Recently I've had several people ask me if it's necessary to follow the nutrition plan with P90x. I wanted to provide some insight into why I think nutrition is crucial to success not only now but long-term as well.
I've completed 6 full rounds of P90x in various forms. I will admit that when I first started the program I didn't follow the nutrition plan exactly as prescribed. I did eat fairly healthy just not according to the different phases. However, not following it from the beginning is one of my biggest regrets looking back. Once I committed to the nutrition plan my results came much faster and better.
Nutrition Plan - is it crucial?
Will you see results with P90x without using the proper nutrition? Yes, probably as long as your diet doesn't consist of a steady dose of McDonald's. I will guarantee you though you will not have the same extreme results as others. I came to the realization part way thru my fitness journey that I wanted to maximize the time I spent working out and get the best results I could. This is part of the reason I've spent so much time educating myself on health and fitness. It's a big commitment to spend time everyday working out why not make the most of it?
Proper nutrition while important for your 90 days thru P90x is absolutely crucial for long-term success. It's about changing habits and completely altering your mindset. What are you going to do after 90 days? Are you going to let all of your hard work, discipline, and dedication be thrown away? Or, are you going to continue to live a healthy lifestyle and strive for an even better you? Remember, 90 days is not a deadline but rather a mile marker in a lifetime of healthy living and fitness.
Nutrition Plan vs. "Diets"
Which brings me to my next point I hate the concept of diets. One of my biggest pet peeves when I was losing all of my weight was people asking me or assuming I was on some kind of diet. It was as if healthy eating and regular exercise were a foreign concept. I very much believe that diets do not work. You change your habits for a time period and probably do have some success for a while. Often times the diets too many people go on are not sustainable for long-term success and before you know it the dieter is back to his or her previous bad habits.
I do however believe in fundamental lifestyle changes. It' s about developing a system that is sustainable for the long-term. It's about changing the expectation of yourself and what you want to look and feel like. I wanted to continue to look the new me and keep striving to look even better. Under no circumstances did I want to return to the old Dan and what I used to look like. I had worked way too hard for that to happen.
I had to break out of my food comfort zone in order to achieve long-term success and am so thankful I did. I used to think I hated eggs. I now have at least 6 egg whites for breakfast every morning without fail. I didn't think I could eat tuna but it's now a regular part of my diet. For years I cringed at the thought of cottage cheese but now have fat-free cottage cheese as a regular part of my diet.
My larger point here is we are too often limited by what our mind is conditioned to tell us. I'm no different than you are if I can make those changes in my nutrition then you certainly can too. Lets make those changes to your nutrition plan and be able to enjoy the results far beyond the initial 90 days.