Insanity for 4wks, haven't lost any weight :(

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wh0a_is_me
wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
in Motivation and Support
I know the typical, "You could be gaining muscle", blah blah..also read up about how your muscles swell during the beginning of new workouts for the first couple of weeks. WELL, that held me over for about 2-3wks, but moving into Week 4 and not losing a single pound (and trust me, I could lose AT LEAST 20) is extremely discouraging =\ I also don't see any obvious differences in my body - and yes, I've taken pictures.

I talked to a BBC about it and he suggested taking in more calories - figured I can try, but then on top of that I have to try to limit the carbs and up the protein. I work everyday and when I work short shifts, I don't get breaks and can't eat whenever I want because I work in the food industry. When it gets to the point of having to do math and calculations just to eat, that's another thing that discourages me. I know so many people who lost weight doing things like Weight Watchers, where you can still eat pretty much what you want, just in moderation (in fact, during the little time I did WW, I found myself running out of points, now I have to eat MORE??)

Anyway. Just thought I'd post and see if anyone has any ideas or if anyone experienced the same thing. I'm hoping when I get into Max Insanity, it'll be a shock to my body and the weight will drop - but I expected that to happen within the last week or two also, and it didn't...so I don't want to get my hopes up. =\
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  • mes1119
    mes1119 Posts: 1,082 Member
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    Insanity isn't designed to be a weight loss program. It is a conditioning program. People that think you lose weight during Insanity are buying into the "gimmick" too much.

    It is solely cardio conditioning. And TBH, in my personal experience, the more cardio I do, the LESS weight I lose.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
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    How many calories are you eating now? Do you eat back your exercise calories?
    I think I have found out a good amount of calories for me to eat everyday. I am on week two of Insanity and already seeing results, not to much in the weight loss area, but more in I can feel my body changing.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
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    Insanity isn't designed to be a weight loss program. It is a conditioning program. People that think you lose weight during Insanity are buying into the "gimmick" too much.

    It is solely cardio conditioning. And TBH, in my personal experience, the more cardio I do, the LESS weight I lose.

    I have to disagree a bit with this. Insanity is a great workout, burning a good amount of calories. That alone will help you loss weight if you eat right at the same time.
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
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    Insanity isn't designed to be a weight loss program. It is a conditioning program. People that think you lose weight during Insanity are buying into the "gimmick" too much.

    It is solely cardio conditioning. And TBH, in my personal experience, the more cardio I do, the LESS weight I lose.

    I have to disagree a bit with this. Insanity is a great workout, burning a good amount of calories. That alone will help you loss weight if you eat right at the same time.

    I COMPLTELY disagree, lol - I've gotten stronger. I don't do pushups on my knees anymore (and that's just from the past 3.5wks), I can do different types of pushups I never could before, my legs are definitely stronger, my calves are stronger, my feet never hurt during workouts anymore..there's A LOT more going on than just cardiovascular conditioning. And obviously, building muscle helps burn fat. I wouldn't knock it until you try it. ;)

    Anyway - Shaycat, I think I'm consuming around 1400, and I usually don't eat back my calories burned. The BBC recommended 1800 calories, 50% in protein, 30% in carbs and 20% in fat to start..it's very possible the workouts are TOO intense and I'm burning food too quickly and going into 'starvation mode' if I'm not taking in enough. I find myself getting hungry often, even an hour after I've eaten..but like I said, I wanted to see if anyone experienced the same thing
  • rhce40
    rhce40 Posts: 201 Member
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    I would def up your calories...I tried doing insanity on that low of a diet and it was awful. I had much more energy for the workouts after going up to 1700-1800 a day
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
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    I would def up your calories...I tried doing insanity on that low of a diet and it was awful. I had much more energy for the workouts after going up to 1700-1800 a day

    okay, thank you! I guess I never thought I'd have the problem of eating too LITTLE, lol..I don't usually have a problem with energy, but everyone I'm talking to is definitely suggesting to up the calorie intake, so I'll give it a go :) just in time for Max Insanity in 1.5wks, lol
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    You probably dont eat enough.
    If you need custom numbers read my wall.
    I outline how you can create custom diets for yourself.
  • rhce40
    rhce40 Posts: 201 Member
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    I would def up your calories...I tried doing insanity on that low of a diet and it was awful. I had much more energy for the workouts after going up to 1700-1800 a day

    okay, thank you! I guess I never thought I'd have the problem of eating too LITTLE, lol..I don't usually have a problem with energy, but everyone I'm talking to is definitely suggesting to up the calorie intake, so I'll give it a go :) just in time for Max Insanity in 1.5wks, lol

    good luck with phase 2! that's always were I fizzled out
  • purplevik
    purplevik Posts: 4 Member
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    I did the same thing and now I am up to 11 pounds I've lost. I found that cardio was great for me but no more then 3 times a week, so I do other exercises like yoga and pilates and horseback riding on top of walking and riding my bike what I was normally doing. Keeping it fun and changing the muscles I am working ;-) Keep your head up and stick with it, I did and now I am FINALLY seeing results ;-) YOU CAN DO IT ! ! !! !
  • ncates00
    ncates00 Posts: 51
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    Check your calories, your calories burned using a heart rate monitor, and stop worrying about weight. Worry about body composition- lean body mass vs body fat. The number doesn't matter. I do Insanity and I lost a good bit of weight doing it. Just check yourself.
  • ingfit
    ingfit Posts: 180 Member
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    Definately raise your cals to at least 1800 a day. And you are right, Insanity isn't just cardio, there are a lot of compound calisthetics moves, like squats, lunges, dips, and many push up variations. I love it but you have to eat enough to fuel the body for the workouts.
  • shaycat
    shaycat Posts: 980
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    I agree with everyone.
    I eat 1700 to 1800 calories a day and I may raise that even more since I am now just trying to maintain my weight.
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
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    purplevik - I've been doing Yoga, too, just to give my body a break from all the impact and stretch it out..LOVE it. I definitely don't plan on giving up..too close to the Summer for that!

    ncates00 - I try not to care much about what the scale says, but I know at some point, the weight will have to start dropping, and I'm just being impatient about it :(

    ingfit - thanks for the input..already started writing down my meals for tomorrow..it won't be easy, but there's hoping it'll be worth it!

    thanks everyone, you're all so helpful!
  • stacyll
    stacyll Posts: 43 Member
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    i would suggest a heart rate monitor. sometimes we think we're burning more than we are and when we aren't we can up the intensity.

    another thing, do you like insanity? it's a great workout no doubt but i only sort of enjoyed it. when i started going to a good zumba class and loving the energy in the room, the music and the dance moves i was able to workout out longer and it was more enjoyable for me. if you like insanity great, keep it up but if for some reason you're just doing it because you think you should, consider finding a cardio program you like more. also, the everyday intensity of insanity was a bit much for me. i'm a fitness instructor and i find doing any exercise too frequently gives me diminishing returns. variety is key for me. even as much as i love zumba i only do it 2-3 times a week. i was teaching cycle classes 4 times a week and not losing. now i'm more balance. again, not trying to discourage you from insanity just proposing some things for you to consider.

    you've gotten good advice about consuming more calories if you need it. at some point though it's what you're eating not just total calories. i find i am doing better with eating heavy veggies at every meal and of course i meet or exceed my water requirements.
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
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    i would suggest a heart rate monitor. sometimes we think we're burning more than we are and when we aren't we can up the intensity.

    another thing, do you like insanity? it's a great workout no doubt but i only sort of enjoyed it. when i started going to a good zumba class and loving the energy in the room, the music and the dance moves i was able to workout out longer and it was more enjoyable for me. if you like insanity great, keep it up but if for some reason you're just doing it because you think you should, consider finding a cardio program you like more. also, the everyday intensity of insanity was a bit much for me. i'm a fitness instructor and i find doing any exercise too frequently gives me diminishing returns. variety is key for me. even as much as i love zumba i only do it 2-3 times a week. i was teaching cycle classes 4 times a week and not losing. now i'm more balance. again, not trying to discourage you from insanity just proposing some things for you to consider.

    you've gotten good advice about consuming more calories if you need it. at some point though it's what you're eating not just total calories. i find i am doing better with eating heavy veggies at every meal and of course i meet or exceed my water requirements.

    I LOVE Insanity, lol..my only gripe with it used to be how much my feet hurt, but they don't any more..I love Shaun T as the workout instructor, I love the music, love the workouts..definitely not something I could do if I really didn't want to..it's really been my savior in sticking to a workout regimin.

    And yeah, Insanity does get to be too much, but I listen to my body. My workout yesterday after 8hrs of being on my feet at work was a little rough, so I knew this morning I wouldn't do Insanity..either going to do Yoga after work later, or maybe Insanity, depending on how my body feels. I never,ever push myself too hard, because if my muscles are too sore, or I'm too physically/mentally tired, the workout feels like a waste. Next week is the recovery week before the Max workouts, and I think I may do 2 weeks of recovery+jogging, just to change it up a bit and give my body a bit of a break.

    I also know that eating 1800 calories doesn't mean eating 1800 calories of cakes and cookies, LOL..when I input my food yesterday with the new "restrictions", the only thing I was over in were carbs and I was under in protein..Oh, and I was over in sugar, but I discovered the culprit and it will be something I will no longer be eating, lol - so yeah, I'm paying attention to all of that. I mean, I suppose eating more makes sense, but when you grew up thinking the right thing to do was to eat less or skip meals, it's hard to convince yourself it's going to work. =\
  • kevinhenderson7121614
    kevinhenderson7121614 Posts: 1
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    Don't stress yourself out and don't starve ! What kind of foods are you eating ? eat more chicken fish beef egg ! And remember you need to do insanity 6 days a week to see good results ! People that say they can't lose weight and they have been on a healthy diet and doing insanity and they still can't see results ! number 1 your diet sucks number 2 your not working hard enough
  • pixxyhaze
    pixxyhaze Posts: 5
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    I've been having the same issue with not losing weight with Insanity. I've been eating super healthy and haven't been cheating at all, and I haven't dropped a pound either. I'm almost finished with my 4th week. I've been eating around 1200 calories this month and come to find out that is way to low going to shoot for 1600-1800 calories now after I talked to a BBC and a formal personal trainer. Eating is hard sometimes especially when I work nights and have to plan my meals around my 12 hour shifts with no breaks. I'm hoping if I eat more then I will finally start losing weight with Insanity, I wish someone would have told me this sooner, I feel like I've been killing myself this whole month with workouts and this is my 2nd round with Insanity and I got the same results last time except I actually lost 5 lbs. I'm thinking about starting Jillian Michaels Body Revolution instead, it has cardio and strength training and I think it won't burn me out like Insanity does and honestly I'm getting bored with Insanity I feel like the workouts are almost always the same. My recovery week starts on Sunday if I don't see a change in the next two weeks, I think I'm moving on to a different program. I need to lose 30 lbs by the end of June.
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
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    I've been having the same issue with not losing weight with Insanity. I've been eating super healthy and haven't been cheating at all, and I haven't dropped a pound either. I'm almost finished with my 4th week. I've been eating around 1200 calories this month and come to find out that is way to low going to shoot for 1600-1800 calories now after I talked to a BBC and a formal personal trainer. Eating is hard sometimes especially when I work nights and have to plan my meals around my 12 hour shifts with no breaks. I'm hoping if I eat more then I will finally start losing weight with Insanity, I wish someone would have told me this sooner, I feel like I've been killing myself this whole month with workouts and this is my 2nd round with Insanity and I got the same results last time except I actually lost 5 lbs. I'm thinking about starting Jillian Michaels Body Revolution instead, it has cardio and strength training and I think it won't burn me out like Insanity does and honestly I'm getting bored with Insanity I feel like the workouts are almost always the same. My recovery week starts on Sunday if I don't see a change in the next two weeks, I think I'm moving on to a different program. I need to lose 30 lbs by the end of June.

    If you have 30lbs to lose and Insanity isn't doing it for you, I don't know what program you can move to. Nothing burns as many calories in the given amount of time. NOTHING. Be patient. There is NO WAY you're eating at a calorie deficit, doing Insanity, and not losing fat. During your recovery week, you should shed the water weight and get a better idea of where you are.

    To the OP, I did NROL4W and after 2.5 months, I was STILL retaining water from the lifting. The program has built in off-weeks and I decided to eat no more than 50 carbs on that week and holy cow! My body was totally different. Just give it a *little* time. I mean, the whole program is only 63 days. Just stick with it.
  • endlesskisses
    endlesskisses Posts: 6
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    Definately raise your cals to at least 1800 a day. And you are right, Insanity isn't just cardio, there are a lot of compound calisthetics moves, like squats, lunges, dips, and many push up variations. I love it but you have to eat enough to fuel the body for the workouts.

    When you say 1800, do you mean net 1800 or before eating the calories back?
  • ahaitsuka
    ahaitsuka Posts: 1
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    I would check your water intake. At least eight 8 0z gasses a day used to be the recommendation and should still be your minimum goal. There are several article on the web that recommend 1/2 - 1 oz of water for every pound you weigh and you should aim for the high side if you are doing an intensive workout. Also, are you eating some kind of protien ofter working out? Your muscles need protien to recover and eating easily digestible protien like yogurt will help keep your muscles from depleting your bodies suppy.

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