Paleo-Friendly P90X Nutrition Guide

Paleo-Friendly P90X Nutrition Guide

There is no doubt that P90X has changed my life, and I continue to incorporate P90X workouts into my cross-training. What I love about P90X workouts is the flexibility, and the P90X Nutrition Guide is no different. There are three phases in the P90X Nutrition Guide: the Fat Shredder, the Energy Booster, and the Endurance Maximizer. You can follow it in phases, or choose you specific phase depending on your goals. The foods that you choose is also up to you. This can mean vegan or vegetarian, raw foods, or even Paleo.

I have a ton of friends who follow the Paleo lifestyle, and although I am not 100% paleo, I do incorporate it into the mix to hit certain goals. It's simple, and it works.

P90X Creator Tony Horton is big on plant-based proteins and eating, but if you look into it, plant-based and paleo ethos are pretty similar in that they both use fresh, nutrient rich, and whole foods, so they have the same core values.

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The tricky part is is mostly the exclusion of grains and dairy, and the increased amount of fats and protein, but it is definitely doable. Some Paleo athletes who are looking for more carbs to increase sports performance might eat legumes (beans and peas), so you'll notice that in the nutrition plan below, an (*) asterisk is placed by these items so you can remove them if you'd like.  There is also quite a bit of fruit in there for carb-based energy, but you can always replace this with more fat and protein.

The Paleo-Friendly P90X Plans (the numbers represent servings)

1800 Calorie Fat Shredder

Protein: 7
Fruit: 1
Veg: 4
Fat:  2
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 1
Snacks: 2

1800 Calorie Energy Booster
Protein:  6
Fruit: 1
Veg: 6
Fat:  2
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 1
Snacks: 2

1800 Calorie Endurance Maximizer
Protein:  3
Fruit: 2
Veg: 7
Fat:  2
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 2
Snacks: 2

2400 Calorie Fat Shredder
Protein:  9
Fruit: 1
Veg: 6
Fat:  3
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 2
Snacks: 2+1

2400 Calorie Energy Booster
Protein:  7
Fruit: 2
Veg: 8
Fat:  4
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 1
Snacks: 2

2400 Calorie Endurance Maximizer
Protein:  5
Fruit: 3
Veg: 10
Fat:  4
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 1
Snacks: 2

3000 Calorie Fat Shredder
Protein:  11
Fruit: 2
Veg: 8
Fat:  4
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 2
Snacks: 3

3000 Calorie Energy Booster
Protein:  9
Fruit: 2
Veg: 10
Fat:  4
Gr: 0
Leg/Tub: 1
Cond: 3
Snacks: 4

3000 Calorie Endurance Maximizer
Protein:  6
Fruit: 3
Veg: 12
Fat:  4
Gr: 0
Leg/Tub: 2
Cond: 3
Snacks: 3

Food Lists 

Fats
Avocado – 3 ounces
Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Olives – 4 ounces
Raw Nuts – 1 ounce
Flaxseed – 3 tablespoons
Coconut oil – 1 tablespoon

Protein
Chicken or turkey – 3 ounces
Eggs – 1 whole egg or 6 whites
Fish or shellfish – 3 ounces
Pork tenderloin – 3 ounces
Red meat, lean – 3 ounces
Tempeh* – 2 ounces
Tofu* – 3 ounces
Venison – 3 ounces
* This is a legume. Many Paleos avoid legumes.

Legumes and Tubers
Beans* – 1 cup
Edamame* – 1 cup
Lentils* – 1 cup
Parsnip – 2 cups
Peas* – ½ cup
Potato – 1 medium
Sweet Potato – 1 large
Yam – 1 medium
* This is a legume. Many Paleos avoid legumes.

Fruit
Apple 
Avocado
Blackberries
Papaya
Peaches 
Plums
Mango 
Lychee
Bluberries
Grapes
Lemon 
Strawberries
Watermelon
Pineapple guava
Lime
Raspberries
Cantaloupe
Tangerine
Figs
Oranges
Bananas

Vegetables
Asparagus
Avocado
Artichoke Hearts
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Spinach 
Celery
Broccoli 
Zucchini
Cabbage 
Peppers (all kinds)
Cauliflower
Parsley
Eggplant
Green Onions

Condiments

Each serving = 50 calories

Due to the avoidance of sugar and legumes, condiments can be tricky. These condiment-like foods are approved by many Paleo experts:
Lemon juice
Vinegar (except balsamic)
Extra virgin olive oil
Tahini
Maple syrup
Honey

Snacks

Each serving = 100 calories
Unsweetened dried fruit – 1 once
Fruit – 1 medium piece
Seaweed – 10 ounces
Pumpkin seeds – 1 ounce
Raw nuts – ½ ounce
Baked kale chips – 2 cups
Celery and nut butter – 5 medium stalks and 2 tsp. nut butter

Because most protein bars, as well as Beachbody Results & Recovery Formula don’t adhere to Paleo standards, we’ve incorporated their calories and macronutrients into the plan elsewhere. And, Admittedly, this is a thin list, so we encourage you to explore healthy Paleo-friendly snack recipes.

Check out this complete Paleo Food List here.

And there you have it. Enjoy Cave People =)


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The P90X Nutrition Plan

The P90X Nutrition Plan

The P90X Nutrition Plan is described as a thirteen week program that is designed to assist fitness goal seekers to lose weight and/or build muscle. This nutrition plan is usually used in conjunction with the P90X Workout program that includes intensive resistance training routines. In understanding more about how the P90X nutrition plan works, you will first of all need to put the following in mind;

- In regards to the different phases of diet, there should be a percentage of calories coming from the three food categories.

- The P90X nutrition plan specifies the number of calories you should take for your body size.

- The number of good foods that make up the majority of your diet during P90X and Insanity.

- The grams contained in each category of food that you are required to take and this is usually based on the percentage of each category you are shooting for.

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Once you have internalized that, you then need to know how to maximize the P90X nutrition plan and this is by first of all determining the phase you are at. This is important since you will be having an idea on what you are working towards and this is in regards to the food portions and the type of body you want.  It is important to note that in all the phases, eating frequent small meals and drinking lots of water is emphasized so as not to feel drained or cave in to cravings. With the P90X nutrition plan, you also need to figure out your daily calorie intake as the nutrition guide suggests, so as to adjust it depending on your goals. You may want to retain the same weight but slowly convert body fat to muscle, which is why the suggested calorie total from the nutrition plan would work for you. But in the event that you would want to lose body fat quickly, then you must run a calorie deficit.

 P90X Creator Tony Horton

HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR DAILY CALORIC NEEDS:

First, find out your Basal Metabolic Rate: (BMR)
- Women: 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
- Men: 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

Next, calculate your Active Metabolic Rate: 
- BMR x 1.1 if you're Sedentary (never exercise)
- BMR x 1.2 if you're Somewhat Active (moderate activity 3-5 times per week)
- BMR x 1.3 if you're Very Active (vigorous exercise 5-6 times a week)
- BMR x 1.4 if you're Extremely Active (professional athlete)

*The results number from the above calculation is how many calories you burn a day without factoring extra calories burned from exercise.


Another way to maximize on the P90X nutrition plan is to make adjustments in phases and this is in regards to staying on those phases until you get to accomplish your set goals. In case you need to lose a lot of body fat, then you should probably stay in fat shredder mode for a longer period of time until you achieve your ideal weight. After this is when you consider transitioning into the phase 2 percentages and this is for a slower and deliberate fine tuning of your physique at the current weight you are at.

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In the P90X nutrition plan, you also need to make personal adjustments in food choices and this is because the meal plan might have choices of food that you do not like or that they take a lot of time to prepare. When you choose to adjust, consider tracking what you eat and it gets simpler when you use My Fitness Pal program that gives you a complete and accurate breakdown of exactly what percentage of each category you have eaten on any given day. How amazing is that!

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When in the P90X nutrition plan, you should consider planning ahead and this is in regards to meals and healthy snacks. This will enable you avoid junk food especially when you feel the need to eat and will also help you not spoil up the P90X nutrition plan.

For best results, you should never cheat with the P90X nutrition plan since it was built for success. Do not be fooled by those people who say that you can get away with cheat days or cheat meals and this is because no success has ever been attained by such. You should stick to the P90X nutrition plan 100% if you want to obtain the best results and guess what, it is so worth it!

You can purchase the P90X Nutrition Guides here:
- P90X Nutrition Guide
- P90X2 Nutrition Guide

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