My Nutrition Plan
Below is the overviw of my Nutrition Plan during Round 1 of P90X
Bar far the most common questions I’ve had from people who saw my transformation are about my diet. I had amazing results, and it definitely has a lot to do with my nutrition. So here’s what I did (in a nutshell):
*I followed the FAT SHREDDER plan for the first 2 months (50% protein, 30% carbs, 20% fat). For the 3rd month, I upped the carbs closer to 40% (like Phase 2).
*I ran at a calorie DEFICIT the whole time. The nutrition guide recommended 3,000 calories per day for someone my size, and if I was interested in maintaining my weight, 3,000 would have worked fine, but I wanted to lose a lot of body fat, so I targeted 2,000 calories as my daily goal. If you choose to run a calorie deficit like I did, it’s important that you listen to your body and give it a little more if you start bonking during the workouts.
(As a side note, for Round 2, since I have gotten to a low body fat % from Round 1, I am experimenting with more calories to see how my body responds. I’ve been at 2500 calories per day so far in Round 2, and have actually lost a couple more pounds. I will soon up it to 2800 and monitor my body fat %. I feel like I get to pig out now and I’m staying ripped! This is great!!)
*I NEVER CHEATED. No cheat meals. No cheat days. No bites of the kids’ desserts. NONE!!! One cheat meal can slow down your progress by 2 or 3 days. Is it worth it to you? I didn’t want to do anything to sabotage the hard work I was putting into the workouts.
*I kept track of everything I ate (via an iPhone app called Tap and Track). They say that people who just “try to eat healthy” will actually consume 50% more calories than people who track their calories. I tracked everything that went into my mouth for the entire Round 1, and in fact it has become so easy to do using Tap and Track that I still do it every day.
*I did not make the actual meals in the nutrition guide. It’s not practical for me to make all that stuff. What I did instead is make meals that fit my tastes, fit into the right % of protein, carbs, and fats, and fit with my schedule. I have a few meals I rotate depending on what I’m in the mood for, and I have a good list of snacks that work on the go and meet my criteria.
*I try to consume most of my carbs in the morning, but go heavier on the protein in the evening. I also don’t eat for at least 2-3 hours before bed.
*I gave up Pop (even my diet pop!) That was tough!
*I ate 3 meals of 400-450 cals each (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and 3 snacks (one morning snack, 2 afternoon snacks) of 200-250 cals each.
*I found healthy ways to meet my cravings for a treat (sugar free jello, flavored water packets, jerky, fat free/sugar free yogurt, light popcorn, and of course my chocolate deluxe protein bars!)
287 Responses to “My Nutrition Plan”
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Hey Justin, Subway is okay although the bread isn’t ideal. When I ate Subway while doing the fat shredder, I would only get a 6″ and I would only eat the bottom piece of bread with the meat and veggies (discard the top piece of bread).
hey coach, when I take my fish oils during the day, do I include the cal from fat into my daily caloric intake?
and 1 more thing, does the amount of water added to my post workout shake really make all the difference? Like could I add only a little bit of water to 1 scoop of whey to make it like a pudding substance after my workout? thank you
Michael,
Thats how I like mine as well Michael, however I make sure I drink plenty of water right after to help with absorbing the protein. One of the big differences in protein is how fast and how slow it absorbs. The amount of water you take along with it does matter on how much you absorb and how much you waste as well.
Coach Ant
Thank you very much, but how about the fish oil? Should I still implicate them to my daily caloric intake for the fats and cal?
Yes Michael, count the fat from fish oils into your total.
Is there a good tap & track equivalent for android users ?
Hey Carl, I believe you can get fitday.com on android (not totally sure though).
Hey Coach. I just did the math for my calories and macronutrients and the percentages came up as 33% from protein, 54% from carbs and 13% from fat. Is that going to work for me to gain some good clean weight? I eat at 400 calories above maintenance on lift days. Thanks for your help.
Yes Jim, that’s great!
Oh and did you get the commission for my Asylum purchase today? I think I did it right but I’ve never bought something from an account online.
Yes Jim, thanks man!
Hi Coach Wayne, I love popcorn but haven’t had it in over a month. No cheats. Are you saying some lightly buttered popcorn in a small portion would be OK?
Hey Steve, I’ve found a great way to do popcorn is to pop it yourself (in a whirly pop cooker) with just the corn and a small amount of olive oil. Then lightly salt it. No butter is needed! Try it!
Hey Coach,
When tracking my food would the carbs from my recovery drink count towards the 30% that I consume in a day?
Hey Nick, I did it both ways. In round 1 when I was running a huge calorie deficit, when I started using R/R at the end of the first month, I didn’t adjust my other numbers down to compensate for it (in other words, I just added it onto my 1900 cal diet without changing anything else).
But in future rounds, when I wasn’t at such a deficit, I made sure to include all the nutritional info from the R/R to be sure I was right where I needed to be for my % to maintain or gain weight.
Coach, it’s been a while since I posted, but I read every day. I’m kind of stuck at this point in my diet. I’ve resolved to make the changes to my nutrition and I’m seeing great results from it thus far. My problem is that I’m kind of a “one trick pony” with my diet plan. I tend to get stuck with a more fat shredder diet that a phase two or three diet. The result, I feel, is that I don’t show definition and my lack of muscle growth my actually be inhibiting my fat loss. Currently I am sitting at around ten to eleven percent BF. At this point can I switch over to 2500 calorie type diet or even higher?
I need a little direction with this. BTW according to the nutrition guide, I’m a level two type that should consume roughly 2400 calories per day. But have been following your 1900-2100 fat shredder diet.
Help me COACH!
BTW, I received my free shakeology sample and really enjoyed it. As soon as funds become available, I plan on purchasing some. Or do you think that the R and R drink is more important?
Thanks in advance.
Hey Jeff! Glad you liked the Shakeology. If I had to choose, I’d definitely go with Shakeology over R/R (although I like them both as well as whey protein as my 3 mainstays).
If you feel like you are plateauing and needing to increase the muscle building, you can experiment with a couple weeks at 2400-2500 at the Phase 2 % and see how your body responds. It may do what you are hoping and you’ll see added energy and strength gains.
Hey coach,
Im on day 25 of p90x and for the the first two weeks I was following the nutrition guide provided by P90x,but after discovering your site i switched over to a 1900 50/30/20 plan. I weigh around 160 and am 14% body fat. I was wondering, since I am smaller than you, if I should lower my calorie intake to 1600-1700 or just continue with the 1900. Btw since switching to your 1900 plan I have noticed some more definition.
-Thanks
Hey Dan, glad you found this site and this nutrition plan! You’ll definitely see better results. At your size, I’d go for the 1600 calorie range (don’t go below 1500 though).
hey coach,
i finished my first round of p90x and just started my second round. i had great results with the first round i lost almost 30 pounds and gaind a little muscle and i got my body fat% down to around 12% (started at 23%) i got some definition i got decent abs but i didnt realy see any muscle gain. but i also what to get some more definition. ive been doing your 1900 cali. diet and was just wondering what you think would be best for me to do to gain muscle and still lower my body fat% (around 7-8%)? btw im 6’2 and 174 pounds.
thanks for the help.
Hey Chris, I’d stay on the fat shredder plan until you are under 10% body fat, then shift for muscle / strength building. Read my article “body fat vs bulk” for details on why you don’t want to shift just yet.
Hey Coach,
Sorry to ask you a question that’s already been answered, but I’m stumbling around the nutrition part of the website trying to find where it says the ratios for toning muscle while still gaining muscle slowly. I know you mentioned it all in one article specifically where you said, fat shredder was this ratio, toning this ratio, and bulking this ratio, but I just can’t seem to find it. Again, I’m sorry to bother you with this question and appreciate the help.
Hey Kalvin, the fat shredder is 50/30/20, the phase 2 is 40/40/20, and the bulking is 30/50/20. Hope that helps (those are protein/carbs/fat).
That helps so much! Thank you! Now on to my calculations so I can stop following the nutrition plan (which I have come to realize is not accurate like you said). Thanks again.
Coach, I just started the X and in trying to follow the 1900 plan as close as possible, I am seeing something that concerns me. I use the Tap and Track and my carbs just today are 49% where they should be 30% if I follow a 50/30/20 thing. Should I be concerned?
Yes Chadd, you are 20% over on carbs, so that’s way way off! 50% carbs is more in line with the bulking diet. You’ll need to lower your carb intake a lot and increase your protein intake.
Yeah, I know. Here is where I am confused.
For example my food day was this
Breakfast: 3 egg whites with ham bits
Snack: protein shake and a banana
Lunch: 7 slices of chicken deli meat and baby carrots
Snack: muscle milk
Dinner: 6″ subway chicken sandwich
Snack: protein bar
I am at 49% carbs. What am I eating wrong and how do I cut it down?
Hey Chadd. It’s simple. You aren’t eating enough protein. You need much bigger serving sizes on your egg whites and lunchmeat. And you are getting too many carbs from the banana, all the bread on that subway, and most likely you are making a poor choice on your protein bar. I bet it has high carbs and sugar. Make some changes to get it more like my sample diet and you’ll be set!
Hi Coach Wayne, I’m a woman, 5’10″, 140 pounds. I’m on day 13 of P90X classic. I’ve been following a 1200 cal, 50/30/20 and no cheating, and haven’t lost even a pound. Do I drop to 1000 cals?
Hey Running woman, no don’t drop. 1200 is a big deficit for someone your size. Focus on body fat, not weight, because you are building lean muscle to offset some fat loss, especially in the beginning. Stick with it and give it time. It will work!
Hey, Coach Wayne
Sorry this is so long but I need some help.
I have been trying to get below 12% body fat. I’m 6 foot 6 and currently at 210 pounds. I noticed that your pretty tall and wanted insight from someone who more closely resembles my body type. When I started about two months ago, I was around 23% body fat. So I have removed a lot of fat.
I havent been doing the total P90x workout plan for weight lifting. I found that when I did P90x and didn’t do free weights, I lost a lot of strength. So I lift in the gym and
only use the P90x cardio disk to get the cardio in.
My question is how much cardio should I do now to get below 10%?
I currently do the Cardio X disk everyday but I’m not seeing the dramatic weight reduction I saw before when I started my plan.
I’ve been at this for at least two months.
I eat around 1400 to 2000 calories a day with a very low carb intake. I get around 160g of protein a day coming from boneless chicken, tuna and whey protein powder. Hardly no sugar ( sweet potato) or Whole wheat bagel every two to three days.
What am I doing wrong? I suspect that I am not getting enough calories! Please help thanks in advance!
Hey Charles!
Getting the body fat down has a lot more to do with nutrition than cardio. You can get well below 10% just following the P90X calendar if your diet is dialed in right. I’d encourage you to read my articles “P90X nutrition guide” and “round 1 diet” to learn how I dialed it in.
Hey Coach! I was wondering what brand of fat free/ no sugar added yogurt you eat. I watched your vid on the foods you eat, but I couldn’t quite make out the name.
Thanks
Hey Zack, the one I use is from Braums (a local dairy store). I haven’t been able to find anything similar at walmart or target. But I also use fat free greek yogurt (which you can find at most stores).
Hey Coach-
Ive read that you try and eat your carbs early in the morning. If I find myself low in carbs at the end of the day, should I still eat wheat bread to hit my levels?? In my tracking app this would still put me at my calorie count for the day. Just worried about the carbs at 7pm at night
Hey Dauph, you can definitely eat carbs like bread at dinner if you’ve got room in your carb budget for the day. I often ate carbs in the evening (veggies, rice and such) with dinner. My only rule on carbs was that I wouldn’t have any carbs after dinner (like my protein snack between dinner and bed).
Hey Coach! I think there is a post on artificial sweeteners, but i couldn’t find it. I would like to know whats your take on flavor water packets and sugar free jello? Aren’t the packets just like a diet soda? I tried once a flavor packet with some sprinkle water and I swear it was just like a diet pop. Any ideas?
Hey Alexander, flavoring packets aren’t nearly as bad for you as pop, but they aren’t as healthy as plain water either. You should try to keep any artificial sweeteners limited in moderation. A little bit isn’t the end of the world (like in the sugar free jello or a flavor water packet once or twice a day), but you don’t want to go overboard since they aren’t natural or nutritious.
Hey Coach!
First of all, id like to thank you for all the informative articles you’ve shared with us. Its great that you also take time to answer all your readers.
So anways, id like your advice. Im 5’10 151lbs Male and im not exactly on the lean side. Im what you call a skinny fat. A few months ago i was around 140lbs and i decided to bulk up before getting lean so i got up to 150lbs. I stumbled upon you site and now Im following your fat shredder diet plan at 1800 daily cals to hopefully get under 10% body fat. Im probably at 13-15% right now. I do p90x but ive completely eleminated all the p90cardio programs and replaced them with road cycling exercise . I do cycling for 6days straight and burn 600cal on normal days and a bit more on weekends. Im at 8-10reps for the p90 weight lifting programs. So id like to know how am i doing? Will i hopefully burn the last few pounds to get to single digits? Any experienced advice? Ill probably bulk up once im under 10%. Thank you in advance and more power to you!
Hey Mark. It sounds like you aren’t far from your 10% goal on body fat. Doing the cycling in place of the P90X cardio is totally fine. And if you are feeling good and energetic for the workouts, then stick to what you are doing. The only risk of doing “doubles” (lifting and cycling on the same days) is that the 1800 calories won’t be enough to sustain your energy levels. If you feel like you are bonking or out of gas, you may need to consume 400-600 more calories on the days you do both lifting and cycling.
Keep bringing it and thanks for plugging in here!
hey coach do i have to get exactly 50% protein 30% carbs and 20% fat. i usually get more protein and about 7% more carbs and fats are way less..will the extra carbs be bad for me? thanks
Hey Josh, it doesn’t have to be exact, but if you aren’t right on, it’s best to be over on protein, under on fat, and under on carbs. Sounds like you are under on fats and over on carbs, which is also okay because you are basically exchanging your fat budget for carbs. That’s a good exchange as long as you don’t go too low on fats because your body needs some (stay above 10% on fats).
coach, im really confused on the calorie counting, how do i know ive at the end of the day if i ate 1900 calories. how do you count the protein, carbs, and fats grams.?
Hey Geo! you count them with either a website, a phone app, or by writing it down. I explained it in the article above, but I have more details in my article “nutrition tracking”. I also have other related articles in my “nutrition all in one”, which is in the “nutrition zone” tab above.
You know… People just don’t seem to understand how I now crave veggies, fruit and nut instead of McDonalds and KFC!!! Lol. Thanks for the intricacy and support coach! :)
*TeamRIPPED SWAG*
Hey Coach-
What is your feeling on Clif Bars? I know they pack a lot of sugar – but I work out when I get home after a 10 hour work day and the boost in energy is much needed. Are they ok to eat as an afternoon snack or would you recommend something else?
Hey Mike, I don’t use them personally because of the high sugar and the soy protein. For that reason, I go with Pure Protein bars instead. But if it’s one a day and you have that amount built into your daily percentages, it won’t hurt to have one, especially if it’s near the time you workout so that you burn off the sugars and not store them as fat.
Hey Coach. I was curious about how you said, “I also don’t eat for at least 2-3 hours before bed”. Does this just apply to solid meals? Or is this also the case with a protein drink?
Thanks,
Brian
Hey Brian, I typically eat dinner about 5:30-6, and I have a “snack” of whey protein mixed in water at about 8, then I’m in bed around 9:30-10.