Well, I lost 35lbs the first couple cycles of P90X but I was going for lean so doing doubles and following their diet as close as I could. Then I started to work on building muscle a bit and I started more calories and protein/carbs to fuel the increase in weight and intensity.



I don't know if I'd go so far as to say I put on 18lbs, but returned from very low body fat to more of my natural healthy weight with better muscle tone. I'm not a monk on the diet, I don't eat 100% what they recommend I try to stay very balanced and stay in a specific caloric window.



 

Hey guys, Im interested in starting the P90X and or eating better in general. My biggest concern is the meal plans, which for me are extravagant and expensive.

Sorry if I missed it in the past post'...but are there any poor man nutrition diet plans out there with everyday joe schmoe food lineups?

For some reason the food thing is so hard for me to understand. A day to day basic food meal plan would be awesome!

i'm living proof that the nutrition plan isn't necessary, and you can do it on a budget. Just eat balanced, watch your intake, make sure your fat and sugar intake is where it should be and you'll be fine. I use myfitnesspal.com to keep track of my diet, and that helps a lot. Fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grain breads, lay off the fried stuff, heavily processed/high sodium foods, etc. Shop at Aldi and prepare your meals so you can spread them out over a few days to get the most out of your money. It can be done.





A lot of people do paleo with P90X, and that can be done cheaply and without much fuss.





You also have to look at it in terms of goals. Do you want to be an underwear model with 9% body fat and perfect sculpted abs? Well, you'll have to eat very specialized and work your ass off to do it, and that assumes genetics are on your side. But, if you're wanting to be fit, lean and have an athletic body then a restrictive expensive diet isn't even remotely necessary.





 

Does anyone else hate the yoga?

It goes on forever and is hard to follow along.

I can't do it.  I've tried, 3 times, with an open mind each time.    I want to work out, intense, not do yoga.    I sub core synergistics or do cardio x twice or do cardio on a bike instead.

Some of the moves are hard to hold, but it's just not the right pace to hold my interest.

Everyone hates the P90X Yoga, it's bad yoga and 3x too long.



I did the Rodney Yee Power Yoga in its place. Shorter and much better.



The 1 on 1 versions were shorter and more focused, and same with X2. I think even Tony learned his lesson.



 

I learned after a year and a half of P90X and its variants that stretching and foam rolling gives me 100% of the benefits of Yoga without the mind-numbing workout. I no longer do Yoga, neither does my wife, and we're doing great without it.





 

What....You don't want to do an hour and forty five minutes worth of yoga???  X2 is better, but the Tapout yoga is even better.  It's much more about stretching than doing your vinyasa 400 times.  

"Do your vinyasa"....Fuck you Tony.

"Do your vinyasa"....Fuck you Tony.

I didn't get enough calories today and my workout sucked because of it.    

Gotta work on that.

lol - I did the same thing.  I hate the yoga.  Not too fond of the kenpo either.  I usually do the core synergistics then run 2 mi hard on those days.

Well, my first 4 weeks are done.

I wasn't fat by any stretch of the imagination when I started, but I did have a little pudge roll around my mid-section that I wanted to lose.   I've lost a belt notch and I'm starting to see the vague outline of my top 4 abs.  There's still a bit to go though for sure.

I've recorded every rep of every move and it's cool to see the progression.   The first time into a dvd the warm-up got me out of breath.   Now I can go through the entire plyo or core workouts without missing a beat or hitting pause.   Ab ripper is still pretty tough but I can do all 339 moves now.

The first 3 weeks are the hardest, then you don't want to quit seeing results or go backwards so you have momentum. There's been some times after a few cycles of P90X I wanted to just quit cause I was tired of working out but I refuse to lose my gains.



 

Bump, this info is too useful to be kicked to the curb.  Besides, I started INSANITY and need to know how/if it translated to distance running?

It's high intensity cardio, should be very good for a runner to build strength and overall fitness but obviously nothing takes the place of building your endurance by actually getting out and doing distance.



 

After my first cycle of P90x... I discovered that Kenpo and yoga are worthless. I substitute 5-8 mile runs in on those days. This program can get obnoxious (anyone else feel like throwing a dumbbell through the TV after listening to Tony???), but the results are awesome.

I wouldn't call yoga worthless - but the P90X version is too long and monotonous. I still do Yoga and love the flexibility gains, but I do a shortened version from X2 or 1 on 1. Kenpo isn't the best cardio workout tho, you're right on that.



I don't mind Tony too much. After a couple years, he grows on ya.







 

You've got it all memorized too, don't ya?

I like to bug the crap out of my wife when we work out together...I hit the "mute" button and do Tony's lines for him.







 

"Just like a pterodactyl coming in for a landing."

Fuck you Tony

KaKaw.......KaKaw.....I'm feeling good today man....

Any willing to ship me the DVDs to try out before buying them? I'd be willing to pay shipping and if anything happens to the DVDs I'd pay for replacements.

I've got an extra set. Shoot me an IM.

What kind of soup??

OKRA!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love Okra.....

I "did" the first part of chest and back tonight.  Meaning I did about 3 pushups when they did like..500.

Ouch.  I am embarrassingly fat and out of shape.

I'm going to be sore tomorrow...

I think tomorrow I'll finish reading all this crap, do the fit test, and "start" on Tuesday.

 

On second thought I think Im going to try and get my hands on P90 and do that first. I honestly think I'm too fat (~205lbs, 5'8") and out of shape to start with P90x. . Especially sad and embarrassing since I'm 27.

Stick with it even when you can't finish each exercise, finish "every" exercise.  Meaning, do the entire workout and take breaks when you need them.  Diet will be a huge part of it if you are looking to slim down.  I followed the diet plan the first time and went from 217 down to 190 in 90 days.  This isn't a complicated workout, all you have to do is show up, eat right and stay focused.  In a month you'll be hooked and you'll start noticing a huge difference in how you feel and look.

Good job getting started, stick with it.

Thanks for the encouragement. So you think it would be better to just stick it out with P90x instead if starting with P90?

You're not too fat for p90x.

Good to hear. German Potato Soup, here I come!

Looks like I might be putting things on hold for a few days. I had some skin biopsies taken yesterday and want those to heal.

Hey, I just wanted to touch base to have some accountability.

Backstory. Tried P90X last year for a week or so but just couldn't do it. Too many factors were pressing on me. But about a month or so ago, I decided it was time to take more control of fitness after growing out of a lot of my pants. So I started clearing some trees and brush at the house with an axe, so I could establish a little bit of fitness before starting a true workout program of some sorts.

Quit smoking over a year and a half ago (still chewing)
I have cut out all but maybe 1 soda a week. Sometimes I will drink a little sometimes I don't. I have broke the habit of getting soda though.
Being much more careful of food intake. I know this area can improve but it is 75% better than it was 3 months ago.

Well I am making more money than I was last year and have invested in a pull up station, couple of more dumbbells and started back with p90x last Tuesday night. I didn't do the fit test. I figured I would be able to tell my own results. I took a few pics and will post at the marks so I have to stay accountable.

For the time being, I am only planning on 5 days a week of p90x. So I worked out, t, w, th, f, sa.

M - Chest & Back
T - Plyometrics
W - Arms
Th - Skipping Yoga - last week I did Kenpo, might alternate between that and cardio - a little undecided
F - Legs & Back
Sa & Sun - For the time being I am going to leave them open. If I decide to work out, fine. If I don't, fine.

I am just trying to all of this is in stages. Instilling the habit, then perfecting it.

So I am on week 2 of p90x.

Did workout 1 today for the 2nd time. Excited and really motivated, I am making myself get up and work out before work. That way it frees up my nights to garden, ride horses, walk, shoot, whatever.

Congrats to all who have had success! Hope to be reporting my own successed now.

Congrats, keep pushing play!
 

If you really want to hold yourself accountable and have us motivate you...Take your before and after pics and post them up here as you take them.  I've seen others post their pics for motivation in the SDd&F forum and some had tremendous results.  

Good luck and stick with it.  It works if you work it.

Can't believe I'm actually able to post in this thread. I thought I was going to be a fattie for life.

I was fit as a youngster and during my time in the Army. Slowly went downhill over the last 20 years as I stupidly swore off PT. I was sitting in a hotel room one night late February (feeling shitty and fed up with my lifestyle) when I just happened to switch channels past the p90x infomercial at the exact moment Jeremy Yost was talking.  I was like Holy Shit, that's me! I watched the infomercial two more times and decided this was it. Ordered p90x from Amazon and started it two days later.

Cleaned up my eating 100% - nothing but whole, clean food. Talked to a friend at work a few weeks later and discovered I was eating 95% Paleo (was eating a few meals a week with beans/soy products), so I decided to take the plunge and go 100% Paleo. Never realized how awesome coconuts, almonds and sweet potatoes are. Between the exercise and clean diet, I feel better than I ever have in my whole life.

Today is Day 84 for me of the first round of p90x and I've lost 46 lbs so far. I've got about 100 to go until I reach my ultimate goal, but I know it's just a matter of time. Most importantly, I've made a complete lifestyle change and plan to keep doing this the rest of my life.

No pics yet because I still have a long way to go. You can definitely see a lot of change, but the end result is only about 1/3 of what I need to do before I'm showing off. I might post pics at the end of round 2 (Day 180) .

Favorite p90x observations:

Dreya is annoying as hell. She is also a freelancer and frequently gets out of sync with Tony because she wants to do her own thing. I want to punch her in the throat when she says, "Tony, what if I push off with my heel?" Also, the three moves she brings to the program are all garbage - Dreya forearm stretch, Dreya roll, and kicking up from the three way lunges.

On Legs/Back, watch how many times Tony accuses Eric the Belgian of cheating or slacking. It's hilarious.

Sophia the dentist is amazing.

Ab Ripper X - I hate it.....

I wish Booby Stephenson was my dad. He seems like the coolest guy.

Maren was a pornstar before p90x and one can find evidence of this within a few seconds on Google.

Tony's quotes are hilarious and have become a part of my dialect. Get ready, cause its coming. Opppp I ripped my pants. Great shoes man, almost as nice as mine. Diamonds of Gold!

Seriously, Tony is amazingly motivational. I am one of these emotional fanboys who credit him for changing (saving) my life.

Congratulations!!! Keep up the hard work. It is not easy, I know!!!

+1, some people find him annoying but he always makes me laugh. If you get through the "X" and wanna try Plus, 1 on 1 or X2, they're all good additions and will keep it interesting and new for a long time....and give you about 100 more Tony-isms to laugh at (plus more cute girls and less Dreya).







I'm coming up on 3 years of P90X and its variants, and I'm still doing them!



 

Good to know! I have a buddy who is doing X2 and he loves it. I'm going to look into getting the 1 on 1s. I figure I will probably do three total rounds of X before I'm feeling confident enough to branch out.

Once you're in shape from X, none of the variants are necessarily more tough to do, just some moves here and there that are more challenging...or sometimes the pace is steeper. The 1 on 1's are like a collection of interesting focused workouts you can sprinkle in to any of the workouts...I like to think of those as seasoning. The Fountain of Youth Yoga is far superior to the "X" version, most everyone prefers it.



Plus is shorter, but has some good workouts...the intensity is a little higher, but there's not as much to it so it's not too bad.



X2 is great, but it's different than X in a lot of ways...a lot more focus on core and balance, even when you're working other parts of your body. More equipment to buy, but also more drastic results to your overall physical conditioning when you're done - I really got more agile and strong after X2.



 

Wow those 1 on 1s are pricey! How long is the Fountain of youth? I'd love to do something other than the X Yoga.

So as a motivator and a suggestion from someone above, here are my pics. I am 2 weeks in. I am starting my 3rd week tonight. I wanted to get back at it yesterday or this morning, but we had to go to a wedding about 7 hours away and we didn't get much rest while there so I am pretty sluggish getting back at it. But I am, and as stated above, only doing 5 days right now. I am usually pretty active on my days off so but I may add the cardio x on 6th day pretty soon.





And I stated this above too, but I already tell a difference in my arms, gf says she can see some difference in back a little, and I feel a difference in my clothes. But I am trying really hard to be patient. I didn't turn out of shape overnight, so I can't expect to be in shape overnight either.

So there it is, my external motivator!!!

And for those curious, the scar down the middle and the hole in my side are from a bicycle wreck when I was 9. I put the brakes on and the handle bars pushed into my side and tore a hole in my pancreas and tore the artery between my spleen and pancreas. Cool huh? The scar on the right is from a herniia surgery about in 99 or 00. Wait, this is the internet, I should have lied and said it was knife fighting in Hong Kong or something cool like that. lol

Fountain of Youth is way under an hour. I stopped doing the X Yoga, it's just stupid long and monotonous...for no real benefit.



 

Is it like 45 minutes or 10 minutes? I don't want to pay $20 for a 10 minute Yoga workout.

51 minutes, total....but actual workout time is probably only 45.



 

OK that's worth it.

Do the workouts, watch your intake (especially of alcohol) and post your 30, 60 and 90 day photos.  You'll be amazed at what you can do.

I finished my first round of P90X on Dec 30 last year.  I then trained for and ran a marathon last week.  I am hitting P90X again next monday.  I am really looking forward to seeing what it will do since I am leaner and stronger than I was when i started the last round.  All that means is I will be able to work harder and take more advantage of the workouts.

Tony is a pretty cheesy guy, but he is surprisingly motivating and his workouts work.  I plan on substituting the Yoga and cardio with running and sprint training.

P90X is very effective provided you commit fully to it.  Don't half ass it, and don't miss any workouts.

Don't know if this will help anyone, but here ya go.

P90x calorie calculator