P90X and MFP Calories question

adiem1975
adiem1975 Posts: 3 Member
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
Hey All,

I'm hoping someone will be able to answer this...I'm currently on week 2 of P90X and am really trying to getting my eating right. According to the P90X Nutrition Guide I shoud be eating 1800 calories a day, which I'm having a very hard time with!! While I totally understand why I need to eat so many, I had to bump it down to 1450. So that is what I entered into MFP as my daily goal, but now I'm realizing that once I enter my exercise, it's calculating higher daily calories for me.

I guess what my question is is this: Does the P90X Nutrition Guide include your exercise calories in that 1800 they said I should eat? If so, should I then adjust my MFP daily calorie goal to around 1200 to account for the 600ish I'll be making up in exercise? Or shouldI keep it at the 1450?

Sorry if this is a confusing question, but I just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

Thanks!
Alex

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    The nutrition guide for P90x does take into account the workouts. So the minimum amount is 1800.
  • sheydad
    sheydad Posts: 4
    My son did p90x for a while. They have their own food plan, and to be honost with you I got tiered of cooking for him. But to answer your question yes you need to bring it down to 1200. MFT calculates NET calorie intake and adds the amount of calorie you burned with any exercize to your total calories. So if you stay at 1450 you may not lose as much as you like. Good Luck.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    My son did p90x for a while. They have their own food plan, and to be honost with you I got tiered of cooking for him. But to answer your question yes you need to bring it down to 1200. MFT calculates NET calorie intake and adds the amount of calorie you burned with any exercize to your total calories. So if you stay at 1450 you may not lose as much as you like. Good Luck.
    wrong
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    My son did p90x for a while. They have their own food plan, and to be honost with you I got tiered of cooking for him. But to answer your question yes you need to bring it down to 1200. MFT calculates NET calorie intake and adds the amount of calorie you burned with any exercize to your total calories. So if you stay at 1450 you may not lose as much as you like. Good Luck.

    Only set at 1200 if you log 600 everyday for your calories burned though exercise as 1800 Gross is the min amount of calories anyone should have on this program.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Change your calorie goal to 1800. Enter your exercise calories burned. You can do that by using a heart rate monitor, even with the weight lifting exercises. Don't bother with entering reps. At the end of the week, go up to REPORTS. That will give you info on your net calories for each day of the week after exercise. You don't want your net under 1200 calories. You will stall your weight loss or progress - period. You need to remind yourself why you got P90X. If you only wanted to lose weight, then hit the treadmill. If your goal is to build muscle, get better cardio endurance, and get leaner then P90X is the right program for you.
  • adiem1975
    adiem1975 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks.

    I get the program and I understand why the food is so important. But, I'm only 5'2" and 143 lbs, and I'm really really having a hard time eating that many calories every day without wanting to barf. I'm getting 6 meals in, 2 protein shakes per day, and all healthy food. I just can't seem to get to 1800 no matter how hard I try. I'll keep trying though, I'm not going to give up.

    BTW, I don't need to remind myself why I bought the program, I know exactly why I got it and have been following to a T. Please don't preach when I only asked a simple question.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    What I mean is, what is your goal on the program. Is it only for weight loss or for muscle building? Or both?

    How many calories are you getting per serving from your protein shake?
  • adiem1975
    adiem1975 Posts: 3 Member
    My goal is a lot...I want to get healthier, build strength, stamina, flexibility and endurance. I do want to lose weight, but its not my primary reason for choosing this program. I realize this isn't a weight loss program. I figure if I can build more lean muscle that will help burn more calories, even at rest.

    Both shakes are about 190 calories each. I was doing 3 scoops of protein powder (280 cal), but had to go to 2 scoops as I was getting bad indigestion and heartburn from 3.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    Your goals are definitely in line with what the program can do for you. For your shakes I would suggest having one in the morning and one right before bed time. Make sure that the one before bed is lower in carbs. if you haven't already done so, check out michi's ladder on the beachbody web-site. It's under the eat smart tab.

    Hopefully your shakes are bareable to drink. I recommend BSN shakes, bodybuilding.com carries them. The Syntha-6 tastes great and are 200 calories each, however the Dessert shake is lower in carbs and 150 calories per scoop. Hmmm, I would also recommend egg whites. Nutrishop carries egg whites through Egg Whites International. That of course will also help you reach your protein requirements in the first two phases without over doing it on calories or making you feel over fed and gorged. Also, many people have to build up to those calorie levels. So, just do your best with that. Taking the protein at night will prevent muscle breakdown while you sleep.
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