Insanity advice please?

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Cat232013
Cat232013 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

I started Insanity on 28th Sept so today is day 13 and I was hoping for some advice as I'm getting a bit disheartened.
The first week I gained a few pounds, I didn't let it bother me because I assumed it was water retention/ muscle swell from the sudden increase in exercise. Towards the end of the first week my weight then started to go down slightly (yay!) until 3 days ago when it went back up to just above my starting weight and has stayed there!

I'm following the nutrition plan (5 small meals spaced through the day) and am eating 1500 calories per day (Height: 5'2, starting weight: 127.8, BF%: approx 26%, age:23, female). Its a little bit lower than recommended (1662 from the nutrition guide or 1617 from Katch McArdle) but I don't feel hungry at all and I'm eating lots of protein and good carbs, no alcohol and only 1 or 2 black coffees per day.

I have also been taking measurements and they haven't changed, I feel a bit stronger and can feel my muscles, particularly in my abs and thighs getting stronger, but I can't be gaining weight from increased muscle mass already and I can still feel the same amount of fat on top.

I know that everyone says ignore the scales and focus on measurements but I like to keep track of the numbers so find that really hard. I'ts also quite concerning to me that neither are moving at all. I know its only been 13 days but I've been working so hard and I'd just like to check that what I'm doing is right. I'm not giving up though, I will finish the program but would appreciate some input from someone that has been doing this a lot longer to see if this is normal or I need to change something!

The other thing is that I was fairly fit before, I was pretty athletic as a teenager and though I haven't exercised regularly for about a year I'm not totally out of shape. I can get through most of the workouts with only a few extra breaks and my muscles are not sore. Not that it means I'm not putting in 100%, I am dripping with sweat when I finish! Also I'm mainly looking to tone up and only lose between 10-15 pounds.

Thanks :) (sorry for the essay! Any advice is really appreciated)

Replies

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Unless you're under estimating your food intake, you are NOT gaining fat eating 1500 calories a day while doing a fairly intense workout. It's probably water weight and will taper off eventually.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Insanity is one of those programs that if you don't do that activity before your body does need to adjust.. Most people see results in the second Month.. you are still pretty early in the program so just keep doing it..
  • Cat232013
    Cat232013 Posts: 23 Member
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    Thanks, its not that I thought I am gaining fat, the maths just doesn't work for that, I was just surprised that I don't seem to be losing any - through inches or weight. I figured my initial 3 pound gain was water weight and then when that went I thought I would start seeing results but I'm just stuck around my starting weight.

    And if anything I am overestimating my calories, I weigh everything and check labels and usually round up if I eat out and can't do either
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
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    With Insanity, for the vast majority of the people who do it, the magic happens in month 2, unless you've already been working out at that level (ie my first round of insanity, I gained weight in month 1 and lost in month 2, but I had just come off a break after doing a mix of P90/Slim in 6/Turbo Jam - all a lot less intense than Insanity....then my second round, I lost fairly consistently through both months, but that time, I was coming directly off a Chalean Extreme/TurboFire hybrid rotation - not quite Insanity intensity, but pretty close).

    And you're less than two weeks into the program. Your body is still in the "WTF are you doing?" stage. So you need to be patient. :wink: Plus, you are VERY close to your goal weight, so it is entirely possible that at the end of the 60 days, you will see more inch loss than scale loss (I actually know multiple people who were within 5-10 pounds of their "goal weight", did Insanity and followed the nutrition guide, and gained 5-7 pounds - but lost at least one pants size!). Oh...and if the nutrition guide calcs up that you should be eating 1662 cals, eat the 1662 cals - Insanity is very intense, and your body needs the fuel.
  • Cat232013
    Cat232013 Posts: 23 Member
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    Thank you so much!

    I have been doing A LOT of reading around the subject and had kind of come to the conclusion I needed to up my calories to fuel my body and start burning fat but its a scary thought when at 1500 I'm not hungry or losing weight. It's pretty counter-intuitive to my brain. I'll start eating a bit more, persevere with the workouts and hopefully that will work!
    The actual number on the scale wouldn't bother me at all if I was losing inches but at the moment its neither
  • Saraisamom
    Saraisamom Posts: 26 Member
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    Are you using a heart rate monitor to track your calories burned? It is possible that you may be overestimating your calorie needs.
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
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    Thank you so much!

    I have been doing A LOT of reading around the subject and had kind of come to the conclusion I needed to up my calories to fuel my body and start burning fat but its a scary thought when at 1500 I'm not hungry or losing weight. It's pretty counter-intuitive to my brain. I'll start eating a bit more, persevere with the workouts and hopefully that will work!
    The actual number on the scale wouldn't bother me at all if I was losing inches but at the moment its neither

    You're welcome :smile:

    And as I said, you're only 13 days in. you NEED to give it TIME. :happy: Step away from the tape measure. :tongue: At the most, I only measure - and take pictures - every 30 days, but usually it's every 60 or 90 days (depending on what I'm doing). :smile:
  • nickymarie011
    nickymarie011 Posts: 152 Member
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    Ah, I can totally relate to your post. I ate 1600 calories per day and did the whole Insanity program. I ended up gaining 8 pounds from the first day to the last day of the program. I KNOW I did not gain 8 pounds in muscle in that short amount of time, so I have no idea what happened. I was kind of obsessive about counting calories while I did the program, so I also know I did not over eat. I was extremely disappointed in my results with Insanity, and yes, I did give the program my all. I did however feel stronger and my endurance did increase with Insanity, more so than with any other workout program I did. I really have no advice to give you, because I had the same issue...however, just wanted to let ya know I feel your pain!
  • Cat232013
    Cat232013 Posts: 23 Member
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    Ah its nice to know I'm not alone lol. Did you ever figure out what it was? i.e. eating too much or too little? And if you don't mind me asking did you have a lot to lose when you started or were you at a healthy weight?

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