I saw the infomercial for P90X today, and was really impressed. It's not often you see infomercials that promise results through hard work instead of through a pill or some miracle device...basically it fell in line with everything I know about fitness.

I'm just wondering if it's worth it for someone like me. I'm not the fittest person in the world, but I'm not a couch potato. I'm 6'0, 235lbs. I've been running and lifting weights for the past three months, and have seen some progress, but I'm not where I'd like to be. I run around 25 miles a week...and have recently seemed to plateau in my weightlifting (the whole muscle confusion thing was what attracted me to this program). I'm a huge hockey fan (Detroit Red Wings) and have pretty consistently spent the last two months drinking beer every other night, which I think accounts for my weight being more than it should for somebody who runs as much as I do. Now that the playoffs are done, though, I'd love to get into an intense exercise program, and P90X seems perfect.

Is anyone else in (or has been in) a similar situation? Is this going to be too intense for me? I'm also vegetarian...will it be easy to tinker with the nutrition plan to make it vegarian-friendly? Any help is greatty appreciated!

TC

TC, I am by no means an expert and although not a huge couch potato, I'm probably one of the least fit people on the forum to have started this program but I'll throw my two cents in. I started the 3rd of June after debating for over four months. I actually had the program in my house for about a month before I was brave enough to start. My start date was June because I am a school teacher and I am out for the summer. That and the fact that I will turn 50 (gasp I said it) in August was my motivation. My son, a college baseball player had done the advance program last year and warned me to "take it easy", that really scared me. However, I have now completed day 17!!! And I am thrilled with my progress and my determination. I am sure that you will be doing more than I am (I currently am only doing the LEAN workout). I like most people here on the forum, could not do much at first, but I'm getting better and stronger with each workout. Now, please don't think that this workout is too easy either. I can't keep up with Tony and his friends but I am determined to be able to by August. There are a lot of people who have graduated from P90X and I hope they answer your post. I just hope you give it a try, you will not be disappointed.

TC, i was in your exact spot, if not worse when i first started last year. 6'0", 230+ pounds. one big difference, i hadnt worked out in over a year. i was WAY out of shape, and i still survived. so you're primed for this. go for it, you will not be disappointed. i was at a 42" waist at that time as well. now i'm down to 200lbs, 35 waist. and body fat % (from what i can tell from my scale) went from 27.5% to 19% now. my diet is not very good and it still works. i cant imagine my results if i ate better!!

go for it. it works. the one thing to keep in mind:
what you put into this program is DEFINITELY what you get out of it. so BRING IT!

Having a history of recent cardio and weightlifting will help you survive hellweek.

Getting past the first week of soreness and tiredness is pretty rough. However since you already workout and have done weightlifting, I can't imagine it being very hard for you.

So in my opinion, you are in the perfect setup to lose a lot of weight quickly. Only a few changes here and there would change you from where you are, to losing like 20 pounds of fat.

The changes in cardio and weightlifting as well as the changes to the diet.

Being a vegetarian will not change anything one bit. It might be more of a pain if you are vegan, but even then it could probably be managed. The hardest part for you as a vege will be the first block where you have to eat tons and tons of protein. Instead of getting protein from chicken/turkey etc, you will just have to substitute in lots of protein shakes/bars and eggs to make sure you hit your protein marks. A multivitamin would help as well, granted everyone should be taking that in the first place, but it would be especially important to you I think.

Cocoimloco is the closest to my body type that I've come across on this forum and it's nice to hear that someone with your body type can change. I'm 6'1", 252lbs when I started. I'm a 40" waist and I don't think that will change for another few weeks, but I feel stronger, my belly is shrinking and I have changed up my diet for the better. I've gone 8 days without eating out, our eating at our company diner. Hawaiian food is really good but rich in all things bad, salt, fat, carbs.

TC, pay attention to what TomC is saying and that everything you fear about P90X will disappear once you push play and dive into the program. I just finished week 1 and I've never ever looked forward to working out before. I work out in the early morning and throughout the rest of the day, I think about the next day's session and I look forward to it. I will say that you've already taken a huge step by coming onto this message board and seeing may like minded people like yourself. This site has been a major reason for me to keep pushing play. I know that many people are at the same stage of P90X as I am, and it's truly inspring to see people bare themselves to help others.

Go for it, you won't regret it.

Of course you can do it. It is all in the noggin'...you just have to show up everyday and work your butt off. You and I are very similar....I LOVE beer and feel that I am a vegetarian. I pushed off on all the plant eating temporarily because it is too hard to get protein without eating meat. I started at 6' and 220....my diet hasn't been perfect but I can feel and see the changes. Since this isn't a miracle program I feel it will be necessary to do at least 2 rounds....by being realistic at the beginning it will help offset some potential disappointment at the 30 and 60 day points. I recommend you measure how much you really want to change and then make a decision you can live with.

JB

Hey guys -thanks for all the support you offer everyone. My program is suppose to be here in a couple of days.Probably looking at the first of July as my start date. I am 55 yoa and 6 ft. I weight about 230. As far as exercise I walk about 30 mintues in the morning and I team rope nearly every day.That puts me riding a horse for a couple of hours a day.
I have been a little concerned about ordering and starting because of my age and the fact I never exercise. I have a fairly active live style , but I am still out of shape. Your support helps.