What did you think of the first month?

kellyscomeback
kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
Honestly, I'm trying to see who's still here!

Today is the last day of month 1 and I'm very excited to get this far. I'm also very nervous to see what the 2nd month holds!

Replies

  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    I'm still here! I am 3 days into the recovery week. Those hip burners are killing me--you'll see what I mean in 2 days! Month 1 was tough but I made it. I'm a little nervous for month 2. Everyone says how hard it is, and I'm worried about the extra time commitment, just because squeezing 30-40 min in was tough some days. But I'm also hoping the extra time will let me shed a few pounds . . .
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    jl300, did you lose any weight? I'm weighing in tomorrow but I don't think the scale will change, but I have almost gone down a pant size.

    The time worries me too. I try to get it in when my infant is asleep and my toddler's fav. show is on (so she won't bug me) or during her nap time but my infant really makes a fuss and I have to take breaks to calm him down.
    Ideally I want to work out first thing but waking up 3-4 times a night for the baby doesn't make the energy possible.
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    I haven't really lost any weight, maybe 2-3 lbs, its keeps fluctuating. And I haven't been doing my measurements but my clothes don't feel any looser. Its definitely challenging and I am getting stronger, but I am a little disappointed in the lack of weight loss--I'm not anywhere near my goal weight so I definitely have weight/inches to lose. I am mainly a runner so I started this hoping that changing my workout routine would help. I feel like as difficult as the workouts are, I am not really burning many calories. I still love the program and intend to finish it though. hopefully i will see more results in month 2
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    I did my measurements, up 2-3 lbs, down a pant size, and lost 6% body fat. Not too shabby.
    And from what I've read the weight loss/changes are more drastic in the 2nd month.
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    That's awesome!
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    Wow, those hip flexors were painful!

    My right side was ok, I did have to take a break to get my toddler some juice so I did that when we had to switch. My left side HURT! I had to walk it out when it was all said & done.
  • tmgibson
    tmgibson Posts: 40 Member
    I'm still here too! I'm on month 2 day 2. Yesterday was brutal but felt better today.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    I haven't really lost any weight, maybe 2-3 lbs, its keeps fluctuating. And I haven't been doing my measurements but my clothes don't feel any looser. Its definitely challenging and I am getting stronger, but I am a little disappointed in the lack of weight loss--I'm not anywhere near my goal weight so I definitely have weight/inches to lose. I am mainly a runner so I started this hoping that changing my workout routine would help. I feel like as difficult as the workouts are, I am not really burning many calories. I still love the program and intend to finish it though. hopefully i will see more results in month 2

    Might want to consider a program with a lot of resistance training, like p90x if your down for it. that would be more of a dramatic change from running
    I did my measurements, up 2-3 lbs, down a pant size, and lost 6% body fat. Not too shabby.
    And from what I've read the weight loss/changes are more drastic in the 2nd month.

    who cares about the weight when your going down a pants size and losing body fat! wish i could say i gained weight and lost fat. The pharmacists i work with would tell me thats not supposed to be possible biochemically speaking... but obviously sometimes it can happen. you should be pleased :)
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    and if anyone is frustrated with lack of weight loss i'd defeinetly recommend switching to the tape measure. I honestly think the most dramatic benefit of insanity for me was the drop in blood pressure. My family is all on medication for high BP, and mine is typically higher then healthy. the last time i went the the doctor, my BP was something over 60 lol. The nurse said it was really really good and my bottom number has never been that low before.

    so if you have any kind of health risks like that in your history (BP, blood sugar if your a diabetic, there must be others lol), going back and seeing how you are doing with that might make you happy/motivate you
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    well I am getting frustrated. I did measure my waist after that last post one week ago, no change since then and I'm pretty sure no change since I started since my clothes all fit the same. And I've got 30 or more pounds to lose so its not like I'm near goal weight. But I will keep at it. I have actually been trying without success to lose this weight for 1.5 years now, like I can't even lose a single pound. I am tracking everything, seeing a nutritionist,etc. Before insanity I was only managing to workout 3-4 days a week so I was really hoping this would make a big difference for me. I actually just made a doctors appt for the end of the month, right around when I finish insanity. So I can see about ruling out any medical conditions. And I'm overdue for a routine checkup anyway so if I start having results in the next few weeks I needed the appt anyway.

    I did do the first month of p90x twice before (a few years ago, pre-kiddo and before I gained all this weight)--the first time I had to stop because I pulled something in my abs. I let it heal up but it took several weeks so I started over, but then I quit because it was so time consuming and I was still trying to run a few days a week too. I thought about doing it again but chose insanity because I thought the time commitment would be less--even though these second month workouts are about the same length, I don't need to drag out all my weights and pull up bar. I don't have a dedicated workout room and the time it would take to do all that is too much--I know that sounds lame but with a toddler and working full time I am barely getting these workouts in. Maybe when he's a little older I can try it again, I did like it.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    yes, my brother and his wife are both significantly over weight. They have said in that past that they want to do something to lose the weight. I've thought of trying to make suggestions to help them, but they have 3 kids, 5, 4, and 2. They would have to have an extreamly high level of commitment and cooperation to make it happen. I'm not sure its there so i guess, i've just stayed way from it.

    Even for me with very few responsiblities, p90x takes up much more time then I'd like it too. You could modify the program, do only the first half of the weight work outs, skip the ab ripper x.

    Honestly think you should check out a book called "new rules of lifting for women'. I don't know much about it, but i've seen many women on MFP recommend it, even one or two that said they did all of p90x and it did nothing for them. I don't know much about the book, but it will probably suggest fairly heavy lifting, like 8-10 or less reps. The main advantage will be that it will educate you enough to taylor a lifting program that will fit more into your scheduel.

    Also check out a website called builtlean.com I'd have to say its the most no-nonsense source of weight loss information. The guy on this site would tell you insanity and p90x are over rated.

    In the end, its all about what you do and don't eat. I'm having good success with p90x right of the bat, and its because i'm focusing 100% on the diet. I hung up the workout calendar but i'm not checking off completed workouts, if i dieted well that day i put and X, if i didn't i put an O. seeing it hanging up in real life is more motivating then loging it in the intangible digital world.
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    Thanks for the suggestions. Honestly, if I end up not having any weight or inches lost from insanity, and my doctor doesn't find a medical reason or have any other explanations or suggestions, I don't know what I will do. So I will try your suggestions if that happens . . . I've always had a hard time losing but I've never been this overweight. And I do want to try to get pregnant again sometime at the end of this year--but I really feel I need to get to a healthy weight first. I don't want to put on even more and end up very obese and unhealthy. Before I put on all this weight I was athletic and healthy and I ran 50 mile ultramarathons, I never thought I would gain this much and have so much trouble losing it.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    sounds like a good plan!

    just seems like your body is really used to cardio, and even if the cardios amped up, its just not a shock to your body.

    maybe a scaled back weight routine will help and be less time consuming. Very happy to see you stick to it even with little positive feed back, says a lot about you :)
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    It says I'm stubborn and maybe not that bright : )
    You're probably right about being too used to cardio. My muscles definitely give out before my cardio feels totally maxed out. Especially with my upper body since I've been neglecting that for a long time.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    jl300, I peeked at your diary and I don't think you are eating enough. I eat 2000 calories on my workout days and 1600-1800 on my rest day. If you haven't done it, I'd do the nutrition calculation in the guide book and then just edit your food diary to that amount (which is what I have done). If you don't eat enough your body is going to hold on to all it has or burn muscle for fuel.

    As for New Rules of Lifting for Women, that's my next project after Insanity. Again, you will need to up the calories from where you are now and the protein (at least 1 gram per lb of body weight at a minimum!) and a gym membership or a hand full of things for an at home gym. There's a great informative group on MFP and a forum from the authors:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/119-new-rules-of-lifting-for-women-nrol4w-
    http://www.jpfitness.com/forumdisplay.php?f=86
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    You might be right, I have no idea anymore. I have upped it this week, or been trying to at least. When I am eating healthy food I just find it difficult to eat that much. For most of month 1 I was trying much lower, like 1200. Over the past year and a half I have tried several different calorie levels for few months at a time, but nothing has seemed to work. My nutritionist was recommending 1300-1400 so I was aiming for that for a few months in the fall, but again, no results. I did do the calculation. I am hesitant to raise it as much as the nutrition guide tells me too (it would be around 1900) because I also have I tried the "in place of roadmap" suggestions (which put me around the same calorie intake) and I gained several pounds over a month. Of course I wasn't doing this program back then, but according to my heart rate monitor I was burning just as many calories on my runs as I do even in a month 2 workout.
    Thanks for the link to the group, i will check that out. I do have a gym membership, so I could try this lifting program next.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    Well I am doing In Place of a Road Map because both Insanity and NROL4W both say to eat around the same about of calories, around 2100 for me (5'5", 155 lbs, 30 yrs old). In about 5 months with a little Turbo Fire and then a full 4 weeks of Insanity I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight (I gave birth in mid August) and I gained 50 lbs with this pregnancy.
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    I suppose I don't have much to lose by trying to keep my calories up again since nothing else is working.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    I suppose I don't have much to lose by trying to keep my calories up again since nothing else is working.
    Try it for the rest of Insanity, see what happens.
    I also have some type of a recovery drink after my workouts, either a whey protein shake or chocolate syrup in 1% milk.
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    Yeah, I didn't do any sort of recovery drink in the first month but I have also started doing chocolate milk with 3:1 carb:protein. I need to get a new protein powder to add to my smoothies. I tried a vegan one that I won in a gift basket from vitamin world and it is awful, very chalky. I know there are decent tasting ones out there so I'm just going to toss it.
  • kellyscomeback
    kellyscomeback Posts: 1,369 Member
    I really like Optimum Nutrition. Amazon has the best price, The Vitamin Shoppe isn't too far behind them.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
    Dymatize is supposed to be one of the best tasting. I know their Casein is very tastey. A local gym near me makes thier own brand of Whey thats some of the best tasting i've ever had, but that doesn't help you.

    I would definetly try to hit the calorie goals in the guide... or very close

    I was supposed to be eating like 2400 ish. I was eating like 1800 in my first round of insanity. i lost a lot of weight but some of it was definetly muscle because my bench press and other lifts went down.

    Do you feel hungry?
  • jl300
    jl300 Posts: 33 Member
    No, I don't get really hungry even at 1200 cals. That's another reason why I have been hesitant to increase. But i will try for the remainder of the program. I am 5 feet even, and right now 160 lbs. When I was in shape and felt really good I was 125 lbs. I would like to eventually get back around that weight.