Final Thoughts

Having now experienced P90X in all of its early morning glory, I have the following thoughts:

1) I have no before or after pictures to share with you.

2) And here's why: This experience with P90X marked a return to resistance training for me - something which I haven't done since 1996 when I stopped playing college football and lifting weights. Therefore, given that it has been 15 years since I've stretched, strained and pushed my muscles, you can imagine the sad state into which they had fallen. This round of P90X was all about rebuilding a foundation of strength that I had lost. And because I had lost it, I was not strong enough, for example, to push my body for an hour and then do an extra 15 on my abs. After the hour, my body was toast, and so my abs were not worked. ERGO, I have no infomercial quality photos to share with you.

3) Did I lose weight? Yes. How much? Probably about 10 pounds. But I also gained muscle, so the total pounds lost is offset by muscle pounds gained.

4) I did not follow Tony's specific diet plan. Instead, I counted calories based on a limit set by Tony. I was allotted 3,000 calories per day. Because of a busy last weekend, I stopped keeping my food journal after day 85. But based on 85 days worth of journaling, I calculated that I consumed an average of 2,808 calories a day, or 94% of my total allotment. What's more, based on my food journal, I calculated that of the calories I consumed, 26% of them were on foods that I probably should have skipped - desserts, dressings, fats, etc.

5) The question is what I will now do with both my renewed foundation of strength as well as my now ultra sensitive food counting body? I've decided to take a break for at least 2-3 weeks, and then I'm going to begin a half marathon training routine which will last 90 days as well. Why? Because both the P90X and the running are both preparatory for the Tough Mudder race I'm running in May 2012 - 10 miles of British Special Forces obstacles. Ooh rah.

So Tony, I thank you for the experience, the education and the relentless nature of your program and personality. Perhaps we'll meet again one day. But for now, I'll borrow a line from the genie of Aladdin: I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!