In my last post I mentioned my "final week on Weight Watchers" ... But don't worry, I'm not giving up on weight loss - but I do believe it's time for a change of pace. I still plan to keep my online membership (at least for a little while), but because I am starting P90X on Thursday, and it demands a much higher calorie intake to combat the intense physical activity of the program, there will never be a single day where I am able to stick to my daily points. I believe someone had estimated that you would need to add somewhere between 6 and 10 points to your day, depending on what level you fall within in P90X's nutrition plan, in order to stack up. I also read that the magic of P90X is 80% about the nutrition, and only 20% about the work outs - essentially what that means is if you only do the work outs and not the nutritional portion you could potentially only receive 20% of the benefits intended. Therefore ...

It's time to get clean!

The P90X nutrition plan is all about clean eating. I tried a program similar to their method of nutrition back when I did Michael Thurmond's Six Week Body Makeover back in high school. At the time it was far too difficult for me. I think I only did it for three or four weeks, though I did end up losing about 10 pounds in the process. Now that I'm living on my own and don't have quite as many distractions in my life I'm hoping I can stick to it.

After reviewing the nutrition plan from P90X I was a little bit concerned - especially with regards to how I was going to get all FIVE servings of protein in a day. I'm not really a big meat fan, and really only frequently eat turkey or chicken, so the idea that I was going to have to eat FIVE servings of meat every single day for the first 28 days was CRAZY to me. So, I decided to do a little research and make some alterations. Based on some changes that others have made while they were on the program (none of whom receiving negative impact from their changes) I made a few alterations to the plan in order to make it a little easier to stick to. These changes include adding Greek yogurt as a protein option, using chocolate milk as a substitute for the P90X Peak Recovery Formula, and other minor alterations - all of which have been tested by others who have enjoyed the full benefits of the program. During the first 28 days of the program (Phase 1) my food intake will consist of 5 servings of protein (meats, egg whites, Greek yogurt), 2 servings of dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt), 1 serving of fruit, 2 servings of vegetables, 1 serving of carbs (breads, rice, oatmeal, potatoes), and 2 snacks (string cheese, protein bar, nonfat frozen yogurt), in addition to a small amount of fats and condiments. Each day I also must consume a recovery drink after my work outs. The program suggests their product, of course, however I've read numerous articles that chocolate milk works just as well - wish is PERFECT because I LOVE chocolate milk and ALWAYS crave it.

I spent a good amount of time this weekend working on a meal plan - I wanted to have every meal specifically laid out for me, so all I had to do was look at my plan and cook. No thinking involved. When I think, that's when I tend to make mistakes. With my meal plan I've already done all the thinking and planning so there is much less room for error - all I have to do is eat what it tells me to eat. If I'm not in the mood for something scheduled, oh well - I need to start thinking of food as fuel and not as an object of enjoyment.

Today I went to Jewel and stocked up. I bought an extra mini bottle of chocolate milk because I just couldn't wait until Thursday to crack into it. It's amazing how different my fridge looks. Before, on Weight Watchers, my freezer was STOCKED. My fridge was too of course, but my freezer was crazy stocked. Now? I barely have enough to fill the main section - and the door is completely empty. All I have in there is whole wheat waffles, Italian ice, pork, steak, tilapia, shrimp, turkey sausage, broccoli, and cauliflower. That's basically it.

I'm really excited to start the program. Like, really, really excited. I'm not even really all that scared anymore about the workouts. I mean, I am, but I'm more excited than anything else, which is strange actually. I'm going to take it as a good sign. I've been anxious all weekend to get started; I'm just hoping this enthusiasm lasts... for at least 90 days!