The P90X3 Nutrition Guide keeps adapting from P90X and P90X2. With our X3 Battle of the RIPPED Challenge coming up on Jan 6th, we need to have a good nutrition plan. I will be giving you a run down of all the aspects of P90X3 as we get through this week and into the next. I have been sampling TONS of workouts and will post those reviews very soon too. So let’s get to it!
The P90X3 Nutrition Guide
With the P90X3 nutrition guide, Tony is really trying to give you a picture of how he does nutrition and encourage you to approach your nutrition in the same way. Right away the guide tells you, “Tony doesn’t use calculators. He doesn’t tick portions off A chart. He doesn’t ponder what his calorie needs are.” P90X3 is trying to have you become an “intuitive eater.” They describe this as “the ability to listen to your body so that you make the right decisions nutritionally.” While this sounds attractive, I think it can be dangerous for most people, especially those starting out.
I know for me, my intuitive eating style is to be an over-eater. If I were to have attempted intuitive eating from the start, I don’t think I would’ve been as successful as I was. I had to retrain myself through precise nutrition tracking. That has allowed me to become more of an “intuitive eater” today, but whenever I want to switch from maintenance to get really ripped, I go back to nutritional tracking. It is the absolute most precise way to monitor how what you’re eating is affecting your results. It takes guesswork out and allows you to be very logical and analytical (but more on this later).
Back to the P90X3 Nutrition Guide… Calorie Goals
There are no fancy formulas for calculating your caloric need in P90X3. You simply take a small nutrition quiz. Here you add points based on your gender, weight, activity level, and body composition goal. From that sum you’re given a calorie plan to follow. I want to be careful here. I don’t doubt Beachbody or the work that has gone into this nutrition guide, but I also have a lot of teamRIPPED data that is shaped my view of calorie goals. I think for many people trying to lose weight, P90X3 will set your calorie goal a little too high. You don’t need to go take another 500 calories off the goal, but if you’re trying to lose weight I would suggest removing an extra 200 calories from what the P90X 3 nutrition guide recommends.
That won’t create a starvation diet. It won’t hurt you. I just know from experience that that will generate more of the results you desire over your round of P90X3.
Macros and the P90X3 Nutrition Guide
The P90X3 nutrition guide is the portion plan. Part of intuitive eating appears to start with training yourself to estimate portion sizes of food based on your hand. I don’t know about you, but if something really good was set on the table for dinner my hand would get really large LOL. There are guides to use measuring cups as well. Food choices are ranked from healthy to healthiest as you choose from any macronutrient group.
Using the food lists as your shopping list will have you eating tons of great, healthy, whole foods. If you need a shopping list, the X3 list is great!
What does Coach Wayne Recommend for P90X3?
I hope this doesn’t come as a surprise, but I recommend nutrition tracking. I would encourage you to use many of the food choices from the P90X3 nutrition guide but to set your calorie goal lower than what suggested and to even set up a traditional Fat Shredder percentage breakdown.
If you’re looking to maintain your weight or gain weight, feel free to use the calorie suggestion provided and 30/40/30. That is a good breakdown for maintenance or bulking. But still track!
Tracking gives you the absolute most control over your results. If you KNOW that you’ve ate 2400 calories every day for the last 3 weeks and you haven’t lost any weight, then you know 2400 is right around your maintenance need. If you been estimating portions with your thumbs, palms, and fists you’ll never have that certainty. And a palm size of chicken does not have the same calories or macros as a palm size piece of salmon. I don’t like leaving anything to chance. So weigh your portions of food, measure them with measuring cups, and get precise. You won’t have to be this accurate with your tracking for the rest of your life but if you want to get the best results in 90 days, nothing beats nutritional tracking.
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
