFL program! I just want to scream to the world how wonderful it is!!! I work in an environment around a lot of young women (college-aged) and I just want to be the best role model I can for them. I believe that my having a healthy body (not skin and bones) and good eating habits is a positive influence on them as opposed to what they always get from the media. Anyway, I just sent in my official packet to BFL and am SO excited about the changes that have taken place in my life and in me.

Working Hard and Staying Strong!

2007-01-04T11:52:00.000-05:00

Yes, you've heard me say it a million times and I've definitely been taking my own medicine this week. Day Four of challenge 8 and things are going great! I can't wait for these 12 weeks to be over and see where I'm at. I feel BIG changes coming and I am going to push and push and see where I can be this time. I want to be further and healthier and more fit than ever, considering I am making up for some lost time and too many extra free meals and skipped workouts during the last few months. Gotta fix that damage and keep plowing ahead! That's all for now!

Thank God for Second Chances!

2006-12-31T15:42:00.000-05:00

Well, I took those before photos for Challenge 8, the first of 2007 for me. WOW--did I ever screw things up in the past few months! I had no idea it was that bad, but boy I can sure see the work ahead of me! I am very excited about starting the new program and about reaching all the goals I am setting for this 12 weeks.

Best of luck to ALL who are new and old to BFL and Happy New Year!!!

2007: A Year of Changes

2006-12-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

Well, 2006 is almost over! It has seen me go from my fittest and healthiest to where I am now, not where I'd like to be, but having followed BFL for the most part. Too many extra free meals and skipped workouts due to working overtime and vacationing a little much has taken its toll. I am a few pounds heavier and have lost some of my tone. In the past, I would have ballooned up 20-30 lbs and completely fallen off the wagon. Sure, I've got some extra padding, but that didn't happen this time thanks to BFL. I know that it's for life, so I've done what I could where I could and it's helped me only gain about 5 lbs and still be the same size-wise. That's where BFL makes a difference in your lifestyle. It IS for life and slip-ups will happen because life happens. Now, after the stress and overtime is over, it is time to pick-up and get back on track 100%.

Luckily, I always have very challenging goals to set for myself! 2007 goals include getting lean and toned! Cutting free day down to one free meal on free day and cutting that fat! I really want to be lean and toned more than I've ever been by May when we start hitting the parks and waterparks and later go on the big vacation of swimsuits and short-shorts! I KNOW I can because I've experienced and seen what BFL can do! I can't WAIT!!!!

SBC Women: The Total Package!

2006-06-29T08:34:00.000-04:00

There is SO much emphasis on today's woman being sexy and sultry, beautiful and booty-licious, but where has the importance of being a good person gone? Times have changed, sure, and it's okay to want to feel good about yourself and feel beautiful. The truth is we are ALL beautiful and being truly "sexy" comes from the passion inside our hearts, not from the clothes that are covering (or in some cases, not covering) our bodies! Every woman is sexy and beautiful because deep down we have loving, nurturing, and beautiful souls.

To honor this fact, I've created something just for Christian women: "SEXY. BEAUTIFUL. CHRISTIAN." I just feel like women and young women especially need something better out there than the message we are being programmed to believe: that being sexy is the only and most important aspect of who we are. That is NOT true! Sure we can be and feel sexy and beautiful, but being Christian, too, makes us the total package and a TRIPLE THREAT!! Ladies, this one's just for you!!

For your own SBC gear, go to the:
SEXY BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN Online Store
(Shirts, hats, stickers, buttons, mousepads, clocks, and much more!)

Challenge #6 Begins!

2006-06-23T05:52:00.000-04:00

First, let me say--WOW, I really need to get with it and post in my Blog more!! It's no excuse, but when I have work (full-time), freelance, writing, AND other aspirations going on all at the same time, there is strangely little time left to stop and do my blog. BUT, it only takes a few minutes, and I can and will make time!!

Challenge 5 in retrospect: I was 100% on the program, then succumbed to the following bumps: 1) sinus infection, 2) over-celebration of a great new job for my husband, 3) when my husband was in the hospital and sick for 4 days. All of these bumps challenged and overcame me. DARN IT! haha. I ate too many free meals, I skipped workouts, and I think it showed in my 12 week photos. I was not as far along as I could have been. BUT, the important thing was that I did stick with and and stay strong throughout. Among those slip-ups, I was also sticking to the program and not giving up and eating clean for the most part. Anyhow, life throws curveballs your way and you really do just need to stick with it and take care of yourself!

Looking ahead to Challenge 6: I really, REALLY want this challenge to be the one where I make a huge turning point! I have had and still have layers of body fat to work through before my muscle tone can show through. My arms, abs, and legs are just ripped uner there, but you can barely see it because of the body fat! haha. Anyway, I HAVE been seeing great reduction of cellulite and some nice visible changes of tone, so I think I am getting close!!

MY GOAL: By the end of the summer, I want to be in fitness model shape! Or at least, darn close! Here we go!! I can feel BIG changes coming!!

Revising My Supplements

2006-06-07T07:42:00.000-04:00

After repeatedly seeing some wonderful and amazing results from people who were using specific EAS supplements, I decided I had nothing to lose and went for it! Details below:

BETAGEN: I started taking Betagen last week and WOW--I feel like I have someone else's arms and legs. They feel STRONG and I upped my weights on everything where I had been consistently hovering for weeks. LOVE IT!! The orange flavor is pretty tasty and yummy!

THERMO DYNAMX: I started taking Thermo DynamX today can already tell it is working. I probably will not increase my dosage for a while since I am sensitive to caffeine and am also taking CLA and Flaxseed Oil. I feel okay with doing one dose a day before my workout. I was a little bit shaky (to be expected for me), but I may increase after some time.

CLA: I have been taking this for about a year(with OFF periods in between programs) and immediately noticed a difference in how much quicker I was burning fat and getting leaner.

OILS: I have added Flaxseed Oil to my daily Fish Oil intake (I take one of each twice a day) and should see some really nice health benefits to both :-)

WOMEN'S MEGA-VITAMIN: I also take GNC's mega-vitamin for women which has all the goodies included like calcium, selenium, etc.

I'll let you know how these work out! I will do the whole summer, finishing my current program and doing another 12-week program. Here goes!!!

A Busy Time... but Bookin' It!

2006-05-05T08:30:00.000-04:00

It has been an incredibly busy and chaotic time for me the past few weeks. At work, the meetings and high-priority and last-minute work has piled on and piled up and can barely see the top of my desk anymore! My husband landed a wonderful new job and had a week off before he started and I shared this time as well with him to relax, celebrate and make a vacation out of it. It was really nice! Things are tapering off now, thank goodness, so hopefully I'll have more time to blog!

I've been trying to get my writing done, too. I had to do a lot of brain-dumping to get all my ideas for about 4-5 new books down on paper (or on disk rather!), but now I am back to working on my 2nd one, which I am really excited about. I have made some good progress this week on it, and am almost caught up with where I want to be on it.

So far, mostly rejection letters and one nibble (cross your fingers!) on The Chair Maker. I am sticking with it and keeping faith that it will be right for a publisher somewhere! A lot of heartfelt love and a LOT of work, research, and homework went into it, and I am staying positive because I know I have to keep going and be positive. Some people wait YEARS before being published. In the meantime, I've got so many wonderful ideas that I want to do, so ... pretty exciting —and busy — time for me right now!

On the BFL forefront, I am doing great! Although I had a mini-vacation last week and had two days of migraine splendor this week, I've eaten clean and done well. Dropped a few pounds and feel wonderful! Better yet, I have my husband motivated to do a 100% clean program and my sister giving BFL a try for two weeks. They've both dropped 4 pounds this week already :o) I am so happy that I've finally convinced them to try. It's taken years literally, but it meant so much to me to keep trying and be patient because BFL makes you feel SO GREAT and energetic, you cannot help but to share that! More when I can get back to it!

Dreaming Big or Kiddie-Size?

2006-03-28T14:39:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm doing it — I'm going for it!! One of the Mac-Daddy dreams I've had since I was in grade school — to publish a book! Only those closest to me know that I started writing stories in elementary school and continued writing and coming up with one story idea after throughout my whole life! Not only is writing and creating a world all your own fun and exciting, it would be SO wonderful to have my name on a book and in print!

Well, I'm going for it! Although I have several books in the hopper (children's, science fiction, and adult fiction), I have finished my first book (a children's picture book called The Chair Maker, which I both wrote and illustrated). I'm marketing it online and through query letters to publisher beginning in April. Needless to say, I'm so excited and hoping that a publisher will bite. This story is inspired by and dedicated to my dad, who is the craftiest, most talented carpenter, mechanic, electrician, and craftsman I know. The man just can make anything or fix anything. So, this one's for him.

Feel free to check out my book site (where I will add more book proposals as I write them and pass them along to any publisher friends you may have! I need all the help I can get since I am on a limited budget and am going the "non-agent" route for now.

My Book Website for The Chair Maker:
worleybooks.freeservers.com/

I Made It! Challenge 4 Ends...

2006-03-28T14:30:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a very bumpy road--out 2 weeks for a sinus infection, 1 week for a stomach flu, and at least another week where I just plain 'ole didn't get it done. BUT--I kept going and made it! It's for LIFE now, so I'm not kiling myself over the occasional slip-up anymore. Life happens and you just gotta do your best when it does. But, don't quit--keep going!

CHALLENGE #5 is underway!! Woo-hoo! Got the husband to seriously commit to this one, although he's been doing pretty well and sticking to the eating part for the most part over the past few months. His jobs KILLS him and is a LOT of his day, so he hasn't been doing the workouts. We are hoping that he will be getting a new job locally that will free up a LOT of time for him and make it a lot easier to get the workouts done. Although stuff always comes up it seems, I personally am looking to hopefully have this challenge be "sick-free", "miss-free" and the ONE where I really get lean and toned. That's my goal! I want to see tone, tone, TONE and my definition showing through! I can feel some nice strong muscles and definition underneath, now it just needs to show through!!

Please Make a Donation for ALS

2006-03-17T13:57:00.000-05:00

I NEED YOUR HELP raising DONATIONS! There are so many wonderful causes out there, but I have a GREAT one close to my heart that my husband and I participate in, the ALS Association's "Walk to D'Feet ALS" walk.

My husband's mother, Darlene, died in 2003 exactly one year after being diagnosed with ALS (see definition below). At first she stumbled, then she had a hard time swallowing. Once we found out what she had, it was not be long before she was in a wheelchair and having to communicate through writing. It is heartbreaking to know they are still as sharp as a tack mentally, but cannot talk or eventually write or move at all. We all think something like this never happens to us, but it does and can strike at any time.

PLEASE HELP us raise money to battle ALS! It means more than you know to us, and could possibly mean a lot to you one day if you or a loved one is affected. DONATE ONLINE (secure) from the link below. Click on the "Click Here to Sponsor Me" button. Thank you SO MUCH for ANY donation you can spare! Big or small, every dollar counts and is appreciated so much.

** Please MAKE A DONATION **

With Love,
Maegen

Week 9 Photos

2006-02-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

I have FINALLY taken some new photos, I am sharing them here! After having both a serious sinus infection AND the stomach virus, I am a few weeks behind, but I have made a comeback!

I have had a wonderful two weeks back in the gym and feel like I am making huge gains, and I fell GREAT!!! I am seeing nice changes popping in and can't wait until the end of this program in 4 weeks to see what else I've been able to do! I am excited at how much stronger I am and how I can feel myself getting better at sports and activities that I am doing. Woo-hoo!

Anyway, enjoy the photos! Week 9 and SO proud of the biceps I'm starting to get and how I'm getting some ab definition starting to come in.

Beautiful Skeletons?

2006-02-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

I grow increasingly upset with fashion magazines and advertisements that seem to be telling young girls and women that being emaciated and skeletal is better than actually being healthy. Dropping DEAD from starvation or anorexia or bulemia is BETTER than eating nutritious meals and exercising???? What are we being told here?!

I came across a PERFECT example of this today as I shopped one of my favorite stores online (see and enlarge photo at left). I was literally shocked and disgusted when I saw an advertisement featuring the word "Skinny" and three VERY sickly-looking, emaciated women who appear not to have eaten since the age of 10. Where are the beautiful curves? Where is the healthy glow? Where are the beautiful, toned legs and arms? NOT in this ad. There is nothing attractive or beautiful or desirable about these women's bone-like figures. It looks like someone stretched denim tight across three skeletons. It turns my stomach! When will this madness stop??

Ladies, we do NOT want to look like THIS, do we?!! This doesn't represent what we really look like or even remotely represent a healthy lifestyle or appearance. Actually, this is what less than 98% of us look like. That says it all. These women do NOT represent us.

Kudos to Dove (right), GNC (see their Farenheit ads), and others who are bringing healthier, fit, and fuller-figured models into the mainstream. I see and hope that this is where modelling is heading--people who ARE actually healthy and are not only models, but ROLE models as well.

Half of the Halfway Point

2006-01-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

Here I am closing off week 3! Only 3 weeks until the halfway point!! Time really does fly — it's unbelievable how fast! Things are going GREAT! I feel AWESOME and so energetic! Actually, I feel SO great that I'm afraid it will get me into trouble at work! I am so "hyper" and energetic, I have to make myself focus at work sometimes. When I am feeling good (which I definitely AM), my mind races with ideas and creativity. My imagination factory starts working overtime and I become extremely creative and inspired! It must be the designer in me, but I LIKE IT!!!

I can't wait to weigh in (less important) and take some measurements in 3 more weeks. I feel my clothes fitting loser and have seen some big changes all over my body. I hope they are shining bright and clear at week 6!! In any case, I feel like a million bucks!!!

Cooking with Gas!

2006-01-06T09:05:00.000-05:00

Challenge Four is going very well so far! I feel those holiday pounds melting off and my energy level is SKY-HIGH!! I feel amazing! I love the energy and confidence boost BFL gives you. It's like being given a new brain and inner-self!

My challenge so far is keeping my husband on track in addition to myself. I haven't had any temptations or desire to not eat clean or skip a workout, so I am good. Since I am force-feeding him his program food, it is harder for him to stay with it since he has not willingly and independently started the program. He does seem very motivated though to lose about 50 lbs, and I see a difference in how committed he is to taking his supplements. He's done perfectly with a hurt back this week and already looks like he's dropped 10 pounds! Grrrrrrrr. haha

Until next time!

Challenge 4 and Lighting Torches

2005-12-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

Only 5 days until I begin my fourth complete 12-week program. It will also be my third official challenge and I am SO READY for it to start!! My goals for this challenge are to get defined legs and abs and get lean and toned!! I slimmed up a lot during my last official challenge and lost a lot of inches and fat. The muscle tone was just starting to show through, so I am ready to let it shine!!

I have joined the Torch Challenge to dedicate this one to the real-life Wonder Woman Julie Whitt, who passed away recently. Taking the Torch challenge means that there are no holds barred and I'll be giving it my all in honor of Julie, just as she would want us all to. If ever I am feeling a lack of motivation, Julie's words will ring in my ear, "Get Your Freak On!!" She reminded us that it is important to live life to the fullest, every day, every minute, every second. This one's for you, Julie!!! You will always continue to inspire the BFL community!

The Last Days of 2005

2005-12-09T11:08:00.000-05:00

How will you spend your last days of 2005? What things will you do? What new things will you try before the year's end? Have you set goals for these last few weeks or have you opted to begin them after January 1, 2006? It's just this type of procrastination that led me to end up wasting all of 2004 on unhealthy habits that resulted in my being the heaviest and MOST unhealthy I had ever been in my life.

First, it was because my birthday was coming up, followed by a short vacation out of town for almost a week. Well, then Valentines' Day was next and was filled with sweets and dinners out. Well, for the next few months, I just didn't have the time to get started. I was too tired. Too busy. Too exhausted. Too stressed. No, I was TOO STUPID to get my butt in gear. Before I knew it, it was time for my husband's birthday, our annual vacation, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and trips and more trips to amusement parks!! Junk food and MORE junk food!!

Well, my friends, there will always be an excuse, but NEVER will there ever be a reason outside your own decision why you cannot live, eat, and exercise in a healthy manner. I had used all the external excuses why I never got back on the BFL program, but they were just that — EXCUSES! The REAL reason I had not been practicing a healthy lifestyle was ME. I was holding myself back and feeding myself the excuses and believing them.

What it comes down to is this: TIME WILL PASS. TIME WILL FLY BY. WHERE WILL YOU BE 3 MONTHS FROM NOW? Where will you be one year from now? How healthy will you be mentally? Physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? The truth is you can be like a BRAND new person in all those aspects in just 12 short weeks on BFL. Now ... just imagine what wonderful things await you after a year on BFL? After a lifetime?

Take care of yourself now, and don't waste a DAY. It may seem like just a day, but one day living healthy is one day closer to living life to the absolutely fullest!

Teach Your Kids Nutrition NOW

2005-11-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

Kids WILL NOT learn about nutrition and exercise and how food is your body and mind's fuel anywhere else if not from you. It's NEVER too early to teach them and they need to know because print magazines are telling young women that skeletal, emaciated bodies with no muscle tone or physical strength is what is NORMAL and HEALTHY. Don't let this happen, here's an example of why:

Last night on Inside Edition, they did a piece on a girl who first became anorexic at the age of 9!!!!!!!!!!!! The little girl later developed Bulemia as well and was SO frightening to see because not only was she emaciated, but she was SO young. She said things like, "I won’t eat cheese because it has too much fat. I feel like I’ve gained a million pounds today. I look HUGE in the mirror."

I BEG YOU — PLEASE educate your children starting at an early age about nutrition and eating right and exercising. The victims are getting younger and younger and speaking from experience (I started dieting in 6th grade), if they are not taught about proper nutrition and exercise and that in magazines, the waif-life models with hip and rib bones showing are NOT in ANY way healthy, it will save them from years and years, possibly a lifetime of the vicious cycle of eating disorders, etc.

PLEASE help them now and give them the gift of educating them. My home and schools did NOT teach this at all. I did not know anything about nutrition until 2003 when I stumbled across BFL ... THANK GOD! It’s set me free and helped me undo the years of damage of dieting and crash-dieting. That’s my two cents — please take it to heart!

Get off the Titanic!

2005-11-17T08:40:00.001-05:00

A post on the tracker site today has spurred me to post a quick analogy that I think many of you may find familiar. Let me start by saying that in my lifetime, I want to be a good role model for young women (and young men if applicable) and make a difference in their life by leading by good example. Over the recent years, I have paid close attention to how women, including myself, really are. How they relate to those they know and more importantly, how they relate to other women they do not know. I have found that when you really pay attention, you find that a MOST women are self-conscious in some way or another and in different concentrations. Here I was growing up being VERY self-conscious and thinking I was all alone and abnormal for not being totally comfortable interacting with others only to find out that we ARE all in the SAME boat!

In fact, there are so many of us on the self-conscious Titanic, that it's sinking! What we MUST do, is realize we are all in this together and plan our escape!! Those lifeboats (confidence, self-confidence, self-assuredness, and empowerment) are out there waiting to rescue us!! We MUST stop wasting time every day being self-conscious and close-minded to each other and reach out! If we don't, we are all part of a sinking ship that is going under further each day!

I PROMISE you, if you reach out to someone you don't know or you THINK will not be a good friend, you will be SURPRISED! Most of time time, that person feels EXACTLY the same way about you and is nothing like you thought. In doing this, your self-confidence and self-worth grows and you grow as a person. I hate to see women passing each other "rudely" or like it's some kind of bitch competition. That's the cold hard truth — we need to change things and change how most of us act. I have been guilty of this, too, but have been working to better myself for a while! I had to realize that other women are not my enemy, I was just self-conscious and I had to realize the problem was me, in order to grow. So, today, when you pass that woman you don't know but always try to avoid eye contact with, feel that self-confidence rising and tell her to have a WONDERFUL day!! You'll see what I mean!

Bumps in the Road--Keep Going!

2005-11-14T10:23:00.000-05:00

Well, this current "unofficial" challenge has not been perfect by any means--a week and a half vacation, a week off, family get-togethers, etc. I've definitely eaten a few unauthorized meals and had to skip some workouts. In the past, I would have gone into a "boo-hoo! Look-what-I-did" mood and felt like I had thrown all my hard work out the window. In reality, slip-ups now and then don't hurt you at all, as long as they're not happening every day! Even if you have a few slip-ups in a row, FORGET about them and move on!! It only take a few days to be back to your old self and feeling like nothing outside your program happened at all!

The past is past and don't let any skipped workouts or eating slip-ups get you down! Life happens and things will happen to force you to change your plans--learn to accept it and move on! It really is not as damaging as it feels at first. The important thing is that you get right back up and continue doing your program--you won't be sorry! I think we all do this and sometimes even have an "All or Nothing" philosophy, but no one can put that much pressure on himself. Things come up, so expect to not have a perfect program. It's totally awesome if you DO have a perfect program, but most of us do not.

Be as prepared as you can, do your best and when things come up, move on and pick right back up where you were!!

Holidays - Old and New

2005-11-11T15:27:00.000-05:00

It is almost that time! The holidays of overeating and the year's best foods are fast approaching! I celebrate Christmas, and this year will be the first year in quite a few that I am not dreading gaining a ton of weight from overeating goodies, sweets and food enough for an army. No sir, not this year! Sure, I will enjoy the holiday meals and the specialty sweets, but now I am preparing healthier versions using healthier ingredients. I am definitely not making as many goodies either. Just a few to sample mine and my husband's favorites of the season. After it's over, it's time to move on and get rid of any leftovers!

It is a WONDERFUL feeling having control over my appetite and my eating habits now. Before, as shameful as it is, the holidays would find me eating and eating and eating some more--cookies, treats, fudge, candy, and WAY TOO MUCH Christmas dinner consisting of portions enough for a family of 6! Nope this year, I have turned over a new leaf in getting back to BFL for good this time. I do not fear losing control as I would in the past because I have now taken back control over my appetite. That's a really nice feeling and even more so a reason to be thankful this time of year!

Two Pigs in a Puddle

2005-11-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

I swear, my husband and I are like two peas in a pod. Actually, we are more like two pigs in a puddle since we are so much alike and are still so happily married after 6 years. The reason I say that is that he balances me out in every way possible. When I'm down, he's up and there to lift my spirits. When I am being too serious, he is there to irresistibly bring a smile to my face. When I am sailing smoothly along with my BFL lifestyle and not having ANY problems eating clean, he is there to offer me Burger King on a platter...

Ha! HOLD on there! We are BOTH so guilty of this, I admit. That's the whole reason we got so unhealthy and both gained so much weight--we really WERE too pigs in a puddle except there was no puddle. It seems like this is the biggest hurdle as a couple that we've had to overcome and still are working to overcome. For years now until recently, whenever one of us was on track and focused on practicing healthy habits, the other was always there at dinnertime to say "KFC?", "Pizza Hut?", or to suggest one of our favorite restaurants. Ahhh...the root of our undoing and the definition of how we were not working together to get healthy. It really does take a team...

During my 1st program in 2003, I was doing BFL all by myself while he continued our regular poor eating habits (fast food, pizza, more pizza, oh yeah, and pizza--our FAVORITE!). For the entire 12 weeks I ate clean and THAT was a tremendous accomplishment given all the temptations I was presented with on a daily basis. I am really proud that I was in control the whole time and never had cravings or the temptation to partake in his juicy eats. When I started my 2nd program this past June, he began doing the modified BFL program, meaning he skips workouts and is not eating completely clean, but is still seeing some nice yet slow changes. He's dropped about 30 lbs and has developed some nice chest, arms, and shoulder definition! His modified approach is what would get me in trouble if I let it since he is okay with eating "bad" several times a week. Well, I am once again on the right road and I'm not ever looking back. It really is up to me to keep us on track since the poor thing will eat whatever I put in front of him. So, we will eat healthy when I can help it! And every day, the practice of eating junk food or fatty foods every night is becoming a distant memory that we do NOT want to revisit ever again!

That's what BFL helps people like us to do--once that bad stuff is out of your body, you stop craving it. It's just not good for you and your body doesn't want it anymore! So, my task at hand is to get him from modified to full BFL so we can BOTH be in the position of not wanting the bad foods anymore at all and only eating them on free day IF we do want them. Afterall, the most important thing is that both pigs are still in the puddle years and years from now and the route we were going down was NOT one that was going to have us around for a long time. I am SO happy to have found BFL. It has probably saved BOTH our lives.

Future Goals

2005-11-09T08:13:00.000-05:00

Today, I woke up thinking about what direction I'd like to take my fitness goals. Rather, I revisited a deep desire that I have had for the longest time--fitness modeling. Now, shhh! I've never told a SOUL this, but it is something that has been rooted in my mind as long as I can remember. If I even want to have a remote CHANCE to ever do anything like that, I've got a LOT of work ahead of me and a definite commitment to achieving my dreams!

But, that's fun, isn't it? To define a goal for yourself and aim for the stars! I remember reading something Pam Brown had written about how after she finished her first challenge, she realized that she needed something way beyond that 12-week goal to challenge her and set her sights on. Well, my friend, if you haven't seen what she decided to set her sights on, check out Pam's site and read about her history in BFL: http://www.pam-brown.com/.

I feel like that is TOTALLY where I am at now in my BFL journey. I want to do WAY more and see how far I can take my fitness transformation. The more you do BFL, the happier and healthier and more energetic and more self-confident you are! For me, this will be a really great thing to do to keep myself challenged! Sure, I may never end up doing any fitness modeling at all, but hey--I will have a BFL body and mind and THAT is priceless!

2nd Challenge Results

2005-11-08T16:19:00.000-05:00

I finished my 2nd official challenge on August 29, 2005. Although it was non-consecutive to my first challenge (two years earlier), I am keeping count of the challenges as I complete them. So, now that I am doing this for LIFE--for real this time--I will be counting for a long time!

Challenge #2 Results:
Weight Loss: 18.8 lbs
Bodyfat Lost: 10.6%
Total Inches Lost: 23 inches
Size: Went from a 12+ to an 8 and some 6's!