Nutrition

As I went through and completed Power 90, I’ve pretty much followed my own nutrition program, which is basically the tried-and-true 5-to-6 feedings a day, moderate protein and carbs and low-to-moderate good fats. I usually have one dessert on the weekend, and maybe a cheat meal or two if I’m feelin’ like it. Nice thing is that the cheat meals don’t really affect my results or performance at all since the other 90% of the time I’m eating clean. The thing I’ve learned as I’m progressing through P90X, though, is that you have to not only EAT WELL, you have to TRACK how much protein carbs and fat you’re taking in, in order to achieve your goals. Once I started consistently focusing on my nutrient ratios, the results improved quite a bit.

I drink about 3 to 4 liters of water a day, so I’ve gotten to know the restroom at work pretty damn well – did you know there are 346 tiles just in the area by my preferred stall? Riveting info, I know. (Yeah, I’m a stall guy – I like my privacy. What’s up with people who talk to you while you’re peeing right next to them at the urinal? I could never understand that – you’ve both got your wankers in your hand and you’re trying to act normal by striking up a meaningless conversation?  I say shut the hell up and lemme pee in private!) Sorry – off on a tangent there, but it had to be said.

The only other beverage I drink is black coffee, and I’ve reduced that from 1-2 cups a day to 1-2 cups a week, mostly on weekends. No alcohol, soda, juice or other crap like that, and that’s never really been a problem for me to avoid.

My weak areas are vegetables and fiber – so I’m doing my best to increase both in my nutrition plan. I usually have veggies with at least three of my 5 meals a day now, and try to mix it up so I’m not eating the same ones all the time.

Carbs: I eat most of my carbs in the morning with breakfast and right after my resistance workouts. The rest of the day, veggies and salads make up the bulk of the carbs that I’m taking in. I try not to eat anything at least 2 – 3 hours before I go to bed, but if I’m really starving I’ll have a little bit of protein in the form of a small shake or a small serving of cottage cheese.

Currently – in my first round of P90X – I’m following almost the same meal plan I used during Power 90 because it turns out it’s almost exactly what they’re telling me to eat in Phase I of the P90X Fat Shredder. Had to add in a few things, but for now that’s working well. The one big change here is that I’m tracking EVERYTHING I eat, from calories to percentages of protein fat and carbs. It’s tedious at first, but I’m using this app called Tap n Track, and once you’ve got most of your favorite foods in there, it literally takes a minute or less to input each meal during the day.

As far as more detailed info on my nutrition plan, watch for individual posts on the main blog.