About to take the P90X plunge

[Seinfeld]

Anyone here completed the 90 day program? Everything that I read and hear acts like it's the most amazing workout program ever created but just like with any other health fad, I'm a little skeptical. I only have two friends that have tried it, but both quit somewhere around the halfway point. They each gave the same excuse that their jobs didn't allow them to have a set workout schedule, so they'd skip a day every now and then. Eventually, one day became two, two days became a week, etc. To me, the nutrition plan sounds likes the hardest part.

 

[Seinfeld]

Anyone here completed the 90 day program? Everything that I read and hear acts like it's the most amazing workout program ever created but just like with any other health fad, I'm a little skeptical. I only have two friends that have tried it, but both quit somewhere around the halfway point. They each gave the same excuse that their jobs didn't allow them to have a set workout schedule, so they'd skip a day every now and then. Eventually, one day became two, two days became a week, etc. To me, the nutrition plan sounds likes the hardest part.

 

[Seinfeld]

Anyone here completed the 90 day program? Everything that I read and hear acts like it's the most amazing workout program ever created but just like with any other health fad, I'm a little skeptical. I only have two friends that have tried it, but both quit somewhere around the halfway point. They each gave the same excuse that their jobs didn't allow them to have a set workout schedule, so they'd skip a day every now and then. Eventually, one day became two, two days became a week, etc. To me, the nutrition plan sounds likes the hardest part.

 

[Xenomorph]

...the difference is the people who elect to use it. Being expensive, most people who throw down that chunk of change are ready to get serious.

 

[aTotal360]

and quit. Time restraints and motivation ended it for me. But I did enjoy it.<div>
</div><div>We did the exercises properly but didn't follow the meal plan...at all. Some days we would swap out yoga (the worst) for something else.</div><div>I was notoverweightwhen I went into it, but I did lose 11 pounds. I genuinely felt better and slept a whole lot better.</div><div>I can tell you that you will NEVER not be sore during the 90 days. </div><div>
</div><div>The only bad thing I can say about it is that you WILL gain theweightright back if you don't eat "rabbit food" when you quit exercising. I was SOOOOO hungry after about 30 days into it. Your body eventually turns into a machine that needs a lot of fuel. Hungry all the time + not doing theexercises= gained theweightback in a hurry.</div><div>
</div><div>Let me know how your first day of Plyometrics goes...</div>

 

[beachbumdawg]

and not taking that extra bite....also all calories are not created equal.....just because something says fat free does not mean it is healthy......hell if you are up for it you might want to try this book and move over to this book:

Diet is called PSMF (Protein Sparing Modified Fast) book is called: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/the-rapid-fat-loss-handbook

Once you complete that program (and believe me it works, ive used it)....you could transition to the flexible diet plan: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/a-guide-to-flexible-dieting

Dude knows his **** and I have used it.....I used the PSMF last year...went from 230 to 180 (6 months)..have maintained at 190 for the last year +</p> Edited to add: went from about 17-18% BF to around 11-12%

 

[DerHntr]

I often hoped Tony would somehow die during the plyo routine. The nutrition plan is easy compared to it if you are going all out every time you do it.

 

[seshomoru]

1. Eat more vegetables. Don't fry your food. Eat mor' Chikin'. Drink more water. Eat breakfast (Eggs, oatmeal, and fruit would be good). And make out a weekly menu and go shopping for it all at once. It'll keep you from coming home to "nothing to eat" and thus going out.

2. Do one or all of the following at least 30 minutes a day: Jog, swim, ride a bike.

3. Booze less often.

4. Give yourself a "break" every now and then. Like steak, taters, and wine on a Saturday night.

5. Be patient. Very rarely do people make sustainable healthy life changes in three months.

 

[majors42]

I did it for about 65 days and probably skipped about 5 workouts the entire time and it shred about 25 pounds off of me pretty quickly. You actually want to change your diet because if you eat like **** you will feel like **** when you work out. Go for it and don't skip the yoga, its legit

 

[Shmuley]

1. The body eventually adjusts to whatever diet and exercise routine you introduce.
2. Because of this, your body will reach a point where it maxes out on physical improvement.
3. Unless you sustain the diet and exercise, you can expect your body to return to its prior state (or worse).
4. So, don't start **** you're not willing to continue as a matter of habitual lifestyle, unless you don't care that you're going to revert.

I've got relatives who are now worse off physically after they stopped a rigorous exercise regimen that they had undertaken for the better part of a year. One of my female relatives now has an *** the size of a small school bus where before she was relatively proportional. She'll be the first to say how much she regrets even starting it.

 

[LTblows]

Working out an hour-hour and a half daily is pretty difficult, at least for me. If I didn't start at 5:00AM, then I usually didn't do it. It was hard for me and my wife to come home after work, work out, then cook dinner and eat at 8:30-9ish. We didn't do the food plan because we generally eat healthy food anyway.

But I can say, if you do the exercises as directed, you WILL lose weight. You WILL become more fit/muscular. We "modified it" to doing it 3 times a week, and that only lasted a month, but I still saw some results.

 

[freddawg]

I've done it, and still use it. You need to plan an hour an a half per day for the workouts. It's intense, but it's good, and it doesn't get boring because you do something different every day. I would suggest that if you don't plan to follow the meal plan to not do the program. The workouts alone aren't going to achieve the results you want. That's probably why most people quit. They're sore and killing themselves everyday but not seeing results. There are 3 phases to the eating plan and the first stage is challenging because you eat almost no carbs. After you switch into phase 2, it gets easier.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

it's a lot easier to fit in my schedule, it's about 40 minutes a day, including warming up, stretching, etc. And will kick your *** more than P90X. That's what everyone who has done both at least has told me. I just know it will get your *** in shape.

 

[jb1020]

Loved it. I started in Jan so it actually took me closer to 120 days. I convinced myself not to get frustrated if I miss a workout, cause its going to happen. I travel a bit with my job and have infant in the house.

I followed the meal fairly close the first month, low carb intake is the gist of it.

After that I just ate healthy, fish, salads, ceral, oatmeal. Very little booze.

I went from 240 to 215. 40 inch waist to 35. I was able to keep it off, since April I've been running a lot and I'm down to 205. Its funny you brought it up, I decided to pick it back up this morning, and run in the afternoons. I felt like I was losing some of the muscle I put on. I might just stick to the weight lifting exercises (which are 3 times a week) and run 3 times a week.

Good luck...its a grind.

 

[DerHntr]

the number of bootleg copies out there is crazy. i've seen the entire thing on a thumb drive.

 

[Ivehadbetter]

Yes, I lost weight and had better muscle tone. I don't know that it was the program... If you will do any physical activity for an hour per day, you will lose weight. I don't get bored with stuff; I like routine so this wasn't the miracle it was made out to be for me.

I lost more weight when I cut back substantially on soft drinks and sweet tea, started eating a salad one meal per day, and running 2 miles/3 times per week. This was something I felt I could maintain... and I still do. I cheat like hell one day a week. Lost 33lbs over the course of a year and have kept it off.

 

[Xenomorph]

*

 

[Seinfeld]

As I mentioned, the whole nutrition/diet part of the program is my biggest concern. I've never had a problem with eating in moderation, but the issue has been that the things that I'm typically eating in moderation are chips, snack mix, steak, and a beer. I've got to find a way to replace those with healthy stuff. Any suggestions for sneaking in some fruit to the daily diet? I've got no problem with vegetables, but I'm not a fan of fruit at all and most of the guides say to stay away from juices due to all of the sugar and processed nature of them.

For reference, I was about 150 lb coming out of college and then I spent a year in Jackson getting up to a steady 170 lb by eating more and hitting the gym 5 days/wk on average. Fast forward 4 years and I'm still a fairly lean 170 lb, but I never really developed a great diet at any point. So now I'm obviously looking to gain some muscle mass, but the main thing is that I just need to get in shape and start eating better.

 

[RebelBruiser]

That's the problem with any short term diet or exercise program. Your body adjusts, which requires you to maintain your adjustment to keep the weight where you want it. You can't lose weight and keep it off without making a lifestyle change.

I read an article that made a simple point that made a lot of sense. The point was that if you want to weigh 180 pounds you have to eat and exercise like you're 180 pounds and your body will adjust to that weight. It won't happen overnight, but your body will adjust and become that size.

Most people want a quick fix, and there are plenty of them out there that will get you to a target, because that's what sells. My mother-in-law is that target customer. She gains and loses 40-50 pounds all the time, which has to be destroying her metabolism. She'll gain a bunch, decide she needs to lose weight, go on one of those fad diets (she hates exercise), and she'll lose the weight. She'll be depressed the entire time she's losing the weight, because she's usually doing something like only eating white meat and green vegetables, or drinking some solution for her dinner. Then when she gets where she wants, she quits the diet because she's happy, and she slowly gains it all back as she slowly picks back up her old habits.

The only success I've ever had is when I adopted a new diet/exercise plan with the plan that it would be a permanent change. It's still hard not to fall back into old habits, but it's the only way to maintain. You have to be committed to being a certain body type, and eventually your appetite and cravings adjust, and you mentally adjust to an exercise routine that becomes a part of your daily routine.

If you're going to make something like P90X work, you have to see it as a kick start to your lifestyle change plan. You have to have your permanent diet/exercise plan ready for how you're going to live after going on the crash diet/exercise routine.

 

[AssEndDawg]

...also all calories are not created equal....</p>

This is the WHOLE problem with all the diet fads. They Glycemic index is ********. Atkins ********. ALL these diets are ********. To your body a calorie is a calorie. It is a unit of fuel that your body can burn to produce energy. If you are trying to lose weight all you need to worry about is calories. Now, I'm not saying other things don't matter, you still need protein and calcium and the various vitamins and minerals but it's nearly impossible to not get those things if you take a multi-vitamin and don't get on some whacked out diet that has you only drinking prune juice.

If you want to lose weight the system is simple: <span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">EAT LESS AND EXERCISE MORE!</span>

Get something like LoseIt! (smart phone app) that helps you count your calories and stay within your budget (it gives you extra calorie credits for exercise). The only reason people think these fad diets work is because when you actually stay on one of them you end up cutting your calories. It's crap though. If you want a cookie and you have room in your calorie cap, go eat a damn cookie. You want bread, eat bread. As long as you burn more calories than you take in you will lose weight.

 

[Seinfeld]

I have a buddy that pretty much did exactly what you mentioned. He was about 230 lb with high blood pressure and rather than signing up for a special program or joining a gym, he simply started exercising every day and cutting way back on his drinking. He'd say how he used to come home from work and throw back 3-4 beers/night and then of course take it up a notch on the weekends. However, after being more responsible with his drinking and incorporating a jog into his daily routine, the guy's lost about 40 lb in the last nine months.

 

[TXDawg.sixpack]

The only way you're going to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume. These fad diets will get you there short term, but they're not sustainable.

Health eating habits and exercise are the only thing that will get you there and keep you there.

 

[KurtRambis4]

is a lifestyle. Not something one decides to do for 90 days. I'm not knocking theP90X program or you. I'm just saying that if you are doing this to get into shape and lose weight, don't expect it to be done after 90 days. If you want to be this way for a while, you have to maintain this. Really, it's quite simple, exercise for an hour or so a day (constantly building up) and eat healthy and you will reach your goals, I guarantee it. However, if you do not do both of these, you will not reach your goals. I recommend keeping a journal on your exercise routine to help with increasing your strength and endurance.

 

[beachbumdawg]

your typical day of eating look like and what does your workout regimen look like?

 

[beachbumdawg]

If you are saying that with the emphasis on weight I will agree with your but if body composition and what you look like in the mirror....you are dead fcuking wrong

 

[boomboommsu]

though to add, your body is 'smart' enough to adjust to new conditions. if you are starving yourself (and that's exactly what a diet is), your body knows exactly what to do: burn fat in the short-term, pack it back on and then some in the long-term. if you are exercising and eating consistently, you're body will adjust to a new, lower body fat %.

also, one of the ways your body reacts to a starvation diet, is to ramp up the hormones that make you hungry. the longer you hold out, the higher they go.

my specific tip is peanuts, or mixed nuts if you prefer. they make a great, easy, healthy snack.

 

[Shmuley]

is that they make me groggy as hell within a half hour after I consume them. Anybody else have that problem? But they do curb the appetite.

 

[coach66]

lose weight and be healthier. I have two guys that work with me that have not changed their diet that much but have cut back on the booze and significantly turned up their water intake. One has lost 85 lbs in about six months and the other has lost 50 Lbs in about four months. I have been doing it for about a month now and have gone from 222 to 211, almost back to strong safety weight.

 

[beachbumdawg]

but to your question...havent noticed it when i do eat raw nuts (raw almonds, pecans, walnuts)...usually eat a handful with morning protein shake and another handful with pre-bed protein shake

 

[GreaterCowbell]

I've done it 4 complete cycles (so many times I had to make DVD copies b/c the old ones got so scratched) so here's my 2 cents. I usually do it in the spring right after turkey season to shed the winter weight and follow I pretty strict diet plan (Abs diet). The rest of the year eat like hell and enjoy life so sue me for being a damn yo-yo dieter.

Pros, It does work with the plyo routine being a wake up call. Cons, It takes a while to complete using about 1 hour and 25 minutes a day. I usually did the long routine at 5 am and got the abs routine in the evening mainly because I used up all my stored energy and would begin cramping if I tried to do it all a once, so spliting it up helped. I personally did not see alot of wieght loss the 1st 30 days so don't stare at the scales or you will get discouraged, but things will be changing in the mirror. I loved most all the routines (Plyo X++), but had the hardest time getting motivated for the YogaX (I just didn't feel the need to have the ability to lick my own balls).

If you want to build muscle and lose weight it's a great routine. You'll need a set of dumbells (get the bowflex selectech's) and a pull up bar to do it effectively, the other stuff is optional. Look for a reputable dealer on Ebay to get it cheaper.

I'm currently still on my bread pudding diet but I want to get Insanity for my fall workout program.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

and maybe some of y'all can work out that hard on your own, but I can't. Plus I can do it in my den before work.

 

[boomboommsu]

about an hour and a half after i eat a high-carb meal.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

Are you eating them or smoking them?

 

[NashvilleBulldawg]

I prefer Insanity. I don't really see the body adjusting to that type of intensity. For those of you who aren't familiar, imagine 6 days/wk of the Plyo X workout. It truly lives up to its name.<div>But the 2nd set of discs moves the work-out to around 50-60 minutes.</div><div>I also disagree about the calories being equal. In theory, yes, they are all the same. But the body reacts to them differently. I've tried the fad diets out before and when I cut out the carbs, my weight goes down. EVEN if I increase caloric intake. But what do I know? I'm not nearly as intelligent as the rest of you.**</div>

 

[coleman62]

Did it with my buddy and it kicked our *** the first two weeks. I recommend I'd you havent worked out in awhile run/bike for about two weeks before starting but I saw results a lot faster with insanity than p90x.

 

[Todd4State]

I've seen some really good results. I had some cheat days when I went to St. Louis on my annual baseball pilgrimage, but after that, I did great with my diet.

P90X isn't easy, but it's doable. I also do other things in conjunction with P90X- I run three miles, I ride a stationary bike for 45 minutes once a week, and I swim 10 laps once a week. I also lift weights as well on my own. I recommend it- I've seen great results, and it's really helped me out because I am more flexible and it allows me to do all of those other things more effectively. I have tried to run many times in the past, but I would always get hurt, and etc. Since I've done P90X, I'm running farther with literally zero problems. I'm definately in the best shape I've ever been in. I don't know how much weight I've lost, but it's a ton. I didn't notice very many changes after the first month either, but after that, you will.

P90X works for me as far as schedule because I can do it whenever I want to. I was thinking about doing a Paul Lacoste boot camp, but I know that I like to sleep in, and I was afraid that I would oversleep and miss out, plus P90X is overall more economical because I can do it over and over again and I've already paid for it once.

Make sure that you buy the equipment or at the very least some good resistance bands.

I've never really had a problem with plyometrics in that I've always been able to do all of it and complete it at a fairly acceptable rate. Don't get me wrong- I was worn out. The yoga is the toughest part for me, and I really don't like the yoga stuff. Core synergistics was tough as well. I like the strengthening DVD's, and kenpo X is fun, Ab ripper is tough for me. The biggest thing is just stay with it and do your best. Don't beat yourself up if you don't do something exactly like they want it done rep wise or whatever. You will get better at it over time.

P90X and Insanity are done by the same company, so either one would be great, although I've never done Insanity.

 

[Seinfeld]

As far as eating, a normal weekday is something like this:
Breakfast - bowl of cereal w/1% milk(Granola, Fiberplus, Special K), V-8 juice
Lunch - turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, chips, apple(about every other day), bottle of water
Snack - sometimes almonds or granola bar, but sometimes chips/salsa or fritos. Normally have a coke late afternoon also
Dinner - grilled meat(normally chicken or steak), some kind of potato or pasta, vegetable, glass of milk, and a couple cookies afterwards
Late night - popcorn, peanut butter/crackers or some other light snack

So it's definitely not the world's worst diet, but there are several problems off the top of my head. 1. I simply don't eat enough to gain much weight. 2. I'm probably eating carbs where I need to be getting more fruits/veggies. 3. The above diet accounts for an average M-F, but I fall off a cliff on the weekends. That's when you can bring in the fast foods, fried foods at restaurants, and alcohol.

As far as a workout regimen, I'm a fairly active guy but to say that I have an exercise plan would be a lie. I'll put it this way. I try to convince myself the mowing the yard means that I exercise at least once/week. That's one of the things that I'm hoping that P90X will help me with. I want to get in the habit of doing something at least once/day whether it's following the videos or just taking a jog around the neighborhood.

 

[buddawg]

Did not lose any weight, stayed around 225, but my pants went from a 38 to a 34. It will make you very sore for the first week. You don't realize how much abs you are doing because you don't do traditional ab exercises. You need to get some damn good cross training type shoes, running shoes will not work for Insanity.

 

[beachbumdawg]

As far as eating, a normal weekday is something like this:
Breakfast - bowl of cereal w/1% milk(Granola, Fiberplus, Special K) <font color="#cc3300">(1 cup milk:12 carb/8pro/3fat) (1 cup cereal:23carbs/6.5pro/1fat);</font>V-8 juice <font color="#cc3300">(1 can 4 carbs/1pro/0fat)</font>
Lunch - turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, chips, apple(about every other day), bottle of water <font color="#cc0000">(bread: 24/5/2); (turkey 4oz: 5/20/2); (BBQ Lays: 30/4/20); (apple:20/0.5/0.5)</font>
Snack - sometimes almonds or granola bar, but sometimes chips/salsa or fritos. Normally have a coke late afternoon also <font color="#cc0000">(coke:25/0/0); (granola bar: 29/4/6)</font>
Dinner - grilled meat(normally chicken or steak), some kind of potato or pasta, vegetable, glass of milk, and a couple cookies afterwards <font color="#cc0000">(5oz chicken: 1/40/1); (baked potato:37/4/1) (hell a cookie has what 30 more carbs/plus fat) milk above</font>
Late night - popcorn, peanut butter/crackers or some other light snack

So it's definitely not the world's worst diet, but there are several problems off the top of my head. 1. I simply don't eat enough to gain much weight. 2. I'm probably eating carbs where I need to be getting more fruits/veggies. 3. The above diet accounts for an average M-F, but I fall off a cliff on the weekends. That's when you can bring in the fast foods, fried foods at restaurants, and alcohol.

As far as a workout regimen, I'm a fairly active guy but to say that I have an exercise plan would be a lie. I'll put it this way. I try to convince myself the mowing the yard means that I exercise at least once/week. That's one of the things that I'm hoping that P90X will help me with. I want to get in the habit of doing something at least once/day whether it's following the videos or just taking a jog around the neighborhood.

As far as eating, a normal weekday is something like this:
Breakfast - bowl of cereal w/1% milk(Granola, Fiberplus, Special K) <font color="#cc3300">(1 cup milk:12 carb/8pro/3fat) (1 cup cereal:23carbs/6.5pro/1fat);</font>V-8 juice <font color="#cc3300">(1 can 4 carbs/1pro/0fat)</font>
Lunch - turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, chips, apple(about every other day), bottle of water <font color="#cc0000">(bread: 24/5/2); (turkey 4oz: 5/20/2); (BBQ Lays: 30/4/20); (apple:20/0.5/0.5)</font>
Snack - sometimes almonds or granola bar, but sometimes chips/salsa or fritos. Normally have a coke late afternoon also <font color="#cc0000">(coke:25/0/0); (granola bar: 29/4/6)</font>
Dinner - grilled meat(normally chicken or steak), some kind of potato or pasta, vegetable, glass of milk, and a couple cookies afterwards <font color="#cc0000">(5oz chicken: 1/40/1); (baked potato:37/4/1) (hell a cookie has what 30 more carbs/plus fat) milk above</font>
Late night - popcorn, peanut butter/crackers or some other light snack

So for a typical day: you consume a **** load of carbs, very little protein and like a good bit of fat.......

As far as advice:
1. figure out your base line calories (calories it takes to maintain x lbs)
2.start with protein (building blocks of muscle) (1.5-2 grams per lb bodyweight)
3. next move to carbs (100-200g per day to begin with) adjust as you see fit
4. remainder of calories comes from good fats (EVOO, almonds (if nuts include that in your carb content), etc.

Oh and lift some weights....and ..i count push mowing my1 acre yard as an exercise day....oras i call it a cardio day

 

[EmoryBellard]

One of my female relatives now has an *** the size of a small school bus