Insanity Calorie Needs

Whenever I do Insanity, I usually bump up my Calorie intake to 2000-2500. I do not go by what they suggest in the booklet. The workouts are very intense, So I usually add some kind of recovery drink in my water during the workouts.

i second the HRM thing... and when u get tired try to keep moving... i know they tell u that in the video while they are passed out on the floor but try to do the opposite of them and actually stay with it. when u reach something u cant do and ur almost about to pass out try to jog slow in place. from my experience its harder to completely stop then get back in it then it is to just slow down and try and keep up. gl

I am on week 6. I just started the harder Max workouts. I have a HRM and burnt around 320 callories doing most of the month 1 videos, except for fit test and recovery. Yesteday was my first day of the 2nd month and burnt 500. They are so much harder but also alot of fun!

My stats are 5'3 and 151 lbs. I am in decent shape. I have found that a lot of people that do Insanity are burning a lot of calories, or should I say they are entering in a lot of calories so be careful. It may take you a few wks to figure out how much to eat. If u are really tired the next day, up the calories!!!!!

I have lost 8 lbs and know the 2nd month is going to melt some more off. After reading alot about protein, I have added shakes in. They helped me ALOT in healing and having enough energy to do it again the next day.

Good Luck. I am in love with Insanity and Shaun T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Could use some new feedback on this topic. I ordered Insanity for hubby at his request. I have been losing weight by cutting calories and distance running and now he wants to get in shape to.

So package arrives last night and he figures out that he can eat 2500 calories a day and lose weight based on the fancy nutrition quide (Sarcasm). Ummmm... I don't think so. My hubby is WAY out of shape and there is no way he will be burning 1000 calories an hour as he huffs and puffs his way through these DVD's. I tried to explain that his calorie burn will not be high enough for that many calories but he is sure that guide is correct.

I have offered to do this WITH him and maintain my running scheudle and even I will not be consuimg the 2000+ calories that it claims I need. Even when I was training for a 1/2 marathon in this last month i still was not eating that much and I could easily burn through 1000 calories on my long runs.

Would love some feedback on the calorie needs and any advice I can give hubby. If he dosen't lose weight within the first two weeks I know he will give it up.

Hi,

I am on the first week of the second month of insanity. I'm in the same boat as to the amount of calories to be eating. I have actually gained 4 lbs with Insanity but I have gotten alot leaner, so I don't pay much mind to the scale since musle weighs more than fat. I'm 4.11 125 lbs (was 120ish) 32 years old.

Before Insanity I did allot of long distance running so the intensity of Insanity works for me. I love hard core cardio. During month one I burned from 650-750 except the recovery DVD and now for the Max I am buring 750-1000.

I'm suppose to be eating 2500 calories a day which I think is way too much so I keep it at 1500-2000 (2000 on weekends really). Now I am burning anywhere from 750-1300 calories a day cause I also keep my runs to 2-3 days a week. I work out 7 days a week. I am burning allot of my intake daily. I heard this can be good or bad. I do want to loose the lbs I gained as well. My goal was 115. But again, I am much more muscular now although I was already getting there with the runs. I'm shedding away the remaining fat in my arms and stomach.

I eat pretty healthy as well every 2-3 hours. Allot of lean protein, veggies and fruit. I cut carbs as much as possible but not 100%. We do need carbs. I did away with sweets because I do limit myself to alcohol on weekends, 2-3 drinks, no beer. This has been my only struggle with Insanity is the actual diet part. I am definitely seeing results, I lost a few inches and have already toned my stomach. I compared my before and after pics. Now in this second month, I am really digging deep. I sweat like crazy! I use a HRM and its pretty accurate. Sometimes I feel a little tired so Im not sure if I should up the protein. I'm already eating 4-5 servings a day, at least 2 servings of fruit and 3-4 veggies. Don't want to over do it. Any advise? Any supplements I can take? I am not drinking the results and recovery formula either. Its not cheap. But I will be willing to try anything to enhance my performance and results.

So package arrives last night and he figures out that he can eat 2500 calories a day and lose weight based on the fancy nutrition quide (Sarcasm). Ummmm... I don't think so. My hubby is WAY out of shape and there is no way he will be burning 1000 calories an hour as he huffs and puffs his way through these DVD's. I tried to explain that his calorie burn will not be high enough for that many calories but he is sure that guide is correct.

Would love some feedback on the calorie needs and any advice I can give hubby. If he dosen't lose weight within the first two weeks I know he will give it up.

2500 cals might be right for him since guys have a higher metabolic rate. Something to note about the Insanity numbers, it's set up to calculate a 500 cal daily deficit and that translates to roughly a 1 lb weight loss per week. Whether not it is enough or too much calories for him, he's going to have to decide really. If he feels tired in his bones, or ravenous have him up some of his calories with the food blocks in the guide. You need energy to get through the workout. If he's not dropping inches off his body, ask if he's keeping his diet clean and working out with good intensity.

Have him reassess his calories after every 5 lb loss and when he hits month 2. I ran my numbers through other calorie assessments on websites and find Insanity's numbers to be +/- 100 of those numbers. I average my weekly caloric intake slightly below Insanity's numbers because I'd like to lose a little more than a 1lb a week and generally feel good eating my current numbers. Though I am going to respect month 2's workouts and up my cals a bit. He's going to have to figure out what is manageable for him.

He's going from not working out to a really intense program. If that's what it takes to get him moving, then that's what it takes. It's going to be a shock to his system the first week or so, and so his weight might fluctuate a bit. I'd have him avoid the scale the first two weeks until his body gets used to the workouts. But if he's gotta weigh himself those first two weeks, don't let him look at the numbers if you think it's going to discourage him. Have him stand backwards on the scale or something, and you note it for him. Take his measurements and pictures at the beginning and every two weeks. He'll get a better sense of how he's doing from those than the scale.

Hardest week is the first week or so, if you can get him to just show up every day that's already half the battle done right there. It's not about how many cals he burns, how many times he's grabbing his knees and sucking down air, whether he keep up at the class' pace and so on, it's about trying to acquire a new habit and making your body/mind tougher. This is not a workout anyone can master right out of the box. Remind him of that if he gets discouraged with how he's doing in workouts.