Weight gain with Insanity?! Please help!

Muscle weighs more than fat. You are probably gaining muscle. Pay more attention to how your close fit than what the scale says

It is not muscle, you cannot gain muscle on a caloric deficit. Most likely it is water weight due to the new intense exercise. Once you get use to it your body should shed this excess water that is protecting your muscles.

FYI, you need to eat more, much more when doing a program like insanity. If MFP suggests 1300 to lose weight you should eat 1300 plus the calories you burn from the workouts. Your body may be hoarding fat as it may think it is starving. If you burn 500 cals/workout and only eat 1300, your body will function as if you are only eating 800 cals (1300-500). I believe Insanity has a diet guide and the lowest caloric intake should be 1800, not 1300.

It is not muscle, you cannot gain muscle on a caloric deficit. Most likely it is water weight due to the new intense exercise. Once you get use to it your body should shed this excess water that is protecting your muscles.

FYI, you need to eat more, much more when doing a program like insanity. If MFP suggests 1300 to lose weight you should eat 1300 plus the calories you burn from the workouts. Your body may be hoarding fat as it may think it is starving. If you burn 500 cals/workout and only eat 1300, your body will function as if you are only eating 800 cals (1300-500). I believe Insanity has a diet guide and the lowest caloric intake should be 1800, not 1300.

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This is a good topic. Thanks for posting this. I starting Insanity last week and I have gained like 3 lbs. It's so frustrating even though I have read it's normal.

My friend and I started a boot camp (one hour, 5 days a week- very intense cardio) and we were all sorts of excited to start losing weight. We are both watching our calorie intake (about 1300-1500 calories per day). We are on the third week, and we've both gained weight. I've gained 4 freaking pounds. And I take measurements weekly, and my thighs are actually getting bigger! It's SO frustrating. I'm hoping that it's all water retention (even though I drink about 80-100 oz per day)... because I would think that by now I would start to shed pounds. I know I'm getting more toned everywhere, but I'd like to lose some inches and some weight!!

Muscle weighs more than fat. You are probably gaining muscle. Pay more attention to how your close fit than what the scale says

Sorry, it doesn't. However, you may be retaining water. Make sure your calories are in line, you may need to increase your calories to 1,500 or more. Your net calories should be around 1,200 at the end of the day after working out.

I hope you take the advice to increase your calories.

I've also been gaining weight (not muscle) doing Insanity. I'm just finishing the first week of the 2nd month and I've gained about 5 pounds! I'm almost up a dress size. Obviously these were not the results I was hoping for. I was already in good shape when I started the program so I know it won't be as easy for me to lose weight as someone who is just starting out exercising, but it is so discouraging. I use MFP to log in my workouts and food and use a heart rate monitor. In month one it was telling me I was only burning up to 280 per workout (and I was working hard) and now I'm around 450 with the month 2 workouts but I keep hearing the calorie burn should be more than that. I'm eating around 1400-1500 calories per day in accordance with what MFP is telling me based on what I'm logging in with my heart rate monitor. Is it possible I'm still not eating enough?

remember muscle weighs more than fat. Keep up with Insanity, it is a great work out...Strength and Cardio! Also, if I were you, I definitely wouldnt want to go lower than 1300 calories with work outs like that. You need the nutrition for energy and for your body to recover!

Hi....I completed the INSANITY 60 day challenge about mid-April...I only missed one workout the entire time - which was an incredible NSV for me!!! However, I only lost about 4-5 lbs....very discouraging when I would step on the scales. HOWEVER, use your tape measure I lost 3 inches off my chest.....about 4 inches off my waist....5 off my hips and about 1 1/2 inches of my thighs! I'm now mixing my favorite INSANITY workouts with a Bob Harper Strength (weights) dvd...I do INSANITY 3 days a week and the Bob Harper DVD 3 days....and I've lost about 6 more lbs. My MFP ticker doesn't show that because I started MFP when I was nearly finished with INSANITY. So, don't be discouraged...keep it up...you will see results...Oh and I also bough a HRM and realized that I needed to eat more calories and increase my protein. Hope it helps!

I know this is an old thread,but for the Love of God! MUSCLE and FAT WEIGH THE SAME. One pound of muscle is EQUAL to ONE POUND OF FAT. The difference in the space taken! EXAMPLE: a ONE POUND LEAD BRICK vs. ONE POUND of FEATHERS...both weight ONE POUND, one just takes a LOT less room. Simple science and mathematics!

With that said, I hope all of your adventures in Insanity have gone well. I am in the recovery week and YES I have a 5 pound gain after dropping 2 pounds. I am back to 186 from 181 :-( I know I drink more than enough water (5+ 34oz bottles a day) and I have upped my calories the best I can. I am also trying to take into account my monthly cycle reaking havoc.

But anywho, best of luck to all of y'all!

I'm glad someone had a post on this because i am experiencing somethign similar right now. my first week of insanity i dropped from 127 to 125... the second week i am back up to 128. i am ending my 3rd week now and i'm a little nervous because as of today i am still at 128. so i'm wondering if you can do 3 weeks of this program and still experience no weight loss or a weight gain. at this point, shouldn't weight be coming off? i looked at all the numbers. i am eating 1700 a day and my bmr is about 1250. so you'd think i'd lose weight or at least maintain... i am 5'4" by the way... 24% body fat... so i don't get why i am not maintaining or losing. do i need to give it more time than 3 weeks? you'd think i'd have gotten back to 125 at least, not be maintainig. and no TOM coming up so i don't even have that to blame it on. oh, i am NETting about 1400-1500 calories a day supposedly. i know my burns are lower because i weigh less. i dont' think i'd burn over 400 on even pure cardio/cardio abs days.

measurements are the same actually... so im not sure what's up

Well I watched the interview with Shaun T the other day, and there was a QA. From a lot of what I heard/read, it has been really normal to gain weight up till the start of the Max Interval month. That was when everyone was commenting that the weight started dropping off. Shaun T said that the first month is really just to condition your body for the Max Interval work outs. And I am definitely using the Elite Nutrition book as a guide for my intake. It specifically states that with this work out it is NOT the time to diet and cut calories. I personally find it hard to get above 1300-1400, so I am waiting to see what happens now that started into the Max Interval month.
You definitely do not want to give up in just the third week. I know I felt so much better at the end of Core Cardio & Balance week. Felt like I lost a few inches around my waist and hips, more than likely water weight/swelling. I won't weight myself again or measure until the end of this month, because knowing my body, I am expecting a little more inflammation from the intensity of the new work out in the beginning. And these next circuits are intense!!

Good luck! Hope you see the results you are working soon!