So after other people urging me to do it because they relish in my misery, I’ve decided to log my P90X workout. Why did I title it Lebanese? Clearly, so that other Lebanese people could find out how it works for Lebanese people. Or I just wanted something unique in the title to differentiate from the three million other “Fitness Diaries” on the internet. One of those.

My biggest goal is to answer the question of “Does P90X work, and how well?” Furthermore, I think keeping a blog about the program will help me stay focused and committed (because impulse “entire pizza eating” is a thing I do). I wish I had done the same thing for Insanity, because while I’m certainly not ripped, it helped me get into probably the best shape of my life (similar to when I was in high school, but without the greasy daily burritos at two in the morning).

Beginning measurements

Now, I’m already coming from a place where I’m in decent shape. There is plenty of room for me to improve, especially with my goal of adding a little bit of mass, but I’m not going to lie and say that I’m an absolute fatty and potential contestant on the biggest loser. If you have a similar body type but have hit an exercise plateau, you can use this to see if it’s worth your time.

Weight: 188 pounds

Height: 6’1″

BMI: Who can say?

Because it’s a three month routine, and because blogging isn’t my full time job, I’ll do my best to inform you of calorie intake, but I’m not going to log every single thing I eat. With my body weight and and height, to maintain weight and build muscle, I should be consuming about 2600 calories daily, with a good portion of it coming from protein. I’ll be sure to reflect whether or not I’m maintaining this caloric intake, so you can see if my results are helped/hindered by my dedication/cheating. Keep in mind that weight loss isn’t my goal here; rather, it’s the level of fitness and mass gain that I’ll be paying attention to. Which leads me to the crappy way I have to share results….

Photos

I’ve tried to think of other ways to do this, trust me, but there’s not another alternative that would make this at all worth it for anyone interested. The unfortunate reality I must endure is taking progress photos. This will easily be my least favorite part of this process, regardless of whether I’m chubby or ripped as hell. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt like more of an idiot than when I’ve taken shirtless photos of myself, but science demands it. I will take photos probably every phase (three to four weeks) to monitor the progress and demonstrate whether the program is doing anything for me or not. I’ve taken a current picture, and around week 3 or 4, I’ll post it, along with any progress. I could post now, but I’m waiting as insurance in case there is no change. Not going to post if I don’t have to. Pretend to be sad to increase my self-esteem, please.

Teaser

I’m proud to say I finished every day of the Insanity program – why yes it was miserable, thanks for asking – so I’ll be updating as to which program seems harder/works better/has better hosts/etc. I’ll also let you know what seems to be effective, what is lacking, and how motivated it keeps you. Stay tuned for more!