Advice for Insanity?

megnay

I've struggled with my weight for a long time and this year have found a crazy amount of motivation to get fit. Last summer I completed 60 days of P90X, but stopped enjoying it as it required a ton of equipment I just didn't have. Then December came, and I went back to bad binge eating habits.

This year I started hitting the gym 6x a week. I was not eating that bad at all - in fact I was eating pretty well. I lost 5 lbs in one week, and then was gaining here and there after, as I was doing a lot of strength training as well so I imagine I was gaining muscle. My weight plateaued but I was seeing changes in the mirror.

NOW it's been exam time and I've just spiralled downward with my eating, but I want to nip that in the bud TODAY.

I like Shaun T but didn't like T25. I didn't feel like I was getting enough cardio in. I like to do cardio every time I work out, so days when it was just the ab circuit, I didn't feel motivated. I like to SWEAT!

So that has lead me to starting Insanity today. I'm really nervous that I'm going to mess it up with not eating properly. I think I tend to eat under the recommend caloric intake when I start programs, because I'm programmed to think that eating less is better. However, reading a ton of posts on here I've realized that people started losing weight when they upped their calories (healthy ones, that is).

What is some of the best advice you guys can offer me went starting Insanity? I'm excited, but also want to set myself up for the biggest amount of success I can muster.

No_Finish_Line

my advice is that if your having trouble losing weight, increasing the amount of calories is never going to solve the problem.

if it helps at all, it would be to stop you from occassionally binging because your attempting to restrict yourself too much.

I'm not sure how the myth of eating too few calories might prevent you from losing weight, but it has no basis in science or reality.

eat too few calories and you'll lose muscle, but its not going to prevent you from losing.

megnay

my advice is that if your having trouble losing weight, increasing the amount of calories is never going to solve the problem.

if it helps at all, it would be to stop you from occassionally binging because your attempting to restrict yourself too much.

I'm not sure how the myth of eating too few calories might prevent you from losing weight, but it has no basis in science or reality.

eat too few calories and you'll lose muscle, but its not going to prevent you from losing.

I honestly don't know much about calories, apart from the fact that it's energy and can be good or bad. I'm just relaying what I've read, that some people were under eating and this was detrimental to their ability to get fit.

No_Finish_Line

eating too few calories is detrimental to getting fit in that you can't build muscle, and lower energy levels will lead to poorer performance.

but its never going to stall your weight loss other then to say that you will lose more muscle and therefore your body will burn less just maintaining itself.

but even in that case eating more isn't going to result in more weight loss.

I suggest you eat exactly what the caloire calculation in the nutrion guide says to eat, then if after two weeks you don't see any changes in the mirror or how your clothes fit (don't get on the scale), then consider dropping 100 cals a day and re-evaluate after a week

No_Finish_Line

i ate within 100 cals of what the calculation said (using an activity multiplier of 6) and i did great

megnay

i ate within 100 cals of what the calculation said (using an activity multiplier of 6) and i did great

Ok, thanks! I did the calculation so I'm going to stick to that. I find it hard to get above 1,400 so that'll be interesting. Thanks for the tips!

fashi0nkilla

This week is my third week of Insanity. At first I was using my original pre-work setting (#1) for MFP. I was eating about 1300-1500 and that was including half of my exercise cals. The first week was ok, but the second week I was extremely cranky and couldn't get through the workouts. I was burned out. I adjusted my setting and am eating between 2000-2200 cals. I included protein shakes into my diet. I have more energy to complete more of the exercise. I've lost another pound since I made the adjustments.

fashi0nkilla

I think the recommended min. for calories is 1800 for Insanity.

megnay

This week is my third week of Insanity. At first I was using my original pre-work setting (#1) for MFP. I was eating about 1300-1500 and that was including half of my exercise cals. The first week was ok, but the second week I was extremely cranky and couldn't get through the workouts. I was burned out. I adjusted my setting and am eating between 2000-2200 cals. I included protein shakes into my diet. I have more energy to complete more of the exercise. I've lost another pound since I made the adjustments.

Good to know!

This is what I meant by upping caloric intake. I noticed a lot people posting that they started out eating below what was recommended, and as soon as they started eating the proper amount they noticed changes!

Do you follow the Insanity plan, or just here and there? I feel like it wouldn't be too hard to follow, it would just take a ton of planning for those of us working 9-5!

sunnyside1213

bump

Greenrun99

If you do Insanity, eat correctly for the activity and stick with it.. most people don't see any scale results until the second month... people that restrict themselves end up quitting because they don't have energy and get discouraged

joeysfacts

I do insanity 6 days a week and have done so for almost a year. I am a small lady, so don't need as much calories as a bigger woman and I am now maintaining. I don't want to tell you how many calories to eat, as every one is different. You will need to figure that out yourself with trial and error.

First and foremost: Don't be discouraged if you can't keep up with them in the beginning. Not many people can. Do it at your pace. You will be amazed at how much faster and easier it will get as time goes on.

Don't fill your stomach up right before you workout or you may puke. Especially during Pure Cardio...LOL

Drink plenty of water

Make sure you replenish your body with some good carbs and proteins after your workout.

You will be very happy with the results if you stick with it. Insanity has really toned and leaned my body to where I want it.

quellybelly

From your description, I think you will really enjoy Insanity!

How much are you eating now? If you're under eating, I would definitely increase your calorie goal. I started Insanity eating around 1300 calories and I did not have enough energy to push through the workouts - which are really intense! I was light headed and tired all the time. I increased my goal to 1500, then up to 1700. I was pretty happy at 1700, but you'll have to find what works for you. I got that number by using an online calculator to measure my TDEE for a moderate activity level, and subtracted 20%. I then rounded up to the nearest hundred for a nicer number :P You do not need to eat your exercise cals back when calculating your calories this way.

I did not notice results until the third or fourth week so my advice is to just stick with it! I didn't lose a lot of pounds but I got smaller everywhere and lost inches, gained some strength and endurance. When I first started I could not get through an entire video without pausing multiple times but by the end I was able to push all the way through you'll see that progress in the biweekly fit tests as well.

Best of luck to you!

No_Finish_Line

Good to know!

This is what I meant by upping caloric intake. I noticed a lot people posting that they started out eating below what was recommended, and as soon as they started eating the proper amount they noticed changes!

Do you follow the Insanity plan, or just here and there? I feel like it wouldn't be too hard to follow, it would just take a ton of planning for those of us working 9-5!

If there was something simple to make that i enjoyed to eat from the meal plan, i incorperated that into my meals sometimes.

You don't have to eat from the meal plan. if you eat the recommended calories, and the the recommended macros, then its essentially the same thing anyway

megnay

From your description, I think you will really enjoy Insanity!

How much are you eating now? If you're under eating, I would definitely increase your calorie goal. I started Insanity eating around 1300 calories and I did not have enough energy to push through the workouts - which are really intense! I was light headed and tired all the time. I increased my goal to 1500, then up to 1700. I was pretty happy at 1700, but you'll have to find what works for you. I got that number by using an online calculator to measure my TDEE for a moderate activity level, and subtracted 20%. I then rounded up to the nearest hundred for a nicer number :P You do not need to eat your exercise cals back when calculating your calories this way.

I did not notice results until the third or fourth week so my advice is to just stick with it! I didn't lose a lot of pounds but I got smaller everywhere and lost inches, gained some strength and endurance. When I first started I could not get through an entire video without pausing multiple times but by the end I was able to push all the way through you'll see that progress in the biweekly fit tests as well.

Best of luck to you!

Super helpful!

I'm actually really surprising myself. I just finished day 1 of Insanity and could essentially keep up with them, except for the last circuit with the in and outs. OMG THE BURN! But I feel so incredible right now. I'm going to try and get a more accurate number, maybe I'll do the conversion again but when I did it it say 1600 was a good amount for me (that's what MFP is telling me on my app as well). That number is so daunting as I found it hard just to get to 1200 sometimes when I was eating healthy. Do you drink Shakeology?

lottiew78

Really helpful post... Thanks. I did my fit test and am starting insanity tomorrow... MFP has me on 1200 calories a day. I'm so programmed to low calorie diets to lose weight I think I'm mentally going to struggle to up the amount whilst doing insanity. I hate eating my excercise calories any way so this is going to be a challenge!! Anyone doing insanity feel free to add me and make me accountable!!!???????? as I ❤️????????????

odddrums

I'm just starting it today too! I haven't gone for any of the shakes or other stuff because it seems like a gimmick, you could just eat toast with peanut butter and get some fiber, fat and protein that way. Stick with nuts and berries and you'll get more calories without having to go for the shakes and such. That said, I do have protein bars that I bought on sale, so I do supplement my protein that way, but I'm trying to not do it too much.

Anyway I sent you a FR if you want an Insanity buddy, let me know!

megnay

I'm just starting it today too! I haven't gone for any of the shakes or other stuff because it seems like a gimmick, you could just eat toast with peanut butter and get some fiber, fat and protein that way. Stick with nuts and berries and you'll get more calories without having to go for the shakes and such. That said, I do have protein bars that I bought on sale, so I do supplement my protein that way, but I'm trying to not do it too much.

Anyway I sent you a FR if you want an Insanity buddy, let me know!

I totally 100% agree. I tried Shakeology (a trial) and absolutely hated it. I am a firm believer you can get the same benefits from actual food and don't need something that's put together artificially. This does not seem sustainable to me, but of course may work for some people. That's so awesome you just started today too. I accepted your request! I would love to know how you're doing on the program. I have a little Facebook group going for accountability too if you're interested!

marie0108

I just started Monday and am loving it so far I haven't felt sore at all, which surprises me. I've been working out 5 to 6 days a week ever since January but everybody told me Insanity was going to kick *kitten* so hard. I'm so glad I manage to keep up

what I've been wondering, does anybody add in any additional exercise? I do the workouts in the morning and then sit on my desk pretty much all day and I did all the calcs of the nutrition guide and am aiming for an intake of 1500 now. I'm 5"2 and weigh 121-122. and since I only burn around 300-350 kcal each workout, I feel like I should add in something else. would love to hear an opinion on that though

lottiew78

I did it..... Insanity day 1 and I loved it!!! I pretty much managed to keep up but didn't work as hard as those on DVD. The last set of drills were tough. I sweated like mad but feel great now. Just need to not eat my calories back!! I put in aerobics high impact 40 of mfp which gave me 341 calories. Does that sound about right??

No_Finish_Line

i think the results and recovery drink is worth trying. or chocolate milk, or any food/beverage with a 3:1 or 4:1 carb to protien ratio. i do blue berry banana pan cakes