Well, it has been a few days since my last post. I have had an extremely busy weekend and beginning to this week. Let me start by giving my week 7 update:

after 7 weeks of P90X, my pants are loose, my arms are getting defined and my weight is down 15 pounds. Yes, after 48 days, I have lost 15 pounds. Honestly, I don’t believe I lost any muscle, in fact, I think I gained quite a bit. My strength has increased a ton. When I started, I couldn’t do a push up or pull up without being on my knees or using a chair. Now, all of my push ups are unassisted and I am able to do at least 6-8 pull ups without the chair. This is a huge accomplishment for me considering my surgery in March. I could not be happier with my results so far.

So, now I am in week 8, the recovery week. Because of my schedule, I had to modify the workouts this week. I began the week on Saturday with a rest day. I just didn’t have the time to get the workout in; however, it was nice to have 2 rest days in a row. I think my body needed it. After the rest day, I flip flopped core synergistics and yoga X. I improved a ton in both of these workouts, especially yoga. My flexibility is increasing every time I do yoga. I am also mastering the balance poses and in fact, I can do the crane pose for about 20 seconds now. What a great feeling.

I also had a great Kempo workout this morning. I have been using the weigted vest and 2 pounds had weights, which makes for a very intense workout. I plan on increasing the weight in the vest during phase 3 to 12 pounds. That is going to up the intensity like crazy. All in all, my workouts have been great. I am extremely motivated because I am seeing results. The halfway point (day 45) was the turing point. I knew once I got past that, I would be able to push myself to new limits to finish out the program. I am really excited to get into phase 3.

During phase 3, I plan on keeping my diet the same, with the exception of adding a second whey protein shake during the day. I have been seeing good results with my diet, so why reinvent the wheel!

As you may already know, P90X is a 90 day extreme home workout system distributed by Beachbody. Many people all over the world are using P90X to get extreme results, totally transforming their bodies, in as little as 3 months. The program ways out the workouts and the eating plan for the 90 day period down to every last detail. However, a common question about the program is “can I follow my own diet plan?”

This is an interesting question because obviously Beachbody has done the research and tested the diet plan to ensure it works. In fact, it is a 3 phased diet approach, each phase being 30 days. In simple terms, your first 30 days you will follow a lower carb diet, the second 30 days will be a moderate carb diet and the final 30 days is a higher carb diet. Some people see great results with this approach; I, on the other hand, was one of those people asking the question “can I follow my own plan?”

The answer, in my opinion, is yes. Please understand that I am not a dietitian, nor a nutrition expert, I am just setting forth my experience with P90X and diet. I am currently halfway through P90X and have lost close to 13 pounds without following the diet plan. My results have been astonishing to me. Throughout the 45 days, my diet has been pretty consistent, my energy levels have been high and my mood has been great.

So, what is my plan. I follow a lower carb plan, with the exception of my resistance training days, on which my carb level is higher because of my recovery drink. Here is a sample meal plan for the day:

Breakfast (7:30-8am) 1 serving of Shakeology mixed with 8 oz of almond milk, 1 tbs almond butter and half of a banana

Snack (10-10:30am) 2 light string cheeses and a handful of almonds

Lunch (12:30pm) 2 turkey wraps made with 8 oz turkey deli meat, raw veggies, half of an avocado, all on 2 santa fe whole wheat wraps (get them at Costco), plus an apple

Snack (3:00pm) P90X protein bar or 2 Servings of whey protein

Dinner (6:00pm) 8 oz of a lean protein (chicken, salmon, beef tenderloin), salad with white balsamic vinegar, and 2 servings of vegetables

Snack (9:00pm) 1 cup of nonfat greek yogurt or 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese, plus a few walnuts and berries.

Also, I try to drink about 120oz of water every day. This diet may not be the most conventional because it has a decent bit of dairy in it, but it has been working extremely well for me. The most important tip I can give you is consistency. If you stay consistent with whatever diet plan you follow, consistently completely the workouts, you will see fantastic results at the end of 90 days.

YOU MUST GET A WEIGHTED VEST!!!

This was the first time I have ever tried doing the Kempo X workout with a weighted vest. Wow, did it add a whole new level to this workout. I still am only using 8 pounds, but 8 pounds made a huge difference. Also, I am using the 2 pounds hand weights as well. Most of my Kempo X workouts have been tough, but I rarely get my heart rate up to 170+. Adding the vest helped me achieve that. For the majority of the workout, my heart rate was about 165-170. When I did the X-Jacks, my heart rate shot to the high 170′s. I am sure that I burnt a ton of calories using this vest as well. I have definintely decided that I am going to incorporate it into my plyo and kempo workouts, increasing the weight each week. A vest is a must to bring you P90X workouts to a new level.

So, I am about to go into my recovery week. Phase II was awesome. I am making great progress, seeing results and loving every second of it. A quick note on my stats. I started P90X at 232.8 pounds (yes, fatty!!!). On day 47, I weigh 218.6 pounds! That is a total weight loss of 14.2 pounds so far. I am amazed it these results. My goal was to lose about 20-25 pounds during this round, which I am sure I will exceed. So, does P90X Work???????? WITHOUT A DOUBT!!

So, my new weighted vest is getting some usage!

I decided today that I would try my weighted vest during this workout with 8 pounds in it. Let me tell you this, it made a huge difference. You can’t imagine how much more challenging it is do do leg exercises and pull ups with only 8 pounds strapped to your chest. Now that may not seem like a lot, but it really up the intensity at least 30-40%. By the time my workout was over, I was soaked. Usually, I don’t sweat a ton during legs and back but I was dripping wet today.

I did have a concern since I just started being able to do unassisted pull ups that I wouldn’t be able to. Not the case. All of my reps went up this week! I think wearing the vest is really going to help me improve my back strength exponentially. I am definitely going to bump it up to 12 pounds next workout.

Well, instead of writing something, I decided to make a video tonight because I figured something out about Yoga X. Watch and see…

As you may already know, P90X is a 90 day extreme home workout system distributed by Beachbody. Many people all over the world are using P90X to get extreme results, totally transforming their bodies, in as little as 3 months. The program ways out the workouts and the eating plan for the 90 day period down to every last detail. However, a common question about the program is “can I follow my own diet plan?”

This is an interesting question because obviously Beachbody has done the research and tested the diet plan to ensure it works. In fact, it is a 3 phased diet approach, each phase being 30 days. In simple terms, your first 30 days you will follow a lower carb diet, the second 30 days will be a moderate carb diet and the final 30 days is a higher carb diet. Some people see great results with this approach; I, on the other hand, was one of those people asking the question “can I follow my own plan?”

The answer, in my opinion, is yes. Please understand that I am not a dietitian, nor a nutrition expert, I am just setting forth my experience with P90X and diet. I am currently halfway through P90X and have lost close to 13 pounds without following the diet plan. My results have been astonishing to me. Throughout the 45 days, my diet has been pretty consistent, my energy levels have been high and my mood has been great.

So, what is my plan. I follow a lower carb plan, with the exception of my resistance training days, on which my carb level is higher because of my recovery drink. Here is a sample meal plan for the day:

Breakfast (7:30-8am) 1 serving of Shakeology mixed with 8 oz of almond milk, 1 tbs almond butter and half of a banana

Snack (10-10:30am) 2 light string cheeses and a handful of almonds

Lunch (12:30pm) 2 turkey wraps made with 8 oz turkey deli meat, raw veggies, half of an avocado, all on 2 santa fe whole wheat
wraps (get them at Costco), plus an apple

Snack (3:00pm) P90X protein bar or 2 Servings of whey protein

Dinner (6:00pm) 8 oz of a lean protein (chicken, salmon, beef tenderloin), salad with white balsamic vinegar, and 2 servings of vegetables

Snack (9:00pm) 1 cup of nonfat greek yogurt or 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese, plus a few walnuts and berries.

Also, I try to drink about 120oz of water every day. This diet may not be the most conventional because it has a decent bit of dairy in it, but it has been working extremely well for me. The most important tip I can give you is consistency. If you stay consistent with whatever diet plan you follow, consistently completely the workouts, you will see fantastic results at the end of 90 days.

44 DAYS IN AND DOWN 12.5 POUNDS!!!

That is right. I have been at P90X for 44 days and when I got on the scale this morning, I was down to 219. I started at 232.8 pounds (yes I was a fat ass and still am lol). I am extremely happy with my results so far. My progress, in my opinion, is due in large part to just plain old determination. There were plently of days so far that I did not feel like working out, I was tired, stressed, etc. However, I just made sure I pushed play everyday. Sometimes that is all it takes. P90X is a program that works, trust me. But it will only work if you push play. You must make that conscious decision everyday.

Today was a day when I couldn’t wait to workout. Since I weighed myself in the morning and saw how much I had lost, my enthusiasm kicked in and I brought it. I pushed extremely hard in this workout because I wanted to increase my weights and my reps, which I did. Every back workout I am able to do at least 1 more unassisted pull up, so hopefully by the end of this, I will be back to doing sets of 10-15 pull ups. I guess we will see. As for the bicep work, I increased weight on every exercise. It was only a modest 2.5 pound increase, but an increase nonetheless.

I must say that getting on the scale and seeing a significant decrease in weight, as well as how my clothes now feel, has given me the extra push I need to get through the rest of the program. I am committed to push play everyday….are you?

I decided to add a twist to Plyo today.

WOW, WHAT A WORKOUT.  Check out the video and give it a shot, if you dare!

Here is the recipe:

4oz (half a block) of SOFT Tofu – make sure it is the soft kind
1 serving chocolate Shakeology
1/4 cup of almond milk
1 TBS Almond butter

Put all ingredients in a food processor, not a blender, and process for about 90 seconds and enjoy. I like to top with fresh berries and nuts.