Women and P90X: What Can a Woman Expect?
Judging by the number of women coming to this site searching for a female-centric review of P90X , there are a lot of questions:“Can a woman do P90X?Is P90X effective for women? What kinds of success can women have with P90X?”Given that I recently completed 90 days and have been a woman most of my life, I thought I would weigh in on this one. (Multiple highhats!)
First, a little background:I’ve been active pretty much all of my life.My mom is a dyed-in-the-wool gymrat, and has been since I can remember (I totally remember sitting in the back of the Buick when Mrs Garber from church told my mom about this awesome new song for jazzercise, “Eye of the Tiger .”I remember being quite sure Jane Fonda was someone my mom actually knew in real life.) If I was looking pale or pasty, she would lock my brother and I outside to go run around until the sun went down. I was in ballet and gymnastics and all sorts of stuff as a kid. In highschool , I did cheer and dance and track.After highschool, I went to the gym regularly and watched Ms Fitness USA for hours on cable (though I never had the tenacity to actually train for it.)In 2000, I started cheering again with a competition-level charity squad called Cheer SF , while being concurrently addicted to spinning (studio cycling). After my stint with Cheer SF, I discovered Bikram and, after that, Ashtanga yoga…
Despite all that, as I get older it seems harder to keep my size down.I’m used to being the one who everyone thinks is “too skinny,” only it’s been a good 10 years since that’s been true.About a year ago, my boyfriend saw the P90X infomercial and we decided to embark on a 90-day fitness challenge. We would each do our own workouts and see who had the better results.
For me: walking to work (2 miles), doing 90 minutes of Ashtanga Yoga and then taking a cardio kickbox or weightlifting class, for a total of about 3 hours of activity, 5 days a week. I had pretty good results- my goal was to wear the 24” corset to Folsom Street Fair and not look spongy. I think I did an OK job of it. (This despite a very pricy-yet-assy trainer at the Van Ness 24 Hour Fitness… if you are thinking of getting one, please get in touch first so I can help you find a decent one!)
For him: Rob was no stranger to the concepts of P90X, so he put together his own P90X-esque plan and self-motivated at home.
I had better results that first 90 days and Rob realized he needed a little more structure.Knowing spending $100+ on P90X would force him to motivate, he began the program in November, and I started following along in December/January, but really hit my stride of six P90X workouts per week in January and registered for MillionDollarBody.com on February 13, 2008.
So, that brings me to spelling out what, for me, are the measures of success (these can– and probably SHOULD– be different for everyone):
-Size/measurements (and, yes, weight)
-Being able to do cool stuff like pull-ups, arm balances and whatnot (you may notice that “being able to do cool stuff” is the theme that runs through my fitness pursuits. I might be 34, but I can still do the splits.)
-Feeling good (including being confident in the way I look, how my clothes fit, having energy- I recently went off the anti-depressant Wellbutrin and knew that fitness would be a major component in my success there.)
I started at about 140 lbs; my “goal” for the past 10 years has been “about 127” (for no real reason other than it would be nice to get back to my post-highschool weight)So, that is where I started- here are my thoughts:
The Program: I started mid-cycle on P90X, so we switched to P90X+ midway through.When we did the first fitness test, I think I was able to .25 of a pullup, but was OK in other strength tests like push-ups and wall-sits from my yoga background.Cardiovascularly, I was lacking, despite that foray into the world of “cardio kickbox.”
P90X consists of six workouts per week, mostly strength training, two cardio workouts, and a yoga workout.I did P90X “classic,” but there are options that have you mix up the same workout DVDs into programs called “P90X Lean,” and “P90X Doubles.”
The strength workouts are really the core of this program.The workouts are really hardcore- I was one of those people who doubted you could get a good workout from a DVD.In fact, I get a better strength workout with these DVDs than I did with my last personal trainer.(Who really, truly, sucked.Wish I had that $600 back! See previous disparaging comments.)The workouts are very heavy on pull-ups and push-ups, which might be intimidating to some women.As I mentioned, I was able to do .25 of a pull-up.I started out with bands, and then progressed to the P90X Pull-up Bar.I am happy to say that I can now do 3 pull-ups in a row with just a little “body-English” cheating and can complete the whole workout with one foot on the back of a chair.Push-ups are easy enough to do on your knees, but you need to make a mental commitment to do as may as you can on your toes before going to your knees- For some reason, I find the psychological crutch of doing push-ups on my knees hard to overcome, so it really is a mental game to see progress here.
Note about P90X Plus: I really dislike the overuse of the Upper Plus program in P90X+.You do it twice per week.I notice a lot of people have concerns that P90X will feel repetitious.I’m here to tell you that it really doesn’t– unless you are doing P90X Plus as written, and then you might want to tear your eyes out vs. do Upper Plus again.
I do LOVE the Abs/Core Plus workout in P90X+.It has a lot of hanging ab work, which can take some building up to, but it is a great workout for those of us who hate crunches.(In fact, I hate crunches and some boat-type ab work because it makes the front of my legs go numb.This was a huge issue for me with Ab Ripper X.Numb legs suck.)
About the Cardio Workouts: The cardio workouts in P90X are Kenpo X and Plyometrics.Plyometrics will kick your ass and give you a great cardio workout.It will likely also take you several weeks to build up the confidence in getting through the whole thing, but you will.
It took me a REALLY long time to get to the point with Kenpo X where I felt like it was even worth my time cardio-wise.Emphasis on proper breathwork is essential.Do not watch the redhead; she is half-assing her way through the entire thing.I made the mistake of mimicking her for the first several times and literally had to flail like Fraggle on crack through the “breaks” to even get my heartrate in zone.Even with proper form, I still do use the “breaks” as an opportunity to really spike my heartrate with intense jumping jacks/running in place, etc.- this workout has a lot of downtime that you have to commit to fill.
A note about P90X Plus: The Kenpo Cardio Plus workout in P90X Plus is crap.Rob talked about it in his review from a “martial arts practitioner” point of view.I’m just talking about it from the perspective of someone who is looking for a good cardio workout.It has no flow, the moves go by so fast that is nearly impossible to do them with proper form… just not a well-thought out workout at all.
Interval X Plus:
Personally, I don’t feel like half the movements in this thing are true “interval” moves. Nor do I think that 30 second intervals are enough to feel intervals (in either the exertion or recovery sense of the word.) I am used to one minute all-out effort, 1-or-2-minute recovery. But, it’s like “slow jogging” and then “all-out Olympic sprinting.” I am not sure how I can kick some and then kick a little more and then LIKE TOTALLY REALLY KICK!All in one minute and feel the difference in between. My cardiovascular system doesn’t work like that.Plyo or a nice 150-min-188-max-BPM-max interval run for 50 minutes is better.
Yoga:Oh, you really want me to go there? I hate the yoga in the P90X system with a hatred that I can barely explain.I love yoga as much as I hate Yoga X. In fact, if I didn’t love yoga so much, I might not think Yoga X sucks as much ass as it sucks. And, it sucks a lot.Mucho.Many the ass.I won’t do it.I’ll pop in a different tape, do yoga on my own, or go for a jog. Yoga is supposed to be about exploring the flow in life and ending up places you never thought you could end up, not about doing “runner’s pose” 49 times in a row. Tony doesn’t even know the difference between “cow” and “camel.” He might be good at other stuff, but he is NOT a yoga instructor.
The Results: My boyfriend had great results firming up with P90X without changing his diet at all. For me—I got about 70 days into it and felt exactly the same.Scales and measurements concurred.
For me, having about 15 lbs of fat to lose, it really will come down to the diet. The months I spend doing P90X as written without severe diet changes didn’t produce results. In the past 3 weeks, I have changed my diet in a major way.I’ve did the 6-day express plan and a really structured food plan, and am down about 8 lbs. And- in more exciting news- I actually havea picture that I am willing to use as a “before!” Woop!
I am 100% off of Wellbutrin. I feel strong.I can do cool stuff. Now, I just need to lose the fat.
(Ladies, did you really think eating whatever you want and lifting heavy weights would solve all your problems? Me, too!Not the case, sadly.)
If you would like to PURCHASE or find more information on this or any Beach Body Product, please follow this link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/FITLIFESFROB
P90X is nothing more than a scam. If you want to lose weight and build muscle, run, rest between lifts and push yourself. I am 110 lbs and guarantee no guy is going to get muscular doing just pull up and lifting 20 lb weights with p90X. As far a women . . dont be scared to lift weight. Dead weight and heavy weight will burn fat more quickly than just running although including running is important. Guys that do nothing but run end up lowering their testosterone and find it harder to build muscle. Drink protein to repair muscles. STAY AWAY FROM P90X AND JUST GO OLD SCHOOL WITH WEIGHT TRAINING AND CARDIO.
Melanie, have you even seen P90X? From your post, I suspect you haven’t, because it is a wee bit more than pull ups and using 20lb dumb bells.
Yes, you don’t need P90X to lose weight or get fit, but many people need a good program and motivation to workout. When you add a good fitness regimen to eating right, then you have the proper combination for success. If you want to see actual results, look at my pictures, go to teambeachbody.com and see the people who HAVE seen the results.
And, for the record, P90X IS old school weight training and cardio. It is just that Tony Horton put together the workout and was smart enought to brand it. He is your personal coach, and WAY cheaper than a $80-$120/session personal trainer. For the price, I have almost 4 years of using it, I am in the best shape I have ever been in. I’m 38 years old, I train MMA with guys who could be my kids and are in their prime, and, because of P90X and other beach body programs, I train at their level. Not old guy level.
Interesting note: I paid $119.00 for P90X and another $119 for insanity, been using beach body programs for 3 years, and I work out about 6 days a week. Say over the last 3 years I only used the workouts once every 3 days (I just tracked workout 367 on WOWY, so I know for sure). That equates to about $.65 a workout. Not to bad. Not to bad at all. (What are your gym dues? Personal trainer costs? Other expenses?)
So, like anything, you get what you put into it. Me, I put in a lot of effort and sweat. I push and pull my body weight, and use an array of dumbbells from 5-50lbs. Heck, I’d be using heavier ones if I had them here at the house, but truth be told, the 50′s are doing a bang up job.
Oh, and if you think P90X is a scam, what do you think of the Shake Weight?
As a certified personal trainer, I have to disagree– for someone who doesn’t want to pay for a gym membership and personal trainer, and doesn’t know enough to develop a program for themselves. (ie: 90% of the population that’s not into this as a lifestyle/hobby like myself and, apparently, you)… it is the best home weight training DVD available.
P90x *is* old-school weight training and cardio. Plain and simple.
Hello, I just purchased P90X and want to start it as soon as possible. However, I am so confused about the supplement intake and nutritional plan. I am 35 years old, 5’7 height, and weigh 158. The program comes with a booklet that discusses supplment intake (Whey supplement and Recovery shakes) all of which I don’t want to consume. I am really afraid of what protein shakes may do (Make me look like the female version of the incredible hulk). Are there ways in which you can get protein in without shakes. And what methold beside a shake can be used directly after my workout? I am also a vegetarian which I guess is another strike. I am just so confused as to were to begin or how to begin. I want to start and have been trying to do as much internet searching to assist me in getting good results. Furthermore, call me crazy and I probably am but I am so afraid of eating too much and gaining weight instead of lossing it. I know, I know, that the eating healthing and exercising helps you with your weight but my brain can not rationalize that fact. I also wanted to ask am I suppose to take any multivitamin, B-12 vitamins, or just any vitamins at all during the program. I guess what I really want to know is can I do this program with out drinking the shakes and if so what are some good substitutes for them. And please tell me that they wont (A) make you fat and (B) make me look like a female body builder. I am planning on starting the p90X lean and I want to shed fat from my body and look good. Thanks so much. Sorry for the Rambling.
Well, for starters– I can assure you that you will not “accidentally” end up looking like a female bodybuilder. It takes a huge amount of science and commitment for women to get the bodybuilder look, so even if you were to include a protein shake in your diet, it wouldn’t happen.
That being said, there is no real need for most folks to use a protein supplement– especially people who are eating at a deficit with a goal of losing weight. Eating your protein as whole food is going to be much more satiating and keep you fuller longer. Being a vegetarian makes it a little more challenging, but, assuming you aren’t vegan, egg whites, non-fat dairy (yogurt, cottage cheese…), tofu, tempheh, quinoa, nut butter… all are great sources of protein.
For your height and weight, if you keep your calories between 1300 on the low end and 1500 on the high end, you should see a loss of about 1.5 lb per week.
I’d suggest taking a multivitamin every day, just as insurance. Also, in lieu of a recovery drink, chocolate milk is a long-time favorite of runners. It’s got the right blend of quick-acting carbs and protein to fuel recover. For me, I don’t care for chocolate so I drink either the P90X recovery drink (orange julius flavor!) or the Endurox recovery drink in fruit punch flavor.
Best of luck on your journey!
Thank you so much Smurf, I really appreciate you taking the time out to answer my questions. I am not a vegan so the suggestions you gave me will help me out a bunch. Like you I too do not like chocolate and haven’t had any at all since childhood. With that said maybe I should invest in a recovery drink. But because as you wrote I am sort of “eating at a deficit” while trying to maintain a weight loss goal. Because I am a vegetarin would the recovery drink hinder my weight loss efforts ? Are the recovery drinks something that can potentially put on weight instead of helping you lose it? Also, since chocolate milk is out and depending on your suggestions for the recovery shake, after my workouts during that “peak window” of opportunity should I just eat a bowl of cottage cheese, yogurt etc. to aid in recovery? Also, my old beat up scale that I used to weigh my self before was really off and I actually weigh 150lb with a height of 5’7 so would my caloric intake still be 1300 to 1500?
Again thanks again
This is my 6th week of doing P90X Classic along with the diet plan, which I followed since day one. P90X can become very addicting. It really is a great workout routine. As much as I love it I am somewhat disappointed. I have not lost any weight, my measurements haven’t changed and neither has my body fat %. I have been doing the workout every single day and I have followed the diet without any cheating. I weigh 138 and i was really hoping to lose at least 4 to 5 lbs. I am not sure what’s going on. The only reason i have not stopped the program is because my performance has improved. I can do squats and lunges w/ no problem (unlike when i first started). I increased my weights from 8lbs to 10 or 12lbs (depends on the routine). But why can’t my results translate into a decrease weight, or reduced measurements, or lower body fat %? It really frustrates me!
If you have not dropped weight, you are eating too much. Plain and simple. The good news is, if your weight has moved neither up nor down, you know exactly where “maintenance” is for you. If you cut out 300 calories per day, the scale will move.
Tina- So long as you are counting the calories in the recovery drink against your daily total, it will not hinder your loss efforts. I take a half a serving since I eat in the 1400-1500 calorie range. If I know I am going to eating a well-balanced meal within an hour after working out, I usually skip the drink. After you move outside of that hour range after working out, it defeats the purpose, so you’d just want to eat the same healthy diet you would otherwise. The reason for getting quick-acting carbs and a little protein in the period of time right after working out is that the muscles are primed to reload glycogen in that period. That only lasts for a set period of time, so either you get those nutrients in right afterwards very efficiently, or you get them in less efficiently over the course of a day.
Honestly, though, taking or not taking a recovery drink or snack isn’t going to make or break someone’s progress. It might make you less sore. It might help with fatigue and food cravings. But, in the hierarchy of factors affecting success, it is pretty far down there.
Hi guys,
I’m 25 yrs old, 5′5” and 30 lbs overweight. I used to be pretty active but over the last two yrs and an incredibly stressful job I’ve gained a lot of weight. I was originally thinking of starting p90x but from all the review I’ve been reading it doesn’t seem to work as well for women that are trying to lose weight. What do you guys think about Chalean Extreme? Is one system better than the other when it comes to shedding pounds? I’m kind of just trying to figure out which one would be right for me.
Jones! Sorry about taking so long.
Chalean Extreme or P90X are both good programs. And you can start both. I think that if you are jut getting into a fitness plan, Chalean is a great place to start, and for you, I would start with Power 90, not P90X. Fitness is about habits, and building good ones. (Eating, working out, whatever) If you try a program that is to intense, then you may not stick with it.
If losing the 30 Lbs and toning up is what you are looking for, you might even want to look at Hip Hop Abs or Rocken Body. Major cardio workouts but you are dancing around like a maniac. Really good core work, and pretty fun. Great for people just starting. Then you can move into the more “Extreme” workouts as your body gets stronger.
Main thing to remember, to lose weight you HAVE TO EAT RIGHT. This means maintaining a calorie deficit, and eating healthy foods. Food tracking is a must for poeple starting out on a new program and their main goal is weight loss. Without it, you will get stronger, you will tighten up, but you won’t lose weight the way you hope to.
-Rob
Hi there,
I’m trying to loose the last 20 pesky pounds. I’m doing the p90x and I’m soo happy to hear I’m not the only one that does not like the yoga dvd. I do substitute it with different workouts. I should have started week 3 today, actually yesterday, but I’ll start week 3 today! I was a bit dissappointed that the scale nor my measurements have budge. I gain the weight this past year when I returned to school. I’m not following the p90x diet. I’m now adjusting my eating habits to reduce carbs, processed foods, sodas & juices, sugar, etc. I achieved it before by cutting out all carbs, sugars etc. and only consuming about 1200 to 1300 cal a day. I worked out everyday some days twice, doing spinning (great workout) and Turbo Jam.
I’m going to continue doing the p90x, hopefully I’ll start to see some changes in my body, but if anything I know I’m building muscle, which it’s always a plus. But I want to finish the p90 at least so I can say, “I DID IT!!” :p
Good luck all!!
Thanks MHS! Hope the nickname sticks. My age is 32, my height is 5’4” and my current weight is 155. Any number-crunching you would be willing to do for me would be wunnerful! My new dailyplate cals/day is 1439, adjusted for a few more pounds lost now. I have been hitting this faithfully, but it is kind of a struggle for me, with also doing the Insanity workouts. I do my workout early in the morning and then have several great productive hours with good energy, then I’m completely drained in the afternoons & evenings, and also have been having frequent headaches & grumpiness. I pretty much feel like my body is telling me it wants more calories, but now that I’m finally seeing some real scale movement with Insanity (7.25# in 30 days) after not seeing much with P90X (3.5# in 90 days), I’m trying to not change things too much for fear that I’ll mess up my results. I read Steve Edwards’ blog entry “Slow, Hungry & Tired” and it made total sense to me, but it seemed like he was saying that phase should be temporary….? I’ve been eating about 300 cals every 3-4 hours, which does seem to help (though it leaves NO wiggle room for a single Hersheys kiss, sip of wine, etc. if I‘m still gonna hit my 1439 cals/day). It seems like I’m completely starving by the time the third hour rolls around. I can live with that, but the crappy attitude, headaches, shakiness etc. are sucking. I’ve been trying to focus more on upping my protein intake too because I’m a vegetarian. So… do I basically just sound like a whiny hungry woman?
Like I said, there are parts of the day that I feel fantastic, and this baby weight is going away so that’s really encouraging to me, but I’m just wondering what else I can do to feel a bit better the rest of the time.
Also, I understand how the RMR works … do you know how I could also find the calculations for exercise metabolic rate, anaerobic threshold & my projected v02 max? I’m mostly just nerding out with all these numbers and would like to learn more about what mine would calc out to.
THANK YOU again for all of your feedback to everybody. This site is amazing!
Tchick- As I’m sure you’ve heard (I think it’s even in that book), “Hunger is not an emergency.” Especially at the rates we Americans are used to eating, so much of it is hand-to-mouth habit, boredom, eating crappy stuff so your body is still like “Hey, thanks for stuffing my belly an hour ago, but I got NO nutrients out of that, so you need to feed me again!” It can sometimes take a while for our bodies to realize, “I’m doing OK here. I’m not starving. This is fine.”
Mathematically, your pre-workout burn rate is about 1942 (1942.65 if you really wanna go crazy with it
) This means that you’d be… YEP! at exactly 1442 to get a 500 calorie pull from the “cals in” side and then the goal is to get a 500 cal pull from the “cals out” side, and the best way to check that math is with your results… 1.81 pounds per week. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! This means two things… 1) Congrats, you are doing a great job of tracking and sticking to the program, and 2) You are not starving!
Now, I would be irresponsible to not mention that you ARE doing such a stellar job of tracking that you COULD bring the cals up by 100 calories per day if you were willing to slow your loss to just a pound a week. I mean, if you are REALLY struggling and just HAVE to, know that you can.
More than likely, though, you can move macronutrients around some. Are you getting enough slow-digesting carbs? Specifically slow-digesting carbs about two hours before you are hitting that crash? Are you combining carbs, protein and healthy fats in all your meals and snacks? Are you generally getting your calories from “whole food” sources vs bars and powders? Are you drinking enough water? Have you tried hot tea or gum (careful, this can mess with some people’s stomachs if it has any of the sugar alcohol sweeteners in it… malitol, sorbitol… I find xylitol is pretty much benign with the others worse.)
As for your questions about VO2 Max, Lactate Threshold, etc– those are all lab tests. Vo2 Max involves running on a treadmill breathing through a mask to track 02 exchange (though Polar claims to be able to come close with a test run via heartrate on one of their higher-end heartrate monitors), and Lactate Threshold involves running while someone pricks your finger every few minutes.
While, I, too, am interested in having those tests done at some point– and you can often find a university kinesiology department that does them for a fee– they are pretty much useless in that they won’t really inform your training much. Even for me, as a distance runner, sure i could KNOW my Vo2 Max, but that doesn’t change the fact that my feet have to hit the pavement every day and I can only run what I can run on that given day.
You can generally figure out your anaerobic threshold (kind of the “old terminology” for Lactate Threshold– they are used pretty interchangeably) with a heartrate monitor. It’s about the level of effort you can sustain for an hour. For me, it happens to be 167 BPM this cycle. How do I know this? If I run at or below 167, I can stay at or below 167. If I run at 170, it takes only about 20 minutes before I go up to 172, 175, 183 and then crap out. This means if I want to train in my “lactate threshold range,” I’ll do a run at 170-172ish for twenty minutes once per week. And, I say “this cycle” because the number is moveable, whereas VO2 max is only moveable within a range, but there are definitely some pre-defined limiters– be they genetics or physiology or goodness-knows-what. I could train all day, for example, and not have the same Vo2 Max as Lance Armstrong, but that doesn’t mean that when I’ve hit my max achievable o2 exchange rate I can’t continue to improve and see better times through biomechanical, muscular, cardiovascular, etc. changes. In other words, of the two, Vo2 Max is definitely the least useful.
A more valuable metric for you to track might be your resting heartrate– taken 1st thing in the morning after having woken naturally (ie: without a screeching alarm or other startle.) If it is going down, you are generally getting more cardiovascularly fit. If it goes up unexpectedly one day, it could mean you are getting overtrained, run down, getting sick, etc. and might want to take it easier that day.
How does the P90X recovery drink differ from Shakeology? I am going to do P90X and want something for an after workout replenishment but I also like the idea of a nutritious option for when I need a quick out-the-door shake in the morning when I don’t have time for breakfast. Does one offer something the other does not?
The two are actually quite different.
Shakeology is more of a nutritionally-dense meal/snack “on the go” replacement, whereas the recovery drink is specifically formulated with quick-acting carbs and a little protein (in a metabolically-ideal 4-1 ratio of carbs to protein) for speeding glycogen into the muscles in the 45-minute period post-exercise when the muscles are most primed to receive them. Shakeology has too much protein and not enough carbs to prime post-workout recovery (nor is it probably going to be palatable for you to drink it right after a really hard workout), and the Recovery Drink isn’t going to have the “stick with you” quality or spectrum of nutrients that makes Shakeology an ideal meal/snack replacement.
That said, it doesn’t mean I’m trying to say that you NEED both, though both are fine products. There are work-around for both/either (for example, a glass of fat free Chocolate Milk made with non-sugar-free syrup is going to have the right carbs-to-protein ratio to act as a recovery drink, and the P90X Wildberry Bars are a great meal/snack grab-and-go – though not nutritionally identical Shakeology.
Hello again, I wanted to ask about “recovery drink” substitutes again. Hello, Smurf you suggested that I could possibly drink Chocolate milk after working out? I don’t eat or drink chocolate at all so could I do the strawberry milk (i.e., neslie quick strawberry syrub and whole milk). Or is there something in the chocolate that people should have? Also, could I just drink a cup of milk without the chocolate or the strawberry syrup or does that bit of sugar from the syrup help the muscles out?
Hi Mary,
Yes, you can do strawberry instead and, yes, you do need to add the sugared syrup to get you to correct carb-to-protein ratio. (About 4 grams of carbs to 1 gram of protein.) Nonfat milk needs about 25g of carbs added to get to the right ratio. And, the quicker-acting the better so this is probably the only place in your diet where you do want a pretty refined/processed sugar. In other words, no need to go all hippy-dippy and seek out some agave rice syrup sweetened strawberry milk mix. You WANT that insulin response from the quick-acting carbs, as that is what is going to help refuel muscle glycogen.
Hi Smurf,
I just reveived my P90x in the mail today and before I start I want to make sure I have my diet/calories in order. I am 31 years old 5’4″ and 133 pounds. Can you tell me how many I should be eating a day? I used to do a group “boot camp” workout in the park near my home for a while (the trainer stole alot workouts from P90x) he told us we should take our start weight and times it by 10 and thats how many calories we should be eating and adjust it down as the weight decreases… Let me know what you think, Thanks so much!
Wendi
Hi Smurf,
Thank you so much for replying so quickly to my post. I actually was following the diet and i was doing level one and eating no more than 1500 cal/day. After speaking to a trainer at a gym (not my personal trainer) I mentioned to her that i was just finishing up my first month and that i did not lose any weight or inches. She then mentioned to go from 1500 to 1300 cals which i’ve been doing since. I’m finishing up my second month and I still have not lost any weight or gained more muscle except for my arms, but my other measurements remain the same. At this point i’m thinking about taking some diet pills or adding more protein to gain muscle. I was thinking about Jillian Michael’s fat burner pills or incresing number of protein shakes i take per day from 1 to 2 (each shake has 25g of protein). Perhaps i’m just getting anxious, but i see all these infomercials on P90X with women with six packs, and i’m NOWHERE near close to that, i would settle with my tummy getting a little flatter but like I said my measurements have not changed. Any thoughts or recommendations on that? Also, i will be extending my workout from 90 days to an additional month so that i can say that i gave it my all.
OAT- Are you weighing and measuring every bite that goes into your mouth?
The simple, scientific, fact is that if you are not losing weight you are taking in the same number of calories that you are burning. You cannot be at “maintenance” (ie: neither losing nor gaining weight) at both 1500 AND 1300 calories if you are keeping the same workout intensity and all else is equal. Over the course of a month, if 1500 was true maintenance, you should see a pound and a half of change at 1300.
1300 is as low as you’d want to go– and I absolutely guarantee, if you have been eating at 1300 cals and not seen a loss, that calories are sneaking in somewhere. It happens to the best of us. I think it’s Jillian Michaels who famously tells the story of a client who was not losing weight, swearing up and down that she was weighing and measuring all her food, frustrated beyond belief, so Jillian says, “I’m going to follow you around for a day, because I guarantee you are consuming more calories than you think somewhere.” So, the woman makes her bowl of cereal, Jillian checks everything and it’s correct. Come lunchtime, she goes to make her chicken for lunch and Jillian says, “OK, how are you going to prepare that?” The woman says, “I have some fat free spray stuff I use.” “Great,” Jillian says. “Go ahead and make that.” And watches as the woman fills the pan to 1/4 inch with “fat free, calorie free” I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray and fries up her chicken. Turns out, she goes through about five cans of the stuff a week– to the tune of THOUSANDS of calories (it’s basically just oil that’s got such a small serving size- .33 of a second spray, I believe- that they can call it fat free and calorie free.) Yes, it’s an extreme example, but I bet if I could follow you around for a day, we could figure out where the calories are coming from.
Fat burning pills are a complete waste, but might have a little bit of a placebo effect. If you’ve got money to burn, go ahead– just be prepared to feel crappy. They make me feel horrible. Most of them are safe enough these days so long as you don’t have pre-existing heart conditions or sensitivity to caffeine. You can try swapping out some carb calories for protein calories to see if that helps get things moving, but I *HIGHLY* suggest you get those from real-food protein, not a shake. They sometimes put things in shakes (especially ones made for bodybuilders) that prompt the muscles to hold water to give the appearance of “pump.” Also, for the sake of feeling full and generally having a clean diet, real food is ALWAYS better.
And, you are correct to be looking ahead at extending the workouts– everyone should. Tob goes through a cycle of P90X and then either jumps right into another one, or does a cycle of Insanity, or jumps into a hybrid cycle of both. To truly “give it your all,” it’s a lifetime thing, not just a 90 day thing.
Best of luck, and keep us updated!
Hi Wendi,
That equation they gave does work out pretty well for you with what I am getting with your BMR. My calc has you at 1321 calories per day to realize a 500 calorie deficit per day from the “calories in” side of the equation. With the addition of the workouts, this should put you in the 1.75ish pounds of loss per week range.
I don’t think that calc works across the board, though– I wouldn’t be able to maintain my workouts on 1200 calories per day, and I wouldn’t want a 200 lb woman eating 2000 calories a day or she’d have very frustrating results.
Best of luck on your P90X journey!
Hi Smurf,
I just finished week 3 of the program, starting on week 4 today! I had already wrote to you earlier, but to refresh your memory(as I see TONS of people write to you for advice) I am 5″6, 110 pounds and am doing p90x to go from lanky to toned!
So, here’s my update:
I have definately seen a change in my arms. Before I started, my measurements of my arm flexing, and not flexing, were..the same. Now, there is a visible bump of muscle nicely forming, I am impressed, I must say! My legs and rear have gotten bigger (in a muscular way) and my weight has more or less stayed the same.
Now..my typical workout week is the p90x routines, and then most days I will also to spinning or go for a jog (as I am, and always will be a cardio junkie).
My diet..well..I eat very well during the day, following the meal plans and adding some variety that fits in for me. At night, however, is a different story..I often find myself eating popcorn (with added..butter:o) and occasionally ice cream…as occasional as 2 times a week :$. Now, I havn’t really seen a change in my weight as I am young and active…but could this be getting in the way of even better results? I still stick to 1800 calories when I sneak off with my popcorn, but obviously, it’s not the kind of calories I should be eating.
So for months 2 and 3, do you think I should be stricter on my diet? I want to get a lean, cut and toned look that I know can only be accomplished with the cleanest of diets. My stomach has a bloating look to it , and I don’t know to blame this on the workouts or the food(although it is probably the latter).
Anyways, I would love to hear your input.
Thanks, I love reading through your posts!
Jenny
Jenny, I need *you* to give *me* some tips on how to get the booty to fill out, cuz I’ve still got nuthin’!
Seriously, though, it sounds like your results are great! For the most part, I tell people “If you’ve got room for it in your diet, you earned it, don’t beat yourself up over it.” Whether this means accounting for a latte, or a bowl of for-really ice cream, a glass of wine or butter on your popcorn. BUT, I also know the satisfaction that can come from knowing you absolutely CRUSHED something for a month or more to really make you feel great about yourself (or take a killer set of before/after pics, etc.) In your case, my bet is that it is the salt in the popcorn that is contributing to the bloaty-belly moreso than the butter. If I were you, I’d probably give it up for the rest of the 90 days, just to see what I could do, but I tend to look at my body like a bit of a laboratory anyhow.
For you, not seeing a change in your weight means you’ve got your calories dialed in PERFECTLY– remember that the max poundage of lean muscle mass a female can put on per month is ~.8 of a pound. And this is a female who is eating at a surplus, supplementing, doing SUPER heavy 4-5 reps to failure lifting specifically for the purpose of piling on muscle for competition. And .8 of a pound of muscle per month would be the super-stellar gains of a genetically-gifted person (this is a woman who is not using steriods, of course.) If your weight were going up, it would be mostly fat. And your weight doesn’t need to go down, so “holding steady” is exactly where you want to be.
Are you drinking loads of water? How is your sodium intake? Also, are you pulling your belly in against the spine while doing your core work? Other things to check- are you eating any of the FiberOne products? Chewing lots of sugarfree gum? Have you added anything else to your diet that might have sugar alcohols in it, which can lead to bloating (and, for some people, stomach pain/gas/monumental yuckiness.)
If all those are all ruled out as temporary causes, I would say just stay the course… for some bodyparts, progress happens in fits and starts.
i’m a dude and i found this website helpful…… trust me ladies guys are just as nutty about their physiques as you are and yes i am hetero…. i was very heavy 225 and now i’m 175.. maybe lost a little too much weight gonna put on a few pounds… i had to diet down to the 190s before i could consider p90x, i tried it and i couldn’t do one pushuup because of the weight but at 190 i could at least to 6, then rest, then six again.. i know all tony’s jokes by memory =D TIP OF THE DAY DON’T SMASH YOUR HEAD
I saw the P90X advertisement on TV and am debating about if one of their programs is right for me. I just turned 40, am 5′-8″ and am hovering around the 170 mark. I know a lot of my recent weight gain (only 5 years ago I was around 150) is due to work stress, poor eating habits, and a major decline in physical activity – mainly from being burnt out over work stuff. I also stopped hiking – which I used to do almost every weekend until I had a ski accident and sprained my MCL. My knee is better now (it happened three years ago) but I’m hesitant to do those kinds of elevation gains when I’ve gotten so out of shape.
Ten years ago, I was in the best shape of my life. (135-140 lbs and pretty toned.) I worked out every day, did step aerobics 4x a week, even had a personal trainer (my step aerobics instructor who was trying to break into the personal trainer business so I was able to get an amazing rate.) Now, I’m struggling to motivate myself just to work out and I can’t afford to have a personal trainer.
I’m glad I checked out this discussion group. Although I originally was trying to see if P90X was right for me, given that there are so many different programs, Smurf’s comment to Margie (August 24, 2009) made me think that maybe I should consider the Slim in 6 program instead.
I’d like to find out a little bit more about the program first…
- How are the Slim in 6 workouts? (If you’ve done them, did you enjoy them?)
- Does it make more sense to try to lose some weight first before starting the program – like Viktor – or just jump in and do it all at once?
- What is the basic premise of the food program? I must admit that I have difficulty with some weight loss meal plans because I don’t like canned tuna fish (although I like fresh tuna), tomatoes, canned beans and some other foods that I frequently find in their daily menus.
I know that I have to do something to lose weight and get into better shape. I’m just wondering if Slim in 6 is the way to go or if there is a better program for me.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
Slim in 6 is a great way to start, especially if you have not been involved in a workout program in a while. Same thing can be said about Hip Hop Abs or even Turbo Jam. BUT, the biggest part of losing weight is to get your diet under control. We put on weight because we eat to much. Sure, stress and inactivity are major contributors, but when it comes down to it, you daily burn must be less than your calorie intake for anyone to lose weight.
Even before you buy a program, get on http://www.thedailyplate.com and track everything you are eating for 2 weeks. You will need to get a real look at what you are fueling yourself with. While that is going on, think about what will keep you motivated during the next 3-6 months. Dancing to work out, lifting weights keeps you energized, you love cardio kick workouts, whatever it is that makes you happy. We can help you find the right program, and make sure you are startign this on the “right” foot.
-Rob
Hi Rob or Smurf,
I skimmed through some of your comments and I have a quick question. I’m 25 and have about 40-50 pounds to lose. I just completed Day 8 of P90X (I’m doing the lean routine). As I skimmed through your comments, I noticed that you guys suggested for people with lots of pounds (haha like me!) to use to begin with a different program. I was wondering if you think I will get good results if I continue with P90X? Although overweight, I am a pretty active person and have been really enjoying the workouts. When something is extremely difficult (i.e., the Dreya Roll), I substitute the exercise for jumping jacks or something else.
Any assistance or insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you and have a great day!
Sara
Sara-
If you are loving the workouts, absolutely no reason to switch to a different program! Just follow some of the other tips– Make sure your calorie intake isn’t too high, as the P90X Nutrition Guide is generally too high for most women looking to lose significant weight and calorie intake is going to be 99.7% of what gets those 40 lbs off you once and for all! Get yourself a heartrate monitor and make sure you keep your intensity high, especially as you start to adapt to the workouts; Throw in some jumping jacks and whatnot if you need to in workouts like Kenpo, Cardio X, etc.; Make sure you are lifting nice and heavy…
The most important part of this journey is finding something you love so that you keep consistent with it!
Congrats on starting your journey– I wish you the best of luck, do check back if you have additional questions!
Cheers~
Smurf
Thanks so much for the quick response! I’m generally taking in about 1200-1500 calories/day. Is that too high?? I’ve been eating every few hours, too…I think I read to do that somewhere.
Thanks again!
What’s your height and weight?
Yeah, eating every few hours is a great idea to quell hunger, prevent crashing/binging and generally just keep your energy up.
5’2″/175.
Thanks again for all the help!
So, with a predicted resting metabolic rate of ~2088 before workouts, I wouldn’t suggest you dip much below 1500 at this point. You just don’t need to– The goal here is to have you take on a program that is absolutely sustainable… there is a chance if you are getting down to 1200 calories, you subject yourself to mental and physical burnout, not being able to give your workouts your all, potential injury and just general all-around crappiness. I want this to be a process you enjoy and one that feels like it will be for a lifetime, not just 90 days.
If you eat at that 1500 level and wear your heartrate monitor to be sure you get a 500 calorie burn, you should be right at 2 lbs a week, which is pretty much as fast as you want to cut weight anyhow.
Be sure you keep on challenging yourself through the whole 90 days. Up your weights once your reps get up above 12. Use that heartrate monitor to make sure your intensity doesn’t drop as you get used to the workouts. And re-assess your calorie intake once you drop the first 20 lbs. (Generally, you’ll need to come down about 100 cals/day every 20 lbs you lose to keep losing at the same rate.)
Again, best of luck! Let us know how you do!
Thank you SO much for all the information … I’m really excited about this! It’s crazy how quickly weight creeps up on you…thanks again – totally ready for this lifestyle change!
Ok, I have a question that no one has hit on yet. I don’t need to lose weight at all – on the contrary, I’ve been told my whole life that I could put on a few pounds. I hate hearing this! I don’t eat the best foods, but I try to stay conscious because my husband is extremely conscious of food and exercise… So my question is: is P90X helpful for a skinny woman? I’ve been scared to work out, because I don’t want to lose any more weight! But I have heard that if I work out, I will gain muscle mass, and will then probably look like a “normal” person – a person that doesn’t need to “put on a few pounds.” Does anyone have an opinion on what would happen to a skinny girl that did P90X and followed the nutrition program? Would it be worth my time? I’m 22, 5’6” and 105-110 pounds. Any suggestions are appreciated!
Always trust your gut: I’m so glad you two have noticed that 1800 calories a day is too much for most women. I thought that when I opened the book, and 7 weeks later I sure wish I would have trusted my opinion. I’m 5’4”, 30 years old, 135 lbs. I was 21% body fat when I started and have remained this way. This has been very frustrating to me, considering I only missed 2 work outs (am very dedicated).
So, now that I’m finishing week 8, I have 5 weeks go. I guess I will just have to watch my diet like a hawk in order to lose the fat. Sure wish I would’ve been more careful. I do want to thank you for running this site, as I needed a good ol’ fashioned reminder to start measuring and saying no to treats at family parties.
Best of luck to you all!
Thanks for the kind words, Liz. The GREAT news is, since you haven’t been at a deficit much if at all, you probably have some really nice muscle under there that a few weeks of stepping back the calories a bit will really show through nicely. This is how fitness models do it– working out tenaciously while eating at or a little above maintenance to get some muscle going, and then cutting back the calories to clear the fat off the top. So, totally not time wasted. I think you’ll see that bodyfat percentage change really nicely with a few weeks at a lower cal count!
Thanks, Smurf–I’m inclined to agree! Will let you all know how I progress. Keep on keepin’ on!
I am 53, 5’5 and ~155*# (don’t weigh due to old eating disorder days, use my clothes as a guage). I just finished week 12 of the classic p90x and am quite disappointed as far as weight loss goes, I haven’t lost any, definitely much stronger. Shirts are getting tighter, don’t like this. I was a hard core cardio queen before starting the program and needed a change. I use fitday.com to track my food and usually consume around 1400-1600 calories a day, ~45-35-20 (carb-protein-fat) I cycle in a group 2x or so per week and usually burn around 1300 cal in addition to my daily workouts. HELP, my son is getting married in OCT (hence starting the p90x 3 months ago) and I want these old lady arms to go away and lose about 15 pounds.
Thanks…
Tricky one, Renae! Here’s the thing– given your history of ED, I am really reluctant to give you much advice without the input of a medical professional. It could be that you weigh less than you think you do and, thus, your metabolic burn is lower than you might think. It might be that there is some metabolic abnormality remaining from the ED that needs to be addressed… It could be that you ARE losing weight but something is happening with the body dysmporphia where your brain is convincing you that you are not (pretty hard to say that you aren’t losing any weight at all without a scale as an objective measure– esp with a history of a dysmorphic disorder. (Even I get on the scale “feeling heavy” sometimes and see that I’ve actually hit my loss or maintenance goal that week- the mind is a horrible gauge sometimes!)
All I can say is that, from where I’m sitting, your numbers look like you should be seeing a loss. That you aren’t seeing one could mean (and for most people emphatically DOES mean) that you are eating more than you think. That your clothes are getting tighter would also indicate to me that you are eating enough calories to be bulking some muscle under whatever fat you have– so that’s another thing that would indicate you aren’t at a deficit. Being someone who’s recovering from an ED, though, I know you are probably meticulous at tracking calories, so I would never want to tell you that you might be eating more than you think and should cut calories without a full medical eval. (In this case, my advice to most normal folks is “take this as your maintenance level, cut about 200 calories per day and I bet you’ll see the scale move.” But, again, it’s tough to say that you aren’t already losing weight– you should be at that level!– when you aren’t weighing.)
Incidentally, your predicted daily burn rate pre-exercise is 1541, so that is a little lower than your “average” woman who can go on a 1500 calorie diet and lose weight. At that level, much of your deficit is going to come from exercise. And, again, reluctant to tell someone recovering from an ED to eat less, but sticking closer to the 1400 calorie end would probably be better for you.
My suggestion to you– given your history, you should be able to get insurance to cover a check-in with a nutritionist. If you have food logs, that will help them immensely to see whether something might be going on metabolically. Though, frankly, the metabolism usually springs back just fine once you are in full recovery for a few years, so I’d be doubtful if you are much off of what would be predicted for your weight, height and age.
Aside from the advice that you run it by a medical professional, I’d say make sure your tracking is spot-on. That there is nothing slipping through the cracks, going un-logged or unmeasured. Make sure you are wearing a heartrate monitor in your workouts so that you know definitively how many calories you are burning…
I know that was kind of a round-about, non-answer answer, but I hope you found something helpful in there!
Smurf,
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me figure out what is going on. I don’t know how old you are, but the body definitely does strange things with and after menopause. Funny thing, I was in the fitness industry for almost 20 years and know and understand nutrition and helped many people figure out their diets, but I’m stumped now with my own. Go figure!
I really haven’t suffered with the ED about 15 years now and one of my obsessions was weighing constantly, so I put them away and truly do use my clothes as my guide. I probably was a bit misleading when I said my shirts were tight, it’s mainly just a couple of workout shirts and I do think it’s from doing the p90x. I do like your advice of a nutritionist. I track my calories on and off and when I’m off I really don’t eat enough, b/c when I start tracking I am shocked to see that I’ve only had 1100 or so, so I do work on trying to keep the calories up. I tried eating all the calories the p90x advises, but honestly I just couldn’t, way too much, so I backed to 1600, I’ll back it off to 1400. Since I just finished one round of the program, I am going to get back into everyday cardio and do the weights twice a week. I used to have success with that for my older clients when I was a trainer.
Again, thanks again.
Blessings…
Your gut was right– you would have BALLOONED on the number of cals at the lowest level of the P90X plan.
Just a thought- Is it possible for you to have someone else weigh you? It really is the best totally objective measure there– I’ve even known people who “cheat” on using the tape measure– “I’ve lost 11 inches but haven’t lost a pound!” Well, I can make my waist measure 25″ tomorrow, too, if I pull hard enough… (Not to say that sometimes morphologic changes don’t happen without scale movement– just that for someone WITH fat to lose, the scale will move first.)
You are right that your body is really trying to figure out what it wants to do with the calorie burning and probably tanking a little at this stage in life. Which is why it’s crucial that you get in at LEAST 2x/week of weights, preferably 3, and don’t be afraid to lift heavy- I am talking no more than 8 reps to failure. Keeping the lean mass you have while losing the weight will be essential to not tanking your metabolism even more. I’d also suggest High Intensity Interval Training. The Wikipedia entry for HIIT is actually really well-thought-out– most people who think they are doing HIIT aren’t really. You need to go hard, hard, wanna-puke hard on the intervals for it to really be HIIT.
And, I really would suggest that you track everything, every day, on a site like The Daily Plate while trying to get this weight off. You need to stay at a consistent 1400 to let your body know it doesn’t need to hold onto anything. Those lower days could be throwing you off and/or maybe even sparking some higher-cal days that are higher than you think. Knowledge is power in this game, and the only way to win is knowing, as best you can, the cals in and the cals out.
If you are interested in trying another at-home program, TurboFire is really a great HIIT and strength program that is cardio to the EXTREME and people are getting crazy-high burns from it (important for you since you have so little room to move food-wise because your daily resting burn is where many people’s “daily burn minus 500 calories” is.)
Hey Miss Smurf,
Do you mind telling me how you came up with my pre-burn calories at 1541? I plugged my numbers into the BMR calculator and I got 1305, I like your number better!. Also, this is a huge eye opener of how much one’s metabolism REALLY slows down as one ages. It’s true that the older one gets, the harder it is to keep the fitness level up!
Today I did a power walk for just over an hour and burned 692 calories, average of 3.8 mph with 350 ft of climbing (our neighborhood is VERY hilly), more than I thought I would out walking. I have a Garmin GPS I use when I bike and used it while walking as my regular HR monitor does not calculate calories. I have been consistent in monitoring my calories and daily intake for the past 4 months.
Did I read somewhere that you are running a marathon this weekend? Good luck.
Thanks again for your insight!
Sure thing– I use the Harris Bennedict equation to get you from your BMR (what you’d burn, quite literally, in a coma or if you slept all day) to your estimated daily pre-exercise burn. There are two things missing from your Basal Metabolic Rate– one is the fact that you are consuming calories during the day, and as soon as you consume a calorie you burn some calories digesting it. This is called the “Thermic Effect of Food” or TEF, and a good estimate is that 10% of the calories you consume are burned through TEF. The other is the fact that, at some point, your feet are going to hit the floor (ie: You aren’t laying prone in bed all day), so you need an “Activity Multiplier.” In this day and age, I use the “Sedentary” multiplier for everyone, unless they tell me they are literally a construction worker, or I coached one woman who worked in a carwash drying cars all day– unless you have an actual physical labor job, the “sedentary” multiplier is 1.2.
People use the terms BMR, RMR and “Daily Burn” interchangeably (even I do sometimes), but they aren’t really the same thing.
And, thanks for the well-wishes! Yeah, I’m running the San Francisco Marathon on Sunday. Pretty excited!
I have more of a question than a comment. I would LOVE to try this but I am skeptical that I will gain so much muscle mass that I will look like a man.. I want to be lean, not look like a body builder. Is this the program for me?
You absolutely will not. This is such a common concern, though, that I actually addressed it here:
http://www.fitlifesf.com/2010/02/women-concerned-about-getting-bulky-on-p90x/
Hi Smurf. I really appreciate your site and all of the intelligent feedback you guys give. I am just finishing week 2 of P90X Lean and it’s kicking my behind. However, I’ll keep pushing play, and all that.
I have a couple of questions. First, I bought the program through Amazon, joined Team Beachbody, and was assigned a coach before I found your site. Is there a way that I can switch to having Rob (you’re not a coach, right?) as my coach? I’m thinking I might spring for the recovery drink for now, and might well buy other programs in the future to keep things interesting.
Second, I am really, really struggling to get enough calories on Phase 1. All that protein just grosses me out and makes me not feel like eating. I get that calories in must be less than calories out, but how important is the high protein part of phase 1 to being successful? Can I watch my calories and stick to a not-eating-crap plan instead?
Good luck in the SF Marathon. I hope you have typical, cool SF weather to run in.
Hey Cherie,
The most “on the level” way to switch coaches is for you to call Beach Body and make the request to have FitLifeSFRob as your coach.
[1 (800) 470-7870 Monday through Friday 6 AM to 6 PM (all times Pacific) ] The other way is to create a new profile on Teambeachbody.com and when you sign up, make me your coach there. But to do that you have to switch your name, re-enter everything and use a different email. (A bit of a pain, but plausible) Would love to have you in the group!
The Join Link for Team Beach Body is here!
Thanks!
-Rob (& Smurf)
Cherie- Lemme ask Rob about the switching coaches thing. That’s be awesome if you switched! And you are right, he’s the only one of us that has any ties to Beachbody.
Congrats on getting through your first few weeks– as soon as it stops kicking your booty, it’s time to kick it up a notch, so be glad you’re not there yet.
As for your eating– You have figured out a good part of the reason why some of these eating programs are SO DANG HIGH in protein– it is extremely filling and nearly impossible to overeat on. In my opinion, so long as you are getting 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, and not filling in the rest with junky foods, you can step back some on the protein from what they suggest. 1g per pound is often referred to as the “bodybuilder gold standard,” so it is still PLENTY of protein (the RDA for protein for athletes is between .7 and .9 g/lb, so it’s slightly higher than that.)
The way I advise folks to structure a diet:
1) Figure out how many calories you need to be taking in to reach your goals (lose, maintain or gain.)
2) Start by setting your protein goals at 1g/pound.
3) Set your fats at about 15-20% of your total calorie intake
4) Anything leftover can be healthy carbs
So, total generic:
If I’m 120lbs and eat 1500 calories, I know I need to get 120g of protein at 4 calories per gram = 480 calories coming from protein and 1020 leftover. 15% of 1500 is 225 calories coming from fat. Which leaves me with 795 calories from carbs (198g)– and I can tuck into that to bring my fats up to 20% if I want to.
P90X is pretty weight-intensive, so you do want to be sure you are getting enough protein, especially if you are at a calorie deficit to burn fat. So.. that’s how I’d structure it in the generic. I couldn’t do the P90X eating plan as written– I felt like crap and really weird and gross stuff started happening as I tried to stuff myself with that much protein.
Thanks for the well-wishes! I’m super excited, but scared pantsless!
Rob-
Sorry for the delay in getting back to this forum. I want to thank you for your response and suggestions. I’ll definitely look at my eating habits (more so than I have been). You’re right about my needing to figure out what’ll keep me motivated b/c that’s my biggest roadblock.
I’ve now bookmarked this forum too so it’ll be easier to keep up with the discussions. (I’m inspired and learning a lot too just by seeing the other inquiries/responses.)
Thanks, everyone!
I’ve started P90X lean. I’m 5’0 and 160. I didn’t realize when I bought the program that is was more for people already somewhat fit. I’ve been able to do the program but have to modify some moves that i can not do. I know for me to lose weight I have to cut my calories down to around 1200 and that only gives me 1/2 pound per week. What should I try to keep my calories down to with the P90x lean. I probably would not have started it had I know it wasn’t for people who want to lose alot of weight but I’m there now and I enjoy the work outs and feel sore but good after. I’m about 1 week into the program. I know I can not eat 1800 cal per day at my height. The guide says you need to add 600 cals but I know that will make me gain wt. not loose. What do you think?
Hi!
So I stumbled on this very useful post today and had a few questions that you probably answered somewhere above, but I cant quite find.
I do pole dancing for fitness, have done so for about two years and I am good enough to compete. I am 5′ 10, and since doing the pole dancing, have dropped from 180 pounds to about 165. When I began, I couldnt do one pull up and maybe 2 chin ups . Now I can do about 5 pull ups and 12 chin ups as well as climb up a brass pole 20 feet high in about 10 seconds. So I am strong. I am also built like a swimmer.
HOWEVER, I have the lower back problems of a 60 year old (I am 24, oh the glory of car accident ten years ago. My back isnt weak, the nerves are the problem) AND I still have fat over my all my large muscles. And I have love handles that I can never shrink, even though you can see definition on my arms, legs, and even my freaking abs (the top four).
I have always gained muscle quickly but sucked hard at cardio becuase I get bored. And though I LOVE my pole dancing, its a wee bit dangerous to be doing tricks upsidedown 12 feet in the air when my back has the horrifying tendency to give out or queue my leg muscles to spontaneously release their grip on the pole, thus resulting in a quick and painful fight with gravity. And its not great for concentrated fat burning.
Thus the question: I am already strong and I tend to bulk up like CRAZY. My goal is to gain more lean muscle but not to look like a man with my swimmers shoulders and amazonian build. BUT, I really want to have all six of my abs show and get rid of my incogruous love handles AND not murder my ridiculous back. Is there a version of P90X that I could benefit from?
Thanks!
Aren.
One Word: Insanity
http://teambeachbody.com/fitlifesfrob
Click here then go to the store. and Check it out!
Hi Smurf/Rob,
I have posted and got great answers. I finished P90X almost 2 months ago and got great results. I continued working out by mixing P90X and Turbo Jam’s Punch Kick and Jam/Kickin Core for a month. Then I started in July by replacing cardio days with Insanity workouts. Since chest workouts are always a part of P90X (Chest/Back and Chest Shoulders an Triceps) is it a good idea to do Insanity the next day since it has some chest moves too? I can really feel the soreness in my chest and shoulder areas whenever I do those moves from Insanity towards the end of the workout. Will this set me back instead of helping me? Thanks in advance!!
Hi,
I’ve been considering the P90 programme as a compliment to my other training, I am particularly interested in gaining strength which I find quite difficult. I’ve always been “small” I’m 29, 5’3 and weigh only 41kg. I struggle to consume even 1500 calories a day and I probably do about 6 hours a week of bodyweight conditioning for my aerial acrobatics. It’s very frustrating to condition harder than anyone else in my class and see them gain strength so much more quickly and easily! Would the p90 programme help me to gain weight and strength?