Useful resources

Websites for more information:
-BMI calculator and other resources: http://www.hussmanfitness.org/
-Articles, tips and other resources: http://www.eas.com/
-Motivational stories, photos and tools: http://www.bodyforlife.com/
-Guide for weight gain/ muscle building: http://www.gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/

Recommended books:
-Getting Stronger by Bill Pearl
-Peak Performance—Mental Training Techniques of the World’s Greatest Athletes
by Charles A Garfield, PhD and Hal Z. Bennett
-Body for Life by Bill Phillips

Conclusions

Well, there you have it; a simple but effective diet and exercise program that is guaranteed to get you huge now (well, give or take 12 weeks). Like anything worthwhile in life, it takes dedication and commitment, but it is well worth the time and efforts. You can spend the next 12 weeks making the positive changes to your mindset, your eating habits and your exercise routine and develop huge, hard, strong muscles while your dramatically improve your confidence and self-esteem OR you can keep doing what you are doing now and end up in worse shape 12 weeks from now (if you aren’t improving you are deteriorating).

Doesn’t require a whole lot of thought to make the right decision now, does it? In life you are either getting better or wasting away, there is no standing still. Each day that passes by is one you will never get back again. So make the decision and get started on the path of moving forward.

Imagine yourself 12 weeks from now with bulging biceps, killer triceps, strapping chest and those six pack abs that make the women drool (come on, you’ve seen those Diet Pepsi commercials!) That really can be you…it is you, if you will make the commitment to yourself and take the first step. Working out smarter and not harder, makes it easy. Just give up a half an hour of TV four days a week. Let’s face it, those old Seinfeld reruns never did a thing to improve your self-esteem, get you more dates or improve your health.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step” so mark your workouts on your calendar and pick up some fat-free cottage cheese from the grocery store today. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. A healthy, strong, sexy body is worth more than any earthly possession you could ever had and should be treated better than you would treat your car whether it is a classic or the latest sports car.

You wouldn’t put cheap oil in it and leave it sitting in the garage, so don’t treat your body that way either. Feed yourself well and give yourself the proper exercise and sleep you need to be the strongest, healthiest and sexiest man you can possibly be. Not only is the sexy body attractive to women, the person you become on the inside is even more attractive as you learn to value yourself and treat yourself well, you will surely learn to value others and treat them well, too.

The Mindset—Thoughts Determine Results

The theory behind this post is as old as time itself. As far back as recorded history takes us, the old testament of the bible, successful men have understood and used this principle. James Allen quoted King Solomon who said, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” in his book whose title is derived from that quote “As a Man Thinketh”. That book has been quoted by hundreds of other authors in an effort to teach them the principles of success. No matter what area of life a person desires to achieve success in, the “secret” is the same.

The mind is a powerful thing. What you think about becomes your reality. If you continue to think that you are skinny or weak, you will continue to be skinny and weak. On the other hand, if you think thoughts like, “I am getting stronger everyday” this will become your reality. You must whole-heartedly believe that you are going to achieve a huge, strong, sexy, muscular physique before you can achieve it. Truly, anything is possible to he who believes it. If you can’t wrap your brain around this concept, there is almost no point to even attempting the program. Your mind must grow before your body will follow.

There are exercises you can do to improve your mindset and help you achieve the growth you desire in your body. These should be done every day. One exercise is visualization. Cut out several pictures from fitness magazines of the body type you would like to have and paste your head on them. Next, place these photos where you will see them each and every day. Take the time to really study the photos. Imagine that the image you see is your current reality. Imagine what that body feels like and the confidence you have in that body. It is important to imagine everything as if it is true right now. You should find yourself thinking and acting more confidently even before the physical changes manifest themselves.Once you have begun to think and feel like a huge guy, the body will naturally follow. When you look in the mirror, see yourself as the big muscular guy you would like to be. One of the natural consequences of this type of mindset training is that you will begin to treat yourself like a big muscular guy and doing the things that big muscular guys do (lifting weights and eating a lot) will become more natural to you. Remember that your brain is the most important muscle to train. New habits take time to form and without changing your mindset it is easy to give in to frustration and give up. If your mindset is correct, you will make adjustments where needed and persist in following the program, even when the results are not coming as quickly as you had hoped for or when the pain is greater than you had imagined or when finding time in your schedule for your workouts is not as convenient as you would like it to be. Without the right mindset, minor setbacks can cause a person to give up, but with the right mindset, NOTHING will stop you from achieving your goals.

The Eating Plan: Phase Two—Final Cut Phase

Once you have built all the muscle you desire to have, you will find that you have a little extra fat around the middle. Remember this is to be expected and that you can’t gain all the muscle you want without this happening. So you will change your program up to maintain your muscle and lose the extra fat. Adding three 30 minute cardio sessions (running, biking, elliptical trainer, etc) per week is permissible at this stage.

You will need to slightly increase your fat intake to 20% of your total calories and decrease your carb intake to 40% of your total calories, while decreasing your total calorie count by 500 calories per day (that extra pound per week you were gaining). Use the same foods, just a slightly smaller serving of carbs and a little splash of olive oil or butter here or there.

Track your food intake for a couple of weeks again, until you get the new food servings down pat. This will be the diet that will help you maintain your new physique. If you find yourself losing too much weight (you should just be shifting it by losing a little fat and gaining a little muscle), you should add some calories back in until your weight remains steady and your fat level is where you would like it to be.

Sample meal plan day seven

Meal 1
Egg White omelette with spinach (cooked with cooking spray)
¾ cup oatmeal with 1 tbsp honey

Meal 2
1 ½ Cups Fat-Free Cottage Cheese
1 Large Whole Grain Bagel w/
2 Tbsp. Fat-free Cream Cheese and
2 tsp. Low Sugar Fruit Spread

Meal 3
1 ½ tuna sandwiches made with:
3 slices whole grain bread
2 cans of tuna
2 tbsp fat-free mayo + 1 tsp mustard (salt + pepper to taste)
2 tbsp chopped onion and 2 stalks chopped celery

Meal 4
2 Scoops Whey Protein Powder mixed with Skim Milk and Cinnamon
2 Large Apples

Meal 5
8 ounces Steamed Orange Roughy
2 cups Whole Wheat Pasta
1 cup Sautéed Zucchini
1 cup salad greens with fat free salad dressing

Sample meal plan day six

Meal 1
Protein Oatmeal made with:
¾ Cups Old-Fashioned Oats w/
2 Scoops Protein Powder mixed in
Sweeten with 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Meal 2
2 scoops Whey Protein Shake blended with one large orange
2 slices whole grain toast w/ 1 tsp. light non-hydrogenated spread

Meal 3
1 ½ Cups Fat-free Cottage Cheese
2 Large Oranges

Meal 4
Turkey sandwich made with:
4 Slices Roasted Fat-free Turkey Breast
2 Slices Whole Grain Bread
2 tbsp fat-free mayo Romaine Lettuce
Tomato Slices

Meal 5
Egg White Frittata made with broccoli, Red Peppers, Onion and Fat-free Cheddar Cheese
2 Slices Whole Grain Toast w/ non-hydrogenated spread

Sample meal plan day five

Meal 1
Egg White omlette with zucchini (cooked with cooking spray)
1 Cup Cheerios
½ Cup Skim Milk

Meal 2
2 scoops Whey Protein Shake blended with one large orange
1 English Muffin with non-hydrogenated spread

Meal 3
1 ½ tuna sandwiches made with:
3 slices whole grain bread2 cans of tuna
2 tbsp fat-free mayo + 1 tsp mustard (salt + pepper to taste)
2 tbsp chopped onion and 2 stalks chopped celery

Meal 4
1 ½ cups fat-free cottage cheese
1 large banana
½ bagel with fat-free cream cheese

Meal 5
Chicken Stir Fry made with:
5 ounces lean boneless Chicken breast Cubed
2 cups diced vegetables which may include:
Cabbage, Onions, Broccoli, Green or Red Peppers
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce

Use 2 tsp. olive oil in large frying pan or wok, heat oil thoroughly and then add chicken stirring constantly until no longer pink, then add vegetables and Soy Sauce.
Continue Stirring until vegetables are heated and just slightly crisp.

Serve with 1 cup brown rice