Insanity - Calories Too Low?

samerz816CHANGED
samerz816CHANGED Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I am beginning Insanity tomorrow, but I have some concerns in regards to the nutrition part of the program.

Gender / Age / Height / Weight: F / 26 / 5'5" / 182.2

Using the formula given in the nutrition guide for women:

655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)
655 + (4.35 x 182.2) + (4.7 x 65) - (4.7 x 26)
655 + 792.57 + 305.5 - 122.2
1630.87

Using the "moderately active" factor of 1.55 = 2527.8485

And then, subtracting 500 for weight loss, my total caloric intake on the program should be roughly 2028 calories/day.

For me in the past with my weight loss attempts, I had to stick to a strict 1200 calorie diet in order to see any results. If I over ate, even slightly, I would plateau and not lose a single ounce.

I really want this time to be my last time. I want to change my lifestyle and become the healthy person I want to be. I don't want to make any mistakes this time ... and I am TERRIFIED of that caloric intake.

It is so much higher than anything I've ever done before. And even for me to maintain my weight I feel like it's high.

Can someone give me some insight? I want to do this the right way, but am having a really hard time believing that I will lose weight and be successful eating an extra 800 calories per day.

Thanks!

Replies

  • PinkCoconut
    PinkCoconut Posts: 655 Member
    You really need to eat more with Insanity. This is not a traditional cardio program, it's an "extreme" program and as such needs to be treated differently. It's a program geared towards raising your metabolism and help you to burn calories ALL day which is the beauty of it but if you don't eat enough, you'll be STARVING the entire program and may not even have the energy to continue. If you're concerned about the 2,000 calories per day, drop down to 1,600 but I wouldn't go any lower.

    Also, it is not uncommon for the scale to show an INCREASE even though it's actually working. With my before and afters the scale said I GAINED 10 lbs but if you see the photos, it looks as if I LOST 20! I was in LOVE with my results. If you do have a hard time with the number on the scale I would highly suggest either ditching the scale for the program or not doing the program. I'm not saying this to scare you but just to be real. A lot of people go into Insanity thinking that the pounds will just melt off but, in fact, it's mostly FAT that comes off, the scale doesn't budge too much BUT you'll look MORE AMAZING than you ever have in your life AND your fitness levels will go through the ROOF!

    It's a gamble with the program because it truly does ask you to THINK differently about weight loss. I know it did for me and it was totally worth it!

    Feel free to friend me and we can chat!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I did insanity last year, I am 5ft5 and 136lbs and I was eating 1800 plus exercise cals (so about 2200) per day... Insanity makes you huuuuungry!
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    I did insanity last year, I am 5ft5 and 136lbs and I was eating 1800 plus exercise cals (so about 2200) per day... Insanity makes you huuuuungry!

    I was wondering about this...Your number is very close to mine and I have been eating like a machine since I started Insanity 3 weeks ago...Did you drop any weight or inch and how long did it take you to see result? if you don;t mind sharing? :flowerforyou:
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
    As much as I believe those who claim huge success with insanity including my relatives, I still think it's hard to manage both weight loss and performance at the same time...it's so easy overeating when you are burned and hungry. :(
  • Deb_622
    Deb_622 Posts: 694
    You definitely need to eat more than 1200 calories a day - I was on WW initially when I started Insanity and was trying to stay within my daily point value and not eating back any exercise points or anything...I was only eating about 1200-1300 calories a day (max) and I was dying...I was also not losing any weight. I increased my calorie intake to 1500-1700 a day (MFP has my goal at 1360, so I eat only a portion of my exercise calories back) and I am losing weight again.

    If you don't want to eat the entire 2000 calories, start with 1500-1700 a day and see how you feel...you may retain water at first (may see a slight scale increast) because your muscles will be sore and will retain water for repair...so be patient...take pictures and measurements, they are the true test of success!

    Good Luck!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I did insanity last year, I am 5ft5 and 136lbs and I was eating 1800 plus exercise cals (so about 2200) per day... Insanity makes you huuuuungry!

    I was wondering about this...Your number is very close to mine and I have been eating like a machine since I started Insanity 3 weeks ago...Did you drop any weight or inch and how long did it take you to see result? if you don;t mind sharing? :flowerforyou:

    I gained 2lb over the 60 days, but I lost bodyfat, my stomach looked flatter and my bum got more pert - 2 pairs of jeans no longer fit properly!

    If you're fairly lean to start with, the physical results won't be as noticeable as someone starting over weight. Fitness wise I went from being able to do 6 press up jacks first fit test to 23 in the last one.
  • laylaness
    laylaness Posts: 262 Member
    I got super-hungry with Insanity, but using my HRM, I discovered I was burning about 200-250 cals per workout, which is not nearly as much as I felt like I was burning. :/ I ate about 1750-1800 on workout days.

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