P90X

traceracerh

Hey all, Just wondering if any of you did P90X. I'm about to start it next week but am worried about the food. Because of my weight, it says I should eat the level III portions. However, that seems like absolute madness! I know that in many cases you have to eat more to lose more, but this just seems like too much.

Anyone have any advice/input? Thanks in advance!

ctooch99

Been doing P90X since January1 - Love it, Love it, LOVE it. I don't follow their nutrition plan though, I follow my own... Have dropped 35 Lbs since I started. Tony Horton rules.

"Do your best and forget the rest"...

jnovakov

I did it a few years back and had some really good results... regained a six pack within a week of the program! Didnt follow the diet though.

angrodriguez92

I heard that you should stay on the phase 1 of the diet till you lose all extra weight. It is a hardcore workout... extreme.

cocorowe1

I just started it yesterday and I am following my own diet. I was wondering if any knows the best way to track those exercises on here. Thanks!

jfan175

I felt their calorie recommendations were too high. I ate between 1800-2000 per day when they were suggesting 2400. Just finished the program, I dropped 34lbs and 6 pants sizes. I gained strength throughout.....I had one short stretch where I was bonking but just added some carbs and that seemed to do the trick.

ctooch99

I just started it yesterday and I am following my own diet. I was wondering if any knows the best way to track those exercises on here. Thanks!

There was a few extensive threads on this topic because MFP does not have the P90X workouts in it's database. I create my own exercises and use this calculator:

http://p90xcalories.com/

I can say based on my heart rate monitor readings this calculator is accurate within 50 calories (at least for me) - just be honest up your time, weight and intensity level - if you are dogging it and put that you worked out intensely, it won't be an honest level of calories burned.

Good luck - "Bring It!"

Smuterella

Oh lord - the word "bonking" and the word "dogging" both in one thread. *giggle* I am such a child.


Anyway - I'm planning on starting the programme in a week, though switching out the cardio videos for running.

I'm not bothered about the calorie levels but rather the macros. Is it really 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fat in the first phase? I just don't know how I'd do that and have any energy. I'd also probably never have a bowel movement!

Does following these percentages make a real difference?

greggags2

I have done a few rounds of P90X and to lose weight quickly you should do a 40% carb 40% protein and 20% fat diet with a calories restriction that will melt away a ton of body fat

Smuterella

I have done a few rounds of P90X and to lose weight quickly you should do a 40% carb 40% protein and 20% fat diet with a calories restriction that will melt away a ton of body fat

OK, that isn't what the nutrition guide says but it does sound more manageable. I think 30% carbs would kill me.

I don't really have much body fat to lose - probably only 7lbs realistically.

mommyhof3

I am doing it now, almost done. I follow the Eat More 2 Weigh Less groups guidelines for sedentary lifestyle and then I wear a heart rate monitor with a chest strap (PolarFT4) and I eat most of my exercise calories back. Since doing this the weight has been coming off. I have lost 24lbs in the 73/90 days I have been doing P90x and a lot of inches. And I eat 40% carbs, 30% Protein, and 30% fat

stusieq

I have used the P90X workouts, but not the food plan. I also have not done the workouts as often as suggested. I interspersed them with my cardio training and other activities. 6 days in a row of intensive weight training might result in some overuse injuries (I know people who have injured themselves by "Bringing it" too often without enough days for the body to recover. It is very intense, but great! If you are starting from a baseline of only a little bit of exercise every now and then, you might want to consider taking it slowly. Even 3 P90X sessions a week will give you some results!

As for the food/nutrition plan, I didn't really consider it. I know what my body needs to eat to feel strong and healthy. (protein/fat/carb ratio, amount of calories, etc) And this might be different for each person.

One thing I have noticed among people who tend to diet often (people who use significant calorie restriction to lose weight) is that they are often uncomfortable with eating enough calories to fuel their bodies for intense exercise. Look up a BMR calculator online and figure out how many calories you burn if you slept all day. Then multiply that by 1.2 or 1.3 or so to get how many calories you burn on a lightly active day. And then add in the number of calories burned in an exercise session (500 or more? - I'll have to check out that calculator!). That should be clsoe to the number of calories you burn on a day of doing P90X.

A calorie deficit is good for losing weight. But if you eat too low uder what you need, your body will not like it. You'll feel bad, weak, and may injure yourself with all the extra strength training. And if your body is in deficit too long, it will start breaking down muscle to prevent you from burning as many calories. Not what we want!

tryinghard71

I love P90X and have the best results than any other workout program I have tried. I don't follow their nutrition guide either. I follow MFP. I eat back almost all my exercise calories and use a HRM to track calorie burn. As far as substituting running. There is nothing wrong with that. Although, I will tell you that Plyo and Kenpo did wonders for me. Those workouts are no joke. I would really try them out before skipping them. I do sub turbo fire and the treadmill in on certain workouts. Like... I hate P90X yoga. It's too long and boring for me. The first time I started P90X I gave up because I thought a lot of the moves were to hard for me. Since then I have learned to listen to Tony. He reminds you all the time to alternate if you need too. Now when they do Rock Star Jumps that hurt my knees I just do jumping jacks instead. This has really worked for me.

Smuterella

Ah, well i'm subbing the running as I have a 10K on 15 September and I can't even run a 5K yet. Heh. i might throw some of the kenpo in though. :-)

The plyo might be too noisy for my downstairs neighbours...

BOLO4Hagtha

I did P90X (finished Memorial Day) and it told me to eat level III too but that is way too much food. I ate somewhere between 1700-2000 and lost weight. Lost more inches than weight though, so don't be discouraged by the scale. Tony makes you do lots of stuff so nutrition is key.

tryinghard71

I did P90X (finished Memorial Day) and it told me to eat level III too but that is way too much food. I ate somewhere between 1700-2000 and lost weight. Lost more inches than weight though, so don't be discouraged by the scale. Tony makes you do lots of stuff so nutrition is key.

Well said! Agree. I lost inches every week for 2 months straight before I saw a movement on the scale! Inches are more important to me than what the scale says.