Sample Weekly Meal Plan

So you want the best results from your P90X program and you are wondering; is diet really that important?  I’ve seen people get great results changing their own meals so they are eating slightly cleaner and roughly following the carbs/protein/fat ratios that are recommend for P90X. And I’ve seen people do 90 days of P90X and obviously look fitter, and they feel better and have more energy and stamina but didn’t change their diet at all, so you don’t “see” results as well. And the 6 pack abs you want so badly..Those, my friend, are made in the kitchen. If you want great abs, then don’t be eating fast food or hanging out at Starbucks sipping frappacinos. (No offense to Starbucks! You can still hang out there, but make wise choices and you won’t walk out with 600-1000 extra calories that don’t feel like much, but add up pounds of body fat.)

The biggest hurdle for most people, however, seems to be the amount of calories; getting enough calories. P90X is not your mamma’s aerobics class. You have to fuel your body as if it were a Lamborghini. And if you don’t put in enough fuel…doesn’t matter if you drive a clunker or a sports car, you’ll run out of energy. And you won’t get as much out of your workouts.

With that said, over the years I’ve gotten a pretty good handle on how to eat for fat shredding, for energy, and to maintain. But I’m a busy stay at home mom, building a successful business and if I don’t plan my meals out in advance and have food on hand, I don’t get enough to eat and then I feel like…crap. (shhh…don’t tell mom I said that word!)  My great results from my first round of P90X were because I didn’t guess on what to eat. I followed what the nutrition experts said to eat in the P90X meal planner.

Anne’s First Round P90X Pictures

Anne in the P90X Infomercial

I don’t have my charts from my first round, but this was the first week’s menus, modified slightly, when Dave and I started P90X together last year. It’s a little more cooking than I have most weeks, but sometimes I like to do that. Instead of P90X bars, we are usingShakeology with some extra protein thrown in each day. The P90X bars are so good, they are hard to keep around. My boys love them! (And so do I!) 

***Don’t like to cook or don’t have the time? Want a really simple approach to eating enough to do P90X? Contact Anne for ideas. anne @ fit2free.com ***

Monday – P90X Chest & Back and AB Ripper X

Dave’s approx. calories  2600  Anne’s approx. calories 2100

Numbers in (parenthesis) are for Anne.  Our boys, ages 11, 13, and 17 eat what we eat and because this is a low carb plan, I throw in extra fruits, snacks, complex carbs..yes, cookies, crackers,pancakes…for them! I’ve indicated the portion sizes for each individual, but will simply cook enough for a family and then portion out the meal. If I need an extra snack, I have 1/2 cup of 0% Fage yogurt usually…because I love it.

If you are eating vegetarian or vegan meals only, then you might benefit from using the portions approach in the P90X book. Or, simply take note of where the protein sources are in the meal planner and substitute your favorite lean protein. Remember for the first fat shredder phase, beans are also high in carbs. Just keep that in mind.

Post workout snack: P90X Recovery Drink

Breakfast:  

• Mushroom Omelet
  • 6 (4) egg whites, salt/pepper, ¾ cup brown mushrooms, 2 T. chopped green onion, ½ chopped roma tomato,2 (1) oz. goat cheese
• 1 cup frozen berries
• 1.5  (1) cups 1% cottage cheese

Snack: Chocolate Shakeology + 1 T. peanut butter, ice, almond milk (unsweetened)

Lunch:

• Chef Salad
  • 6 (4) oz. chopped fat-free deli turkey breast
  • 1.5 oz. fat-free mozzarella cheese
  • ½ roma tomato  or 5 grape tomatoes
  • 2 cups romaine lettuce
  • ¼ cup artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 oz. avocado
  • Balsamic vinaigrette (homemade)

Snack: 15  (12) almonds, raw

Supper:

• 6 (4) oz. grilled salmon
• 1 cup steamed asparagus
• 1 cup wild rice
• 2 (1) cups  Pacific foods Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Tuesday – P90X  Plyometrics
Dave’s approx. calories 2600  Anne’s approx calories 2100
***Add whey protein in almond milk if needed for extra protein.

Post workout snack: P90X Recovery Drink

Breakfast:

• Greenberry Shakeology mixed with 2 T. vanilla whey, 4 strawberries, ½ cup oj, water and ice.
• 1  (1/2) cup Fage Yogurt 0%

Snack: 15 (12) raw almonds

Lunch:

• Shrimp Stir-fry
  • 8  (6) oz. shrimp, ¼ T. low-sodium soy sauce, ½  t. rice vinegar, ¼ cup fat-free chicken broth, ¼ t. minced garlic, ¾ cup red onion, ¾ cup broccoli, 1.5 cups snow peas, 1.5 cups mushrooms, ¼ cup yellow bell pepper, ½ can water chestnuts.   (Soy sauce through garlic in sauté pan over medium heat until tender. Add veggies and continue to sauté, stirring and adding more broth as needed. Add shrimp when veggies are halfway cooked and sauté until shrimp is opaque and veggies tender.)

Snack: 2 (1) lowfat cheese stick

Supper:

• 7 (5) oz. grilled chicken
• 1 cup green beans
• 2 (1) cups butternut squash soup (Pacific foods)

Wednesday – P90X Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X
***As always, add extra serving of whey in almond milk or water if needing extra protein.

Post workout Snack: P90X Recovery Drink

Breakfast:

• Chicken Scramble
  • 7  (5) egg whites, 3 oz chicken breast cooked and diced, 2 oz. fat free parmesan cheese, fresh basil if I have some.
• 3 (2) slices turkey bacon
• 6 (4) oz. fresh squeezed oj/lemon juice

Snack: 15  (12) raw almonds

Lunch:

• Chicken Salad
  • 8 (6) oz. Poached and chopped chicken breast, 2 T. low-fat mayo, ¾ T. Dijon mustard, 2 T. green onions, pepper and dill to taste, ½ c. chopped celery.
• 3 (2) cups salad greens
• 2 cups (1) Veggie soup  (makes enough for 2 large meals…scale down as needed)
  • 10 cups fat-free chicken broth, 4 red potatoes, 4 cups quartered onions, 1 cup sliced carrots, 3 cups celergy sliced thick, 2 cups zucchini or beans, 8 oz. tomato sauce, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ cup fresh parsley, dash of pepper, salt to taste

Snack: Chocolate Shakeology, 4 oz. almond milk (unsweetened), water, ice, 1 T. peanut butter

Supper:

• 7 (5) oz. grilled Salmon
• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 cup green beans/carrots

Thursday – P90X YogaX or One on One Fountain of Youth Yoga

Breakfast:

• Strawberry Banana Blast Protein Shake
  • 1 cup almond milk,  1.5 (1) scoop vanilla whey, 1 (1/2) cup frozen berries, ½ banana, ice

Snack: 1 cup Fage 0% yogurt, agave nectar, cinnamon and 5 walnuts

Lunch:

• 7 (5) oz. grilled chicken breast
• 3  (2) cups romaine salad greens
• 1 cup artichoke hearts (not marinated)
• Vinaigrette

Snack: Chocolate Shakeology with 1 cup almond milk, 1 T. almond butter and ice.

Supper:

• Grilled Salmon
• 1 cup wild rice (leftover from Wed.)
• 2 (1) cup Veggie Soup (leftover from Wed.)

Friday – P90X Legs & Back  and Ab Ripper X

Post workout snack: P90X Recovery Drink

Breakfast:

• Spinach Scramble
  • 8 (6) egg whites, ½ cup Roma tomatoes, 1 cup spinach leaves,  3 (1) oz. feta cheese crumbles, fresh basil if available
• 1      (1/2) medium grapefruit
• 1 cup almond milk with 2 T. chocolate whey

Snack: Shakeology – Greenberry with 2 T. whey, ½ cup oj, water, ice, ½ banana

Lunch:

• Turkey Burger
  • 6 oz. ground turkey breast (97% fat free), 1.5 T. whole wheat breadcrumbs, 3 T. buttermilk, 1 T. green onions, 1 T. fresh parsley, ¼ t. Dijon mustard, 1 dash Worcestershire, pepper to taste
• 1 oz. low-fat swiss cheese
• 1 (1/2) cup coleslaw
  • (enough for 6..scale as needed.. 3 cups shredded green cabbage, 1 cup red cabbage, 1 cup jicama, ½ red onion, 2 apples finely diced, ½ cup fat-free mayo, 1/3 cup white vinegar, 2 T. sugar, 1.5 t. caraway, ¼ t. salt, pinch pepper)
• 3      (1) cup gazpacho
  • (Yield 10 cups! Scale as needed… 28 oz. canned tomatoes, 3 cups low-sodium tomato juice, ½ cup diced carrots, ¾ c. each green and red bell pepper, ½ red onion, 2 shallots, 2 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 c. fresh lemon juice, 1 t. paprika, ¼ c. fresh oregano, basil, parsley if available…at least the parsley!, Tabasco sauce to taste.)

Snack: 12 (8) oz. 1% cottage cheese

Supper:

• 8 (6) grilled fish or chicken
• 1 cup cooked wild rice or red quinoa
• 1 cup broccoli or green beans
  • • **What we ended up having is leftover veggie soup and a grilled chicken breast!

Saturday – Kenpo X or Kenpo Cardio Plus

Post workout snack: P90X Recovery Drink

Breakfast

• Shakeology – Chocolate with 2 T. whey, 1 tsp. peanut butter, 1 cup organic unsweetened Pacific foods Almond Milk, water, ice.

Lunch

• Chicken Salad (same as Wed.)
• 3 (1) cup Gazpacho (leftover from Friday)
• 1 (1/2) cup coleslaw (leftover from Friday)

Snack 2 (1) Boiled egg

Supper

• Family Homemade Pizza Night
  • Homemade whole wheat crust, turkey pepperoni, black beans, black olives, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, leftover veggies in fridge, part-skim mozz. cheese. Dave and I will measure the cheese and use a very thin crust for our pizzas.
• 3 (2) cups Romaine salad

Sunday – Stretch X or Rest

After church we frequently eat out or have lunch at Grandma’s. The rest of the meals and snacks are whatever is leftover from the previous week or simply sandwiches, bean burritos..something simple and fast. I don’t cook much on Sunday unless someone has a special request.  I also usually shop for our next week’s groceries on the way home from church on Sunday.