Simplified complete weight loss plan for the overweight

[Oriainarama]

I find trawling through all the information on this site and in the forums can be quit confusing, so I deceided to put together a plan for losing weight containing as much information as I could think of but keeping it in as simple terms as possible so its easier to follow and not overwhelming for anybody new to this.

Now i want to point out and stress that I am new to the world of training...at least proper training with precise goals and the knowledge in how to achieve them, so I am NOT qualified to be giving advice and claiming it as gospel. I am very interested in learning everything there is to learn and becoming a qualified personal trainer so this is just a first attempt at helping out a friend, who i devised this plan for.

I hope this might help somebody who reads it, but if there is any glaring problems here, I am sure the more experienced and knowledgable people on this forum will point it out.

You are probably still better off reading through all the stickies and excellent articles here but they can become confusing so here is my simplified guide, I hope it contains some useful information to you!







WORKOUT



DAY 1- Chest + shoulders

Bench Press 4 sets 12-8 reps
Incline press 4 sets 12-8 reps
Shoulder press 4 sets 12-8 reps
Optional your favourite triceps, abs and/or shoulder exercise 3-4 sets 8-12 reps- rest time 30-45 seconds
Cardio- easy to moderate of your favourite exercise- 30 mins

Cardio- Treadmill, Treadmill incline, Bike, Rower, Stepper, Eliptical.
Triceps- Pulldowns, pushdowns, skullcrushers, close grip benchpress
Abs- weighted situps, any other
Shoulder- lat raises, front raise, shrugs, any other
DAY 2- Legs + Back

Squats 4 sets 12-8 reps
Stiff leg deadlifts 4 sets 12-8 reps
Row (dumbbell or bent over row) 4 sets 8-12 reps
Deadlift 4 sets 8-12 reps
Optional calf raises and/or your favourite biceps exercises 3-4 sets 8-12 reps- rest time 30-45 seconds
Cardio- easy to moderate of your favourite exercise- 30 mins

Cardio- as above
Calf- Raises with leg press machine, raises with barbell
Biceps- Preacher curl, EZ curl, Cable curl, any other


NOTES

Perform workout 1 then workout 2 and back to workout 1 and so on.
Aim to get to the gym 3 or 4 times a week.
Make sure you get the full 30 minutes of cardio in every day you workout. If it becomes too easy up the intensity a little.
The workouts consist of mainly compound exercises, rest 1-2 minutes between sets.
The isolation exercises are optional but encouraged, try keep rest times between sets for these exercises to under 45 seconds.
On off days if time allows stretching and any exercise is ok, but no heavy compound lifts.
Cardio to be reviewed after 4-6 weeks
Weightlifting to be reviewed after 3 months.
Add weight to your lifts whenever possible without sacrificing good form.



TRAINING (just a log for you to enter what weights you started off with and each month you can see your increases in weight)

Bench Current:
Dumbell Incline current:
Squat Current:
Shoulder Press Current:
Row Current:
Deadlift:
Stiff Leg Deadlift Current:


Bench Incline Squat Shoulder Row Deadlift SL Deadlift
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October




TIPS

MOTIVATION

Motivation is key if you want to be successful. A good way to find motivation is to surround yourself in fitness. On ******** like fitness pages, I recommend, Gym Motivation and Sports Motivation, also Cut and Jacked, Healthy Recipes, these pages give good motivation to keep at it and also provide good information and tips.
It’s also easier to train with a partner if possible

CONSISTENCY

Consistency is key to achieving your goals. Consistently hitting the gym 3-4 times a week, week in week out and putting the effort in in every workout is important.
Consistency with your nutrition is also of the highest importance. Stick to you meal plans and if a slipup occurs which is bound to happen just remember to immediately start back on your plan. Don’t say I’ve ruined the day now or I have ruined the weekend I’ll start back on Monday. It’s too easy to fall into bad habits, so if you slip up, recognise it, don’t dwell on it, forget about it and get back to your healthy diet.


KNOWLEDGE

Read as many articles about fitness and nutrition as you can. There is a lot of good information on sites such as bodybuilding.com, cutandjacked.com and muscleandstrength.com. Visit the sites regularly to look for helpful tips and info, there is also a good forum on bodybuilding.com where you can get specific info from people in the know. However don’t overcomplicate things. You will read a lot of different info a lot of it conflicting. The really detailed stuff is only for the advanced lifters, keep everything simple to start off with.


GOALS

Set realistic goals. Set a target say 6 months, a year, or further in the future. Then set a short term goal say to lose 2 pounds a week and try stick to that goal every week. The short term goal will seem a lot more achievable than the long term so focus on that and then remember to keep consistent and you can also reach your long term goal. Monitor you weight each week to make sure you are keeping on track. Don’t focus on how far you have to go to achieve your goal but instead focus on far you have come since you started and how much better off you are and keep at it. Small steps are the way to go.




NUTRITION (this is tailored specifically towards my friend, to calculate your calorie and macro needs use the link) I cannot provide the link but its in the nurtrtion section on the forum and it is a sticky on calculating calorie and macronutrient needs.


Calories: 2170
Protein: 242g
Fat: 91g
Carbs: 95g


This should be your daily intake. Keep strictly to these figures and check weight after 2 weeks. If no change it will be reviewed!


There are: 4 calories per gram of Protein
4 calories per gram of Carbohydrate
9 calories per gram of Fat


Sources of Protein: Lean meats; Chicken, Steak, Turkey, Lean mince, Pork chops
Fish(oily fish also good source of fats) ; Cod fillets, tilapia, tinned tuna, tinned salmon Whey Protein
Eggs; Good source of protein and fats, egg white are protein without the fat
Nuts; High in fat, also good source of protein,
Cheese; also high in fat, best sticking to the low fat versions, cottage, parmesan.

Sources of Carbohydrates: Pasta, Rice, Bread, best going with the brown versions. Sweet Potato, Oats,
Fruit, Vegetables.

Sources of Fat: Nuts, Seeds, Oils, Eggs, Oily fish




MEAL PLAN EXAMPLE


7.30: Breakfast: 2 Eggs with omega 3, and 3 egg whites scrambled, with half a multi seed bagel

11.00: Whey Protein shake with low fat milk

1.00: Lunch: 2 Chicken fillets

3.00: Nuts 30g

5.00: Whey Protein shake with low fat milk

6.30: workout

8.00: immediately after workout Whey Protein shake with low fat milk and banana

8.30: Dinner: 250g diced Chicken, chopped chilli pepper, half pepper chopped, Old El Paso fajita spice, 1 whole grain wrap

9.45: Ryvita Wholegrain rye with sesame seed and 1 tablespoon peanut butter

2140 calories- Protein: 261g
Fat: 64g
Carbohydrates: 141g

This wasn’t spot on your Macros but you hit the Calorie and Protein intake which is the main thing. It will take a bit of getting used to, to be more accurate.


MEAL IDEAS

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, Omelette with cottage cheese, Natural yogurt with berries and peanut butter. Porridge with berries, peanut butter, sweetener, cinnamon, almonds.

Lunch: Chicken breast seasoned with spices, Pork Chop seasoned with spices. Small portion of Brown rice.

Dinner: Fajitas (as above) Stir fry with bean sprouts, fine beans mangetout, peppers, chilli peppers, nuts or seeds, spice to season and Franks hot sauce. Fish with corn on the cob, baked beans (reduced sugar) Carrots, Mangetout, Fine Beans any vegetables.
Steak seasoned with sweet potato, and vegetables.

Snacks: Nuts, Yogurt, Fruit, peanut butter, Whey Protein shake. Tinned Tuna, Tinned Salmon.


FOOD NOT ALLOWED

Processed food: No processed chicken or burgers or meats of any kind. All must be fresh meat.

Jars of sauce or bottles or any sauces: The only sauces allowed are Franks sauce, and Pasata sauce (sieved tomatoes), chilli flakes and various spices can be added to this to make a tomato based curry or chilli. All spices are allowed to season.

Soft drinks: No type of soft drinks allowed at all. All fizzy drinks, and diluted drinks and fruit juices are a waste of calories and far too high in sugar. None to be consumed. Water must be drank throughout the day. Green tea or Pu erh tea are allowed, however do not consume too much caffeine. Coconut water and milk are ok. Milk should be the low fat kind if you need to drink it. Water at all time is best though.

Junk food: Stating the obvious but junk food should be avoided.



SUPPLEMENTS

Whey Protein: to be taken 2-3 times a day as needed. Not to be taken instead of meals of whole food. One to be consumed immediately post workout always. Others can be consumed at whatever time throughout the day you choose. Suggestion would be mornings and then afternoon or pre workout.

Creatine: One serving a day to be taken in your post workout shake. On non training days it can be taken with your Whey Protein shake at whatever time of day you choose.



NUTRITION TIPS

Consistency: I keep preaching it, consistency is key. Stick to your calorie allowance and try hit your Macro’s correctly. This is the most important part of your weight loss plan.

Slip ups: If slip ups happen which is likely at some point. Don’t worry about it or don’t give up or don’t say I’ll start again Monday, just make note of it and with your next meal get back on track.

Restaurants: If out for dinner with friends, there is no need to order a 3 course meal. A main course should be enough really. Possibly a small starter. Choose the option of the healthier main course, with little sauce on it or have sauce to the side. Also if the order comes with chips or potatoes you can easily ask them to replace the chips with some extra vegetables like broccoli or carrots. If you get a burger, you can eat it without the bun.

Prepare: Prepare all you meals. If you have a meal prepared you eat that meal and you know exactly how many calories you are consuming. When you are caught out without a prepared meal it is harder to eat healthier and stick to your calorie needs. So whenever possible always prepare your meals and know what you will be eating throughout the day.


Record: Record everything you eat and drink, right it down or use a calorie counting app to help you get exact calorie intake and macro reading for each day.






A log to record your starting weight and goal weight. Then enter your weight everyweek, along with weekly weight loss and accumulated weight loss.



START WEIGHT GOAL WEIGHT


WEIGHT WEEKLY LOSS TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
WEEK 8
WEEK 9
WEEK 10
WEEK 11
WEEK 12
WEEK 13
WEEK 14
WEEK 15
WEEK 16
WEEK 17
WEEK 18
WEEK 19
WEEK 20
WEEK 21
WEEK 22
WEEK 23
WEEK 24
WEEK 25
WEEK 26
WEEK 27
WEEK 28
WEEK 29
WEEK 30
WEEK 31
WEEK 32
WEEK 33
WEEK 34
WEEK 35
WEEK 36
WEEK 37
WEEK 38
WEEK 39
WEEK 40
WEEK 41
WEEK 42
WEEK 43
WEEK 44
WEEK 45
WEEK 46
WEEK 47
WEEK 48
WEEK 49
WEEK 50
WEEK 51
WEEK 52

[raisel]

Calories: 2170
Protein: 242g
Fat: 91g
Carbs: 95g


This should be your daily intake. Keep strictly to these figures and check weight after 2 weeks. If no change it will be reviewed!


MEAL PLAN EXAMPLE


7.30: Breakfast: 2 Eggs with omega 3, and 3 egg whites scrambled, with half a multi seed bagel

11.00: Whey Protein shake with low fat milk

1.00: Lunch: 2 Chicken fillets

3.00: Nuts 30g

5.00: Whey Protein shake with low fat milk

6.30: workout

8.00: immediately after workout Whey Protein shake with low fat milk and banana

8.30: Dinner: 250g diced Chicken, chopped chilli pepper, half pepper chopped, Old El Paso fajita spice, 1 whole grain wrap

9.45: Ryvita Wholegrain rye with sesame seed and 1 tablespoon peanut butter


SUPPLEMENTS

Whey Protein: to be taken 2-3 times a day as needed. Not to be taken instead of meals of whole food. One to be consumed immediately post workout always. Others can be consumed at whatever time throughout the day you choose. Suggestion would be mornings and then afternoon or pre workout.

Creatine: One serving a day to be taken in your post workout shake. On non training days it can be taken with your Whey Protein shake at whatever time of day you choose.



NUTRITION TIPS

Consistency: I keep preaching it, consistency is key. Stick to your calorie allowance and try hit your Macro’s correctly. This is the most important part of your weight loss plan.

Slip ups: If slip ups happen which is likely at some point. Don’t worry about it or don’t give up or don’t say I’ll start again Monday, just make note of it and with your next meal get back on track.

Restaurants: If out for dinner with friends, there is no need to order a 3 course meal. A main course should be enough really. Possibly a small starter. Choose the option of the healthier main course, with little sauce on it or have sauce to the side. Also if the order comes with chips or potatoes you can easily ask them to replace the chips with some extra vegetables like broccoli or carrots. If you get a burger, you can eat it without the bun.

Prepare: Prepare all you meals. If you have a meal prepared you eat that meal and you know exactly how many calories you are consuming. When you are caught out without a prepared meal it is harder to eat healthier and stick to your calorie needs. So whenever possible always prepare your meals and know what you will be eating throughout the day.


Record: Record everything you eat and drink, right it down or use a calorie counting app to help you get exact calorie intake and macro reading for each day.

Everything in bold is unnecessary. Meal timing and frequency have no direct correlation to body composition. You can consume all of your macro and caloric requirements in one meal if you'd like, or in 3 meals, 12 meals, etc. The macros to hit are Protein ~1g/lb lean body mass and Fat ~0.45g/lb lean body mass after that caloric needs can be met with the macronutrients of your choosing. Don't be scared of Fat, it's good for you! Do some more reading on the nutrition forum! I'm sure you're a great friend but make sure all your information is accurate.

Best of luck to you and your friend.

P.S. I don't think consuming whey protein shakes while cutting is a good idea.

[Oriainarama]

Everything in bold is unnecessary. Meal timing and frequency have no direct correlation to body composition. You can consume all of your macro and caloric requirements in one meal if you'd like, or in 3 meals, 12 meals, etc. The macros to hit are Protein ~1g/lb lean body mass and Fat ~0.45g/lb lean body mass after that caloric needs can be meet with the macronutrients of your choosing. Don't be scared of Fat, it's good for you! Do some more reading on the nutrition forum! I'm sure you're a great friend but make sure all your information is accurate.

Best of luck to you and your friend.

P.S. I don't think consuming whey protein shakes while cutting is a good idea.

Ok it does seem like I have made a glaring error. I calculated the protein needs as 1g per pound of body weight and not per lean body mass. That is why I have such a high amount of Protein in the Macro suggestions. Also why I suggested Whey Protein as it is a convienient source of protein, simple to take and prepare and gives you a good 24g of protein at a time. Also I wanted to try have him lose weight without losing much muscle mass, so it is why i suggested they high protein and the creatine. In your opinion if I was to keep the calories as they are should I lower the protein and give more free range with the carbs and fats.

The meal plan of regular small meals is just a suggestion. I feel it would be easier to stick to regular smaller meals and that way you wouldn't have big spaces between meals where you might get hungry and lead to snacking on junk food. Not only was I suggesting the diet for body composition but also trying to include healthier foods to transform the insides as well as the appearance outside.

I will go back over and re-read the stickies on nutrition and make sure I am not misinforming him too much. Thanks for the reply, greatly appreciated!

[sonti]

Have you ever read the nutrition label of coconut milk and coconut water? I'm confused as to why those are "permitted" but something like a jarred sauce is not. Amongst other contradictory/arbitrary advice.

People who are overweight don't necessarily need plans that are even more rigid than a contest prep program. You are asking them to completely overhaul their life. Small simple changes that are easy to understand seem to fare much better in the long-term. 3 shakes a day when trying to lose weight? Ugh, they'd eat their arm off. People who are used to eating too much tend to do better with much more fibrous/filling foods.

It seems like a plan to set them up for failure, sorry.

[Oriainarama]

Have you ever read the nutrition label of coconut milk and coconut water? I'm confused as to why those are "permitted" but something like a jarred sauce is not. Amongst other contradictory/arbitrary advice.

People who are overweight don't necessarily need plans that are even more rigid than a contest prep program. You are asking them to completely overhaul their life. Small simple changes that are easy to understand seem to fare much better in the long-term. 3 shakes a day when trying to lose weight? Ugh, they'd eat their arm off. People who are used to eating too much tend to do better with much more fibrous/filling foods.

It seems like a plan to set them up for failure, sorry.

Don't be sorry, as it seems I have made an eorror calculating protein needs, its why i have suggested the shakes. I don't feel I have been too limited in the food choices. I don't really see the need for jarred sauces when you can season your food with spices or use a base like pasata sauce.

But as I said not only did I want to change his body composition but also wanted to help him eat healthier, cut down on sugar and salt and the likes, foods high in sugars seem to be more addictive which leads to bad eating habits.

Coconut milk contains a lot of good fats I thought? just going on a suggestion I've heard from a succesful personal trainer.

Again thanks for the reply, I am trying to take everything on board.

[sonti]

It does, coconut milk is amazing and I have it daily (as do my kids) - it's just sort of confusing that coconut milk (which can be very high in fat) is okay, whereas a whole fat milk is not. On the contrary coconut water might be completely processed with 50g sugar per can (varied depending on the importer) but a jarred sauce which may be low in sugar and perhaps a bit high in sodium is not.

You should check out the personal trainer section here - the subject of dealing with overweight clients/lifestyle changes comes up often, you will get some great information from it

[Oriainarama]

It does, coconut milk is amazing and I have it daily (as do my kids) - it's just sort of confusing that coconut milk (which can be very high in fat) is okay, whereas a whole fat milk is not. On the contrary coconut water might be completely processed with 50g sugar per can (varied depending on the importer) but a jarred sauce which may be low in sugar and perhaps a bit high in sodium is not.

You should check out the personal trainer section here - the subject of dealing with overweight clients/lifestyle changes comes up often, you will get some great information from it

Well the reason i said low fat milk is because I was suggesting 3 protein shakes a day so if they were consumed with full fat milk they would use up a good deal of the daily calories and I was saving some calories for food to eat in order for him to feel fuller for the day. But as I made the mistake in calculating Macro's I will goback and revise the nutrition advice I am giving him.

I will also check out the personal trainer section to see if I can find any tips from similar transformations.

Thanks for your replies, I really want to get this plan spot on for him, failure is not an option!

[ironwill2008]

Your intentions may have been good, OP, but your nutrition advice is full of broscience and misinformation.

I suggest you head for the nutrition forum and start reading the stickies.

[Oriainarama]

Your intentions may have been good, OP, but your nutrition advice is full of broscience and misinformation.

I suggest you head for the nutrition forum and start reading the stickies.

Thanks for the reply.

I'm confused though, can I ask is the recommendation of protein 1g per pound boy weight or 1g per Lean body mass?

Because the sticky on calculating Calories and Macros says per weight but the poster above says per LBM and all of you think whey is a no go but for someone who weighs around 250 pounds with about 40% BF its quite difficult to consume 250g of protein without supplements.

I will re work the nutrition section of this plan and try make it more calories in versus calories out orientated and not focus too much on strictly healthy foods.

[ironwill2008]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm confused though, can I ask is the recommendation of protein 1g per pound boy weight or 1g per Lean body mass?

Because the sticky on calculating Calories and Macros says per weight but the poster above says per LBM and all of you think whey is a no go but for someone who weighs around 250 pounds with about 40% BF its quite difficult to consume 250g of protein without supplements.

I will re work the nutrition section of this plan and try make it more calories in versus calories out orientated and not focus too much on strictly healthy foods.

The general recommendation for protein intake is 1 gram per pound of body weight. This simplifies things, and eliminates a noob's question of just how much LBM he/she carries.


The protein issue is hardly the only problem with your advices. Re-read post #2.