Low carb and P90X

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dan. I will be starting the P90X exercise program today; however, as far as my "diet" I will be doing the low carb. I'm not overweight, but getting closer to it. I'm a 28 yr old female - 5'4" and I weigh 141, and my goal is to be around 120, be lean, and live a healthier life. My question is, what types of supplements should I be taking while on this diet and excercise program? Do you think I will still get to my goal by combining the low carb with P90X?

Thank you in advance!
Nelly

ANSWER: Hi Nelly,

Congratulations on this healthy decision you have made! Like you, I started p90X while also enjoying a low carb diet so I can relate.

You can absolutely reach your goals using a low carb diet and following the p90x program. I would recommend that you eliminate the idea of a specific weight that you would like to achieve. This is dangerous, especially with p90x, as you will most certainly build muscle which weighs more than fat. Pay more attention to how you feel, look and how your clothes are fitting.

In regards to supplementation, you do not specifically need anything if you are eating the right amount of fresh veggies. That being said, I generally recommend two things to low carb dieters:

1. A multivitamin
2. fish oil

The multivitamin will help if you need a little extra help with your vitamins and minerals, remember though, the bottle may say 100% of your daily need but your body does not absorb all the vitamins in the pill.

I have found the fish oil to be a miracle supplement, the benefits are to numerous to list out but the main one you will be interested in is increased weight loss and increased lean muscle mass.

Outside of supplementation, I would recommend daily intake of flax. The easiest and fastest way to do this is with the one minute muffin: http://carbstation.com/recipe/view/low-carb-flax-1-minute-muffin/  , it is zero net carbs and induction friendly. Flax improves digestion and regularity as well as cholesterol. It also helps you to feel full, some say flax is the "ultimate food".

Let me add some advice on p90x...Outside of a personal trainer designing a specific program for you, it is by far the best workout I have ever seen. That being said, it is also the hardest workout I have ever seen and requires a lot of dedication to workout up to 90 minutes everyday. When I started the program I felt like I was just flopping around on the floor and not really able to do many of the exercises, over the next week or so, I began to improve until I could do the entire program without a problem. So, the point of my story is, do what you can and soon you will be doing the whole thing...And don't give up.

It may be helpful for you to join some low carb diet communities such as:

http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/

or

http://carbstation.com

Thanks, and good luck!

Dan





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for all that information Dan. What is your take on coconut oil? I hear many positive things about it, but I wasn't sure if it would be ok to take in combonation with fish oil. (???)

I have done low-carb in the past and the flax muffin is to die for! I had misplaced the recipe so thanks for sharing that link with me. I also failed to mention that I had initially started the P90X in December but only for 2 weeks - I had to quit because I caught pneumonia. It is a great program! One thing I noticed is that I was VERY sore. I can not afford the recovery drinks, so I started using the chocolate milk method. Now that I'm actually back on the low carb, I'm not sure that chocolate milk is a good idea. Any suggestions on that?  

Thanks again!
Nelly

Answer
Nelly,

I would absolutely not take coconut oil supplementation, the majority of reputable scientific evidence suggest that it is not good for you (saturated fat). Omega-3's on the other hand have been thoroughly studied and the general consensus is positive. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on coconut oil, but again, there is little evidence to suggest the positive claims.

Regarding soreness, there are a few techniques that you can use but in general, soreness is temporary and p90x does a good job at rotating exercises so you do not continually hit the same muscle group.

Overcoming soreness:

1. Leg elevation - improves circulation
2. Contrast showers - run a hot shower then cold, then hot then cold...about 1 minute between cycles, is said to improve circulation.
3. Protein - This one is easy on a low carb diet!
4. Sleep - Growth hormone at night will help with soreness

You will only experience the soreness early on in the program, this goes away in the later weeks, so just hold on!

Dan

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