1. Whole Foods 

Avoid processed junk. Look past the nutrition facts and read the ingredients. The more ingredients, the lower the likelihood it is going in my mouth. A strawberry has ONE ingredient. So does an egg, or a chicken breast, or broccoli. Take a look at the ingredients in the foods you are eating. If you have trouble pronouncing them…keep moving.  Eat more stuff with less ingredients.

2. Supplements

I take Shakeology,  whey protein, and on occasion the recovery formula (sugar is an issue, but it has its place). The goal here is to give my body what it needs to run my basic bodily functions. At the minimum you need a good multi-vitamin. You have to focus first on making sure your body’s basic functions are addressed. It isn’t going to do you any good to take an expensive supplement if you can’t digest it and process the ingredients. Address your base nutrition first and foremost.

3. Lower carbohydrate intake

In particular SUGAR. The sugar has got to go. Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNYlI…layer_embedded. Understanding the insulin response and limiting the presence of excess insulin in your body is essential to health and fitness. The more I read about this, the more I feel it is absolutely essential to understand and then control.

4. Limit foods that make your blood acidic

 Huh? Watch this: http://www.thefitclubnetwork.com/200…makes-you-fat/. Soda…get rid of it. It is poisoning your blood. Water…drink way more of it. It helps refresh your blood. 

5. Limit dairy

Tony Horton said this weekend, “cheese is a spice”. Use it that way. A little parmesan on your food is ok, but otherwise ditch the cheese. It is high in fats that don’t help your body. Many people feel that our bodies are not conditioned to process milk from other animals. We are the only species that drinks milk that doesn’t come exclusively from our own mothers. Try to cut milk out of your diet and see how it works. I feel a lot better. Some people don’t have any adverse reaction, but if you aren’t sure, cut it out for a month and see how you feel. That’s what I did and I only have it in my coffee now.

6. Healthy fats 

You’ve got to get fat in your diet. Huh? Yes, fat is good for you. Most of your fat intake should be in the form of unsaturated fats (mostly monounsaturated). There is an ongoing debate about saturated fats and whether or not they are beneficial. The generally accepted principal is that they are not. I am currently reading Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint, in which he presents the theory that saturated fats are not to blame for our society’s weight problems. I have to say the case is compelling, but I am not settled yet. Regardless of that debate, you cannot go wrong with increasing your intake of fatty foods like avocados, nuts, and olive oil. Take the time to understand how fats work in your diet, because they are important.  Don’t be afraid to have an egg once in a while.

7. Quality over quantity

What you eat is far more important than how much you eat. Spend more time focusing on what type of foods you eat and less worrying about how many calories you are taking in on a daily basis. Knowing your caloric range is important, but don’t get too caught up in that analysis. If you are hungry and have something healthy to eat, then eat it. If you are not hungry, don’t feel like you have to force food down to get to some predetermined caloric count. Just go with that feels right and eat healthy. Once you condition your body to process healthy foods, your hunger will correspond to your body’s needs rather than corresponding to cravings for sugar or unhealthy fats.

Hope this helps. If you are reading this, and have questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at dave@thefitclubnetwork.com. I’m happy to help.

Dave

Enjoy the video.

Notice how water is almost exactly at the pH range the your blood should naturally be in? That’s just one reason to increase your water intake. Drink water and focus on eating whole foods, including fruits and veggies.

1. Precontemplation: “I can’t” or “I won’t” If you are in this stage and want to move on, try separating the real barriers from the excuses. This will give you clarity and help you to move on.
2. Contemplation: “I may” If you find yourself saying this phrase, try to decide WHY you are thinking you might be ready. Having
3. Preparation: I will
4. Action: I am
5. Maintenance: I still am

I’ll be honest with you, although I find it comforting to have definitions and vocabulary to help me communicate my experience. It makes me feel smart. The truth was that the process of change was just not that obvious. Furthermore, you might go through three phases in an hour.

I was absolutely in the stage of precontemplation the night I ordered a Beachbody program. For the 7 years prior to my Power 90 order, I  had lived a life completely devoid of any physical activity. Exercise, what was that?

I turned on the TV, like I did every night, while I fed my son because I could see what I was doing better. I started watching this infomercial where they’d show a before and after that was almost impossible to believe. With in a 45 minute period, I went from thinking “I can’t,” to “I may,” to “I will!”

I love all of this self help stuff but, I cannot emphasize enough the simple Nike slogan JUST DO IT! Seriously, FORGETABOUTIT! Just push play, make good decisions and you WILL see results!

To this day, I can’t believe I went from a borderline size 16 to a slim, healthy person. I want the same for you let me know how I can help you get started on any Beachbody program and experience a final solution to your weight loss struggles. Write me: fitclubnetwork@gmail.com

You can do it!

Monica

Free radicals are bad because they interfere with proper cell function and can even destroy otherwise healthy cells.  Exercise, particularly endurance based activity, can increase the accumulation of free radicals in the system.  Therefore, if you are engaged in any type of strenuous exercise program you should be conscious that free radicals could be accumulating in your system and could cause some damage.

Thankfully, there is a simple cure to this oxidation process.  Antioxidants.  Antioxidants, such as vitamin-E, vitamin-C and Beta-carotene, are able to interact with free radicals and stop their destructive cycle before they damage healthy cells.  The trace metals selenium and zinc are also a valuable free radical fighters. Yes folks, the moral of this story is to take your multi-vitamin daily and eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

But how much is enough?  Will a well balanced diet alone effectively combat free radicals?  The answer is controversial and there are many different opinions on when enough is enough.  Free radicals cannot be measured in the body, so it is difficult to tell whether the antioxidants you are consuming are doing the job.  Given the other benefits of antioxidants – heart health, cancer prevention, and fighting off the effects of aging (e.g. eyesight) – they should be a regular part of your diet even if you are not an endurance athlete.

Taking a multi-vitamin every day is the easiest way to ensure you are getting enough antioxidants in your diet to combat free radicals.  Beachbody’s Activit multi-vitamin is an excellent source of antioxidants.  Activit contains the following antioxidant nutrients:

Vitamin E – 30 IU = 100% RDA (recommended daily value)

Vitamin C – 120 IU = 200% RDA

Selenium – 70 MCG = 100% RDA

Zinc – 7.5 MG = 50% RDA

You can get Beta-carotene from vegetables, such as dark green and orange-yellow vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce, apricots, and green peppers.

Eat a balanced diet and take your multi-vitamin to combat free radicals.

UPDATE – December 29, 2009.  Over the past year or so we have gotten a lot of questions about this post and it has generated a lot of attention.  One major development since we originally did this post was the introduction of Shakeology to the Beachbody line of supplements.  Shakeology is hard to define in the P90X Nutrition Plan.  At 140 calories with 15g of protein and 19g of carbs (Greenberry) or 17g of protein and 17g of carbs (Chocolate) it is not really a full serving of either.  With Beachbody’s advice, we have characterized it as a snack.  Note that if you add items into the shake and increase the calories, it can easily be a double snack, rather than a single snack.  Most people like to add fruit to the greenberry and things like almond butter and bananas to the chocolate.  If you do that, take a minute and look up the caloric values of your additions and track them accordingly.  We have updated the Excel document below to reflect this change.  Also, we want to point out that the P90X Results and Recovery Formula is also properly tracked as a snack.  In that case it is a double snack.

We also wanted to offer our help with your P90X journey.  If you are new to P90X, start with the video below and then move through the post, including the comments.  It will take a while, but it will be worth it.  You’ll finish this post with a complete understanding of why the plan works the way it does, and how to make the most of it.  We are Team Beachbody Coaches and helping people with programs like P90X is what we do.  If you would like to have us coach you through P90X please contact me HERE, and we’ll give you instructions on how to make that happen.  You can also find details and sign up HERE.  There is no cost to you for this program or our services, but it is important for us to be assigned as your Coach in order to provide you with advice, support and motivation.  Also, check out our message board community at http://www.thefitclubnetwork.com/community/.  Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you.

UPDATE – May 16, 2009.  We have updated this post to include a video discussing the resources contained below.  One key issue to note is that the daily trackers on the spreadsheet below represent a mid-range in the various “Levels” of the program.  You will need to customize the spreadsheet to your needs.  This is one reason why we decided to make it an excel document, rather than a PDF.  Please watch the video first and then use the resources.

Gaining an understanding of your caloric needs is very important.  Many people comment that the calories required for the plan appear very high.  This video explains why the calories are calculated the way they are calculated.  In the post I reference the Power 90 Master Series.  You can find information about that program HERE.

Once you have an understanding of how many calories per day you get and the portions of each food group, you’ll want to consider how to break those up in your day.  Monica shot this video describing how she uses the Phase I, Level I of the P90X Nutrition Guide during her day.

ORIGINAL POST – January 29, 2009.  The P90X nutrition guide can be an overwhelming document, as a P90X coach and graduate of the program, I have created a simpler system to help you with the portion approach. I hope that you can benefit and maximize your P90X results by using these documents to support all your hard work and sacrifice during the program.

Step 1 – Calculate your Daily Calorie Needs and Determine your “Level”.

Start by downloading this Excel file.  The document contains several steps at the top.  These will help you determine how many calories you will need on a daily basis and what “Level” of the program you will be on.  There are “Levels” and “Phases”.  The “Level” relates to how many calories you need on a daily basis.  As the diet progresses it goes from a high protein/low carb diet, to a more balanced, but slightly higher carb diet.  Each progress is a “Phase”.

P90X-Nutrition-Guide-12-29-09 (Click to Download Excel file).

The Excel file also has a daily tracker you can use.  If you can print this up and laminate if then you can keep track of your portions each 6 days.  If not, just print a new page every six days.  The daily tracker also has boxes for water and supplements to help remind you to DRINK WATER.  This will help you to stay accountable and on target to the outrageously fit YOU!

When you download the Meun planners below you will see that each section tells you how much a “Serving” is.  For example, a 3 oz. chicken breast is one serving of protein.  If you eat a large (9 oz.) chicken breast, then that is 3 servings of protein, and you would check 3 boxes in the protein category in your daily tracker.

Step 2: Plan your Menu.

Below you will find three different menu plans for each Phase of the diet.  Download these documents, starting with Phase I – Fat Shredder, and take a good look at the foods in the food plan. This was especially important for us because Dave and I have two kids to feed and we wanted healthy, kid friendly meals. Although, our kids’ taste palate expand all the time, eliminating  items off the list make the list more realistic.  This is a good shopping list for us.

Phase I – Fat Shredder (Click to download Word file)

In proteins for example, I removed ham slices, soy burgers, soy cheese, tofu, turkey bacon, veggie burgers, and veggie dogs. The simplified list was AWESOME for menu planning and for food shopping at the store. Family dinners have always been my biggest concern.

Obviously, our children are not restricted to portions like one carb and 2 proteins and 1 veggie.

A delicious Turkey meatball or Lean ground Beef meatball with a home made marinara and a cup of whole grain pasta. Makes a delicious meal for the whole family.

Corn tortillas and shredded chicken is another delicious meal for the family. Depending on your specific level and phase, you can add black beans and brown rice.

Stay tuned to get more menu ideas that are both completely P90X menu planner compliant as well as YUMMY!

Phase II – Energy Booster (Click to download Word file)

This is just the second phase of nutrition in the P90X menu planner.

Phase III – Endurance Maximizer (Click to download Word file)

This is the last phase of nutrition in the P90X menu planner.

If you ever need any peer support or coaching with your P90X, please contact me HERE.

GRRRRR LET’S BRING IT!

If I place one pound of muscle on a scale and one pound of fat on a scale, they will both weigh one pound. The difference is in total volume. One pound of muscle may appear to be the size of baseball.

One pound of fat will be three times the size and look like a squiggly bowl of Jell-O.

See for yourself

Before exercising I weighed 141 pounds and was a size 10.

After my first round of Power 90, I was 139 pounds and a size 6.

Assess your results by using a tape measure to calculate inches lost, note how your clothes fit (or don’t fit anymore) and lastly step on the scale.