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!

Fiddle - I don't know my body fat percentage....suggestions for measuring? I don't have a scale that will measure it.

I do not know a good scale to suggest; my fat percentage is measured by either the hospital when I get check ups every few months or about every 3 weeks with my personal trainer at cross fit. The cross trainer uses calibers and is fairly accurate when compared to the fancy scale that the WLS Center at the hospital uses. She did recommend that getting measured using he water method is the most ideal, but that can get a bit pricy. I have never done this myself. I am thinking about purchasing an Omron scale or body composition reader in he future. I would definitely be open to other scales hat are better that folks have used.

Starting week 5 of this challenge on Monday...feel amazing and cannot wait to see the results at the end of 12 weeks. I have the "before" picture ready to compare to the "after" picture!

One of the biggest things has been dietary - if it doesn't have a mother or didn't grow from the ground, I am NOT eating it! Lol

Hoosier - lol. funny but good statement on effective paleo based diet.

I had a kind of downer week 4 because of having a cold most of the week. However, had 1 really good cross fit session (posted on another thread), 1 really good push lifting day and continued to eat paleo based diet with good results. Filling, never hungry and plenty of energy. Overall did not push myself as much as I would like, but did the best I could while feeling suboptimal. Ready to get back into it next week in a big way with a new type of working out.

Looking forward to week 5 as I got my fitness DVD for "you are your own gym" (body weight fitness designed by elite special ops trainer mark lauren) and bought a book on paleo fitness today to learn even more about effective body weight exercises. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced DVD and I will be starting with beginner. Stoked about what is to come from doing the body weight workouts 3 days a week starting Monday.

I also added an effective 20 minute start- your-day warmup routine right when I first roll out of bed in the morning. It is essentially a moderately fast 1 mile run (8:00 minute mile and key is to be able to carry a conversation during it so not very high on heart rate) followed by stretches and a warmup of pushups, plank holds, wall sits and lunges. Nothing too hard, but warms up the body and the mind before starting my work day on my computer.

Hi 12 week transformers! How are y'all doing? Are you feeling stronger, meeting mini goals for yourself along the way, sleeping better and more? We are in week 6 which puts us roughly 1/2 way through the 12 week challenge.

For myself, I started at around 188 lb and today am at 182 lbn(5'11"). My physique has really leaned out in terms of muscle definition. I am motivated by this. The most gains for me are visible in the morning, after a nice sleep. Love that the body does the amazing repair work while we are sleeping.

i started the challenge with my dumbbell routines ( see top of thread) for the first 5 weeks (3x a week) , but this week I have started doing exclusive body weight strength training exercises. They are nice and intense short workouts with each about 20 minutes in length, but man, they leave me drained and pumped. The program is called "you are your own gym" and has 3 levels of difficulty. I am on beginner now and want to be on advanced by the end of this 12 week challenge. It may take longer. We shall see.

At the cross fit workouts(2 x a week), I am doing real unassisted push-ups and pull ups. These were impossible without bands when first starting out 6 weeks ago. Now they are not so bad. I can dead lift 265 lb and bench press 250 lb. Form and mobility are my biggest challenges and holding me back from really huge gains in strength. I am still pretty tight such that most of the lifting is limited by flexibility issues. I am working on this during every session with my personal trainer and already am much better. It is something I need to constantly be aware of.

How are y'all doing so far? Please share for the benefit of the group.

Great job, Fiddle!!!! As you all know I haven't been able to work out the past two weeks! So I have to start all over I'm cleared to start today! I started at 220 and today I'm 210! So close to being under 200 and being an overweight BMI instead of obese ( I'm 5'9)! Woohoo! I'm going on vacation Monday but it's a hiking and climbing rock formations vacation! I'm so excited.

We go every year but this year will be so different. I'm excited to see how far I've come physically. I will report back!

Thanks Nicole! It is great to hear you are on the up and up after GB surgery. Thanks for coming back into the program ! You were missed.

Another good week on the transformation plan. I am down to 180 lb this morning and really like my efficient workout plan during the week. It does not seem like a lot of work. Dropping about 2-3 lbs a week on average. Yet increasing my strength and lean muscle. 180 is my ideal body weight for my height.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are Cross fit with my PT for 60 minutes. Usually 10 minutes warmup, 15 minute strength and technique, 20 minutes for WOD and the remainder for cooling down.

Monday, Wednesday and Friday are "you are your own gym" body weight strength training. Again 20 minutes of warmup, 20 minutes of body weight exercises and 20 minutes of cool down and flexibility. Warmup for me is usually about 12 minutes of 6.6 mph running, some quick reps of heavy dumbbell dead lifts, a cross fit like warmup of dynamic planks, sumo squats, jumping jacks, lunges and sit-ups and then special full body stretches to prepare for "you are your own gym" workout. I am transitioning into intermediate level next week and then will transition into advanced in about 3 weeks after that.

I am thinking about getting into yin hot yoga this next week as a way to gain flexibility and mobility. However, the hot yoga power flow vinyasa sounds intriguing as well in 105 degrees. And I thought I am a good producer of sweat Already. Lol. Probably only 1 night a week of this, maybe 2.

The 20 minutes of balls-to-the-wall intense full body compound body strength exercises from all workouts are very effective. Short enough that I do not feel like I am bored. Really focused. Let me tell you, when I am done my strength feels zapped. Totally fatigued not from muscle soreness necessarily, but from lack of energy ( fatigued?) . It is like I can feel energy leaving my body rather then feeling energized. From only 20 minutes?? Feels like army boot camp. correction: special ops boot camp.

I do eat 40 g recovery Protein shake afterwards and some energy squares to replenish carbs. I eat about 2 hours before working out. It takes about 20 minutes before my energy starts returning and my drained feeling goes away. As stated before, I eat a lot (paleo style) during the day to keep the transformation moving along towards fitness goals. We are over 1/2 way through the program.

I really like the transformation results so far in terms of physical and mental strength. Totally unrelated but I got my annual performance review back today and got "Exceeds expectation" on my first year with them. This is a big deal in a huge corporate company (105000 employees) where there is only a certain number of points to go around in each division. Crossing my fingers that this turns into something tangible. The focus i have gained from working out hard has helped me have good performance at work. Hope everyone else is having a good time on their transformation.

Climbing Enchanted Rock was still very challenging but easier than before. We did a lot more exploring this time. Climbed down in caves and climbed down the way covered in boulders rather than the smooth way. Overall, it was a success!

I think for the first time my husband is a little annoyed with me being sleeved. This town is mostly for drinking wine at wineries and beer at the brewery and eating. I've thrown up from a beer and our mini fridge is full of food! Haha! This was the first time I've vomited from being sleeved. We're still having a blast! Hope everyone is having a great week!

It has been a couple weeks since the last post. I feel progress is going well and the goal of real strength is becoming obtainable. This week I have switched onto intermediate training on the "be your own gym" workout. It did not kill me. lol. These are incredibly effective exercises that work out the whole body and several major muscle groups at the same time in a relatively short amount of time. I really enjoy doing these workouts and it is over before i know it. The moves are extremely functional so my body is in a happy place when performing them. I highly recommend others to try the training if you want to do challenging workouts with the power of your body only ( a bit like cross fit without the weighted routines). I missed cross fit this week because I needed to be with my wife at the hospital for her sleeve. She is home and doing so well, 100x better then I did as newly post op. Also notable is some stair running I did at the hospital to get a little exercise in. 45 flights up and 45 flights down total in a short amount of time. I think I am going to do the big climb up the Columbia tower of Seattle this following year because 45 flights up was not that much effort. I am excited as to where fitness is taking me week over week. My arms are still not getting big yet, but my quads, chest and back are getting powerful. Darn arms!! It feels good to own my fitness routine and not to be afraid of it. My weight is 178 lb this week, yet i have been gaining lean muscle all over, especially in upper body (athletic build). Happy about the progress. Lets keep on going to the end of the 12 week challenge. Hope y'all are doing great!

Thanks guys! I think my nerves have awoken and I'm in pain! But I am happy the gallbladder is gone and over with. I'm going to do some walking today to get rid of this gas stuck in my shoulder! I hope I feel better by Tuesday because I'm signed up for a CPR class. I have so much to do because I'm starting nursing school in August.

You know it's funny, all I've wanted for the past few months was a break. Time to sleep, a break from motherhood, and to be able to relax. Now my kids are in Austin with my mom and I'm forced to relax. I suck at relaxing and I miss my babies terribly! Haha!

i am so thankful that I didn't have any problems with gas after my gallbladder. I was lucky it was a piece of cake. When my kids were small, I was always thinking about them even when i so needed it. I still do today even with my children being young adults..... It will get better for you. take it easy and focus on healing your body. At least there's no more pain from the gallbladder.

Really psyched about progress in the last week.

I have been going through this transformation challenge starting in mid may. Just this last week body fat % has gone down 2% and 1% from yesterday to place me at 13.1% Additionally, weight has dropped a few pounds from last week. Today at 178 pounds. Exciting stuff.

I like also that my presence has really improved. The way I hold myself, strong, relaxed, shoulders down. It provides a sense of power and strength when interacting with people or just walking out and about.

I think progress is picking up because I have moved onto the intermediate body weight workouts and have really stepped up the workout at cross fit. And I feel great afterwards. I just renewed with my Cross Fit trainer for another 18 sessions. After those run out, I am going to transition into open gym to lift with the real power cross fitters. I am so glad to be doing this one no one with my Cross Fit trainer because it is progressively moving my technique, agility, mobility and strength to where I want to be.

In two weeks, I will be moving into the final phase of this 12 week challenge and will start the advanced body weight training program at home until the end of the challenge. These are such good functional exercises and always leave me with a good workout. They always feel within my capability which makes doing these exercises fun. I look forward to 20 minutes of these 3x a week at home. I added 2 additional core workouts this week based upon use of my PT roller. They are challenging also and am counting on them to help my abs see the light of day and pop.

I am eating a lot of calories and my recovery shake has switched from GNC Amplified Wheybolic 60 to synth 6. The synth 6 tastes way better, but does have more carbs and more calories. Two scoops is 400 calories, but if my weight is going down along with my fat %, all is well.

Hope everyone else is doing well.

Howdy folks.

We are into the 9th week of the 12 week transformation challenge. This is the last phase, the home stretch, the final push until the end of the challenge. We all made some fitness, lifestyle and professional goals at the beginning of the challenge. How is everyone doing? I hope there are still some participating in the challenge with me. If so, please report how things are going.

This week marks the first day of advanced body weight exercises for me. I have made it through beginner and intermediate body weight exercises over the last 6 weeks with success. Don't worry, the advanced program is still tiring for me, but I made it through. Today it consisted of 8 sets of 2 minute sprints of star jumpers, 1/2 dive bombers, v-ups and hip raisers. Really, it wasn't impossible, but certainly got both cardio and strength taxed. Wednesday will be ladders and Friday will be the last unique workout in the 12 week program. I will repeat these 3 workouts for 2 more weeks and then, viola, I graduate. time well spent. I have learned enough body weight exercises from cross fit and at home body weight programs ( including books) to put together any future program, depending on desired goals. Lifting my body is no issue and I have developed a strong core.

Here is my current weekly program (daily times include warmup, stretch, workout, skill training and cool down, actual WOD is about 30 min)

M: adv timed body weight exercises ( morning-1 hour)

T: 20 min core (morning), cross fit (afternoon-1 hour)

W: adv ladder body work out (morning-1 hour)

Thur: 20 min core (morning), cross fit (afternoon-1 hour)

F: adv circuit body weight (morning-1 hour)

Sat: cross fit warm up, planks, push-ups, situps, pull-ups, etc. (morning-20 min) - no workout, might go for a run, hike or walk

Sun: hot yoga (afternoon-90 min)

So what kind of quantitative changes have occurred over the last 9 weeks of me?

Plenty!

Run: 7:30 min mile (average 8:30 min mile)>5:30 min mile (average at 7:30 min mile)

Bench: 125->225 lb

Squat: 75lb->200 lb

Dead lift: 125 lb-> 300 lb

Burpees: 10-> 100 ( much easier now)

Push-ups: banded 10->unassisted weighted 50 (30 lb) - I practice push-ups every single day, multiple times a day.

Pull-ups: banded->15->unassisted 15 (most proud)

Planks: 1 min->4 min

Jumping: 2.5 feet-> 4.5 feet ( shocking even to me)

I still look forward to learning rope climb and gymnastic rings in cross fit. Maybe in a couple months.

Age: 37

Weight: 190->177 (as I " get bigger", I see my weight increasing again towards 190. However, my body loves to center at 180)

Height: 5'11" ( may actually be an inch higher because my back has really straightened out. Will have to validate this hypothesis soon)

Bf %: 19->12/13 % (places me at the upper range of athlete according to Wikipedia)

Waist: 34 inch->31/32 inch

Calves: 21->15 inches

Chest: 45 inches (did not measure before - push-up variations are the exercise to make a big chest and upper back)

Biceps: 12 inches ( did not measure before - need to work on these muscles)

Neck: 15 inches

Food: as Paleo/organic as possible, but do eat process chicken this and chicken that. Protein shakes. Green leafy veggies where possible, but also broccoli, snap peas, seaweed salad. Casein shake every night at bed (mmmm, chocolate). Eat 6-7x a day of 200-400 calories (no hunger).

Supplementation:

Vitamins: optimen (2x daily), omega-3 gold (2x a day), calcium chews, b12, vitamin d

Green drink every other morning

Pre workout drink

BCAA mornings, drink before, during, after WOD and bed time

Synth 6 recover shake.

Creatine monohydrate ( before and after workout)

Creatine 189 (hydrochloride) in morning

Does anyone have feedback on these metrics? Where can I improve? My arms and shoulders are probably weakest point in body, but have definitely improved. Challenge me!

Most of my short term goals established at the beginning of the challenge are coming to fruition.

I have set some new long term goals yesterday in another thread, most notable is to compete in regional Crossfit games, learn parkour, mma and finally consider American ninja audition in 5 years also. I think it can be done with the right discipline and training.

This program has helped both with physical and mental strength.

Hey Fiddle! I have to admit I fell off the wagon after gb surgery. I'm back on now but definitely starting over. I got the bodymedia so it's keeping me motivated with my fitness goals! Congratulations on your success!

Hey Fiddle! I have to admit I fell off the wagon after gb surgery. I'm back on now but definitely starting over. I got the bodymedia so it's keeping me motivated with my fitness goals! Congratulations on your success!

That is super to hear Nicole. I know you can do it. Showing up is sometimes 80% of the difficulty in a workout. Stay consistent! That is where you will really see gains. I am cheering for you.