The Banks plan

SHBoss1673

I wrote up this plan. It's a general fitness and nutrition plan. It doesn't go into specifics but it gives a good general outline of how I got from obese to healthy to ripped (getting there). A lot of this plan depends on you taking the initiative, but if you follow it, and use common sense, it can work for you. It's nothing magical, it's just putting into words what I have done over the last year to lose the 55 lbs of fat, and get into the best shape of the last 10 years of my life. Here it is. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.




Obese to healthy nutrition and exercise plan I followed, and you can too.

NOTE: all calorie deficits here are NET calories, that means the deficit AFTER putting your exercise calories in.

Tools needed: A good Heart Rate monitor with a chest strap. Good, comfortable Cross training shoes. Workout clothes. A small, insulated, food container.

Stage one:
You are obese, or morbidly obese.

Nutrition:
No need to go crazy here, create a weekly nutrition plan, take into account exercise while making it up. get on a routine, don't just go willy nilly exercising. Routines make this easier. Start one, stick to it!

1) Balance is key. you should be able to keep a 800 to 1200 calorie a day deficit.

2) HAVE BREAKFAST! Make sure you get some good complex carbs, some protein, and a vegitable.

3) Space your food out through the day, try to eat meals that are between 200 and 450 calories at a time, eat about every 2 hours, and put your carb heavy foods closer to the morning, by evening, try to eat a very low carbohydrate level and a higher protein/good fat level.

4) Step away from the scale, don't go weighing yourself every day, or even every week. It's not worth it. It will only make you crazy if the numbers don't go exactly your way. Weigh yourself once every 2 weeks to a month. If you make no progress after a month, then re-examine what your goals are and think about asking a professional.

Exercise: High cardio here, 2 days of resistance training should be all you need, keep the muscles guessing, but don't try to weight train 3 or 4 times a week yet, depending on your overall health, you want your heart rate as high as you can for as long as you can without feeling like you are in danger. That means OUTSIDE your comfort zone. You shouldn't feel comfortable, you SHOULD feel hot, sweaty, breathing heavy. MAKE SURE YOU DRINK YOUR WATER!!! You should drink 1 oz for every 10 minutes you do cardio. DON'T overtrain. Exercise is a good benefit, but your nutrition is what will ultimately make you lose the weight, cardio is just a catalyst, not the main tool. Cardio 3 to 4 times a week should be plenty.


Stage two:
Just barely obese, or just overweight.

Nutrition:
At this stage, you're getting the hang of it. Don't give up, encorporate a slightly more protein focused goal into your diet. Your muscles are starting to come alive again, feed them. Make sure you are getting the vitamins and minerals that you need. Keep in mind suppliments don't fully digest, so those veggies and complex carbs and healthy oils are important in your diet. IN MODERATION!!!!

1) Protein starts to become more important as your body is developing and starting to re-activate muscles that have long been dormant, this requires additional protein.

2) You should adjust your goals, you no longer should be able to maintain a 1000 calorie a day deficit. You should probably be between 500 and 800 calories a day NET deficit. Make sure you recalculate your goals based on new weight and activity levels. Expect 1 to 1 and a half pounds per week weight loss average, with .8 to 1.3 lbs of that being fat loss.

Exercise: Cardio is still a major player.
1) You should probably be doing 2 days of weight training or HIIT type training (anything anaerobic and muscle building), but 3 is ok if you enjoy it. One two days with weight or resistance plus weight, and one day of some other type of anaerobic training, like High Intensity Interval Training.
2)Don't do cardio and anaerobic training on the same day, give your muscles a chance to recover.
3) start mixing in other types of activities, don't stick to the same cardio type every day, if you used to do the elliptical, change to the treadmill, or the stair climber.
4) Your probably in good enough shape now to Up your cardio intensity. Add in 3 to 5 minutes of high heart rate, 80 to 85% sustained. The rest of your cardio should be averaging 72 to 78%. Make sure you warm up, and stretch when done. DON'T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR WATER!!!

Stage three:
Just overweight to just about healthy.

Nutrition:
Again, re-examine your protein levels, probably should be close to 28 or 30% protein now. By this point you should be able to stick to a food plan without even needing to make up a weekly schedule, but if you need it, keep making one up.
1) start tayloring your food based on your schedule for the day. If you are weight training, try to have protein and a carb within 2 hours after working out. If you are doing cardio, have a complex carb 2 to 4 hours before you work out.
2) Your deficit should be UNDER 500 by now. You're body doesn't have the fat reserves any more to sustain large weight loss (more than 1 lb per week). Don't get greedy, you've come very far, so be smart.
3) Forget the hype, re-examine your goals, are you really sure your goal weight is realistic? You should have enough body knowledge by now to know if your goal is real or a dream. Start making non-weight related goals (body measurements, exercise type goals, time or speed goals, endurance goals...etc.)

Exercise:
Lets be real, at this point in your journey, you aren't going to become "ripped" by lightly jogging and doing 15 pound dumbell curls. If your goal is to be defined and cut, you need to get a little mean with your body.

1) 3 days of resistance or weight training, find a trainer or somehow create a routine that hits ALL the major muscle groups, by that I mean Upper body (arms, chest, back), Core (Abs, obliques, lower back), and Lower body (gluts, quads, calf). Whether you do a full body workout 3 times a week, or split it up into days for each, give that muscle group enough recovery time. I.E. don't do legs heavy, then do cardio the next day.
2)STRETCH, after any routine, but especially after weight training, stretching elongates the muscles, reduces stiffness, improves blood flow, and keeps your joints and muscles flexable.
3) Cardio is still important, it improves VO2 Max, and endurance levels, and will still burn the calories you need to burn. 2 days of cardio should be plenty at this point, but the cardio you do should be hard cardio, gone should be the days where you walk or jog lightly on the treadmill. Your treadmill or elliptical routines should include minutes of High intensity, and cool down minutes. AGAIN I STRESS don't overtrain!!! Give yourself at least 1 day off a week, preferably 2 days.
4) At least 1 day of High Intensity Interval Training or High Intensity Circuit training (boot camps) should be incorporated at this point. Get your muscles tired. Be sure to give sore muscles at least 1 day to recover.

Stage four:
Maintenance, or muscle building:

Not much to say here, you already know, by now, what your nutrition needs are, they should be similar to stage 3, but your calories in should MATCH your calories out.
Your exercise should be a weight training and hard resistance heavy program now. 1 to 2 days of cardio should be all you need, the rest should be focused on getting those problem muscle groups (we all have them) in line with the rest of your body. Ripping up may be what you want, if it is, focus on lighter weight more reps (10 to 15 reps per set at about 80% 1RM) for most things, if more definition and larger muscles is what you are looking for, higher weight, lower reps, working to technical failure is what you want.
There's no such thing as a "light" cardio day any more (except on "rest" days maybe). If you do cardio, make it a good, hard cardio. Every day you work out, make it have a point, I.E. if you are running today, have a goal, like "shave 20 seconds off my 10K time", 99% of athletes have goals, it keeps you strong, gives you something to shoot for. Working out just to work out can quickly become boring, have a goal, hit it, then make a new goal. Remember, this is FOR LIFE. Plan that way, once you get here, you want to stay here!

This is where you can start tweaking your macros to REALLY see changes, up your protein levels, play with your carb levels, start using keto stcks for urea output...etc. It would be a good idea to see a college trained sports nutritionist if you want to become really serious, most general dietitians at this point won't have the expertise to give you the best instruction.

SHBoss1673

I wrote up this plan. It's a general fitness and nutrition plan. It doesn't go into specifics but it gives a good general outline of how I got from obese to healthy to ripped (getting there). A lot of this plan depends on you taking the initiative, but if you follow it, and use common sense, it can work for you. It's nothing magical, it's just putting into words what I have done over the last year to lose the 55 lbs of fat, and get into the best shape of the last 10 years of my life. Here it is. Feel free to PM me if you have questions.




Obese to healthy nutrition and exercise plan I followed, and you can too.

NOTE: all calorie deficits here are NET calories, that means the deficit AFTER putting your exercise calories in.

Tools needed: A good Heart Rate monitor with a chest strap. Good, comfortable Cross training shoes. Workout clothes. A small, insulated, food container.

Stage one:
You are obese, or morbidly obese.

Nutrition:
No need to go crazy here, create a weekly nutrition plan, take into account exercise while making it up. get on a routine, don't just go willy nilly exercising. Routines make this easier. Start one, stick to it!

1) Balance is key. you should be able to keep a 800 to 1200 calorie a day deficit.

2) HAVE BREAKFAST! Make sure you get some good complex carbs, some protein, and a vegitable.

3) Space your food out through the day, try to eat meals that are between 200 and 450 calories at a time, eat about every 2 hours, and put your carb heavy foods closer to the morning, by evening, try to eat a very low carbohydrate level and a higher protein/good fat level.

4) Step away from the scale, don't go weighing yourself every day, or even every week. It's not worth it. It will only make you crazy if the numbers don't go exactly your way. Weigh yourself once every 2 weeks to a month. If you make no progress after a month, then re-examine what your goals are and think about asking a professional.

Exercise: High cardio here, 2 days of resistance training should be all you need, keep the muscles guessing, but don't try to weight train 3 or 4 times a week yet, depending on your overall health, you want your heart rate as high as you can for as long as you can without feeling like you are in danger. That means OUTSIDE your comfort zone. You shouldn't feel comfortable, you SHOULD feel hot, sweaty, breathing heavy. MAKE SURE YOU DRINK YOUR WATER!!! You should drink 1 oz for every 10 minutes you do cardio. DON'T overtrain. Exercise is a good benefit, but your nutrition is what will ultimately make you lose the weight, cardio is just a catalyst, not the main tool. Cardio 3 to 4 times a week should be plenty.


Stage two:
Just barely obese, or just overweight.

Nutrition:
At this stage, you're getting the hang of it. Don't give up, encorporate a slightly more protein focused goal into your diet. Your muscles are starting to come alive again, feed them. Make sure you are getting the vitamins and minerals that you need. Keep in mind suppliments don't fully digest, so those veggies and complex carbs and healthy oils are important in your diet. IN MODERATION!!!!

1) Protein starts to become more important as your body is developing and starting to re-activate muscles that have long been dormant, this requires additional protein.

2) You should adjust your goals, you no longer should be able to maintain a 1000 calorie a day deficit. You should probably be between 500 and 800 calories a day NET deficit. Make sure you recalculate your goals based on new weight and activity levels. Expect 1 to 1 and a half pounds per week weight loss average, with .8 to 1.3 lbs of that being fat loss.

Exercise: Cardio is still a major player.
1) You should probably be doing 2 days of weight training or HIIT type training (anything anaerobic and muscle building), but 3 is ok if you enjoy it. One two days with weight or resistance plus weight, and one day of some other type of anaerobic training, like High Intensity Interval Training.
2)Don't do cardio and anaerobic training on the same day, give your muscles a chance to recover.
3) start mixing in other types of activities, don't stick to the same cardio type every day, if you used to do the elliptical, change to the treadmill, or the stair climber.
4) Your probably in good enough shape now to Up your cardio intensity. Add in 3 to 5 minutes of high heart rate, 80 to 85% sustained. The rest of your cardio should be averaging 72 to 78%. Make sure you warm up, and stretch when done. DON'T FORGET TO DRINK YOUR WATER!!!

Stage three:
Just overweight to just about healthy.

Nutrition:
Again, re-examine your protein levels, probably should be close to 28 or 30% protein now. By this point you should be able to stick to a food plan without even needing to make up a weekly schedule, but if you need it, keep making one up.
1) start tayloring your food based on your schedule for the day. If you are weight training, try to have protein and a carb within 2 hours after working out. If you are doing cardio, have a complex carb 2 to 4 hours before you work out.
2) Your deficit should be UNDER 500 by now. You're body doesn't have the fat reserves any more to sustain large weight loss (more than 1 lb per week). Don't get greedy, you've come very far, so be smart.
3) Forget the hype, re-examine your goals, are you really sure your goal weight is realistic? You should have enough body knowledge by now to know if your goal is real or a dream. Start making non-weight related goals (body measurements, exercise type goals, time or speed goals, endurance goals...etc.)

Exercise:
Lets be real, at this point in your journey, you aren't going to become "ripped" by lightly jogging and doing 15 pound dumbell curls. If your goal is to be defined and cut, you need to get a little mean with your body.

1) 3 days of resistance or weight training, find a trainer or somehow create a routine that hits ALL the major muscle groups, by that I mean Upper body (arms, chest, back), Core (Abs, obliques, lower back), and Lower body (gluts, quads, calf). Whether you do a full body workout 3 times a week, or split it up into days for each, give that muscle group enough recovery time. I.E. don't do legs heavy, then do cardio the next day.
2)STRETCH, after any routine, but especially after weight training, stretching elongates the muscles, reduces stiffness, improves blood flow, and keeps your joints and muscles flexable.
3) Cardio is still important, it improves VO2 Max, and endurance levels, and will still burn the calories you need to burn. 2 days of cardio should be plenty at this point, but the cardio you do should be hard cardio, gone should be the days where you walk or jog lightly on the treadmill. Your treadmill or elliptical routines should include minutes of High intensity, and cool down minutes. AGAIN I STRESS don't overtrain!!! Give yourself at least 1 day off a week, preferably 2 days.
4) At least 1 day of High Intensity Interval Training or High Intensity Circuit training (boot camps) should be incorporated at this point. Get your muscles tired. Be sure to give sore muscles at least 1 day to recover.

Stage four:
Maintenance, or muscle building:

Not much to say here, you already know, by now, what your nutrition needs are, they should be similar to stage 3, but your calories in should MATCH your calories out.
Your exercise should be a weight training and hard resistance heavy program now. 1 to 2 days of cardio should be all you need, the rest should be focused on getting those problem muscle groups (we all have them) in line with the rest of your body. Ripping up may be what you want, if it is, focus on lighter weight more reps (10 to 15 reps per set at about 80% 1RM) for most things, if more definition and larger muscles is what you are looking for, higher weight, lower reps, working to technical failure is what you want.
There's no such thing as a "light" cardio day any more (except on "rest" days maybe). If you do cardio, make it a good, hard cardio. Every day you work out, make it have a point, I.E. if you are running today, have a goal, like "shave 20 seconds off my 10K time", 99% of athletes have goals, it keeps you strong, gives you something to shoot for. Working out just to work out can quickly become boring, have a goal, hit it, then make a new goal. Remember, this is FOR LIFE. Plan that way, once you get here, you want to stay here!

This is where you can start tweaking your macros to REALLY see changes, up your protein levels, play with your carb levels, start using keto stcks for urea output...etc. It would be a good idea to see a college trained sports nutritionist if you want to become really serious, most general dietitians at this point won't have the expertise to give you the best instruction.

arewethereyet

:flowerforyou: Tagging for later. Nice article Steve.

iftcheiaf

Who doesn't love a man with a plan? Thanks for the info.

altazin0907

Great stuff thanks for sharing :flowerforyou:

smadag1

BUMP:drinker:

chrissyh

Thanks Banks!

SHBoss1673

Who doesn't love a man with a plan? Thanks for the info.

LOL! Thanks.

Phoenixflame

I'm in your stage 3 category, and definitely trying to get "meaner" with my body.

Banks, I have a question about anaerobic work. I don't have a HR monitor (hopefully a b-day present). If I'm running on the treadmill or taking a spin class, what are other physical signs that I've hit the anaerobic zone? Like, on the treadmill, I'll have jacked the speed up to 9.5-10 (I'm an awful runner and not too tall, so this is fast for me!) and be starting to gasp about 3/4ths the way through.

Also, how long should a good interval be? 30 seconds?

Jelybe

Great post - thanks! :flowerforyou:

SHBoss1673

I'm in your stage 3 category, and definitely trying to get "meaner" with my body.

Banks, I have a question about anaerobic work. I don't have a HR monitor (hopefully a b-day present). If I'm running on the treadmill or taking a spin class, what are other physical signs that I've hit the anaerobic zone? Like, on the treadmill, I'll have jacked the speed up to 9.5-10 (I'm an awful runner and not too tall, so this is fast for me!) and be starting to gasp about 3/4ths the way through.

Also, how long should a good interval be? 30 seconds?

There is something called the perceived exertion scale, you can use that. here is a link.

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/strengthening/a/030904.htm

you want to try to stay between 17 and 20 for intervals. Depending on where you are there, then I would say anywhere from 20 seconds to 2 minutes is good. Then after you want to drop down below 10 for your recovery (about 9 would be optimal). As soon as you feel you've recovered enough to begin again, go (usually about 2 minutes). The more repetitions you do, the shorter the interval should be. So if you throw 3 into a 30 minute run, then you can probably do 1 to 2 minutes, but if you want to add 5 or 6 in, I wouldn't do more then 1 minute each, it depends on how in shape you are. The first 1 or 2 times you try it will be trial and error. Just make sure you stop if you start to feel real, actual pain.

GTOgirl1969

I think I'm hovering around a stage 3 myself. Can't seem to make my body lose those last ten pounds, so I'll try your plan to see if it works. Thanks for the info!

ktthegr8

Thank you for the information. You seem to be full of it:bigsmile: Information, that is.

After you reached your goal, did you continue to lose inches because of the weight training?

SHBoss1673

Thank you for the information. You seem to be full of it:bigsmile: Information, that is.

If you only knew! :ohwell:

Plantpot

Thanks so much for the info :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Georg

:grumble:
Stage one:
You are obese, or morbidly obese.

Nutrition:
No need to go crazy here, create a weekly nutrition plan, take into account exercise while making it up. get on a routine, don't just go willy nilly exercising. Routines make this easier. Start one, stick to it!

1) Balance is key. you should be able to keep a 800 to 1200 calorie a day deficit.
:huh:

Can you please explain the 800 - 1200 calorie a day deficit?
Do you mean that if I eat all my 1200 calories I must work out & burn 800-1200 a day?
thanks.

ckroys

Thanks for the info!

stillkristi

Excellent, as always! However, from your av, you don't look like the kind of guy who uses the words willy nilly!

Quick question, as a general rule, do you recommend using the BMI as a guide for understanding the differences between morbid obesity, obesity, overweight, etc?

hopetobeinshape

bumpity :flowerforyou:

MTGirl

:grumble:
Stage one:
You are obese, or morbidly obese.

Nutrition:
No need to go crazy here, create a weekly nutrition plan, take into account exercise while making it up. get on a routine, don't just go willy nilly exercising. Routines make this easier. Start one, stick to it!

1) Balance is key. you should be able to keep a 800 to 1200 calorie a day deficit.
:huh:

Can you please explain the 800 - 1200 calorie a day deficit?
Do you mean that if I eat all my 1200 calories I must work out & burn 800-1200 a day?
thanks.

I think the 800 - 1200 calorie deficit he is refering to would be off maintenance calories. You wouldn't want to eat 1200 then burn off all 1200. You still need your net calories for your body to function. So if you were obese you may need 2600 calories to maintain your weight, you could safely take your net calories down 800 - 1200 calories per day. If you are not that heavy and only need say 2000 calories to maintain, you cannot safely take your net down 800 - 1200 per day - you need less of a "gap" between what you're eating and what your maintenance level is. So, as obese, if I need 2600 to maintain I can safely have my net be 1800 or even 1400 and lose weight and my systems will function normally and I will still have energy and be healthy. Hope that isn't more confusing and helps a little!

btw - awesome post Boss!!! :drinker: Gonna have to print this one as I finally feel decent enough to hit the exercise again. Also - I only have 7.1 lbs to go to get out of the obese category :drinker: So I'm in stage 2- will have to check it out!

cmriverside

Another good one, obi-wan.