I have always been asked what I eat for lunch during P90X. Before continuing to read further, I strongly encourage you to read Part 1 and Part 2 which will clearly breakdown the P90X nutrition guide for you, give you tips and tools that I used, and how to make educated lunch choices whether you work in a office, on the road, or are a college student.
Quick background on me before I started to work from home as a full-time Team Beachbody Coach. Before going full-time I was, of course, part-time. Most Beachbody Coaches have a primary job and they either coach for fun because they love it, they want to have their supplements like Shakeology paid for, or they have bills they need to pay. I started this exact same way and not to get off topic, if you would like to learn how and why I got started as a Beachbody Coach you can learn more here.
Before becoming full-time and working from home I was first a Pharmaceutical Sales representative and after that I went back to school for a 2nd undergrad degree in Physical Education. As a Pharma Rep I did a lot of traveling and was on the road, calling on Doctor to Doctor. Bringing in lunches and sitting in the car for most of the day. If you are in the outside sales / Business-to-Business field and you are using P90X, INSANITY or any other Beachbody program here are my tips for you:
- If you are dining out with a client or bringing food in to feed the office, make smart choices. Restaurants have nutritional information online so you can view the menu before hand a pick what you would like to order before getting there. Also salads, wraps, veggie and fresh fruit trays are better options than Subs, Pizza, or Chinese food.
- Pack your lunch. Invest in small lunch cooler that will hold your lunch as well as a small ice pack to keep it cold.
- Eat at Subway. Avoid mayonnaise, and fattie meats. Stick to turkey or chicken, always choose the 6″ wheat roll and double the meat. Remember, the P90X nutrition guide is about ratios (50/30/20). The roll will skew your carbs for the day but if you double your protein in the sandwich, the amount of protein per gram should equal and balance out the amount of carbohydrates in the roll.
Lets talk more about packing your lunch because this was something I did sometimes as a Pharmaceutical Sales rep but always as a college student. Yes, I know college students have meal plans and access to dining halls but if you college was like mine, the nutritional information will be provided to you if you search for your dining services website.
If you are serious about getting ripped and having extreme results with P90X, P90X2 or Insanity, you must choose what you eat wisely and researching your best options at the dining hall are your best bet.
When you are reading the P90X nutrition guide and you see some of the suggestions for lunch, if you are anything like me, I was like “yeah right. I don’t have time to make lunches like this.” But have no fear, if you made it through the book there are tips at the back that guide you to make proper “convenience” food selections on page 107. Page 108-109 are guides to eating at Fast Food options though I really don’t recommend that unless it is Subway, or the Ultimate Chicken Grill from Wendy’s.
If you look closely at the convience foods, you have a variety of frozen food, quick optiosn. I’ve looked at them all and I’ve found Lean Cuisine to be the best options, particularly these three which have a balance between proteins and carbohydrates:
- Herb Roasted Chicken – 180 Calories, 18g Protein, 20g Carbs, 3.5g Fat, 590 mg Sodium
- Roasted Turkey and Vegetables – 190 Calories, 17 g Protein, 18g Carbs, 6g Fat, 480mg Sodium
Steak Tips Portabello – 180 Calories, 15g Protein, 13g Carbs, 7g Fat, 620mg Sodium
Obviously you will need a microwave and luckily, the library where I attended school had one so I’m assuming most campuses you have access to one and you I believe if you work in an office, they probably have one also.
Now I didn’t just eat a lean cuisine for lunch. I had sides such as:
Piece of fruit (whatever was in season, apple, pear, orange, watermelon)- Cottage Cheese
- String Cheese
- Bean Salad
I would also premake Shakeology in the morning, put it in shaker cup and either drink that as a snack or my main meal. Just depended on the day. If you would like a free sample of Shakeology, click here to learn more.
[button link=”https://joepetri.com/supplements/shakeology/shakeology-sample/” type=”big” color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] YES! I’d like a Shakeology Sample[/button]
Here is an example of my lunch just the other day. Now I do understand that if you are on the road working, Lean Cuisines may not be the best options. I’ll write another blog on that soon. I promise.
I hope this blog helped you out. Please leave your comments below and if you have questions or would like me to cover something in particular, just ask.
Coming Soon:
Free Nutrition Guide – P90X (PX90) Part 4: Snacks
Free Nutrition Guide – P90X (PX90) Part 5: Eating on the Go