Do/Did you follow the insanity nutrition plan??

groversa
groversa Posts: 450 Member
Wow. I thought my calorie goal was high now, 1872. I finally looked in the nutrition part of my insanity book and it says I should be eating 2343 calories PER DAY. I'm nervous that I'll gain weight..but I guess I should trust the program.... ?
If you followed it, how did it go? Did you feel like your goal was high?? Did it work better than eating less?

Replies

  • thetemplateblog
    thetemplateblog Posts: 53 Member
    I noticed that as well, mine is in the same range. I will follow it and see how I feel, vs looking at the scale.

    I have been on the low card bandwagon for the last 55lbs so this will be quite the change for me eating wise.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    no, but i was on maintenance before i started, so now i am eating NET 1800 while i do insanity to try and lose a little bodyfat.
  • dsendre
    dsendre Posts: 173 Member
    I just finished week 2 of month 2 of Insanity and I am not following the Insanity nutrition plan. I do, however, follow MFP's diet recommendations (as well as possible) and log all of my Insanity exercises on MFP. I always eat back my workout calories.

    I also noticed that the Insanity recommended calorie intake is significantly above what MFP recommends. I couldn't imagine if I didn't eat back all my workout calories. My thought process has been, continue trying to stay within MFP's limits, and if I notice a problem, then I will increase my calories. So far, I've been able to stick to MFP's recommendations and complete the Insanity workouts without a problem. This has been working for me - I'm losing weight and unquestionably getting stronger/more fit from the Insanity workouts.
  • groversa
    groversa Posts: 450 Member
    I just finished week 2 of month 2 of Insanity and I am not following the Insanity nutrition plan. I do, however, follow MFP's diet recommendations (as well as possible) and log all of my Insanity exercises on MFP. I always eat back my workout calories.

    I also noticed that the Insanity recommended calorie intake is significantly above what MFP recommends. I couldn't imagine if I didn't eat back all my workout calories. My thought process has been, continue trying to stay within MFP's limits, and if I notice a problem, then I will increase my calories. So far, I've been able to stick to MFP's recommendations and complete the Insanity workouts without a problem. This has been working for me - I'm losing weight and unquestionably getting stronger/more fit from the Insanity workouts.

    See, because I am doing it from the formula from insanity, it already counts an average of those calories burnt during the workout, so I don't eat them back. But that could be why the goal is so high in the first place? Because you don't add calories burnt.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I just finished week 2 of month 2 of Insanity and I am not following the Insanity nutrition plan. I do, however, follow MFP's diet recommendations (as well as possible) and log all of my Insanity exercises on MFP. I always eat back my workout calories.

    I also noticed that the Insanity recommended calorie intake is significantly above what MFP recommends. I couldn't imagine if I didn't eat back all my workout calories. My thought process has been, continue trying to stay within MFP's limits, and if I notice a problem, then I will increase my calories. So far, I've been able to stick to MFP's recommendations and complete the Insanity workouts without a problem. This has been working for me - I'm losing weight and unquestionably getting stronger/more fit from the Insanity workouts.

    See, because I am doing it from the formula from insanity, it already counts an average of those calories burnt during the workout, so I don't eat them back. But that could be why the goal is so high in the first place? Because you don't add calories burnt.

    probably!
  • jeolds
    jeolds Posts: 104 Member
    No probably, it is. MFP does the same thing. If you change what your "lifestyle" is.

    Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
    Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)
    Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
    Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

    Insanity is basically incorporating in an Active or Very Active selection. Insanity just spreads it a bit more with six levels instead of five.

    Sedentary - Little to no exercise
    Lightly Active - Light exercise ( 1-3 days / wk)
    Moderately Active - Moderate Exercise ( 3-5 days / wk)
    Very Active - Hard Exercise (6-7 days / wk)
    Extremely Active - Hard daily exercise and/or a physical job

    I think MFP is calculating base calories on your base metabolic rate and with the above selection your normal daily activities. Eating back your calories for exercise means you are compensating on those days you burn more than what you would if you just woke up and went through your day without exercising.

    Insanity, rather than having you calculate daily, attempts to incorporate that as a daily average calculation. More than likely that is done so that you don't have to do that math every day. Most people wouldn't do that if they had to do that. The one thing you should change in MFP is your, I think macro nutrients is the term. Your balance of proteins, carbs, fats, sugars.

    I might be incorrect, but I think generally that is the difference. I changed my macros to be higher protein and low sugar and carbs to emulate the first phase of P90X. Hope that helps.

    Edit: MFP figures my base calories at about 1750 for weight loss, but I will be around 2700 calories on the days I do some of the more intense workout.s
  • Eileen889
    Eileen889 Posts: 117
    I have my calories intake set at 1750 and have only been able to take in at max 1680 calories so far this week. I don't follow The Insanity nutritional plan as I am a picky eater and only eat the foods that I like.
  • KenyanInDC
    KenyanInDC Posts: 14 Member
    MFP had me on 1492cal/day, which was ridiculous in hindsight. My recommended amount is 2538, but I could not bring myself to eat more than about 2K without throwing up. With that said, I don't feel weakened during workouts, and my appetite increased over time. (i can now eat about 2200 comfortably). My advise is to be patient and not force it down.
  • johnnygizmo
    johnnygizmo Posts: 59 Member
    I'm ramping up from my really low 1300 to my INSANITY 2300 over the next few weeks.
  • Microfiber
    Microfiber Posts: 956 Member
    MFP had me on 1240. I eat 1966 :smile:
  • Cupcakebettiejo
    Cupcakebettiejo Posts: 125 Member
    I'm not following the plan but am working on TDEE -20% so i net 1450 which means i eat back my exercise calories i generally eat about 1800-2000 calories per day.

    Jo
  • bear_28
    bear_28 Posts: 59 Member
    For week 1 and 2, I tried the nutrition plan (factor is very active), but did not see any results in terms of inches or weight loss.

    I'm trying TDEE (at Moderately Active) - 20% now. I'll see after 2 weeks if there's any changes, then adjust accordingly. :wink:
  • booyakazam
    booyakazam Posts: 18
    I have not been following the suggested nutrition plan, but have definitely taken some pointers. I've decreased my daily fat intake % as well as the carbs and increased protein. I am drinking Shakeology after my morning workouts and then focusing on eating the right number of meals throughout the day. Generally, the calories are on par with what is suggested in the nutrition guide. Lots of fruit, veggies, greek yogurt, etc. My only downfall - alcohol. I need the random shot of tequila. ;)

    My calorie intake is around 1500, plus whatever is burning during the workouts. I'm currently on week 3 of month 1, so I am anticipating increasing my calorie intake in month 2. I have a difficult time eating 1500 calories/day, but am trying to slowing increase what I eat each day...
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    For week 1 and 2, I tried the nutrition plan (factor is very active), but did not see any results in terms of inches or weight loss.

    I'm trying TDEE (at Moderately Active) - 20% now. I'll see after 2 weeks if there's any changes, then adjust accordingly. :wink:

    2 weeks isn't really long enough to judge if it's working or not to be honest. 4-6 weeks would be better
  • unoriginalusername007
    unoriginalusername007 Posts: 83 Member
    I'm following the Insanity Elite Nutrition book! I used the Harris Benedict Equation it gave and got about 2350 calories/day maintenance, so 1850 weight loss. I've been eating around 1800 calories a day as the equation gave me and I've noticed results. Yeah, the equation already assumes you're very active, so for that reason here on MFP I set my calories/day to 1800 and I don't pay attention to what it tells me about eating back exercise calories; the equation in the Insanity book already does that for you. I like it better actually than MFP's way, since you don't have to constantly fret about logging your exercise into your eating so you're granted more calories for a certain day. I trust the information in the Insanity Nutrition book more than I do any rumors on the internet. It's understandable to eat a little more than MFP suggests since Insanity is such a tough program and you need to give your body the fuel it needs! I tried doing Insanity on less than 1800 calories before and found that during the workout and after I felt so much more fatigued than when I ate more like the Elite Nutrition Insanity booklet recommended.
  • LizRodmell
    LizRodmell Posts: 70 Member
    .
    [/quote]

    See, because I am doing it from the formula from insanity, it already counts an average of those calories burnt during the workout, so I don't eat them back. But that could be why the goal is so high in the first place? Because you don't add calories burnt.
    [/quote]

    You have it bang on x
  • renwicker
    renwicker Posts: 158 Member
    Correct, the formula in the INSANITY book gives you the total calories, including after exercise. You would not eat back your exercise cals as MFP recommended setting suggests.

    The INSANITY program also says you should eat like 5 or 6 small 300 calorie meals a day or whatever. You do not need to do that. Some of the recipes they have in there look fantastic tho. Just make smart choices when eating and keep track of everything you ingest to ensure you hit your goals. Watch those macros too! Get enough carbs and lean protein to keep your energy up and ensure you are burning mostly fat while retaining skeletal muscle.
  • I'm not following it. I think I've mentioned on here before that wheat and a lot of grains give me GI issues if I eat too much of them and the plan is really heavy on whole grain foods. So I'm trying to keep the approximate macros from it but subbing things like fruit or vegetables. I can't really eat more than a couple of slices of bread a week without feeling terrible but it seems like every meal has a bread or something in it.

    It's also way more calories than I would normally eat in a day. I'm really short and I have a desk job so other than walking the dog this is pretty much all the exercise I get in a day. Their formula gives me something like 1800 calories for a day and I physically cannot eat this much food in a day. There were a couple days where I was starving so I ate a lot more than I normally do but I haven't made it over 1500 yet. I usually come in around 1300 to 1400-ish and I don't feel like my workouts are suffering.

    I haven't been tracking food on here very much but if I start bonking when I work out or I'm not losing anything I will put my food in for a while to try to troubleshoot. I'm just going into week 2 starting Monday so it's possible that I might need to eat more later.
  • sarrah_n
    sarrah_n Posts: 192 Member
    For those of you following the Nutrition Guide, how is it going? Did it make a difference in weight loss? I am curios about increasing my calorie intake and following the plan.