Insanity- why am I not losing weight? instead, put on weight

andreea82

Hi everyone! I've been doing Insanity for 2 weeks and a half now, never missed one day, hoping to lose weight. I've been doing a lot of exercise for the last 7 years ( aerobics, tae-bo, aqua gym, fitness, etc, so I am not at all a stranger to working out) and I always lost weight while going to the gym. Usually, I lose weight very easily. As I wanted to try out something new and pretty challenging, I started Insanity. I was very motivated and excited the first week, I read online that we should not care for the kg, but the centimeters we lose.
After the first 2 weeks, I lost most of my motivation as I noticed that my legs are swollen, it's like I have been a sedentary person for years.
Plus, I feel fat and heavy. I cannot describe the feeling. All I know is that I got the reverse results I was hoping for. As I said before, I have been working out for many years and it's the first time this has happened to me. Of course that after noticing the swelling of my whole body, especially the legs, I ran to the scale and there was a weight gain of 3 kg. Is it normal????!?1? Can anyone explain to me why this is happening? I have to say that my eating habits have not changed. I eat the same as I have for many years since I started working out. I do not have a diet, as I do not believe in diets, I am totally into exercising and being active.
Thank you!

drivermarshy

insanity is a real intense workout program and ur muscle will be retaining water for repairs... just insure ur drinking plenty, eating high protein every meal and in a week or 2 the weight will melt off (not so much a scales loss but an inches loss)

Sweeterescape

I agree, drink tons of water. That "swollen" and heavy/bloated feeling is likely lots of water retention (as is the gain!). Drink tons of water and that should help you to feel better!

andreea82

Thanks a lot for your replies, girls! I felt so unmotivated because of the "heavy/bloated" body feeling that I wanted to give up:(

lisakyle_11

i have been in a similar situation... about how much/how many calories are you eating each day (can't see your food diary)? you mentioned that you have not changed the way you eat -- which i am guessing you haven't upped your calorie intake...

i have a long story that is similar to yours. it's possible that you should be eating more. it's possible that your body is burning quite a bit more than it was used to, yet you never gave it more fuel. from what i hear, Insanity is very intense.

is this a possibility?

blueandigo

Muscle my friend

christina0089

Water retention. Your muscles depend on the water! And with a workout like that I have no doubt you are losing fat but gainig muscle. A pound is a pound. But not all pounds are created equal. For now concentrate more on measurements, how you feel, how your clothes are fitting etc.

Good luck!

_Kate_P

water water water!!! Insanity is just that, insane, so no matter how much you worked out before your muscles most likely are getting a better workout than they ever have before. When this happens, they kinda have a "wtf was that?!?!?" period where they have to figure out what just happened to them and how to fix it, and hold onto a lot of water in the process. That results in "weight gain," and swelling making you feel fatter, but you just have to wait it out and your muscles will adjust and repair without retaining so much water. I'd avoid the scale while your doing insanity anyways though just because of the water retention and possible muscle gain. You'll lose cms though while you're doing it, unless you completely undo it by eating junk all day

andreea82

about how much/how many calories are you eating each day (can't see your food diary)? you mentioned that you have not changed the way you eat -- which i am guessing you haven't upped your calorie intake...

i have a long story that is similar to yours. it's possible that you should be eating more. it's possible that your body is burning quite a bit more than it was used to, yet you never gave it more fuel. from what i hear, Insanity is very intense.

is this a possibility?

I have never counted my calories...I just know that I avoid junk food and I do not want to be obsessed with diets/ no. of calories/ meal or day. Now, I do have a question: Why should I up my calorie intake/ eat more? You might find it funny, but as I have always been fit and exercised a lot and never cared about calories, I do not know any of these things. Do you see my point?:)

andreea82

When this happens, they kinda have a "wtf was that?!?!?" period

That results in "weight gain," and swelling making you feel fatter

))) EXACTLY!!!

p0stdramatic

I have never counted my calories...I just know that I avoid junk food and I do not want to be obsessed with diets/ no. of calories/ meal or day. Now, I do have a question: Why should I up my calorie intake/ eat more? You might find it funny, but as I have always been fit and exercised a lot and never cared about calories, I do not know any of these things. Do you see my point?:)

You may be eating more than you think if you aren't counting. It adds up fast. Also, I checked your age, and you're approaching 30. I never had to worry about watching my calories until I got older. Our bodies change, metabolism slows down. You're on the website that has the best calorie tracker. Put it to good use!

firefly171717

First weight loss takes time, and second p90x is going to help you gain muscle and that weights more, try measuring ur waistline and give it some time, it will pay off!!!!

firefly171717

water water water!!! Insanity is just that, insane, so no matter how much you worked out before your muscles most likely are getting a better workout than they ever have before. When this happens, they kinda have a "wtf was that?!?!?" period where they have to figure out what just happened to them and how to fix it, and hold onto a lot of water in the process. That results in "weight gain," and swelling making you feel fatter, but you just have to wait it out and your muscles will adjust and repair without retaining so much water. I'd avoid the scale while your doing insanity anyways though just because of the water retention and possible muscle gain. You'll lose cms though while you're doing it, unless you completely undo it by eating junk all day

Exactly!!!

Mixmode

I am on Insanity and without a doubt you are working muscle and holding water due to the exercise. Andreea, Insanity burns a HUGE amount of calories so if your daily calorie goal is 1200-1500 you are already set very low and should lose weight regardless if you exercise or not. If you dont eat back your exercise calories then you are basically reducing your calorie intake to well below 1000 and basically starving yourself. You NEED to eat. Even if you don't want to.

HauteP1nk

You might need to change your eating habits. What kind of food are you eating?

I don't believe in ' fad diets' per se, but I do believe in eating right and ensuring that you are getting the right amounts of carbs, proteins, fats, etc. You need to have a balanced diet...

As the saying goes....'Abs are made in the kitchen'... 70% of what we look like is based on what we eat.

ViSabbi

Because exercising a lot requires more calories, best is from good carbs before working out, proteins after to help your muscles repair and feed themselves properly. If your intake is way too far away from what you burn, your body will hold onto whatever it can get. I've read yesterday that there shouldn't be more than 30% difference which seems reasonable to me.

jarheadjo

I did the entire insanity workout and never lost a lb. I did however end up with very sore joints. I did stick to my diet too during this time. I now do chalean extream and I have lost 14 lbs so far and I am now in the lean phase. I am no stanger to exercise either, I do tae bo, zumba, Jillian Michaels, and I am a Marine. But this is just my opinion.

eillamarie

Try doing the workouts every other day. Your body is literally beat up. If you continue on this path you will burn out. Your body and mind will greatly thank you if you give your body a change to repair one body part before forcing it to repair a different one the next day.

oneIT

The scale is the devil and a liar. Take measurements. If you are tracking your calories and workouts right stop worry about your weight. I gained 5 pounds after 30 days but my pants fit better.

Avalonis

Well then... I guess its up to me to be the bad guy, since all of you are giving her the "Kudos, its just water, your building muscle" kind of answers.

Simply this: If you are not tracking your intake, you have NO IDEA how much you are eating. Your body is stressed from the workouts, and probably making you feel hungrier to recover burned calories. Without a doubt, you are eating more calories than you are burning, which will ALWAYS translate to a gain. While a small part of your gain could be due to water retainment, I would bet money its actually too much calorie intake. And like another poster said... just because you could eat a certain way in your teens and early 20s, does not mean you still can.

Want results? Track your intake.

I am not trying to offend. I'm just stating the almost certain reason you are gaining.

trud72

if you are aching then it will be the water that protects the muscle from damage,this will go in a week or so,and secondly you don't build muscle up THAT fast! it takes time thats why p90x is 3 months long!