Gaining Weight During Insanity (Yes, another post)

paulinakim1
paulinakim1 Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys, i'm on my 3rd week of insanity (tomorrow will be my last day for the 3rd week), but I haven't lost ANY weight..In fact, i've gained around 4 pounds. I've read a lot of posts about this, but i'm starting to get really frustrated and i'm starting to lose hope....I know it's probably water retention or my muscles being swollen etc., but I just really need to get that motivation. When will I start losing weight? The whole reason I started Insanity is because I want to lose 25 pounds in 2 1/2 months...not gain more!! My starting weight was 144 pounds (I am 5 foot 8). I have gained around 15 pounds in the past year during college (ugh, depressing), and I really want to prove myself and gain the body I want! I would say I eat around 1600-1700 calories a day. I exercise in the morning on the bike for 1 hour, and then in the afternoon I do Insanity. I am also thinking about taking protein powder to help repair my muscle and burn some fat quicker. Please, if anybody could give me some advice, that would be so helpful! Anybody have similar cases to mine?

P.S. I definitely see the results in my stomach area. It looks like I lost a couple inches and can see the muscle starting to form :) But I am not seeing any weight loss in my arms and legs...how can I change this? Should I turn to a different video? Jillian Michaels 30 day shred perhaps? I am hoping to lose 25-30 pounds in around 2 1/2 months before I go back to college!

I kind of want to do Jillian Michael's 30 day shred in the morning, and Insanity in the afternoon...will this be too much? As you can tell, I really want to lose these extra pounds so I can be done with them!

Replies

  • proudmommy1003
    proudmommy1003 Posts: 329 Member
    Maybe you don't have much left to lose.
    I'm doing p90x and the scales eventually goes up 5lbs depending the type of food i eat and then in 3 days drop to my normal weight again.

    But if you see your body is shrinking give it time I stayed in 137lbs for 3 weeks and when I was about to break my scale when down 4lbs maybe that will be your case. Good luck and as everyone says don't pay too much attention to the scale (hard thing to do I know)
  • harphy
    harphy Posts: 290 Member
    I gained 4 pounds as well and lost 8 second month. Don't quit!
    Your projected weight loss is a bit too much for two and a half month. Stay realistic.
  • gfroniewski
    gfroniewski Posts: 168
    Give it more time. The results will come in the second month.
  • mperrott2205
    mperrott2205 Posts: 737 Member
    Stick to using your measurements as a guide :) scales are evil!
  • DanIsACyclingFool
    DanIsACyclingFool Posts: 417 Member
    Let's bust out some rough math here.

    2 and a half months is 75 days. 25 to 30 lbs is a pound lost every 2.5 to 3 days, or something like 2.5 to 3 lbs a week. EVERY week. On a body weight of 144 that's already lean snough to see your abs coming in?

    No way that can be done safely.
    You are already in a healthy weight range. You may wish to improve your body composition but your target weight is 114 to 119lbs which is well below normal ranges for a 5'8" female.

    Bottom line, your target weight and your timeline are not realistic or healthy. Your targets should not be based on a number on a scale. Just do the program...you are already seeing the real results you are shooting for anyways in the form of decreased inches and improved definition.

    FYI I am a muscular male more than twice your size, I "only" lost 10lbs on insanity, though physical changes were pretty evident. Others have lost more...

    Keep in mind that insanity is NOT a weight loss program. It's a cardio conditioning program. Weight loss is somewhat incidental.


    It's either that or we've been trolled!
  • DanIsACyclingFool
    DanIsACyclingFool Posts: 417 Member
    One other thing.

    Very few people can eat intuitively and estimate their calories.

    Weigh and log all your food. I guarantee you are eating more than you think. Which is probably perfectly appropriate for the needs of insanity.
  • paulinakim1
    paulinakim1 Posts: 8
    Hey everyone, thank you so much for the replies! I really appreciate it. I plan on counting my calories, but how many calories should I be taking in for my height in order to lose weight? And will it be okay to do Jillian Michael's 30 day shred in the morning and Insanity in the afternoon? (If my body can't handle it, I will of course stop 30 day shred, but the workout seems much more mellow than Insanity). Lastly, I plan on drinking some protein powder. I read a lot of reviews about isobolic by nutribolic, and I like it, but is this powder for bulking up and getting bigger? Cause that is the last thing I want to do...should I be drinking a lean protein? Because I obviously want to lose weight, not gain any. Recommendations for protein powders would be very helpful! Thank you

    Also, when should I be drinking protein? Right after my workouts?
  • ellew70
    ellew70 Posts: 222 Member
    I'm going into my last week of insanity on Monday. My body is feeling absolutely pounded at this point. Personally, unless you are super fit, I'd be worried about doing a very strenuous exercise program during the second half of insanity. Month 2 is a huge ramp up.

    I strongly recommend following the Insanity diet closely. I started to do so, then was away from home and couldn't follow the diet very closely, although I was doing my videos. The difference in results was pretty striking.

    I have a protein powder smoothie every morning before I work out to up my protein intake. I've been using the organic whey from Krogers with success.

    Finally, go with inches not with weight. I haven't lost as many pounds (although I'm in double digits) but my shape is totally different. Even with weight, however, my weight varies significantly through the month due to mother nature so you can't go with that. Put the scale in the closet. Look at it only on fit test days.
  • jodyb23
    jodyb23 Posts: 101 Member
    I know everyone says the results come in month 2, but I'm on my last week of Insanity and have only lost 3 lbs., that which I lost during the 1st week. My weight loss has been at a dead stop all throughout Insanity even though I'm eating at a calorie deficit. This lack of scale loss would have made me give up right away, except I've lost a ton of inches and feel so much more fit.

    I wouldn't reccomend doing 30 day shred on top of insanity at least not in month 2, i doubt it would aid in more scale loss as a lot of people don't lose scale weight with jillian's either. Definitely go by measurements.
  • paulinakim1
    paulinakim1 Posts: 8
    I just weighed myself this morning and I'm starting to lose some pounds! I guess it really was the water weight or swollen muscles that were causing me to gain weight, because I am definitely not over eating. I have lost 1.5 pounds since the last time I weighed myself which was maybe around 4 or 5 days ago. I'm going to start 30 day shred today on top of my usual Insanity workout. When I reach the second month and if it get's too much for me, I'll definitely stop the 30 day shred workout, but I think I can handle it for now (but we will see lol).
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I'm not trying to be mean but I'm a little confused about the why you're upset. From what I can tell:

    -You've read posts about this before, so you know weight gain during Insanity is normal
    -You're already seeing results in your stomach
    -You're losing inches even though you're not losing weight.

    Who cares about the number on the scale as long as you're seeing progress? You're getting trimmer. You can't be upset just because you didn't see results in your abs AND your arms AND your legs all at once. Progress is slow. The weight will come off evenly after some time. Just be happy that you're already seeing results!

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