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!

Glad to hear you are interested in the transformation challenge! As for base camp' date=' you can probably skip it, but do keep in mind the importance of starting the transformation with the least amount of baggage as possible. You do not want that baggage to block you from achieving transformation goals. sleeping 7-8 hours a night is important to reduce the amount of stress induced cortisol in the body. If you do not need 7-8 hours of sleep, but can still minimize cortisol levels, then by all means just treat it as a guideline. Otherwise, it is a good rule in order to wake up each day feeling rested while giving your body the time and environment it needs to repair.[/quote']

Do you have any examples of "baggage" other than not getting enough sleep? Believe me, I'd like to get more. But I work 12 hour shifts with 2+ hours of commuting time, plus 1-2 hours exercise everyday plus the time spent bathing, eating not to mention saying high to the wife as we pass each other during our busy lives. You can see there just isn't enough hours in the day sometimes.

But I don't make excuses....I make it work. It's not ideal but I do the best I can with it. But I do need to make myself go to bed sooner but that cuts into my VST.com time. LOL

The typical baggage would be like eating high sugar or high fat food. This is going to sabotage a person's efforts during the transformation. Also drinking too much alcohol or caffeine might also get in your way. Things like that. Try and eat as cleanly as possible, almost a paleo diet.

Well I could just chew through leather, I'm so ticked and jealous!! I continue my ecxercise, upping my weights, upping my cardio, and I'm UP on the GD MUTHAFU**ING SCALE!! I was *up* 3 pounds, am now up 5!! *sob*

Well I could just chew through leather' date=' I'm so ticked and jealous!! I continue my ecxercise, upping my weights, upping my cardio, and I'm UP on the GD MUTHAFU**ING SCALE!! I was *up* 3 pounds, am now up 5!! *sob*[/quote']

You are probably gaining muscle and Water. More muscle requires more water to sustain the repair process. Unfortunately, we have little control over when said water leaves the body, giving the illusion of weight gain on the scale.

Are you able to check your body fat percentage to determine if it is going down? Asking as I am not sure you have access to an electronic measurement tool, a smart scale or a set of calibres to do the measurements in your current deployed state.

I mailed myself my good digital scale before I left the states but I don't think it is fancy enough to measure body fat. I got in 1330 cals yesterday, with 117g protein - a personal best. It also just so happens I was able to put in 2 hours at the gym and the only reason I stopped at 2 hours was because it was getting late and it was moonless and I'd forgotten my flashlight. 30 min non-stop max heart elliptical, 30 min HIIT treadmill, full upper body weights rotation, yoga stretching.

I mailed myself my good digital scale before I left the states but I don't think it is fancy enough to measure body fat. I got in 1330 cals yesterday' date=' with 117g Protein - a personal best. It also just so happens I was able to put in 2 hours at the gym and the only reason I stopped at 2 hours was because it was getting late and it was moonless and I'd forgotten my flashlight. 30 min non-stop max heart elliptical, 30 min HIIT treadmill, full upper body weights rotation, yoga stretching.[/quote']

Another tool that might help you is the omron fat analyzer:

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1369929944&sr=1-1&keywords=omron+fat+analyzer

Can you order this from Amazon and have it sent to your care package address? If not, perhaps someone can step up and buy one for you and send as a care package. It is not very much @ 30 dollars. My wife and I have already put together a package of WLS post op food goodies that should arrive to you in a few weeks.

Hey everyone! Hope y'all are still going strong! I went to my mom's for memorial day so I took a couple days off. Last night I was able to do most of jillians no trouble zones which is a big challenge for me! My body is really hurting today lol. Today I did 10 minutes of yoga and 45 of zumba. I still haven't weighed or measured because I don't want to get discouraged. Plus my scale is broken lol.

That is great to hear your progress Nicole, really pushing yourself. Even though your scale is broken, I bet you can start to notice differences in the mirror or feel stronger, more muscular. For me, my body feels "the best" when I wake up in the morning and I just know something is changing, getting stronger or a little tighter on the measurements. Perhaps you feel this way also?

We are nearing the end of phase 1 - " the lift off phase" ( see phase descriptions near the top of this thread). It is time to start thinking about the next phase, what you wish to accomplish at the end of phase 2 and how you will get here. Remember, you may not be feeling it yet! The next phase will probably be a breakthrough for all of us. We will really start to notice differences and our hard work will start to pay off. Keep on pushing everyone!! I know it is hard, but the results will be worth it.

My new scale came in today! I'm 5 pounds less than what I thought! Woot woot!

My new scale came in today! I'm 5 pounds less than what I thought! Woot woot!

What does your new scale do? Come on, spill the Beans...

What does your new scale do? Come on' date=' spill the Beans...[/quote']

What ever it does I want one! I can use a five pound loss!

What ever it does I want one! I can use a five pound loss!

It probably can make a mean Cappuccino for that time in the morning when you weigh, but not quite awake yet!

Haha well it works for one. My old scale would give a different reading everytime I step on it.

It has been 3 weeks since I changed both my diet (TDEE/IIFYM) and exercise (cardio and strength training), and except for *gaining* 5 pounds, nothing has happened. There are some positive gains but they are so meager as to be laughable; I can run 4 minutes instead of 2, I can lift 10 lbs heavier than before, I can do 30 minutes of cardio without feeling like I'm being punished. But, considering the effort and vigilance I've put in, whoop-de-frickin-do. All clothes are just as tight as before.

Stepped up a level on Body Revolution today - OMG....super sore but LOVING the calorie burn from this workout! AND hit the 50lbs lost mark this morning! The sore is offset by this feeling of VICTORY!