FORUMS > Performance Eating Forum Rules

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: I spend so much time on the road that it's tough to keep up with workouts. When we're out on jobs, it's usually in very small towns or remote areas that don't even have good cell phone coverage, no gyms, and the hotels, if they have anything at all, have a really pathetic little "exercise room" with one 30-year-old treadmill that's usually out of order. Usually we have to pack something edible to take with us that won't spoil, because there's no fridges, grocery stores or restaurants at the worksites. On Friday, for example, I ate breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 am then worked all day, forgot to pack any dry food that morning, and I filled the cooler with water and Gatorade because having plenty of fluids is much more important than food when you're working in the desert. So I didn't eat again until we found a gas station at 6 pm, and I ate some microwave burritos and a bag of Sunchips from the gas station, and I didn't get back to Phoenix until past midnight. That's what my life is like and why it's tough to stick to any kind of eating or workout schedule. I love my career, my job and my company, so I'm not going to change jobs just to accommodate workouts.

THE TOPIC/PROBLEM: So anyways, I asked around and people mentioned the P90X workout, which doesn't require a gym, and it apparently delivers. But I saw that there are comments all over the RealJock and other websites where people say that you have to follow the P90X eating plan in addition to the workouts, or you just won't get the results. I googled P90X nutrition guide and read it online. Holy Cow! It is incredibly complicated, between calculating your level, counting all the grams of proteins, etc, etc, They jokingly refer to it in the manual as "getting a PhD in eating in 90 days", but that joke ain't so very far from wrong. I suppose if you followed their recipe/meal plan exactly, it would take a lot of the calculations and mental work out of it, but then you would have to plan out every meal and all your grocery shopping way ahead of time, and travel would be out of the question - you would have to stay home for 90 days.

THE QUESTION: So I started wondering: Am I being unrealistic? Do people really eat and live like this? Do the guys on RealJock? Is this what it takes to look like the people in the P90X infomercials? I'd really appreciate honest answers. Do you all count grams of protein, carbs, calories, etc.? Do you think about portion sizes, time of the day, what level and phase you're on, and all of that before every time you eat and then record it all in a journal?

I'm currently using P90X and NO you don't have to follow the nutrition guide...You will get awesome results with or without it! You will workout so much that it wont really matter what you eat...its always good to eat right though and I usually drink some protein in the morning and after my workout. Of course if you wanna look like a rippling freak from the infomercial then yes you need to follow it.

I am doing the program right now, but I am just so busy I can't follow the whole thing. I do the muscle workouts at least 3 days a week and rollerblade about 45 mins a day in traveling to and from school so I use that as my cardio (I def work up a sweat). And I don't follow the nutrition plan either but try and do my best to get enough protein and eat well. I'm sure my results aren't as good as they could be, but they are pretty good for me and this fits in with my life.

If you want the results bad enough you will dedicate yourself to any regimen and not try to find excuses. The honest answer is for OPTIMAL results you follow the nutrition plan. You still see really good results without it.

Nothing specific about P90X..

But a lot of people (particularly newbies) are under the misconception that exercise alone will give them a better body. Exercises is only part of the equation. You also have to eat right.

You don't have to follow the P90X (or any other) meal plans exactly. But you should try to understand the concepts of why you're supposed to eat those foods, the quantity, and the times. Once you understand the basics of nutrition, you can adapt your meal plans to your work/school/whatever schedule.

Also, a lot of fast food places offer "healthier" food items these days. McDonalds, Burger King, Carls (Hardee's), and a few others offer some type of grilled chicken sandwich. Just order it without mayo or whatever heavy sauces they add in there.

xrichx saidNothing specific about P90X..

But a lot of people (particularly newbies) are under the misconception that exercise alone will give them a better body. Exercises is only part of the equation. You also have to eat right.

You don't have to follow the P90X (or any other) meal plans exactly.

In fact, I believe that diet and maintaining a caloric budget are a prime importance and must be followed very closely.
Getting 'ripped' and building defining musculature is maximized by first being at body fat level that is not defined as obese.