12 week Transformation challenge for vets

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Edit: Thinking about this challenge some more, it should be opened to everyone. I originally thought about it being tackled only after weight loss because it would not seem good to have such a transformation challenge interfere with weight loss. However, now I think anyone should be able to do it even to help with weight loss, as long as you are able to physically and mentally rise to the challenge. I will let you define what this criteria means to you, but I would think it excludes those that are less then 2 months post op. I would probably not attempt it until 5 months post op, but that is just my opinion.

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Transformation is something that may interest some veterans who are done with the weight loss phase of VSG. Losing weight is the beginning of the transformation process to become a beacon of health and radiant energy for yourself and those around you.

I am really a big fan of both transformation programs that the Phillip brothers have spearheaded.

In 1999, bill Phillip created the much revered Body-for-life program that is 12 weeks of intense transformation. Some have trouble extending their success of the 12 week program to the rest of their life, possibly because they jumped in too fast or did not have the mental and physical strength to continue after 12 weeks.

That is where his brother Shawn Phillips came along more recently and created the Strength-for-life program. This program focuses more on developing habits of strength in all areas of physical and mental health. The results gained from exiting the 12 week strength-for-life will be foundational for the rest of your life.

The strength-for-life program includes a base camp phase that is 12 days long. It is important to do this base camp phase before starting the 12 week program in order to set your body up for success. During this time, you focus on rebooting your body.

Essentially,

1. Eat lean, clean and green

2. Drink Water in abundance (no alcohol, sugary drinks, energy drinks, etc, just water)

3. sleep at least 7-8 hours of restful sleep a night

4. Have an attitude of gratitude

5. Recharge with the base camp training plan

As VSG post op, we know how to eat and how to drink Water. Try and keep the Protein as lean as possible. Drink as much water as you can, but do not drink the energy or sports drinks ( too much sugar). sleeping restfully will lower the cortisol levels and help the body detox.

The base camp training plan is essentially Training 3 days a week with body weight movements. Do 3 sets of 3 different exercises, pausing for 30 seconds between each set.

Monday: 15-20 reps of push-ups. 3 sets.

Wednesday: 15-20 air squats or lunges. 3 sets.

Friday: 12-15 ab crunches. 3 sets.

If you slip on any of the 5 principles listed above, start over. It is important to get thought the 12 days successfully before moving onto the 12 week transformation. You may see some weight loss and or lean muscle gain during this short reboot. However, the real change will occur over the next 12 weeks.

Here is where I would like to propose a transformation challenge. The challenge will be 12 weeks long and success is defined by achieving a set of clearly defined goals. Make sure the goals are as personal as possible and link them to your feelings.

Create 2 physical goals and one inner strength goal.

For me, I am :

37 years old

5'11"

188 lbs pre transformation (as of yesterday)

Married with no children, a dog, 3 cats and currently provide a place for my brother.

Physical goals:

I will lose 15 pounds of fat, gain 5 pounds of lean muscle and lose 2 inches around my waist by September 1st. I have high energy and soaring confidence.

Mental/emotional goal:

I will have positive energy to share with my wife and brother. We enjoy 1 family activity a week that is not centered around the tv. I will read 2 leadership books and hire a business coach to strengthen my career by September 1st.

Be sure to measure along the way:

Weight

Body fat percentage

Resting heart rate

Blood pressure

Cholesterol

Other

Take weekly photos : front, back and from each profile. Shoot the photos in the same position and location, wearing the same clothes. At the end of the 12 weeks, you will literally be able to see the transformation from week to week.

During the transformation, consider the following eating guidelines:

1. Shoot for macronutrient balance, eating lean Protein first.

2. Eat 5-6 x a day, keeping each meal small.

3. Avoid sugar and alcohol

4. Eat your Omega 3s. These really help with inflammation.

5. Get more Vitamin d either as a supplement or being in the sun

6. Eat organically

During the transformation, consider the following strength training guidelines:

1. Monday - Upper body push (chest, shoulders, triceps and biceps)

2. Tuesday- HIIT and abs

3. Wednesday- lower body / legs ( quads, hamstrings and calves)

4. Thursday - upper body pull (back, rear delts, triceps, biceps)

5. Friday - HIIT and abs

6.saturday - circuit (strength, stamina, stretch)

7. Day off - recover and rejuvenate

Train strong and not long.

1. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday should last 33 minutes to 44 minutes

2. Tuesday and Thursday HIIT would be 20 minutes

3. Saturday circuit should be 20 minutes followed by 8-12 minutes of stretching

The strength workouts should be no longer then 4 sets:

Set 1: 12 reps

Set 2: 10 reps

Set 3: 8 reps

Set 4: 8+ reps

For example,

I will be using a pair of dumbbells at home to complete the strength training

Try and be very focused during the strength training. It is the focus that is going to help the most with achieving the transformation. Be progressive and increase the weight from week to week. Make every rep count. Make them super high quality.

HIIT training is far more effective then long cardio training at steady state.

1. Start with 3 minute warm up

2. First interval is 60 seconds at high intensity

3. Second interval is 60 seconds at lower intensity (catch your breath)

4. Repeat 2) and 3) for 18 minutes. No more.

5. Cool down for 2 minutes

For example,

I will be using cross fit training with a PT to complete the HIIT workouts.

On the 7th day, it is a rest day both nutritionally and physically. If you want to eat more calories or have that treat, this is the day to do it before diving into the next week. Each week should be programmatically the same, but should also increase in intensity.

It is important to keep a diary of your training during this 12 week challenge. This will help you with keeping on the program and motivation.

After the 12 week transformation challenge, you will be in a position of strength to set new goals and achieve them.

Good luck everyone!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

No bites, eh?

Well, I started my transformation today and will let you know how it goes in 12 weeks. I hope someone else decides to join the fun! The results that you can achieve in 12 short weeks of really focusing will be amazing.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I am interested but I am moving into the fun season. I ride horses, go camping and all that so it is very hard to committ to this type of program. I do the harder training stuff in the winter. Let me think about it. I don't really want to lose a bunch of weight, but do want to keep getting stronger and of course transform more of my current weight to muscle which makes maintenance easier. I am pretty happy with my cardio fitness - so again, want to maintain it.

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

I have one question.

How old is your brother? My daughter is single

(What.. Not the type of question you were expecting?)

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I have one question.

How old is your brother? My daughter is single

(What.. Not the type of question you were expecting?)

We are twins so he is the same age as me: 37.

[swizzly 901]

I'm totally interested, but still on hols and having a lot of wine and naughty food. Not the right time to start this, but soon will be!!!

[Nicolanz 1,484]

You lost me at HIIT and crossfit and PT. I don't know what any of that means! Haha!

[HoosierGirl 780]

I AM IN!!!! Would be fantastic to have others on the 12-week journey too! I am 3 months post op and have been doing HIIT training using Jillian Michael's Body Revolution - a 12 week program that gets increasingly difficult. What do I need to get in on this Fiddleman???

[Nicolanz 1,484]

I want in too! Maybe I'll look into the Jillian Michaels thing!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

You lost me at HIIT and crossfit and PT. I don't know what any of that means! Haha!

Hey Nicole- HIIT means high intensity interval training. Essentially, cycle between 60 seconds of intense cardio (80% max heart rate) and 60 seconds of moderate cardio (catch your breath) for 18 minutes with your cardio of choice. I am going to use cross fit because that is what I like to do for intensity, but you could also do running, biking, jump rope, Jillian ripped, whatever. They key is to cycle to get the best results. No boring long cardio sessions with this approach. Your cardio will be over in 20 minutes and will be fast and furious!!

PT means personal trainer. I have a personal trainer that helps me with getting better and better at cross fit and makes sure my form is good and not letting me give up. A 20 minute cross fit WOD leaves you on the mat catching your breath, but feels great and leads to very measurable physical results.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I AM IN!!!! Would be fantastic to have others on the 12-week journey too! I am 3 months post op and have been doing HIIT training using Jillian Michael's Body Revolution - a 12 week program that gets increasingly difficult. What do I need to get in on this Fiddleman???

Hi Hoosier - thanks for joining! You will not regret it. It will be challenging, but you will come out transformed.

You should be able to do all the strength training with dumbbells and a bench ( or something like it) in the comfort of your own home. I choose to do it this way because I do not have a traditional gym membership nor do I attend my cross fit gym more then 2 x a week. That is how I am presently set up. That does not mean you need to do it this way.

If you have a gym membership ( eg. 24 hour, golds, la fitness, etc), by all means use their weights and/ or machines. I am also going to use dumbbells because it gives me more flexibility over movements and I want to focus on balance, mobility, flexibility and good form. Machines take away this need to control the movements and will not yield as good results.

I will still be running weekly during this time, but only 1-2 miles before a workout and 1-3 miles after a workout along with 1 longer 5k or 10 k a week. No more 20-25 miles a week in the form of 10 k and longer runs. it is too catabolic for my needs to build a boxer physique. My muscles are constantly getting eaten with long cardio even though my Protein numbers were way up. Hence, Focus is now going to be more on strength building and less on long distance running, at least for the next 12 weeks.

Just to give you an idea, today I performed a 'push day,' focusing on push movements of the upper body with 4 sets of each exercise progressing from 15 lb up to 35 lb. I ran 1 mile warm up, stretched and then did a cross fit warmup of push-ups, sits ups, planks and pull ups. I ran 2 miles afterwards, running 7 minute miles. A good day in the transformation program.

Tomorrow HIIT I will do the card game where a different body weight exercise is assigned to each card and you perform as many reps as the number says on the card. The exercises will be burpees, push ups, air squats and sit ups (touch toes). Will do the same type of before and after running, stretching and cross fit warm up as I completed today.

Remember also to follow the eating guidelines. It is very similar to how we eat when we start on solids as a post op and it is important to eat 5-6 x a day. Lean Protein first followed by vegetables. Balance with carbs like brown rice or oats if you have room and can manage eating them. I manage to get my good carbs in other ways like eating energy squares, but maybe someday will think about good starches again. I have no idea yet because of what WLS has indoctrinated me with, but am open to the possibility. Do others have experience with eating good starches like brown rice or oats?

Good luck!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Another awesome benefit of building strength with lean muscle during this 12 week transformation program is that it gives you round the clock fat burning. It is like insurance so you do not need to diet or track exactly what you are eating (never tracked anyways myself). You will never be hungry again and can eat 6x a day or more, every 2-3 hours.

Cardio is great fitness tool, but without strength training your BMR is destroyed and every thing you eat has the potential to just get stored as fat (unless you are one of the lucky genetically gifted ones - not me). Even the not so bad food choices. With lean muscle you have a bit of flexibility to have those not-so-good food choices or extra calories and still maintain your weight and look good. The lean muscle is like The plant in Little shop of horrors: feed me. Feed Me. FEED ME!!! Lol!

[Nicolanz 1,484]

Okay I have the Jillian michaels ripped in 30 and Kickboxing. I have to work out at home, so I'll do that instead. Starting tonight!

[Nicolanz 1,484]

Ok fiddleman, I almost died tonight! I'm more out of shape than when I was 280 pounds! How sad! I gotta get back to a routine!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Ok fiddleman' date=' I almost died tonight! I'm more out of shape than when I was 280 pounds! How sad! I gotta get back to a routine![/quote']

You can do it! Just one day at a time.