Posted this in another group, apologies if some of ya'll are reading it twice

Okay, so tomorrow I start week 3 of T25. I refuse to weigh myself or take measurements because I developed a really unhealthy relationship with the scale during Insanity, but I'll take measurements after Alpha. That being said, I can tell I've gained a little weight since Insanity. I feel like I'm doing everything right. Drinking shakeology once a day, working hard in my workouts (although I feel that I don't get a great workout in on ab/leg day so I will be supplementing with running on a day that ab intervals or lower focus stand alone, as well as on Sundays when I do the stretch workout), eating clean for the most part. I have been having problems binging lately, I admit to that and am working on it. I was eating 1800 calories during Insanity, 1600 for the past few weeks and just bumped down to 1500 to take in account my BLT's - bites, licks and tastes - during the day. I would be willing to go down more with my calories, but am not sure if that is necessary or beneficial. In addition to T25, I ride multiple horses per day and run a mile or two on the days I have physical education for school. I am not sure what I am doing wrong and am beyond frustrated. Any insight anyone may have, either through a comment here or PM, would be beyond appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Most of the time it all comes down to what you are eating. How is your carbs and sugar intake? I only weight myself once a month now. The scale is not a good way to check your progress. My weight changes 1 to 5 pounds throughout the day. Photos and measuring are great. My last month of Insanity I gained weight but lost 2 inches. If the weight I am gaining is muscle then I am fine with that.

Do you use a heart rate monitor when working out? I assume since you are drinking Shakeolgy that you have a Team Beachbody Coach. Have you had your Coach look at your meals and food diary? I know that it can be frustrating at times when you are at a plateau or seem to struggle. Everyone is different and will burn calories at a different rate than others. Are you in a challenge group with your coach? If you are in a Challenge Group your coach should be told about your concerns. I had a facebook chat with my Coach when I first started P90X when I was gaining weight. I made a few adjustments and started to shed the pounds off.

Well, my carbs and sugar have been more than usual this past week but usually I'm at a 40c-40p-20f macros... 100% of my carbs (again, this past week has been the only exception in ages) are whole grains, generally ezekiel bread/pasta/quinoa etc.

I don't use a HRM. I am planning on buying one ASAP though. I do have a coach, I am in a challenge group. I'll speak with her directly. Thanks!

Great choice on getting a heart rate monitor. You may be estimating your burned calories too high. Make sure before you buy a heart rate monitor you read the reviews. There are a lot of crap ones out there. Polar is a great brand. Your coach should know all your information about you since you are in a challenge group.

I try to keep my carbs under 100 a day. I cut my bread/grain intake in half and had great results. You are doing great. Keep up the hard work it will pay off in the long run. It can take time to find out what your calories each day should be since everyone is different and the recommendations for each program are just estimates and a starting point to try out.

Great choice on getting a heart rate monitor. You may be estimating your burned calories too high. Make sure before you buy a heart rate monitor you read the reviews. There are a lot of crap ones out there. Polar is a great brand. Your coach should know all your information about you since you are in a challenge group.

Regardless of if I'm estimating too high (which I don't think I am. I don't know how much I'm burning, no clue at all, but I put into my settings on here that I'm not burning anything per week), I should still be losing weight according to the math. With the equation that came with Insanity, I'm AT LEAST a 400 DAILY deficit, so I should be losing weight. Granted, I haven't been eating great. But mathematically, it makes absolutely zero sense that I'm not losing weight.

Btw - I'm talking about this equation:

For women: 655 + (4.35 * weight in pounds) + (4.7 * height in inches) - (4.7 * age in years) = X
For men: 66 + (6.23 * weight in pounds) + (12.7 * height in inches) = (6.8 * age in years) = X

Multiply:
1.2 (little or no exercise)
1.375 (light exercise 1-3 days/week)
1.55 (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week)
1.7 (hard exercise 6-7 days/week)
1.9 (hard daily exercise and/or physical job)

For weight loss, subtract 500 calories/day

655 + (4.35 * 150) + (4.7 *66) - (4.7 * 15) = 1547.2

1547.2 * 1.375 (even though I'd consider myself moderately active) = 2127

2127 - 500 = 1627

So, should I go lower calorie wise?

Emailed BB coach, she's going to look at my diary. would still love input from any/all.

I agree that according to the math you should be losing. You do not want to eat too few calories because that can be just as bad as too many calories especially if you are working out to high intensity workouts. Your body needs the extra calories to actually burn calories. I have been maintaining my goal weight of 155 now for 6 months without having to log or track. It took me a long time to figure out what worked for me. I finally know my body and what works now for me. This may change as I get older. I do not starve myself. If I am hungry I eat. If I am not hungry I wont eat but may drink a Shakeology or P90X recovery drink after a workout.

I have noticed that a lot of people with great weight loss have lowered their carb intake % and raised the fat % but consume good fats. I have not tried that approach yet but I know a few friends and my brother. He always keeps his carbs under 100 grams a day.

Are you staying away from eating processed foods, soda, and junk food? 75 to 80 % of your results is what you eat. I have learned through experience that you can work your but off but if you maintain to eat unhealthy you will not see results you expect to see. The older you get the harder it gets.

I know that bad sugar and high carbs was preventing me from losing weight. If you are going over on your sugar by a little each day and if the source is natural fruit then I would not worry about it.

Its great that your coach will be looking over your diary. That is a perfect start right there. You should also ask her if she has came across this before. I am sure she has depending on how long she has been a coach and how many members she has.

From your formula I am going to assume that the figures you gave are your true stats. Female 5 feet 6 inches 150 pounds and 15 years old. Some girls are still growing up until age 18. Some stop growing sooner. Have you grown any during Insanity and T25?

If nothing seems to work I suggest trying BodyMedia FIT or something similar that will give you very accurate readings of how many calories your body is burning each day. It is kind of pricey but well worth it.

If you do not mind I can ask other coaches if they have any ideas? Let me know.