Ok.. this is an odd post but figured what the hell.

The past 12 weeks I have taken part in a program to get in shape for the upcoming season. Some of you may have heard of it.

It is the Body for life program by Bill Phillips. I don't get any money from this and I don't sell anything but I wanted to share my success in case there is anyone on the forum who may want to get in better shape.

I started on January 6th of this year and have since lost 21lbs of fat and gained about 6 lbs of lean muscle. My arms have grown a full inch, my legs have grown a full 2 inches and chest about an inch. I have lost about 2.5 inches off my waist so far. Most importantly, my energy levels are through the roof. I can run 3 miles with out getting winded. ( I could run more I suppose but I haven't tried)

As of late I have been getting lots of compliments from people and I feel really good about the way I look. This is not one of those starve yourself diets. On the contrary. I eat 6 meals a day and work out for 46 minutes for muscle training 3 days a week and then 20 minutes of cardio 3 days a week.

I still have some work in front of me to be exactly where I want to be. For now though, it is a great start. If you want to know more about the program please email / PM me or visit www.bodyforlife.com

It really is more than just a diet. Its a way of life.

[FazerChic]

I know what you're talking about. I did that a few years ago....lost 7 pounds of fat in 30 days....and gained 4 pounds of muscle. Yeah baby!!

That's great to hear that you are in such great shape....!!

Thanks..


I forgot to mention you can win 50k by entering and completing the challenge.

[benVFR]

Sounds like you're doing good, this is not a new program and I had checked it out before...

How the heck are you coming up with your #s though? Did you go to a doctor or health club and get a buoyancy test to determine body fat before and after?

Ben

[bemused]

congrats, Scotty... big news. not an easy feat, by any means...

I have been using the body fat calipers to do the fat %. They are pretty accurate but the most is the tub. I did go to the works health club in Somersworth NH to get the buoyance test done about 2 weeks ago.

[benVFR]

Good for you... that is cool. If you lost 15lbs total that is like 2.5hp.

I use the electrical things, I've been keeping track of it for about 2 years... the #s are not that good with anything except the water method but if you do it every day the trends are accurate since the % error does not really change.

I always manage to gain about 10lbs from lifting in the winter and then it's all gone by May once I start bicycling. I dropped about 35lbs in 6 months about 4 years ago when I got into it. The first 10 or so from lifting & gym cardio and then the last 20 came off really fast when I got my mountain bike, like 6 weeks or something. I had lifted right through college and that alone didn't really work well for me.

You have to be suspicious of the #s until they get large. 15lbs is real, but if you say you lost 7 lbs of fat and gained 3 lbs of muscle, that is only a 4lb difference. At ~170-175lbs in top shape for cycling I lose 3-4lbs of water on 4-6 hour ride. It'll make a body fat reading drop quite a bit, but by the next morning it is back to normal. Creatine and some of the other supplements exaggerate that effect even more.

Ben

Ben those are some great stats.. The part that I'm really excited about is my stamina and endurance have gone way up. I figure with the 3 hour races we have this year I should be able to pull an hour stint on the bike.

I figure I will do a few GTO races as well to get in better racing shape too. With the leathers, helmet and cardio that provides it should be fun.

[benVFR]

Awesome... that will probably make a big difference in your racing.

I don't think it's a coincidence that top Motorcycle racers are basically the same body type and fitness type as a bicycle racer, marathon runner, X/C ski racer, etc..

Do you have a Heart Rate meter? I think wearing one that records your HR for an endurance race would be very, very interesting. I use one of those for bicycling and I'm probably going to try it at a track day this year. It stores the data in a watch and then you download it to a PC and you can graph the data and compare different dates, etc... It takes an awful lot of discipline to pay attention to the data though, which I kind of lack.

My goals for this season were 1hr 15min up Mt. Washington and breaking 5 hours for 100 miles. I missed the sign up for Mt. Washington though... the race fee was $300 and I was procrastinating hoping there would still be slots open after it dropped.

Ben

[KevinB]

Hey Ben

I did the Mt Washington Climb two years ago, it was unbelievable. It took me about 1hr 22min to get to the top, I was shooting for 1hr 15min. Last year they had a practice run for $25 that was not timed. There are other hill climbs around for less coin, like Ascutney,VT and Mt Greyock,NY.

Kevin B

[benVFR]

Yep.. I did it two years ago as well.. I did about 1:30. I tried to do it with my lowest gear being 39x34 which was not low enough for me. (No triple)

I have done Ascutney 2x just for fun but haven't done the race. I love Ascutney.. one time I did it when it was like 90 degrees out though, that sucked, it was incredibly miserable. Even though it is an easy mountain my favorite is probably Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park.. the views are awesome and the descent is amazing because the road is in good shape.

Ben

[legalspeed]

Oh yeah?

Well, I gained 10lbs this winter (f=m*a) so I'll carry more momentum across the finish line!

D'oh, here comes turn one...

[KevinB]

Ben

I ran 175 cranks with 38, and had 32 and 34 cogs the rear.I think triple is the way to go. If I put some miles on the season, I may do the practice run,but can't justify $300 for less than 2hrs of riding.

[benVFR]

No kidding... $300 is a rape job. I remember following the forum when they tripled the price and it seems everyone just seemed to think they were gouging... no way the cost of running the race tripled in one year.

I don't have a lot of motivation to race, especially criteriums... lots of driving in the car to get to the start and then you have to pay $$ to race around an industrial park, etc.. Mountain bike races are lots of fun though.

Ben

[KevinB]

I did some complaining on that board when they jacked up the entry fee. I have done a ton of MTB races, Mt Snow is the best.
Hoping do it this season, I think its in late June. What class do you race in. I race EFTA expert, but a good finish would in the top 15. Training takes up alot of time, only do it for fun not a career.
I race Norba events as a sport, 5th place at Mt Snow in 01, didn't race much last season.