BFL- (week 3) but pants are "tighter"! anyone else?

B

beanqueen

Cathlete
hi,

i'm starting my 3rd week in the BFL program, and so far like the results..BUT...i've noticed that my pants/shorts are all TIGHTER! :eek: is this normal and a temporary thing (pls say , 'yes'!) since my muscles are growing, is there just a down time, while i'm (impatiently! lol) waiting for the unwanted fat to burn off?

i thought the idea was that with more muscle, i burn more fat...and my overall size decreases ..since muscle is more compact than fat?

is it just because i'm only on my 3rd week, and it's kind of a transition period? and my size will eventually decrease and normalize? or do i need to increase my cardio? (the whole 20 minute aerobic thing may not be enough for me?)

i'd appreciate any thoughts on this!

thank you so much!
pb
 
Hi Beanqueen!

Beanqueen is a great handle....I wonder why you chose it? Just bought a cookbook called Bean Banquets, just LOVE beans and whole grains...this is off the subject, I know, but I couldn't help myself.

About your BFL experience, I lost 65 lbs. several years back eating the BFL way ( 5-6 small meals, no processed foods, lean protein, with one free meal a week). However, after doing the 20 min. cardio and upper/lower body split weight program for two months, I switched to Cathe's PS series and increased my cardio as well as varied it. My point here is that I really think that the power in the BFL program is in the meal plan. This was my experience anyway. I still eat this way and when I leave my workouts alone and change my eating I gain weight! Hope this helps somehow. I would say, do the cardio that your are fit enough to do and makes you feel great and choose a weight program that you will stick with. Eating well and often enough in conjuntion with cardio and weights that challenge you, I feel is what really works. Just my "personal" .02........hang in there I'm sure you'll find what works best for you.


dmd
 
hi dmd, thanks for your response! :)

btw, "beanqueen" is something my dh calls me occasionally...not because i love beans, (i do like them tho.. :) ) just a nickname.. ;) (how boring, huh? lol)

anyhow, thanks for your insights regarding the bfl program...yep, i 'do' agree with you..the meal plan is probably key..i think my problem is that the "size of my clenched fist" is getting 'larger and larger' in terms of my portion sizes!!!!!! LOL!!!

thanks so much! onward!
bq
 
Hey BQ!

Yea, gotta watch the ol fist sized portions....eventually you get to eye-balling portions. I also journal everything...even now. Just helps keep track of things. I wonder if you have been over to the Lean&strong website? WONDERFUL!!! There is a gal named "tall Jen" you starts a thread everyday for those who want to post their eats. Great ideas! Mostly BFLers. Good luck and keep us posted.

Deb
 
thanks deb.. :) i think i'll try and check out that site!!! gee...this whole bfl thing, would be so much easier if i just didn't LOVE to eat so much! ;) LOL

take care, and have a great weekend!
bq
 
RE: BFL- (week 3) but pants are "tighter"! anyone else?

pb,

I want to congratulate you on participating for Body for Life--a program that I am getting ready to begin again. It sounds like you are doing a great job! You know, I did BFL once before (never completed it even though I was on the brink of great results), and I was working the program so well, but even after 3-4 weeks, my results on the scale didn't reveal the sacrifice I was making in the gym and in my diet. Plus, my husband was doing the program too and he was getting so sculpted and cut! Someone recommended this website to me, www.hussman.org(just click on the fitness link) and reading through the material opened my eyes and really encouraged me in my efforts. The process takes time, but the change does happen. If you'd like, check out this article, though it is lengthy, it will address some of your challenges and encourage you to keep going!

Best wishes,
Dawn
 
I have always found that I seem to gain muscle faster in my legs than I lose fat. The first 3-4 weeks my pants seem tight in the legs but they always loosen up. I got my best results following BFL by the book, but now I vary up the workout plan so I don't get bored. I'd do the first 12 weeks by the book and see what kind of results you get before switching anything. If you are hitting your 10s in cardio, it should be enough. I do HIIT vs. the 20 MAS and do IMAX or Intense Moves. Within 6 weeks I had lost 2" in my abs, hips and belly and I did miss my cardio workouts 1 day a week and was eating only at about 90% clean (not something I'm proud of <G> but I still got results)

Colleen
 
Thank you for your responses, dawn and colleen. :) sorry i didn't respond sooner (home improvements.. :p )

thank you for the hussman site, dawn.. it was very informative! i feel better about things..i think i'm probably pretty well "marbled" ;) and need to lose that intramuscular fat, first.. :p

thank you also, colleen for sharing your experiences. i'm not doing the bfl totally 'by the book' since i'm doing the pub/plb instead of the sets he specifies...but so far it seems to be going well.. i don't think i could do it w/o a video/cathe to keep me on track..i think i'd get too bored just staring at myself in the mirror counting 'body for life'.. i do miss my cardio, too..but am definitely hitting my '10' with imax 2..phew!

thanks so much again!
take care!
bq
 
Hey BeanQueen,

I'm not doing BFL, I'm doing WW & have lost 10 lbs. When I was finally able to pull my shorts out this year (literally just a few weeks ago it's been so cold here in the NE), I was SHOCKED that my shorts still fit the same as they did last year; tight in my hips. The thing is that I've lost in my thighs & waist, not my hips. Don't know why but that's what's happening with me. Just thought I would let you know what I've had happen.

Oh & I'm sure I've lost some weight because I've had people comment on the visual loss. A very strange phenomenom indeed.
 
I experienced something similar a year ago. (Not BFL though.)

I wasn't trying to lose weight, but had just started lifting heavy with Cathe videos. After 2 weeks of heavy leg workouts, my pants didn't fit anymore. I was not happy! I think it took about a month, with slow, continual improvement (shrinking) before they my pants were back to a regular fit.

Basically, when your muscle is rebuilding, there is inflammation (lifting induces actual damage to the muscles if it's a new or more difficult activity than the muscle is used to) while the body repairs. It's mostly water, but your body has to transport those amino acids into the muscle in order to build more muscle fibers. A lot more goes on inside there too and it all requires water as transport. The water makes you feel big.

Even though I kept training heavy, my legs did go back down after a while. Even today when i slow down on legs and then pick up again after a month off or so from heavy weights, i still get that water gain for a while. I hate it, but love having strong legs, so that's the trade off.

Good luck and hope this helps.

Ginger
 
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