Plateau/P90X/Insanity...uuggghhh!!

nbsambucca
nbsambucca Posts: 123 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I finished P90X. I did not lose any weight in the last 2 months (lost about 4lbs). I havent seen ANY measurement changes in the past 9 weeks.
I just finished week 1 of Insanity and took a week off before that. So all of month 2 & 3 of P90X I basically saw no changes. I figured I needed to do the cardio of Insanity.
I have my heartrate up in the 90%'s (94-99) for roughly 30 min of the 40 min Insanity workouts, and its in the high 80% for the other 10 minutes. I eat by their nutrition plan. Im supposed to eat 1878 calories. I fall between 1600/1850 a day. My problem is w/my hr monitor is telling me I burn 225-275 cals a session. THATS IT????? Thats why Im going down to closer to 1600 cals thinking 1878 would be way too much.
WHAT am I doing wrong. I understand plateaus happen. But 9 weeks? I figured my body was tired of P90X and needed the cardio. I must admit I was expecting a BIG happy surprise after week 1 of doing 110% all week. I know about the sore muscles and weight gain, and the changes take time...but with this loooong platuea and the big change in program I am really disappointed in my NO results :(
Any thoughts? suggestions? anyone else in the same boat wanna whine with me?

Replies

  • FitGuyMemphis
    FitGuyMemphis Posts: 10 Member
    I've done p90x, so I'm familiar with the program....as far as your progress goes what are your calorie macros like? What type of food do you typically eat? And how much rest and recovery time do you give yourself? These are some important factors some people overlook. All calories are not created equal, so even if you think your intake is correct, what you put in your mouth may be slowing your progress more than you think...and on top of that, I would never trust a heart rate monitor to be completely accurate as to how many calories you are burning. You also have to take in the calories your body will be burning after a workout, when it's using energy to repair muscle tissue after a strenuous exercise, etc....lots of factors..
  • nbsambucca
    nbsambucca Posts: 123 Member
    Im going to try to answer all you asked:
    Im at 40/40/20 per Insanity plan. I did the P90X 3 phases at the macros they suggested. I did the portion approach since I hate to cook w/alot of ingredients!
    I eat clean. not 100%, id say 90%. whole wheat/fresh fruit/veggies/no fast food (well, not none..but once a month maybe). pretty much cut out soda/teas.
    i follow the program's rest schedule as they have it written.
    My concern/confusion is my hr monitor reading. I didnt buy a top of the line one..but I dont see how my hr can be up (and Im sucking air and pushing to my limits...) and still barely burn anything. Im sure the afterburn is helping....last week I did a recovery dvd w/Insanity. burned 130 cals. ok. it was easy. But then I mowed the lawn and burned 300 cals in what I normally would have burned 150ish. I did the lawn right after the dvd. I know its helping....but this loooong plateau is killling me!
  • jfan175
    jfan175 Posts: 812 Member
    I've done p90x, so I'm familiar with the program....as far as your progress goes what are your calorie macros like? What type of food do you typically eat? And how much rest and recovery time do you give yourself? These are some important factors some people overlook. All calories are not created equal, so even if you think your intake is correct, what you put in your mouth may be slowing your progress more than you think...and on top of that, I would never trust a heart rate monitor to be completely accurate as to how many calories you are burning. You also have to take in the calories your body will be burning after a workout, when it's using energy to repair muscle tissue after a strenuous exercise, etc....lots of factors..

    I agree with all of this. Are you weighing and measuring your food? It's very easy to eat a lot more than you think you are. Have your waist, hip and bust measurements changed? It would be hard not to lose fat with p90x, unless you're already very lean.
  • nbsambucca
    nbsambucca Posts: 123 Member
    [

    I agree with all of this. Are you weighing and measuring your food? It's very easy to eat a lot more than you think you are. Have your waist, hip and bust measurements changed? It would be hard not to lose fat with p90x, unless you're already very lean.
    [/quote]

    yep, I weigh/measure. i lost 1" in all 3 of those thru the whole 3 month program (1 " off each area). That was prettymuch the 1st month. I am not very lean by any means! lol. But Im trying to get there!!!
  • sarrylove
    sarrylove Posts: 88
    Have you thought about the ultimate reset? I am planning to do it in the fall, but I had a friend who had hit a plateau and did the ultimate reset, had good results and is now doing Insanity and having results again!!!
  • FitGuyMemphis
    FitGuyMemphis Posts: 10 Member
    I guess what I am getting at, is that for the average person, P90x can be way TOO much exercise. If you are over exerting yourself and not allowing enough time for rest and recovery you are not going to see progress because your body is holding onto every ounce of fat/energy/calories it has.

    As far as heart rate goes, I never monitor my heart rate, I just worry about how much weight I'm lifting, loosely follow macros, etc...

    Best advice I can give you is to make sure you aren't eating too much, cut out as much, if not all processed sugars and carbs, like pasta, bread, cereal, bagels, etc....and the whole idea that "whole grain" is any better than regular bread is not true...doesn't make a difference once it's in your body it has the same effects on insulin, which is what keeps you from losing weight. Insulin basically tells your fat cells to not release any stored fat, so even when you are in caloric deficit, if you are eating sugars or processed grains and carbs, etc..your body is still holding onto the fat it has....thus why people following your typical "low fat diet" and eating "whole grains" don't see much, if any progress. Cut all that stuff out, maybe even cut out some of the exercise and give yourself more rest....you will probably be surprised at the results :)

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