P90x and Nutrition

kilburni
kilburni Posts: 22
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm heading into Day 4 of the Classic P90x routine tonight with some friends but I'm finding one major problem with the routine...I'm RAVENOUS when I finish each night...

Monday was the first day I've worked out that hard in a long time so when I finished up I didn't feel guilty about eating pizza leftovers that were in my fridge. Then Tuesday I regretted it and made it a focus to do better. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (for lack of food in the house) when I got home from work then after the workout (plyometrics) I had a grilled chicken garden salad with light dressing to get some protein back into my system. Then last night I had 2 eggs and toast with peanut butter expecting it to just be a protein rich and quick dinner before the workout and when I finished I ended up making another PB&J (I should probably grocery shop this weekend...) and eating a slice of dominos that my roommate had ordered...

I mean, I know I'm not going CRAZY on calories for the day, especially since I'd imagine these workouts are burning at least 500 or so but I have to think that these stupid 300-500 calorie binge "snacks" aren't helping matters.

Anyway, my biggest problem is that I'm justifying these binges by saying "well, I just burned this much off anyway and I'm still under my daily calories." Is anyone else experiencing MORE cravings for junk when they exercise?

Replies

  • Phera
    Phera Posts: 269 Member
    I think one of the big tricks it to make sure you have snacks around that are good for you if you're starving after working out. Last year when I did p90X I had a glass of chocolate soy milk right after working out instead of those protein drinks that he recommends at the end of the videos.
  • cathcakey
    cathcakey Posts: 288 Member
    YES!! I'm not a P90X-er but I walk out of my gym and what's next door? A fish & chip shop!! Always smells amazing and it does take some serious will power not to indulge. I find the best way around it is to prepare or just plan out a snack before you even exercise. That way you know what you're gonna have straight after and there's no room for tired decision making! Good luck with the programme
  • 2blessed2stress
    2blessed2stress Posts: 1
    I would suggest maybe drinking a protein shake afterwords so that you can replish your body and get that full filling while drinking something that's good for you. GNC has one that taste pretty good and also the people that created PX90 have a shake product that is supposed to be pretty good. I just ordered and am waiting to see what it taste like...heres link to my coach's site shakethefit.com. Hope this helps!
  • jmb1510
    jmb1510 Posts: 45 Member
    Are you tracking your calories? P90X needs a lot of food. I am on day 5 today and I am eating almost 2400 calories a day. With it mainly being lean protein and veggies-that takes a lot of food. To really get the benefit of P90X you need to follow the nutrition guide. It doesn't sound like you are feeding your body enough food.

    If you find you can't follow the guide, then I would suggest if you are hungry, eat, just tty to make it healthy.

    And yes, I do crave the junk food too, I just had to get it out of my house.
  • ErinCatherine
    ErinCatherine Posts: 19
    Hi everyone...Just joined this site today. I also am doing p90x, today is the last day of my third week. I have NOT beein following the recommended diet although I would say in general my eating habits are about 75% healthy overall (lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, whole grains). But I have a sweet tooth, and I tend to eat way beyond the point of fullness. I do not feel like I have had any results in 3 weeks of butt-kicking workouts. According to this site I need to eat 1200 calories a day to make my goal weight - however the p90x nutrition program says I should be at about 1800. Any advice???? I have always been in fairly good shape and on the small side but in the last year or so about 5-7 unwanted pounds have crept on and STUCK.
  • gabearismendez
    gabearismendez Posts: 6
    buy some sort of protien powder,, syntha6, pro complex or something to down after your workout, try iso 100 if your watching your calorie intake, mix em with a gatorade of your choice, or i like to use the no sugar or made with splenda drink flavor powders. feed to muscles with this stuff, it will curve your appetite and its a whole lot better then dominoes!. hit me up for some protien powder tips like mixtures that you can try, i have tried a whole bunch of em and can save you the time. good luck
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
    I'm on week 3 of P90X, and I am a little more hungry during the days. But after the workout, (I do it at like 630-730 at night), I'm actually not hungry at after them. You're probably hungrier because you're starting to build more muscle, and muscle at rest burns more calories than fat does. So it's only normal that you're hungrier.
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
    I'm on week 3 of P90X, and I am a little more hungry during the days. But after the workout, (I do it at like 630-730 at night), I'm actually not hungry at after them. You're probably hungrier because you're starting to build more muscle, and muscle at rest burns more calories than fat does. So it's only normal that you're hungrier.
  • jmb1510
    jmb1510 Posts: 45 Member
    ErCath,

    That 1200 is probably without excercising. The Net Calories shown at the start of each day is whay you should eat, then if you excercise you need to eat those calories as well. 1800 is probably pretty close to what you should be eating since most P90X routines burn around 600 calories.

    As for the no change after 3 weeks, if you were already in good shape with just a few pounds to lose, P90X won't really lose it for you unless you follow the nutrition. Those first few weeks of high protein is what really helps burn the fat at first. Also, you may have lost fat, but you added muscle and your scale doesn't know the difference. Try doing your measurements to see if your body has changed.
  • ErinCatherine
    ErinCatherine Posts: 19
    OOOHHHH. Thats better, 1200 calories is not a lot for me! As for the P90X not working without the diet... I was afraid of that. Up until the past year or so I have generally been able to eat whatever and as long as I exercised didn't put on weight. I KNEW it would catch up with me eventually! :wink: I avoid scales at all costs so I am just going to try and be patient during my recovery week and take photos and measurements after that... Hopefully I'll see a difference. Thanks for the response!
  • worchard
    worchard Posts: 30
    Go for the recovery drink (beachbody's) right after the workout. Then go eat a sensible dinner and maybe a light snack before going to bed (which I don't eat after anything after 7pm).
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
    If you are trying to do P90X without following the diet in the guide, it is not going to work as advertised...plain and simple. If you follow the guide, you'll find that you will be eating a lot more than you thought a typical "diet" would allow. This is because P90X is a HARD fitness plan, it really puts your body to the test. You NEED to fuel your body with the right foods in the right proportions (and I don't just mean plate size, I mean the right ratio of carbs, proteins, etc) in order to feel good after you do the workouts. The guide is super easy to follow and it even has really easy recipes. Just do it the right way.
  • CoachKarlaHelps
    CoachKarlaHelps Posts: 19 Member
    Why don't you try Shakeology? Your body wants food, and you are giving it junk. You need NUTRIENT DENSE food for these workouts, not junk. Each time you eat junk, your body tries to process it and finds out there is very little nutrient value in what you ate. It then sends your brain the message that it needs more food. You have GOT to feed your cells or you will always be hungry and your P90X results will suffer.
    Hope this helps.
  • oaker
    oaker Posts: 132 Member
    I totally agree with Meridian43 and how could you argue with that picture. Great results from hard work and following a good diet. I do have to say, that following the nutrition plan for the first 4 weeks is tough. Getting that amount of protein just from food is almost impossible. I had to get whey protein. It really helped with cravings and in fact I had a hard time eating all the calories. Watch out when you go back to the carbs, the next thing you know, you will be wanting to eat a donut.
  • ErinCatherine
    ErinCatherine Posts: 19
    Okay, I have a few questions on this nutrition stuff. Some days I do my workouts in the morning as soon as I get up. Is it bad to do it on an empty stomach?

    I have not purchased the recovery drink so I make a shake with light vanilla soy milk and soy protein powder… but my boyfriend looked at the label and said it has too much sugar. And I think maybe not enough protein… Plus I am not sure if it is the correct carb/protein/ whatever ratios. Better suggestions?

    Also with the p90x diet I feel like I am not eating enough fruits and vegetables. I am used to trying to eat 5-7 servings a day and Phase 1 Level 1 says only 1 fruit, 2 veggies. I basically feel like I run out of everything else and then have nothing left to eat but protein, and like many others have said, it is difficult to get enough of that. I just figured out how to change my nutrition goals to reflect the correct ratio so hopefully I will be able to track better.

    So would it be okay to extend the Phase 1 of nutrition into Phase 2 of the workouts, if I did not follow it very well for the first three weeks?
  • thenewdino
    thenewdino Posts: 4
    are you eating enough to begin with. i need between 1800-2,200 cals based on my start weight. some people need even 3,000 calories a day becuase this is an intense program.

    i'm doing the portion plan becuase it's easy for me to understand

    6 eggwhites = 1 protien in the portion plan, your 2 eggs aren't nearly enough, and PB is not that great of a protein, more of a snack

    also make sure your eating about every 3 hoours ur awake. protien bars, almonds, carrots sticks, protien shakes - all good snacks for inbetween your meals

    erincatherine
    as for an after workout drink, if you can't afford a recovery drink (like myself) have a skim chocolate milk within 30 minutes
  • ErinCatherine
    ErinCatherine Posts: 19
    I have to say that it has really helped keeping track of what I am eating on this site, and it has only been 4 days. I am WAY low on protein and that is with being conscious of it so I know I was totally off before. EVERY thing has carbs in it and they add up so fast... I switched to a whey protein that has twice the protein and only like 2 g of carbs per scoop but I still feel like it is diffcult to get all of that protein. I am going to try multiple protein shakes throughout the day and lots and lots of egg whites. Watching protein, carbs, fat and SODIUM all at the same time is HARD!!! I give so much credit to everyone on here who has been doing this for some time and lost pounds.... It gets frustrating and overwhelming but I keep telling myself that it took time to put the weight on so it will take time for it to come off.

    As for P90X - Core Synergistics is no joke! That stuff was hard!!! But I liked it and I think it is going to help pull in those lower ab muscles that seem to have drifted into mushiness lately...
  • trice
    trice Posts: 43 Member
    It's been a few months since people posted on this topic. How's everyone feel now about the nutrition part of PX90? I'm starting it next week and was just curious how connected the overall plan is with the exercise.
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