Those of you who are my friends on MyFitnessPal know everything I eat every day, but for those who have yet to get on the MFP wagon, I wanted to lay out what I’ve been doing for my nutrition plan during P90X2. (And for those of you who missed the article on MFP and how to hook up with me, CLICK HERE). Listen to me, I sound like a MyFitnessPal expert LOL. It was just last week that everyone was giving me such a hard time for FINALLY coming around to the wonderful world of MFP. And I’ve got to admit, it’s really cool. I now have well over 100 people who can see my daily diet at the click of a button (and I can do the same for them) — good accountability tool to say the least!
Anyway, as you know, I finished a 90 day vegan diet just prior to the start of P90X2. I was healthy and strong, but my body fat had gone up a little more than I liked, and I hadn’t been tracking my foods which was part of the reason my body fat had gone up (since I love to eat LOL). I had calculated it at 8%. I have been under 6% in the past (after day 180 when I had been on a high protein diet with zero cheat meals for 6 months). I missed the way my abs looked back then and figured I needed to get back to that
So for X2, I wanted to dial in the diet to a hybrid between the vegan diet I enjoyed and my standard P90X diet that my body had done so well with for the past year and a half. The result is what Tony Horton calls a “flexitarian” diet (he calls himself flexitarian). In it, you still get a lot of vegan tendencies, but with a good bit more protein and lean meats thrown in. I set out to maintain a good bit of my vegan habits but to allow for lean meats and whey protein in my daily plan — partly for convenience and partly because the protein helps me stay satisfied for longer periods of time and helps me build muscle.
Now that I’m in the second half of X2, I’m somewhat in a groove and finding a happy balance for myself. It turns out to about 50% carbs, 35% protein, and 15% fats on most days (give or take). This puts me close to phase 3 endurance maximizer #’s on the P90X guide.
My calorie maintenance level is about 3,000, and I stayed at that level for the first month of this X2 round. I did well, and maintained my weight in the 220 range while slowly seeing my body fat get down to the 7% level. Then, over the second month, I have run a slight calorie deficit of 300 – 400 cals per day in order to really get cut and push the 6% body fat range. I’m feeling awesome, strong, and my core is a rock. I think I’m about where I want to be on body fat now, with the final month ahead of me. I want the day 90 pics to be the best I’ve ever looked, and I’m confident they will be. For this last month, I am going to run a slight surplus (300 – 400 cals over maintenance) to give me max fuel for muscle and strength.
I am dividing my day roughly into 3 meals of 500-600 cals each, and 3 snack sessions (am, pm, and evening) of 400-500 cals each.
My typical day during the second month of X2 (slight calorie deficit) looked like this =
Breakfast =
Results / Recovery formula (doing 1 scoop at the time since I’m wanting to cut just a bit)
Shakeology (with 1 scoop Wheybolic 60 and 1 tbsp PB2)
1/2 cup oatmeal
Lunch =
3/4 cup oatmeal or a lean meat like chicken or tuna
Yogurt
Whey protein (usually Sun Warrior plant protein)
Dinner =
Variable. I shoot for 500 cals, but it could be an all vegan meal or a lean meat and complex carb / veggie meal.
Snacks =
Between the morning and afternoon snacks, I rotate protein bars (Pure Protein), apples, carrots, whey protein, raw broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
The evening snack is always some whey protein mixed in water, between dinner and bed.
For this final month as I shift from a slight deficit to a slight surplus, I will go from a 2600 target to a 3200 target. To accomplish that, I won’t make huge changes. I will simply eat bigger servings, adding up to about 100 extra calories at each meal and snack. I will probably throw in some extra scoops of whey here and there, and bigger bowls of oatmeal or an extra protein bar. I’ll be tracking it, so those of you following me on MFP will know exactly what I’m doing!! :-)
That’s it. There is nothing earth shattering about this diet. I just wanted to update y’all on how I’m approaching my Flex Diet these days. I still think the best way to drop body fat quickly is a very strict fat shredder diet high in protein. And for those who want to bulk, a diet high in complex carbs and protein still does the trick. But it’s nice to be at a point like I am at, where I’m not trying to make huge changes anymore, but rather to develop a life long, adaptable nutrition philosophy that isn’t too rigid but still keeps my body at an elite level of health and fitness.
All of you who look at this and think it looks simple and easy …. IT IS!! And that’s the beauty of it. It’s not set in stone. I can miss my marcro % by 5 or 10 in a day with no big deal. Once you are at your goals, you’ll get to enjoy a very flexible approach as well. It’s a very good thing! Believe me, I remember the days I never missed a % or never had a “cheat meal”. It was hard but it was worth it.
BTW, for all my MFP pals, I am making a pledge — I won’t have any cheat meals the rest of this P90X2 round. Even though I’m running a surplus, I will stick to the plan with only clean, “P90X approved” foods. No diet pop, even on date night :-). We can do this together! Like I said earlier I want to really look my best on day 90, but after that I’ll get back to my usual, planned, once-a-week cheat or so. Living at 7% body fat isn’t too hard. 6% and under takes that extra level of work LOL! You don’t get under 6% having cheat meals! And you don’t build lean muscle while keeping body fat low unless you are eating super clean.
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
