More About Me…
Since I can remember, I have always looked big-boned…some may argue that I was/am just fat. I am 5’ 11” and my weight has fluctuated from 200lbs in 9th grade to as high as 250lbs in college. I did lift weights consistently throughout high-school / college but by no means was I even close to being ripped or even remotely looked like I was in great shape. I always thought of myself as a “big guy” that should probably lose a few pounds. Even today as I am writing this message (weighing in at 220lbs); I am considered obese according to the BMI (body mass index). Some people when they hear my weight are a bit surprised so I guess I hide it well…a.k.a spread it out well. No matter if you think I hide my weight well or not, there is definitely extra fat on my body and my goal is to remove it!
Last year, a friend of mine introduced me to a home workout program called P90X. Being very skeptical about a home workout program, I asked him if I could borrow his DVDs to test it out prior to spending any funds on it. After the first workout, I fell in love. I am not going to lie and say it was easy because it was far from. But I will say it’s VERY doable if you are in somewhat decent shape. I continued for 2 months doing the workouts (not sure why I stopped??). I did not follow the program exactly, nor did I follow the nutrition plan at all. I managed to build some muscle mass and lost about 8-10 pounds. I felt great and in the following months, I incorporated a couple of the P90X workouts into my own workout routine. I have since realized after gaining a few pounds (actually 12lbs) back that I really need to commit myself back to P90X to continue seeing the results I once saw during the program. This time around, my plan is to follow both the fitness and nutrition plan to a tee. As much as I am not a big fan of following a nutrition plan, I am very excited to see the results that will follow.
The P90X program is a 90-day workout routine that uses “muscle confusion”, a technique that prevents the body from adapting which leads to greater muscle growth and fat loss. The system includes strength training, cardio, and stretching. The 12 workouts are:
- Chest and Back
- Plyometrics
- Shoulders and Arms
- Yoga X
- Legs and Back
- Kenpo X
- X Stretch
- Core Synergistics
- Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps
- Back and Biceps
- Cardio X
- Ab Ripper X
The P90X program also includes a fitness calendar which will help in keeping track of workout goals and progress, and a complete step-by-step nutrition program which is tailored to your individual needs.
I started this blog with hopes that it will not only keep me motivated to get in the best shape of my life but to also inspire others to join in. Changing your diet and exercise routine is a huge lifestyle adjustment but is 100% possible as I read about it every day with other people. We are currently living our only life so let’s make the best of it!
With that said, please bookmark my blog now and also subscribe to my feed by clicking the orange RSS graphic at the top right hand side of the web page. Remember to check back each day for progress updates and I look forward to reading everyone’s comments along the way.
December 16th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
AKA Fredo21
your whole setup is identical to mine.
Age, Marital, kids, height, weight and story.
I am gearing up to get started. Man you can really see a difference in your 28 days on the program. My big struggle will be the nutrition. How hard of a time have you had following the plan? After seeing your pics and reading your story, I am confident that I can have the same results. Are there any tips you can give me that weren’t given to you when you first started? Thanks for any help. Once my supplements are delivered, I will set my start date. Should be right after Christmas. Thanks again.
December 16th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Hi Brian,
First, congrats on committing yourself to P90X…you will not be disappointed!
I thought the same thing about the nutrition piece but I can honestly say it’s easier to maintain than I initially thought. You can pretty much eat what you want as long as you keep the portions down. I eat a lot of chicken, ground turkey meat, and tons of vegetables. I was never a big fan of veggies and now I love them so if you already like vegetables…you will be fine as they are a great supplement to any meal. The only part I struggle with is the snack part, I am used to finishing my kids leftovers and occasionally taking a trip to the snack drawer to get a handful of chips of some sort….those days are now over. Think about it though, those trips were also unnecessary.
I think the nutrition part is the hardest piece of P90X (and it’s not too bad) as its 24 hours a day, the workouts are 1 hour. The workouts are intense but they only take up a small portion of the day. If you can stay focus on eating healthy, you will 100% see great results. Again, the workouts are tough but all you have to do it press play and do your best on completing them!
Definitely make sure you let me know when you start and use my blog to communicate, I would love to hear your daily experiences.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:04 am
You bet. Thank you for the Reply.
December 17th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
my question is do you use dumbbells or resistance bands?
December 17th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
Hi Ron – I use both. I use dumbbells for the heavier exercises and the bands for the lighter ones. The bands are great for straight-arm shoulder exercises, I get more of a burn using the bands than I do from dumbbells. I also sometimes start with dumbbells and when I am unable to do anymore, I will grab the bands and bang out a few more reps.
December 17th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
do you think i’ll still do ok if use the bands to immulate my pullups and such?
December 18th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Absolutely, most people I know doing the P90X program can only do 1-2 pull-ups. Another alternative is to do pull-ups while placing your foot on a chair…this makes you lighter and allows for more pull-ups. I thought I tested pretty good on pull-ups at about 12 but for some reason I can only do 4-6 tops during the workouts and after I do a couple of sets…i am unable to any. The people on the video are freaks, they can do tons.
Here is some more information on bands…
http://fightfatblogger.com/b-lines-resistance-band-review/
It’s 5:30am, time to work out!
January 10th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
If this was not a computer screen. It would be like looking in a mirror.I am on the same FAT BOAT as you were. I am 35, married with a son. I to look fit but hide the fat well or so I think. I know have the equipment to start the program but I only have videos. I received the vids from a buddy. He could only find the vids.I know the program works but I dont know how to start short of buying the whole package.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Chris –
Do you have a pull-up bar, dumbbells and/or resistance bands?
Also, do you plan on following the nutrition plan?
January 16th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
This sounds like an exciting option. I know that for me cardio can be rather boring. When I was in college I use to pound on a punching bag to burn some fat. One of my college buddies kept it and I never got back into it. I’ll deef have to look into this.
January 16th, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Abone- Too funny, I have a similiar story from back in the day. I highly recommend this program if you are SERIOUS about getting in shape, shoot me an email (fightfatblogger@gmail.com) if you are and I will help you get started!
January 16th, 2010 at 9:15 pm
I have recently put on weight and I think this sounds like a fantastic program. I am serious about starting but I think I would rip the borders off of my doors from my strength doing the chin up bar. What do you recommend to do instead of chin-ups. Will the effect still be the same?
January 17th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
NeedToFightFat – I am not sure what your weight is but the P90X chin up bar was designed to withhold up to 300 pounds and is made of heavy-gauge steel. You could use the b-line resistance bands with door attachment as an alternative but it you can do 2-3 chin-ups, I would recommend the chin-up bar as 2-3 will soon lead to 4-6, then 7-9, etc…
Check out my review on the P90X Chin-Up Bar…
February 17th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Hey! Great success and results. Congrats! My husband and I started P90X and were totally committed until our 2 children got sick. Our sleep and work habits were disrupted tremedously over a week and a half and sadly so did our 5am workout routine. Last night the kids finally slept and so did we. I feel we’re finally back to normal. Having finished strong, how do you feel about us starting up again? Should we continue into week 5 workouts as if we never missed? Thanks for sharing your awesome story/results. Truely inspiring and makes me excited to get started again!
February 18th, 2010 at 9:26 am
Thank you…
I can relate having two kids of my own. I am impressed that you want to continue, some people would lose momentum after taking a week off and not want to continue…so good job! It sounds like you missed your rest week (week 4), correct? If this is the case, I would continue on to week 5. The purpose of the rest week is to allow your muscle to recoup and you did that by taking the week off. Now, if you are feeling up to it…try to bang out a couple extra cardio sessions (cardio-x, walking, running, etc..) to make up those missed workouts in the next week or so.
If you missed a resistance training week, I would repeat that week.
March 16th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
First of all I wanna say congrats on your continued progress and thanks for inspiring others to do it as well. This has inspired me to wanna finally do this as well. I’ve had the p90x program for awhile but never seemed to really been able to start it. Seeing how you start your workouts out at about 5:30 am has me thinking that I could do it as well (I hope). I’m about 6′6″ and 350lbs (former basketball player) and I want to get back down to about 260lbs. I hope the old knee problems that I have doesn’t hinder me to much. I’m actually thinking of doing the lean workout first before going to the classic so I can get the weight down first then tone up. Do you think using meal replacement shakes for 2 of my major 3 meals is going to hinder me? I love shakes so mixing ice, skim milk and a meal replacement mix would do me just fine.
March 17th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Big Diesel – It’s your call but I would go with the classic version, it will still get you lean and ripped if followed correctly. I think replacing meals with shakes would be fine if you can do it. Guys your size will see incredible results if you follow a strict nutrition plan. I would shoot for 5-6 small meals a day and you can include those shakes as meals. Also, listen to your body. Your body will dictate if you need more food or not. If you start crashing during your workouts, it’s a sign that you need to eat more.
I also highly recommend some sort of recory drink. I take the the P90X one and swear by it.
March 23rd, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Hey,
I think your pictures look great and hoping i can look like that on day 56! I am 5′8 220 when i weighed in on my first day 3-22-10. I am doing stright diet and want to get rid of my man boobs as well. I am pretty bulit as it is use to play college football. Just wanted to know when you really started to see changes in yourself?
March 24th, 2010 at 9:37 am
Thanks…
I saw them right away and continued to see them throughout the 90 days. If you follow a strict nutrition plan and follow the program…you are guarenteed to see great results. I recommend counting your calories the first couple of weeks or so. Some people think they eat great and don’t realize they consume a lot more calories than they originally thought. Counting every single calories will determine if you are on a solid eating plan or not.
March 26th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
ThinkHave thinking about getting it, not sure yet. I’m 33, 240 and im 6′2. I need to lose lbs and get stronger. does it really work? i will stick with it, i want to strong and athletic again.
March 28th, 2010 at 7:22 pm
P90X is legit and I highly recommend it to anyone that is serious about getting in shape. If you can follow the program for 90 days, I guarantee that you will not be dissapointed.
Email me at fightfatblogger@gmail.com and I will let you know the next step.
March 29th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Another mirror here. I am 6′2 and was a 190lb 10% 36″ vertical athelete in hs. Loved to lift weights just to feel the body work and the endorphin and norepenephrine rushes. 16 years (11 of marriage) and two beautiful girls later, where did my animal go? I did the fit test today and am starting week one tomorrow. My wife’s been very successful with weight watchers so the nutrition piece isn’t difficult, but I haven’t commited to buying the vitamin pack yet. Not sure if it is meaningful or marketing. After reading some of your posts hear, I’ll probably buy the vitamin packs. Who knows, the animal may just be sleeping, and this P90X program may just awaken it.
March 30th, 2010 at 9:33 am
Too funny, another retired athlete…join the club!
You are going to love P90X, you will not be dissapointed!
March 30th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
bendog – let me know if you have any questions on supplements.
April 17th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Thanks for the P90X Mass.
I started to incorporate some of the same principles before I stumbled on your site.
I am following the P90X workouts as per the exact DVD set up.
I am however, doing slow count reps and added bands to the pushups and some resistance to the chins keeping reps in the 6-10 range.
I replaced plyo with two Kenpo X sessions instead of one since this helps me maintain my traditional Kenpo skill.
One KenpoX session is in the air, the other I wear gloves and do 85% of the techniques on a heavy bag.
The program can build mass no doubt.
May 11th, 2010 at 12:20 am
I am another Former athlete, Was a college football player, playing weight was 225 lbs in HS to 240 lbs in College, after 20 years of working , family and a child, I had my weight up to over 320 lbs. I am 6′3″ and felt it was time to take control of my life again. I have been on a VLC diet and have dropped over 35 lbs, I have 20 more days on this diet and then will be switching to the P90x and I have truly dedicated myself to follow the program to a tee for the full 90 and seeing what kind of results I can get.
I stumbled across your site after deciding that within the next 18 months I want to complete a mini-tri. I want to thank you for all of the info you have provided and will let you know how the progress goes… Thank you
May 11th, 2010 at 8:24 am
I am glad I could help, definitely keep me in the loop on your progress…
May 20th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Hey man,
I workout hard and have a nice muscular frame but also have a gut. I am 6′5, 245 lbs. My workout buddy and I lift heavy, bench 315. I currently do 30 minutes of cardio a day and lift for about an hour. I want to keep my size, even grow a bit more, but want to strip off all this fat as well. I bought my P90X on Monday and can’t wait to get started but am wondering if I should just do the normal version the first time and then switch to the Mass version or just go straight to the Mass version? Thanks!
May 21st, 2010 at 9:55 am
Definitely do the P90X Classic version first, then modify it for MASS. You will be surprised, I bet you will looked jacked if you lose a few pounds of fat.
May 22nd, 2010 at 9:32 pm
This is too wild. I have used P90X for over a year now. I started out at 5′8″ 260 and thinking I was just thick in my 44″ pants. Now I wear loose 36″ pants and weigh 200 lbs. I am 33 years old, also married with 2 kids. I work a full-time job that takes me much over 40 hours a week and often travel. On travel days, I just workout in the hotel gym and keep the plan when back home (just be sure to get an hour a day of sweat and power) I am not ripped in the abs, but must admit that I did not do all of the ab routines until recently. I did the first 90 days exactly by the book and since have made my own program. I tweaked my knee doing the Plyo and now substitute a non-P90X video that day or sometimes the Core video. I never got crazy about the Yoga and have never committed myself to the diet… I still drink cold beer and eat out with friends, but I substitute a protein shake for breakfast on Mon-Wed-Fri and protein bars the other days. I eat either a protein bar or a salad for lunch each day, or eat it for dinner if I go out for lunch. I have started liking healthier food options, but not all and light beer is just too far( look at the skinny bottle and how goofy it feels in your hand). I used bands for pull-ups until I broke the second set by pulling too hard. Now I either use the chin-up bar, or put a chair to help me finish the workout. P90X has changed my life!
I was a 350 lbs benchpress guy in the 11th grade and weighed 30 pounds more coming out of the 10th grade than I do now. I am thankful that I finally decided to get into true fit shape and not chasing some weight number goal.
May 23rd, 2010 at 7:55 am
Great Story…
Keep it up