How Fast Can You Lose Weight With the Body for Life Diet?

How Fast Can You Lose Weight With the Body for Life Diet?
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Body for Life is an eating and exercise plan based on a book of the same name by Bill Phillips. The program lasts for 12 weeks and includes a strict eating and exercise regimen to help lose weight and build muscle. If followed correctly, you should lose weight at a slow and steady rate. However, you should consult your doctor before beginning any new diet program.

Time Frame

According to the Every Diet website, you should lose weight at an average of 1 to 2 lbs per week. In the three months on the plan, you can lose as much as 12 to 24 lbs, depending on your current weight. Although before and after pictures adorn the book, it is likely to take more than 12 weeks to completely overhaul your body and gain major amounts of muscle.

Eating

This program involves eating six meals a day with a total intake of approximately 1,700 calories per day. You are instructed by the book to eat every couple of hours to stave off hunger and boost your metabolism. Your meals should be balanced and made up of lean proteins and carbohydrates. Two of the meals should include a serving of vegetables. You also need to drink 10 glasses of water daily. To increase your intake of unsaturated fatty acids, you need to consume one tablespoon of olive oil each day or eat salmon three times per week.

Considerations

For optimal nutrition on the diet, the author suggests using protein bars and shakes as supplements. For instance, a protein shake can be consumed between breakfast and lunch while a protein bar can be used as a late afternoon snack. They are suggested in order to meet the requirement of six servings of protein and six servings of carbohydrates per day.

Exercise

Exercise on Body for Life is intended to increase your calorie burn while also helping you build muscle. You are told to train six days a week for 12 weeks. For the first week, you'll use weights to train the upper body for two days and the lower body for one day. Three days that week you participate in 20 minute sessions of aerobic exercise. During the second week, you'll do two days of weight training for the lower body and one day of training for the upper body. You'll also need to do aerobic exercise three times a week for 20 minute sessions. The pattern is repeated until you finish the program after 12 weeks.

References

Article reviewed by Elizabeth Jewell Last updated on: Apr 27, 2011

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