Insanity Question

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jaurora2
jaurora2 Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just tried to track doing insanity, but it wasn't in the database. To anyone else here that does insanity, how do you track it? I have no idea how many calories I burn doing it and I'm trying to figure out how many calories I should eat back to make up for it.

Thanks!
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  • jamaicanlady
    jamaicanlady Posts: 878 Member
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    Too many variables involved and so the number of calories burned will vary depending on your age, height, weight, intensity level, etc. Best way to keep track is to use a heart rate monitor. When I use one it shows I burn from a low of about 280 to a high of about 420 calories. For reference I'm 5'1 and weigh 128 lbs.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    Your best option is to get a heart rate monitor. I recommend the Polar FT7.
  • fittyfittybumbum
    fittyfittybumbum Posts: 90
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    You have to create your own. The program says that you can burn up to 1,000 calories with each workout. Considering my current size and weight, I kept it extra safe and guesstimated that I only burn 400 calories with each workout.

    I'm not concern with eating my exercise calories back, so if i do ok, if i don't whatever, so this guessing game may not work for you. My next suggestion would be to get one of those heart rate monitors that tells you how much you burn during exercise...heard they were a tad expensive though. Best wishes!!! YOU CAN DO IT ::Shawn T voice:: lol!
  • musicgirl99
    musicgirl99 Posts: 252 Member
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    Hi, I think the only way to really know how many calories you're burning is to get a heart rate monitor. I have a Polar FT40 and while it cost about $90 at the time, it's the best money I've ever spent. I completed Insanity last year for my wedding and lost 30 lbs. combined with calorie counting. I'm 5'6 and at the time I weighed 158-165 lbs. and on average I'd say I burned 350-600 calories depending on which DVD I was doing and how hard I was working. I'll be honest, there were days that I was tired and didn't give it my all like you're supposed to. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
  • bakersfielddarkknight
    bakersfielddarkknight Posts: 1 Member
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    I use the "curcuit training" one to log it. Seems to be pretty close when all is said and done.
  • Scarlett_Belle
    Scarlett_Belle Posts: 145 Member
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    Depending on the dvd I generally put intense aerobics
  • RatherBeFishing
    RatherBeFishing Posts: 61 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise? You workout to create a deficit, if you are trying to drop weight. I can understand eating them back and then eating a lot more if you are trying to bulk up. But if you are doing Insanity you are trying to drop weight at least that is why I am doing it. I never eat back my calories.

    To answer your other question: get a HRM that is the only way to monitor your calories burned from it. I burn anywhere from 500-800 cals for a session of insanity but I am 220 lbs and I avg a 165-173 heart rate during the session.
  • Sbthud
    Sbthud Posts: 33 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise? You workout to create a deficit, if you are trying to drop weight. I can understand eating them back and then eating a lot more if you are trying to bulk up. But if you are doing Insanity you are trying to drop weight at least that is why I am doing it. I never eat back my calories.


    Uh cause if I didn't eat back my exercise calories I would be netting about 600 cals a day. Not quite enough for my body......


    To answer the question, as everyone else has said, get a HRM with a chest strap. They are fantastic, and I LOVE my Polar FT7.
  • nklunk
    nklunk Posts: 149 Member
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    I use a HRM.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Your best option is to get a heart rate monitor. I recommend the Polar FT7.

    How in the world did anyone get in shape before hrms? Must have been impossible, i guess.

    OP, just log it as circuit training, since that's what it is. You don't need a hrm to get into shape
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
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    Your best option is to get a heart rate monitor. I recommend the Polar FT7.

    I concur
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise? You workout to create a deficit, if you are trying to drop weight. I can understand eating them back and then eating a lot more if you are trying to bulk up. But if you are doing Insanity you are trying to drop weight at least that is why I am doing it. I never eat back my calories.

    To answer your other question: get a HRM that is the only way to monitor your calories burned from it. I burn anywhere from 500-800 cals for a session of insanity but I am 220 lbs and I avg a 165-173 heart rate during the session.

    When MFP gives you your calorie goals - it is putting you at a deficit. They expect you to eat your exercise calories back. And even when you eat your exercise calories back..you are STILL at a deficit.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise?

    Because that's the way this site is set up. Calories consumed is used to create a deficit. Exercise is optional
    To answer your other question: get a HRM that is the only way to monitor your calories burned from it.

    Ummmmm no.
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise? You workout to create a deficit, if you are trying to drop weight. I can understand eating them back and then eating a lot more if you are trying to bulk up. But if you are doing Insanity you are trying to drop weight at least that is why I am doing it. I never eat back my calories. .

    I hear you bro. Think this phraze is incorrectly used about 1000 times an hour on this site. I don't think they really mean eat back all the calories you've burned in exercise, daily activity and recovery or you clearly wouldn't loose weight.

    Why aren't you just using the harris benedict calculation in the nutrition guide? I think thats a far better way to figure out your nutrition assuming your actually following the workout scheduel.

    I also don't know why everyone thinks HRM are so accurate. They should be pretty accurate for activities like joggin where your basically doing the same thing the whole time and not stopping. Its less accurate for things like insanity. If you wore the HRM and did the warm up, stopped, but kept the HRM on for the next 10 doing nothing its probably going to register a pretty high (and inflated) burn because it thinks you were working while you were just sitting there with an elevated heart rate
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    And even when you eat your exercise calories back..you are STILL at a deficit.

    see what i mean? lol if your at a defecit then your not eating your exercise calories back.

    its kind of a retarded phrase. Your creating a deficit, so either your not eating back the calories your burned in exercise or your not eating the calories you burned just being awake and doing things. Wtf is the difference?
  • Food4Fuel
    Food4Fuel Posts: 37 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise? You workout to create a deficit, if you are trying to drop weight. I can understand eating them back and then eating a lot more if you are trying to bulk up. But if you are doing Insanity you are trying to drop weight at least that is why I am doing it. I never eat back my calories. .

    I hear you bro. Think this phraze is incorrectly used about 1000 times an hour on this site. I don't think they really mean eat back all the calories you've burned in exercise, daily activity and recovery or you clearly wouldn't loose weight.

    Why aren't you just using the harris benedict calculation in the nutrition guide? I think thats a far better way to figure out your nutrition assuming your actually following the workout scheduel.

    I also don't know why everyone thinks HRM are so accurate. They should be pretty accurate for activities like joggin where your basically doing the same thing the whole time and not stopping. Its less accurate for things like insanity. If you wore the HRM and did the warm up, stopped, but kept the HRM on for the next 10 doing nothing its probably going to register a pretty high (and inflated) burn because it thinks you were working while you were just sitting there with an elevated heart rate
    To be fair you are still burning calories while you have an elevated heart rate and you are sitting down.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    And even when you eat your exercise calories back..you are STILL at a deficit.

    see what i mean? lol if your at a defecit then your not eating your exercise calories back.

    its kind of a retarded phrase. Your creating a deficit, so either your not eating back the calories your burned in exercise or your not eating the calories you burned just being awake and doing things. Wtf is the difference?

    If MFP sets me at say 1500 w/o exercise. I eat that 1500. If I exercise and burn about 400 calories. I eat my 1500 + 400. It's pretty easy.


    But continuing on... if you only eat 1500 and not your 400 back -- > 1500-400 = a net of 1200. If you eat the exercise calories back then 1900-400 = a net of 1500.

    Either way, 1900 was not what I was eating to get fat. Eating 1900 cal (1500 + exercise calories) would still put me at a deficit compared to the 2500+ calories I was roughly eating to get so fat.

    The problem is..most people do 1200 cal. (which is probably below their BMR to begin with). Then they do anywhere between 400 to 1000 cal burns..which means they are netting 200-800 calories..that's not enough.


    Now if you go to another site and figure out your TDEE WITH your activity level - then that usually includes exercise calories..so in that case you don't really eat them back (unless it's a really high burn)

    That's my understanding on it. I'm sure someone will add a few corrections :)
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    And even when you eat your exercise calories back..you are STILL at a deficit.

    see what i mean? lol if your at a defecit then your not eating your exercise calories back.

    its kind of a retarded phrase. Your creating a deficit, so either your not eating back the calories your burned in exercise or your not eating the calories you burned just being awake and doing things. Wtf is the difference?


    You aren't understanding how this site isn't set up.
    Most equations have you figure your BMR, then multiply it by an activity factor that includes daily life, like your job, and exercise. That gives you your TDEE. Then you create a deficit from that and eat those calories. In this scenario it makes sense not to eat back your exercise calories, they are factored in.

    MFP does it differently. It figures your BMR then multiplies by an activity factor that includes daily life only, NO exercise. It creates a deficit from that. So if you eat that number, you will lose weight. If you exercise on top, you are creating a larger deficit. For a number of reasons people prefer to keep a moderate deficit. MFP recommends you eat your exercise calories back to maintain the modest deficit. You are still in a deficit if you net the number MFP gives you.
    (Yes I am aware there are issues with estimation of calories I don't necessarily suggest eating all back but you should eat a portion particularly of you are highly active).
    It's basically two ways to the same end. I've calculated my calories both ways and usually end up in pretty much the same place. It's just how this site is designed. To say it is wrong is incorrect. Both ways account for exercise, just in different ways.


    Ditto about the HRM. Not necessary.

    ETA - too slow Joylia beat me to it.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Why do people eat back the calories from exercise? You workout to create a deficit, if you are trying to drop weight. I can understand eating them back and then eating a lot more if you are trying to bulk up. But if you are doing Insanity you are trying to drop weight at least that is why I am doing it. I never eat back my calories. .

    I hear you bro. Think this phraze is incorrectly used about 1000 times an hour on this site. I don't think they really mean eat back all the calories you've burned in exercise, daily activity and recovery or you clearly wouldn't loose weight.

    Why aren't you just using the harris benedict calculation in the nutrition guide? I think thats a far better way to figure out your nutrition assuming your actually following the workout scheduel.

    I also don't know why everyone thinks HRM are so accurate. They should be pretty accurate for activities like joggin where your basically doing the same thing the whole time and not stopping. Its less accurate for things like insanity. If you wore the HRM and did the warm up, stopped, but kept the HRM on for the next 10 doing nothing its probably going to register a pretty high (and inflated) burn because it thinks you were working while you were just sitting there with an elevated heart rate
    To be fair you are still burning calories while you have an elevated heart rate and you are sitting down.

    Elevated heartrate =\= burning calories. HRMs measure heart rate and use it to estimate calories burned by assuming the elevated heart rate is because the body is doing cardio, then use an algorithm to estimate calories being burned. It should also be noted that they are based on steady state cardio. If you are not doing cardio and the HrM is reading a higher heart rate you aren't burning the calories it says.
    One of the many reasons HRMs aren't as accurate as everyone believes because they are not used correctly
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    To be fair you are still burning calories while you have an elevated heart rate and you are sitting down.

    absolutely, your burning calories as you sleep, the HRM reading is probably far from accurate in this case tho IMO

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