This is probably the most common goal of people who are looking to get in better shape. If you are too heavy and your primary goal is to lose weight and fat (as opposed to wanting to bulk up and add weight) then this is the program to follow.
Weight loss is a very simple process, it really is, you just have to know the proper way to do it and stick to it. First you need to determine the amount of calories you should be taking in daily to maintain your current weight. Here's how to do it:

· First convert your weight in pounds to kilograms by using the following formula:
§ (Weight in lbs.) / (2.2) = weight in kilograms
§ So a 200 lb man would weigh 90.9 kgs.
· Now take that number and plug it into the following chart, use the appropriate one for male or female:




· So continuing on the previous example, a 25-year-old man, weighing 90.9 kgs. should take in 2070 calories to maintain his current weight
§ (15.3 x 90.9) + 679 = 2070 calories


Now that you know how many calories you need to maintain your current body weight, all you have to do is have a total of calories that is less than that number at the end of the day to lose weight. In order to lose (1) pound of body weight, your body has to burn 3000 more calories than it has taken in. So, if you take in 400-500 calories less than you burn daily, in a week you will have lost about (1) pound. Also, use the following website to calculate the number of calories you have burned during your cardio to help you determine the net amount of calories your body has in it at the end of the day:

· http://www.csgnetwork.com/caloriesactburned.html
By taking the total number of calories you have eaten for the day and subtracting the amount you've burned through cardio exercise, you'll have your net calories for the day. Here's a final formula to help tie in everything:
(1) (Total Calories Eaten) - (Calories Burned During Cardio) = Net Calorie Intake
(2) (Calories Needed To Maintain Current Weight) - (Net Calorie Intake) = Diff.
(3) (Diff.) / 3000 = POUNDS LOST
Now I know you're thinking, like I am, that that really doesn't seem like very much, and you're right, seemingly it's not. But you can do many things to increase that number. The more cardiovascular exercise you do, the more calories you'll burn. The more strength training you do, the more calories your muscles will begin to burn even when you're not exercising them. And perhaps the most important factor in increasing your weight loss is the new way you metabolism will function through the diet plan I will provide you. By eating many small meals a day, as opposed to eating a few larger meals, you metabolism will begin increasing and burning calories faster and faster, thus leading to quicker and more substantial weight loss. Also, please remember, this a plan designed for you to lose weight and keep that weight off. It may take a little longer, but that's because it's a life-changing plan that guarantees results that will stay with you over time. Trust me, your efforts will be well worth it.

EXERCISE PLAN
Strength Training (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday)
· This strength training routine is designed to be three times a week on the above days and should take anywhere from 45-60 minutes to complete.
· The exercises that I recommend you do all have specific names which I will refer to them by. If you are unsure of how to perform them or what type of exercise they are I recommend you go to the EXERCISES or ANATOMY CHART sections of this site
· With all these exercises, use an amount of weight that allows you to perform at least 8 reps, but no more than 12 reps. Experiment to find the proper weight for you. For each exercise, perform 3 sets. So you would do 8-12 reps, take a rest for 1-2 minutes, perform another 8-12 reps, take another 1-2 minute rest, then perform a final 8-12 reps. That will be a complete exercise. Perform the same routine for all exercises. You will have choices on which exercises to perform for each body part. Remember to switch the exercises you do every week to keep a variety in your training and present your muscles with different stimulation.
· Remember to focus on using proper form on all exercises and not on how much weight you can lift. Form is the most important step in getting the most out of each exercise.
· Also, start off slow when beginning this program. If you cannot complete all the exercises or all the cardio, do what you can and gradually build up to it. If you are still sore from the previous workout, DO NOT train those muscles again. Take time off and let those muscles fully heal before training them again. Easing into the program will prevent injury as well as frustration and apathy for future workouts.
* ALWAYS perform two warm-up sets before going into your normal routine. Which ever exercise you plan on doing first simply take a VERY light weight and perform 18-20 reps of exercise for two sets. This will get the blood flowing in the muscle group you are working that day and get it warmed up and ready for primary routine.


*At the end of every strength training workout, perform (3) sets of abdominal crunches to failure OR (3) sets of leg lifts until failure*

Day 1 - Monday - Chest and Back

Chest
*Perform any (2) of the following exercises according to the routine mentioned above.
· Flat Barbell Bench Press
· Incline Barbell Bench Press
· Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
· Incline Dumbbell Bench Press
· Flat Dumbbell Flys
· Incline Dumbbell Flys

Back
*Perform (1) exercise from Group A and (1) exercise from Group B
Group A
· Seated Cable Rows
· Bent-over barbell rows
· Back Dumbbell Flys
Group B
· Pull-ups / Chin-ups
· Lat Pulldowns
· One-Hand Dumbbell Rows

Day 2 - Wednesday - Arms and Shoulders

Arms
*Perform (1) or (2) exercise(s) for Biceps and (1) or (2) exercises for Triceps
Biceps
· Standing barbell curls
· Standing Alternate Dumbbell Curls
· Preacher Curls
· Concentration Curls
Triceps
· Triceps Pushdowns
· Nose Breakers / Skull Crushers
· Close Grip Bench Press
· Overhead French Presses

Shoulders
*Perform (1) exercise from Group A and (1) exercise from Group B
Group A
· Military Presses
· Dumbbell Presses
· Side Raises
Group B
· Barbell Shrugs
· Dumbbell Shrugs
· Upright Rows


Day 3 - Friday - Legs
* Be careful of over training your legs because extreme soreness will severely hinder your ability to successfully complete your cardiovascular exercises.
* Perform (2) of the following exercises:
· Squats
· Leg Presses
· Leg Extensions
· Leg Curls
· Sissy Squats
· Straight-Leg Deadlifts

* Perform (1) of the following exercises
· Standing Calf Raises
· Seated Calf Raises
· Donkey Calf Raises
· Leg Press Calf Extensions


Cardiovascular Exercise (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday)

· PERFORM CARDIO ON AN EMPTY STOMACH!!! When you perform cardio your body will start looking for calories and food to burn to keep up the high level of exercise it is enduring. The first place it will look is in your stomach. If food is there, it will burn that food off first, and never tap into the energy it has stored as fat on your body. However, if your stomach is empty, it will go straight to existing fat and burn that for energy, and that is what you want while performing cardio. So the best time to perform cardio is first thing is the morning before you take in any food for the day. If you can't do that, just try and do cardio about 2-3 hours after the last meal you've eaten. Both ways will work.
· Cardiovascular includes all exercises that elevate your heart rate as described earlier in this program. Activities such as running, walking, jogging, biking, or swimming are all excellent cardio exercises.
o Perform (1) cardio exercise for 30-45 minutes on these days.

* If, for convenience, you would rather perform cardio on the same day as strength training to cut your workouts down to three days a week, that is also acceptable. If you choose to do this, it is recommended that you perform strength training first and then your cardio following it.


DIET AND EATING PLAN

* Here are the general guidelines you should follow when constructing a diet aimed at losing weight:

1) EAT 5-7 SMALL MEALS EVERY DAY!!!
* This is the most important rule to follow for weight loss and I'll explain to you why. Your metabolism, the rate at which your body breaks down and uses food, is very important to weight management. The faster your metabolism, the less weight you put on, and vice versa. When you eat only 1, 2, or 3 meals a day, your body begins to go into a starvation mode where it stores all the food it gets for future use because it is unsure of when the next meal is coming. So none of the food you're consuming is being burned off. However, when you keep consuming food every 2-3 hours or so, your body starts burning it immediately because it knows more will be coming very soon so there is no need to store it. So instead taking in all your calories for the day in 2 or 3 meals, simply spread them out over 5-7 smaller meals, and your metabolism will speed up dramatically.

2) Aim to consume about 500 calories less than the number of calories required to maintain your current weight, as calculated above. This is a healthy level of food to start and maintain the weight loss process while still providing your body with a healthy amount of calories for it to run on.

3) Try and maintain the following ratio of calories for carbohydrates, protein, and fat:
· 40% Carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30% fat.
· What this means is that 40% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates, and then 30 % of calories from protein, and 30 % of calories from fat.
· Here's how this applies to your diet and the calories you take in:
o 1g of carbohydrate = 4 calories
o 1g of protein = 4 calories
o 1g of fat = 9 calories

*** So here's how to apply these three rules and construct your diet plan:
(This will be based on someone who needs 2000 calories to maintain their current weight)
· Take 2000 calories and subtract 500, which leaves a daily intake of 1500 calories
· Take 1500 and multiply it by .40 to determine carb calories, this equals 600
· Take 1500 and multiply it by .30 to determine fat and protein calories, this equals 450
· Now that you have the number of calories needed for each of the three nutrients, you can determine how many grams of each you will need to take in.
· Do this by dividing by 9 for fat, 4 for protein, and 4 for carbohydrates.
· Fat grams = 450 / 9 = 50 grams of fat daily
· Protein grams = 450 / 4 = 113 grams of protein daily
· Carb grams = 600 / 4 = 150 grams of carbs daily

* Then, by taking this one step further, let's say you decide on eating 6 meals a day. Simply take the numbers you've just obtained and divide each by six to determine how many grams of carbs, protein, and fat you should be consuming during each meal. So…
· 1,500 calories daily / 6 meals = 250 calories per meal
· 50 grams of fat daily / 6 meals = 9 grams of fat per meal
· 113 grams of protein daily / 6 meals = 18 grams of protein per meal
· 150 grams of carbs daily / 6 meals = 25 grams of carbs per meal

* And remember, every meal does not have to contain these exact amounts, these are just guidelines. You can have one meal with a lot of protein and few carbs. Then have a high carb and low protein meal later on. Simply try and arrive around the right totals at the end of everyday.

4) As far as taking in these proper amounts of nutrients on a daily basis, the choices are really up to you. I could lay out an eating plan to follow, however I feel that is too specific and often times doesn't fit a lot of people's tastes. All foods have nutrition labels on them and you can find the nutritional facts of most restaurants at the following website:
www.dietpower.com/restaurants.htm
It's just a matter of taking a little extra time and reading the labels of foods when you're shopping and planning what you are going to eat for the coming day. Here are some foods that are high in protein and some that are high in carbs.
Protein: All meats, milk, yogurt, peanuts, peanut butter, eggs, tuna, most fish, and also protein bars and drinks
Carbs: Pastas, rice, wheat, breads, and fruits.
Obviously, it is almost impossible to stick to these numbers exactly, simply try and keep close to them and do the best you can. Keeping your carb intake reasonable is the biggest concern when trying to lose weight, so keep those as low as possible.

5) Drink plenty of water. Try and consume about (1) gallon of water per day. Water makes up most of your body as well as your muscles. Keeping both filled with plenty of water is essential to maintaining both. This will also reduce hunger if you should consistently feel hungry between meals.

6) Take a multivitamin and mineral pill each morning. It is very difficult to take in the proper amounts of all the vitamins and minerals the body needs on a daily basis. This way, they are all taken care of.

7) Remember, your diet is just as important as exercise is when trying to lose weight, and it requires the same amount of dedication. And after a little time it too becomes second nature and becomes part of your everyday routine.