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Baseline Food Plan

June 4, 2011 –

It is December 2009 and I remember getting P90X in the mail and being so pumped about starting. I remember thumbing through the nutrition guide and being completely overwhelmed.

– Who has time to make all these meals?

– How am I going to find to eat 5 times a day?

– Where is the program for real people who are busy with their lives?

– How do I track my food?

– What is a P/C/F ratio?

I was completely ignorant to all this stuff. I am somewhat lucky in that I am a fairly skinny guy who has had a fast metabolism throughout my whole life. However, I knew I was getting more and more out of shape and I couldn’t just eat whatever I wanted. I never went on a diet. I never paid any attention to what I put in my mouth. So when I started P90X, I knew I needed to create a baseline food plan. I talk about this briefly in my Nutrition and Diet Post, which contains other helpful tips. However, this topic is one that is worth to expanding on.

1) The first thing you need to do when creating a baseline food plan is figure out your goals. As you know, the P90X plan has (3) phases and based on some your information, calculates your caloric intake. Are you looking to get lose weight? Build mass? Build Endurance? So, first figure out your goal.

2) I am not going to regurgitate the nutrition guide here, but I have included the basic P90X Phases below. Based on your goals,  you will select  what phase you want to do which will determine your P/C/F ratio.  P90X has a different phase each 30 days, but this is not set in stone. Each phase varies the P/C/F ratio. If you want to continue losing weight after Phase 1, then keep using the Fat Shredder program during Phase 2.

What is a P/C/F ratio? This is the distribution of Protein, Carbs, and Fat in your diet. This number adds up to 100%. However, you can only take this great information and execute on it if you go to Step 3.

3) Plan a baseline diet and track it. If you have an 1800 calorie plan, create a day of meals with your intended P/C/F ratio. On a Fat Shredding Diet? Get ready for a high protein diet: Scrambled Egg Whites, Protein Shakes, Skinless Chicken Breasts. Maybe you are looking to build mass? Well, the Endurance Maximizer will carb you up. (Good carbs though!). Use the P90X Nutrition Plan as a guide to what kind of foods will be good for that P/C/F. However, if a meal sounds too complicated, don’t do it. It needs to work for you and your schedule. Just remember to eat the good whole foods and you will be okay. What are the 5 target foods again? Fruits, Vegetables, Whole Grains, Lean Proteins, and Healthy Fats.

4) Use tools if you get stuck. If you become a Team Beachbody Club Member, they have a great Meal Planner Tool. I have used this and really like it. It does not have the best data base, but I like the structure. It will ask you what program you are doing, what your goals are, and yield what kind of plan you should be on. It will even fill your week with meals and give you a grocery list of what you will need. Pretty cool.I have put a sample summary below when I was on a 3100 calorie plan.

5) Once you create a baseline plan, you can the tweak off of that plan. You will get a feel for it. Instead of brown rice, have a piece of wheat toast. Switch up your fruit. Switch up your vegetables. But if you don’t create this baseline plan, you have nothing to go off of. This provides a solid foundation for your success. Getting results and reaching your goals do not just happen. You need to plan and then stick to it!

Examples

I have written extensively in the past months about (2) of my baseline diets.

1) The first was for Asylum and it is documented HERE. This was a 42/42/15 plan in which I was targeting 2400-2500 calories, but had to adjust mid-plan to increase my calories by another 100-200 per day.

2) The second is my current meal plan which is more of an Endurance Maximizer plan geared towards a high calorie burn workout routine preparing for a triathalon. You can see that documented HERE. I cranked up my calories to 3600 and am also increasing my Carbs to 55-60% of my diet.

Hopefully, these (2) examples will help you see how I create baseline diets and help you create your own for your specific needs. If you would like me to assist you, please feel free to contact me!

3 Responses to “Baseline Food Plan”

  1. Jessie B says:

    Great info coach, it is really hard to eat healthy though.

  2. […] I state in my Baseline Food Plan Post (Click HERE to see it), creating a baseline plan with your food journal is critical to you success. Once you […]

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