Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I knew that today's workout was plyo, so apparently my subconscious wanted a jumpstart on it: Last night I dreamed I was doing plyo. Like the whole thing. And then I woke up and actually had to do plyo, so it feels like I did it TWICE! Oh man we dog tired.

I am totally lost on the diet for P90X...

I've been vegan for 3 years now and, somehow, I've managed to gain about 25 pounds (read: vegan cookies, etc.) I've always been fairly athletic, even despite my heft. As I've looked over the diet plans--I did my first workout this morning, too--I've struggled trying to understand exactly WHAT I should be eating.

Example: Beans = carbs, correct?
Well, most of the protein seems to have carbs, too. Is there a number of grams I'm going for regarding my protein? Carbs?

Next: My weight has me in the 3000 calorie range. That seems... challenging. I CAN eat that much, but that's kind of what's gotten me in trouble over the last few years. To lose 2 lbs, the Livestrong site suggested I eat between 1900-2000 calories, adding appropriate calories for the workouts I do. I won't lie: I'm scared to eat that much. I've thought about continuing to track my calories on Livestrong while trying to determine how much calories I'm burning via the workouts (today's - chest and back - killed my arms... in a good way.)

Finally, shakes. How many per day do you guys drink? One post-workout seems standard, but what about beyond that? I bought some rice protein and I've used Vega products in the past.

Argh. I'm a bit overwhelmed.

So, anyway, I'm looking for help. I want to get as much out of the program as possible.

brainbliss... I totally get your frustration! I'm still navigating the waters of this nutrition plan as well. But I can at least tell you what I'm doing so far.

After a workout I have a "recovery drink" of coconut water, frozen fruit (your choice), protein powder (1 - 2 scoops, depending on the workout) and sometimes I throw in some green superfood powder just to get me closer to my daily goal of greens. Some days I will make this same drink again later in the day instead of munching my way through the fridge haha.

Protein... my go-to protein right now is organic tofu. The kind I purchase is 10g protein per serving, and 4 servings per 12 oz package. I make a tofu scramble (for dinner...) out of the entire package and throw in some spinach... 40+ grams of protein right there. Very little carbs... the fat is pretty much my highest fat intake of the day... On days when my workout is really a calorie killer, I eat tempeh. High protein, but higher carbs and fat as well.

I've laid off the beans for a bit. (I can eat a LOT of beans in a sitting... try to have a cup a day now.) Doing more and more greens. I'm in the 2400 calorie range per the plan, but eat in the 1800 calorie range for the most part. 2400 calories is calling for a disaster. I was struggling to eat 1500 calories before starting P90X, but the need for a protein increase has helped me get more calories overall. I eat Clif Builder Bars (many vegan options), but they are high in sugar so I monitor that. They also use soy protein isolate, and I try to minimize that as much as possible. The Clif Bars (regular) are also about 9g of protein and I enjoy them when I'm stuck at work beyond normal hours and starving. I keep a stash in my cabinet.

I think you should play around with your caloric intake and see how your body responds. I don't really track every day like I should, but that's because I become obsessed with it and I won't eat something if I don't know the nutrition facts down to the % of calcium, if any. Smh. But I do know that if I ate 2400 calories a day, I'd be more prone to overeating. Eat until you're satisfied (not stuffed!) and try to eat the good stuff (you know what it is! :D) vs the convenience foods (I'm looking up protein bar recipes right now! I'd love to get off the Clif bar wagon lol).

I'm done blabbing... here's a good article about vegan P90X options: http://www.beachbody.com/product/p90xnl_058.do

Well, I just bought Insanity. I used to be in great shape a couple of years back, but I've been slacking since I've been in college. Wish me luck! Pretty sure I'm going to die.

good luck! check back so we know you're alive :D

Good luck zwingtip! My best friend is doing Insanity and she is loving the results of her fit test after a few weeks of "dying"! :)

yeah you have to figure even heavily modified insanity is better than most workouts.

Does anyone have Insanity Deluxe? Is it worth it over the regular 60 day Insanity package? It's like $100 more and all I can find is that you get an extra video and a mat for jumping. But if it's worth it I'd entertain the idea. Anyone?

I've never even heard of it! I'll poke around and see if I can find any info.

Thanks Appi!

okay my coach - http://www.coachfitnow.com/ - says that there are the 3 different sets and the sets come with additional workouts and/or a mat, and that you can always buy the base and add on later.

https://extranet.securefreedom.com/Mill ... m|INSANITY

so you could buy the base and if you like it buy the extra workouts later. also, she said the mat is good if you have wooden floors. i've always imagined it's like a yoga mat but I don't know - i'll ask that too.

So in school starting and trying to find an apartment, I haven't even taken Insanity out of the box yet. Anyone tried doing Insanity in an upstairs apartment in an old, creaky house? I suspect the answer to this is to make sure to do it mid-day when people are gone.

My boyfriend's flat is an old creaky wood-floored mess where I was DEFINITELY pissing off the people downstairs. I used a mat for plyo and well most things, actually, and it was ok! I initially bought a mat that was not good enough to use for yoga (so slippery!) so I used that for warming up in non-cardio workouts and then, once I bought a better mat, I sometimes used both together. Especially in plyo. His furniture shook; it was a nightmare. I though windows were going to shatter. But they didn't!

First P90X recovery week (week 4), lost 2 lbs. Day one of week 5, gained it all back. These strength training workouts really kill me on the scale! But I took my day 30 progress photos and I can't deny the changes so... *presses play*

Just stop weighing yourself! If you're building muscle and replacing fat, then who cares about arbitrary numbers?

Yeah, definitely. I didn't really lose any weight (especially after I started really blowing the diet), but things have definitely shifted and moved around.

Also, I had almost no changes, weight or otherwise, after 30 days but at 60 things were clearly moving along nicely.

So I'm returning Insanity without ever opening it as I need the cash back. I will be back in this thread some time eventually.

Very true RandiJM and mrsbadmouth. I guess I'm stuck on numbers because my weight has been the one thing doctors have always given me crepe for since I hit puberty. *sigh*

Im still doing it! I am on the last day of month 2 of TF and then start the HIIT month. I am also eating a ton of calories. I am following the Fat2 Fit plan on www.fat2fitradio.com. use the military body fat calculator and the Katch BMR calculator. from there you can see how many calories to eat to lose fat and gain muscle.

I'm on week 5 of doubles, meaning that this is my first week actually doing doubles. I am tired. Also, I know it's wrong but I hate working out anytime other than first thing in the morning, so I do all the day's workouts at the same time in the morning. Oops. But it's fun! And tiring.

Oh oh I made really good energy bars that I have to call my P90X bar bc come on - it's 1c peanut flour, 1c oat flour, cinnamon, walnuts, hemp seeds, raisins, and the liquid is blended dates and chickpeas. It's really good!

Oh, and also, Im not doing Insanity because its just more cardio. I am getting Chalean Extreme and doing the TF hybrid. Im trying to change my body, not just make it smaller.

Good luck phee! So Chalean Extreme with TF is more a mix of cardio and weight training than Insanity?

Yes, now I've never done Insanity, but its just super intense cardio. Chalean Extreme is weights with cardio thrown in, but when you get TF, you also get a TF/ Chalene hybrid schedule.

Also, if you go to beachbody.com and click on the "build muscle" link, Insanity isnt one of the programs.

FINE.
:)