Seems my P90X-2 diet has been a bit too lean...

After looking at my Day 30 progress for P90X-2 thus far, it seemed that although I am clearly getting in better shape (probably much more quickly than when I did P90X the first time), my diet hasn't quite matched my fitness goal of gaining muscle mass.  I mean, as hard as I'm working my muscles, it shouldn't be the case that my body is trimming down even further to look more like a cross-country runner's than a swimmer's.

My daily dietary routine on the whole is fairly health-conscious.  Katie and I both are pretty astute at ball-parking calorie counts in foods just by looking at them, and some of our ongoing meal staples are things like morning green smoothies, lean chicken and veggies, etc.  The problem is that although I generally do a good job making the right food choices from meal to meal (or snack to snack), I have been paying zero attention to how much I've been consuming overall. 

Today was the first time since my very first round of P90X (when I was pretty regimented about this stuff) that I decided to actually calculate out what my calorie intake should be based on my exercise intensity, age, BMI, etc., and to count up how much I am actually eating on a daily basis.  Well, today may have been a little on the lighter side in terms of snacks, etc., but after dinner this evening I was still a whopping 1,300 calories below my target of 3,000ish per day.  I had no idea, and it's no wonder I haven't been gaining much definition!  

The problem is that eating those extra 1,300 calories could actually be pretty easy.  Throw in some dessert, a few beers, and I'd be there in no time.  However, consuming the right number of calories doesn't equate necessarily to eating the right kind of calories.  I need to be hitting the right mix of carbs:protein:fat, and I think in order for me to do that efficiently it might be time for me to bring back out the 'ol supplement powders, etc.  Obviously, eating whole and raw foods would be optimal, but it ends up being a LOT of food you're eating if you go that uber healthy route.  Looks like there might have to be some compromise.

Fortunately, I have an old stockpile of Optimum Nutrition protein powders to help me get back on track.  Not particularly as fun as eating an extra pint of ice cream every day, but, well, much more effective :)