I'm on the Brad Morgan beginner ABs working right now and so far so good. I'm up to 5 crunches and 1 roll out per session. This weekend I'm aiming for two roll outs and maybe plank for 5 seconds.

Mostly it's used as an excuse to eat garbage. It's like Keifer's back loading, where he suggests downing a box of fruity pebbles after your workout (they're gluten free, you know!). But find someone under 8% BF using that, few and far between.
Same with IIFYM. While it's got some merits, it's loaded with excuses, and the old "everything in moderation", which, depending on your goals, will only give moderate results. The issue is every program in existence will work for somebody, but most won't work for a lot of bodies. And telling someone to eat ice cream if it fits their macros is just poor advice. Unless you're ok with not getting below 12 or 14% BF. But most physique trainees are after more, and for most, it will be a long struggle.
If you're more than casually interested in training nutrition, google Phil Learney podcasts, some great info.

You need a trainer to stand beside you and hit you with a stick, slacker! haha

I've probably over-shadowed your hijack :) Sorry Mindy ...

I know Im not that old but I think training can definitely keep you young. Congrats on that crazy weight loss. I know the feeling about being busy but making time. I usually dont hit my basement gym till 8-9pm after the kids are down. Sometimes I dont feel like getting my butt in motion but I never regret it and its a great stress relief.

Absolutely, and the younger you start, the easier it is to stay there. I'm lucky in that my wife is really supportive and we manage schedules well. She runs long distances, so her training sessions can be 4 hours, that I would have trouble scheduling!! But it works. I train 6 days/wk this month, plus try to run 3 days. The running doesn't always happen, but gym time is a priority.

I know what you are saying but the people who use it purely as an excuse to eat junk all the time don't get the point and dont know what they are doing that give it a bad name. You still have to get the bulk of your diet from good wholesome foods....it just allows you indulge a bit if you build it into your diet. a bowl of Ice cream doesnt automatically make you fat......calories and in activity make you fat.

All it is watching your calories and getting your basic macro nutrient needs met. After that you decide what you want to fill the rest of your caloric intake with. Whether you decide to have a treat or not. It basically allows you to build in some cheat, making a diet much easier to stick with. Its flexible dieting. No reason to eat 100% raw, natural "clean" foods. You are much more likely to cheat anyway if you try to do this. The good news is if you get your lean body mass up and your metabolism going you get more calories and essentially cheat a bit more.

And your very wrong about nobody using IIFYM to get super lean.....there are tons. I got to likely 10% myself this summer and I wasn't really using IIFYM just some of the principles.....I eat a lot of chicken, salad, eggs,nuts etc. but I didnt always say no to the hamburgers and ice cream either. Its not race for me.....sure I could get there faster by being more strict but ya gotta live.

You guy aren't really putting the thread off-topic, it's really just fitness discussion. :)

Darryl, yes I've heard of MyFitnessPal. I do have it on my phone, and I use it for a few days in a row a couple times a month just to see what I'm doing. What is IIFYM?

I've already lost 2 lbs since starting CrossFit which is comforting. I don't think I need to lose weight but I do know that I'm 12 lbs heavier now as a truck driver than I was as a carpenter 5 years ago, plus my body fat percentage is much higher. I'm just plain ole out of shape. I've also been having some knee soreness and sciatic nerve pain in my left hip/leg, so it's time to do something before it becomes a real problem.

From my uneducated point of view, it seems the gym I picked is very good. They don't push me beyond my limits and they hold back new people from lifting heavy until the movements are well developed. The trainers all seem to know how far I can be pushed, and push me to do my best, but not so far that I am pushed beyond my limits.

Well, yes and no. Nutrient timing and hormone management play a huge role in this. I stopped losing weight for about 6 weeks, until I added 500 calories more per day, then it started dropping again. A calorie is not a calorie, and there is so much more.
As for IIFYM, sure, it works for some, who practice it properly (Layne Norton and Scott Baptie are two that immediately come to mind), but it allows the mentality that cheating is ok, and I guess if that's your thing, then fine. I follow different ideas, and a planned refeed is still top quality ingredients. For my bday, I went out for dinner and had grilled trout and extra veggies :razz:. I guess it's all different strokes, and I'm more the "live a lot" than "live a little" kinda guy :)

Sorry. IFFYM is IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS or some are now calling it DCA (discretionary calorie allowance). Basically you set your calorie intake for your goals, get the optimal macros (protein/fat/fiber and maybe carbs) for muscle growth and/or retention and if you like you can use some discretionary calories for a treat.

Here are some links....if you have any question you could PM me.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=133634471
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=156380183