P90X: Gets 2 Thumbs Up!

Hey Deb--and anyone else interested in whether or not I would recommend P90X,
Here are some of my final thoughts on the program.

You WILL get results. There's no "if's" about it. As long as you follow the exercise plan and eat as outlined in the nutritional guide...I would be confident in saying you will absolutely get tremendous results.

Here's the "catch": It takes time. Lots of time. Time to look at the meal plans, time to shop for the foods, time to COOK all the recipes. The work outs are lengthy (most are an hour and 15 min).

I would say if you have small children and a super busy life...you are going to struggle with the food side of this program. Chances are, unless your kids are EASY-eaters...they are going to hate most of the stuff you are eating..which means you'll be #1: either cooking 2 things for every meal or #2: Fighting with your kids at every meal and practically shoving food down their throat.

Also, if you have a spouse who is willing to do it with you...that is a significant advantage. I have done it both ways. For the first about 50 days...Matt was TOTALLY on board and we were a team. If one of us was having a tough day, the other one could help pull them through. At around the day 50 point, Matt worked a bunch of overtime for about 2 weeks and missed all the work outs. For some reason, he pretty much gave up on the work outs from then on and suddenly it became MUCH harder for me to get motivated. I found myself skipping a day or two at a time almost every week.

Also, this is not a program for people who are just easy-going, mediocre people. This is for people who are DRIVEN. Who know what they want and are going to do what it takes to get it. I mean--you have to REALLY want it. It's HARD core. It's relentless. Even on days when you're so sore you can hardly walk...you have to put on your gym clothes and Bring It. It is for people who are already physically fit and are just looking to take their fitness and bodies to the next level. You need to be in good shape before even attempting this program, or you'll likely fail. Just to give you an example, on the Chest, Shoulders and Triceps work out...you pretty much do an entire HOUR of push ups. You'd never guess how many kinds of push ups there are!! When I started out, I could easily drop down and do 20 boy push ups without a break. Now I could probably do 30-40.

Here are some of the AWESOME pluses about this program: You can do it at home and it requires VERY little space!! No fancy or expensive equipment needed! No fancy, choreographed moves to learn--it's all BASIC and a lot of body resistance. You can do it at any time of the day--when it's convenient for you (unlike a class at the gym). There is a wonderful online support system at www.beachbody.com that will give you lots of recipe/cooking ideas and support. You don't have to go out and buy cute gym clothes--since no one will be seeing you! You get unbelievable results in a SHORT amount of time.

In all, I would say P90X is the absolute BEST fitness/nutrition program I have ever encountered. It will be my way of life from now on. There is no guesswork anymore. No--"I wonder if I am getting enough cardio in?" or "I wonder if I am doing enough weights--or the right weights?" No--"I wish I knew what kinds of food to eat and how much of it."
It's all spelled out for you--plain and simple. You just have to make up your mind that you are going to do it. Period. If a recipe calls for something you've never heard of..you just go to the store, ask where it is and buy it. If you can follow instructions, you can make these recipes and you CAN eat the food. Just remind yourself: Food is fuel. Food is not entertainment. Food is not your friend. Food is not the love of your life. Food is just something you give your body so it can function. And with the right food--your body will function better than you can imagine!

90 days is going to come and go before you realize it anyway. Thanksgiving is only a little over 90 days away! Christmas is just around the corner. As we all know, these things creep up and are here before we realize it every year...just think...this year...when Thanksgiving gets here--you could have a totally new body!!

As for my results:
At this point (and I am 9 days from being done)..I have lost 12 pounds. Matt has lost 26. We both are MUCH more toned and lean than we were. His top half (shoulders, chest, back) have grown significantly. When we started out, he could do about 10 chin ups. The other day he hopped up there and did 36!!!
We haven't done our measurements yet or our after pictures...but check back next week to see the final results!
I think we could have had double these results if we had stuck to the plan 100%. I would say I stuck to it about 80% and Matt did it about 60% of the time. He lost more weight because he DRASTICALLY changed his eating habits. If he had continued on with the work outs though, I think his muscles would be significantly more "cut".
We DEFINITELY plan on starting this program again very soon!!