Bowflex ElitePlus manual Adhere to a carbohydrate-rich, moderate-calorie eating plan

Q & A

Q. I’m pleased that I lost the fat I wanted to lose. What do I do to maintain my new body weight?

A. Once you’ve lost your excessive fat, your next task is to maintain that status. Here are the adjustments you need to make to your current practices.

Adhere to a carbohydrate-rich, moderate-calorie eating plan.

Instead of eating from 1000 to 1500 calories a day, you’ll be consuming from 1600 to 2400 calories per day. Maybe you can eat even more after your new body weight has stabilized. Trial-and-error experimentation is a must. Women should start with 1600 calories, and men with 2000 calories per day. Note what happens after a week. If your body weight keeps going down, raise the calories by 100 or 200, depending on how much weight you lost during the last week. Soon, you should reach a level where your body weight stabilizes. That level is your daily calorie requirement. Naturally, you’ll be able to consume other foods than those listed in the Bowflex eating plan. By then, however, you should know the value of being a smart shopper and a wise eater. Read labels. Compare nutritional information. Be conscious of the ideal 60:20:20 ratio for carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Eat smaller meals more frequently.

You’ve been limiting your five meals per day to 300 calories if you’re a woman, or 500 calories if you’re a man. You may now up the calories by 100. What happens if during a single meal you eat more than 400 calories if you’re a woman, or 600 calories if you’re a man? Don’t panic. Simply understand that you will sometimes backslide. Learn to anticipate these urges and take corrective action.

Drink at least 1 gallon (3.8 l) of cold water each day.

You should realize by now the benefits of consuming plenty of water each day. Make your water bottle a permanent part of your lifestyle.

Train on Bowflex at least twice a week.

There are two primary differences between maintenance and strength-building routines. First, for maintenance, you do not have to increase the resistance each week or so. If you can do 100 pounds for 12 repetitions on the

leg extension, then keep it on 100 pounds and do not go up to 105 pounds. You can maintain the 100-pound level much easier that you can increase it. Second, you do not need to train three times a week. You can maintain your strength at twice a week.

Add variety to your Bowflex routines.

Now is the time to introduce more variety to your routines by adding some new exercises while removing some old ones. Below are two sample routines.

Maintenance Routine 1

1.Seated Hip Abduction

2.Seated Hip Adduction

3.Seated Straight Leg Calf Raise

4.Chest Fly

5.Incline Bench Press

6.Shoulder Pullover

7.Shoulder Shrug

8.Standing Biceps Curl

9.Seated Wrist Curl

10.Seated Wrist Extension

Maintenance Routine 2

1.Leg Curl

2.Leg Extension

3.Standing Lateral Shoulder Raise

4.Seated Shoulder Press

5.Rear Deltoid Row

6.Decline Press

7.Reverse Curl

8.Seated Triceps Extension

9.Low Back Extension

10.Abdominal Crunch

Look in your Bowflex Owner’s Manual for descriptions of the new exercises.

Be consistent with your Bowflex exercising, healthy eating, and superhydrating — and your accomplishments may well exceed your goals.

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