It’s official now: after finishing my first round of P90X I also graduated with my first round of Insanity. A lot of sweat and calories were lost. However I have to admit that I think Insanity is more suited for people who actually still have to lose numbers on the scale. Even though my cardio has improved a lot, I hardly saw any changes in my body composition.
I think that this is due to the fact of me already having a very low BMI and the high carb need in the Insanity nutrition to keep up with the high intensity of the workouts. I couldn’t get my body fat % down any more and I stopped losing weight. The second part is a good thing since I really don’t want to lose more weight but I still want to reduce my body fat %.
I started at 1500 calories and zig-zaged up to 1900. It still didn’t change anything weight, fat % wise or inches wise. Another issue could be that I had a hard time keeping my heart rate up during the second month. I had to take a lot of breaks due to my upper body and legs still being weakish. This might be another factor leading to less then desired results when it comes to changes in my body composition.
Either way, we bought heavier weights and some gloves for me on Saturday and today was my first day with Tony again. Chest and Back went amazingly well and all my numbers were higher then the last time I did this exercise. However, ARX was a pain. Either my form got once again much better or I lost a lot of strength in my abs during Insanity (which would be weird, since Cardio Abs seemed really easy to me.)
In any case I have a lot to work on and I am curious as to what my second round of P90X will lead to. I am very determined to stay in Phase 1 (fat shredder, high in protein and low in carbs) longer and see how far I can get with lower carb intake. I do think that it might help me with turning tissue into lean muscle mass. Here is to hoping and keep your fingers crossed for me 🙂
I can’t wait to do Yoga again! Even though I know I am excited now, I will be swearing and grinding my teeth throughout it and afterwards feel like a million bucks 😀
I know everytime I changed my routine whether it was from Phase I to II or back again it always felt like starting over to some degree. I was stronger and able to do more but my mind was always wondering why is this STILL so hard. I think that’s the beauty of muscle confusion but I’ll leave it to the experts.
Nothing works better than writing it down so you can see that you actually are doing waaaaayyyy better. Keep on pushing 😉
Uups late reply -.-
Yes, it’s hard. It’s really weird too since I seem to have more problems with everything even after a first round. I do think however that it is because my form overall has improved a lot. My back is straighter, my chest is up and so on..at least that is what I am telling myself 😉
You are an absolute star 🙂 I am so impressed, and very happy that you appear to have taken charge of your life again. Kudos !!!!
SSlay
(The idiot you used to game with sometimes!)
Thanks so much Slay.
Funny, since I just visited your facebook profile yesterday 🙂
I hope you are doing well.
Hiya
Nah, life got very screwed up I am afraid, but at least I still have all my hair…oh wait.
Slay
Hi Tascha! I was actually sent here by a friend as I’m in a similar sort of boat to you.
I’ve suffered for a long time with weight gain, because I have a severely underactive thyroid, and swimming and regular cardio just weren’t cutting it. When it looked like I might be on the up with my progress, disaster struck at christmas 2010, and I came down with pneumonia. A couple of months later as I was getting better, I got it again. It’s taken me months to recover from it, and left me with severe chest pain and breathing issues. However, I didn’t want to take this lying down (as on my return from a 3month holiday in Texas where I hope the heat will help my breathing settle! – I have to undergo a lot of tests, including a cat-scan for cancerous cells in my lungs).
My boyfriend, who is military and also trying to lose some weight, handed me the Insanity dvds. I’m on week 2 now, and I must admit, I’ve had a fair share of hiccups. I have a low fitness level and my muscles don’t remember what exercise is. Somedays I can’t finish the dvd (by about 9 mins, as I’m exhausted and weeping) somedays I do.
I know with such a terrible level of fitness I need to up my ante, and I’m likely going to repeat the first 28 day routine after the recovery week to try and boost my fitness levels. I don’t eat breakfast, something I noticed in your posts, as food in the am makes me want to be sick. Would I be better off with a shake type replacement? I know I need it to stop snacking later on, any advice as to what to get?
Otherwise, what an inspiration! I hope when I return home I can dazzle my doctors too with better blood pressure, fitness and wellbeing. The weight loss and how I look are incidental right now, I just want to be better!
Thank you for such an amazing blog!
Nicola x
Hi Nicola!
I can only imagine what a struggle it must be. It’s the hardest part to get over a set-back and sometimes it feels like fighting (or swimming) against the current. Working out is hard enough as it is. It takes willpower and determination. If you have things get thrown at you that make it even harder it just feels overwhelming at times (or maybe even all the time). I think it’s absolutely amazing that you try to do something. Insanity is quite hard so don’t push yourself too hard. Look at it this way (and that is why I like the Insanity DVDs so much): The people in the Program are already very fit and are all graduates but even they struggle and have to take breaks.
Repeating the first month is a good idea I think since the second month is really hard. Do whatever feels right for your body.
Breakast, REALLY important. I used to feel sick just from the thought of eating breakfast. The shake solution was great for me initially. Doesn’t take a lot of time and it’s not too hard on the stomach either. More like a milk shake in the morning 🙂 A protein powder with a test you like and then some skim milk is a great way to get used to breakfast. Eventually the longer you work out the more your system will burn and you will actually get hungry in the morning. I now really love to eat oatmeal with some nice tasting protein powder, blueberries and walnuts 🙂
If you like, keep me updated on how it goes 🙂
Good luck and hang in there!