Insanity alongside 4:3

This topic contains 13 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by Harpreet 9 years, 4 months ago.

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Looney41

8:17 am
16 May 15
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Hi

I’ve searched the forum for this but I can only find some old posts where people started the insanity workout but they didn’t repost later on on how they found it or if they completed it …

I’ve been doing 4:3 IF for a few months now and I’ve lost 2 stone. I’m used to the fast days now and I find it works well for me losing usually at least 1 pound a week but I wanted to step it up a little for my target date in July when I go on holiday. Insanity fit nicely Into the 64 days before I go.

I’m currently on day 6 but I have found I’m hungrier and im starting to struggle on my fast days, especially if I’ve done the routine in the morning before work…(I used to exercise in the evening but this is so intense I like to get it out of the way) and I’d save my calories for tea but now I’m finding that by lunch time I’m ready to eat and I’m assuming it’s because of the new exercise.

Is anyone else doing this workout at the minute or have you done it recently and did you get good results? I currently haven’t lost any weight this week so im a little frustrated after so much hard work but I do feel more toned already so I want to stick at it… Am I just worrying too much? There’s so many good success stories with insanity and a friend of mine has done it with great results but not much info online about doing it with fasting …
Thanks
Lorna

Harpreet

10:04 pm
20 May 15
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@looney41 hi there 🙂 well done on your FANTASTIC success! You should be soo proud. I’ve only been doing the 4:3 for about 4 weeks, 1 week was a write off :/ I am not doing insanity but I have been trying to work extra harder to reach a goal for June (one that is looking unlikely now!) so I have been doing spin, weight and resistance training and other cardio work- HITT type basically. I too noticed the week before last, I was getting really hungry on fast days more than usual. Then after a weekend away with friends and drinking too much and eating bad food 🙁 I am back again on my second fast day today of 3 and have done circuits today and spin but I felt ok I think because I had a big weekend blow out.
To be honest I think when I got really hungry at first I thought wow my metabolism must be revved but by the 3rd fast day at the gym I felt soo weak and almost tearful because I couldn’t push myself as much as I wanted! I am sad I know lol. But I think the lesson is that even though we have short term goals we have to be realistic and listen to our bodies. If you are getting really hungry to the point where you can’t focus on your day, or feel really weak eat something – as long as you stay within your calorie allowance for the day. I found that after morning work outs (i sometimes want to get it out of the way too!) if I ate eggs after compared to porridge I felt fuller for longer. So maybe have a look at the -types- of food you are eating. You are working out hard so you need to replenish your body and remember muscle weighs more than fat – and with insanity you are likely going to build muscle.
Apologies for the waffling and sorry it is not insanity specific – but insanity is like HITT so going on the book it’s fine to do on fast days as long as you’re keeping it short and intense. Perhaps keep longer work outs for non-fast days.
We can motivate each other 🙂 I am at training with work tomorrow and they are providing lunch and I am dreading it because I can’t count calories or weigh my food! Have a great day/evening depending where in the world you are 🙂

_deleted account

10:45 pm
20 May 15
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Hi Looney41,

I also started this diet doing 4:3 but this week I have dropped down to 5:2 because I am very close to my goal weight. I’m actually a little unsure about 5:2, I enjoyed the almost alternate day fasting.

I do an intensive one hour swim workout three mornings a week, and Beachbody’s P90X strength training workouts on the in-between mornings. It is challenging doing intense workouts and fast days, but I’ll tell you what has worked for me.

I don’t fast on the P90X strength training days. I tried that and my muscles just couldn’t recover. I was just too sore the next day. My young adult son gave me an explanation for why but I can’t remember enough of his explanation to pass it on at this point.

I will fast on the days I swim. I swim at 5:00 AM so I eat a small carb “breakfast” about 30-40 minutes before I swim. It is only about 50 – 80 calories, but if I don’t, I just have no energy for the swimming. It is either a plain piece of toast, nothing on it, or some fruit. Then after I swim I will have another small breakfast of an egg with a little bit of fruit. That usually equals 100 calories. The rest of the calories I save for dinner. 350 calories is still a good sized meal.

I took me a bit to figure out what works. I started out with just the swimming. That seemed to be no trouble with the fast days once my body got used to it. It was adding the strength training that was the challenge. The first time I tried to strength train and fast I was so sore I could barely walk for several days. Sitting even hurt (it was a leg and back routine.)

Now that I have the eating and exercising schedule all figured out I don’t seem to have the terribly sore days, but I still get depleted muscles. What I mean by that is I believe what is happening is that all the glycogen gets depleted from my muscles due to the swimming and fasting. On those days walking up the stairs can feel like a great effort. I could be wrong, but I think since the glycogen is depleted I am then in fat burning mode, probably that much sooner thanks to the exercise.

The 350 calorie dinner on the fast day then replenishes my muscles so they are ready for P90X the following morning.

Someone else may chime in and tell you my explanation is full of dog doo, but the explanation seems to fit the observations I’ve make about myself, anyway.

I hope this helps you figure out your own routine.

Good luck.

diverdog

11:36 pm
21 May 15
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I don’t do insanity but I do exercise very intensely with weights and on a spin bike. One thing you don’t mention is how old you are and how many off days you take. The more intensely you work and the older you are the more recovery time you need. Muscles recover and grow when you rest not when you exercise.

I am quite fit and I find I need three full days off between like workouts or I don’t recover completely and get stronger. I typically do upper body weights, Lower body weights, off day, HIIT on the spin bike and repea the cycle.

Harpreet

1:44 pm
24 May 15
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@VirginaEdie that was great to read, it makes sense too! Once I fasted and did evening cardio, next day I had to fast again (as I started late in the week) and I did weights in the gym and I literally couldn’t even get up from a squat, I felt like I had NOTHING to give. Apologies you have given quite a detailed account already but would you be so kind as to give us a weekly run down of your routine in terms of the exercise you do and what you eat?

I too am trying to do the 4:3 and 3 days cardio and 2 days weight training – but this week has been a flop 🙁 2 fast days, only 2 work out and a lot of boozing im ashamed to say – bank holidays throw me way off. So I’d love to get back on it next week with some fresh motivation.

And congratulations on being close to your goal weight – what an incredible achievement, you must be soo proud 🙂

Harpreet

1:45 pm
24 May 15
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@diverdog you sound like you have a great exercise regimen! how do you find the fasting, have you been doing it a while now?

Bootsy Badger

1:58 pm
24 May 15
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Hi Looney41 and Harpreet

Is ‘Insanity’ a trade name for a particular workout? As someone who experiences mental health difficulties, I would be really grateful if it could be referred to as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

With kind regards to all

diverdog

5:43 pm
24 May 15
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Bootsy, Insanity is a trade name for a workout. Harpreet, I’ve just started the fasting a week ago. I fast on my off days from intense exercise and it will be 5 fast days in a two week period. So averaging 2.5 fast days per week. I have been active on my first two fast days doing 20 minutes of easy riding on the spin bike in the morning and ballroom dancing in the evenings. So far no issues with recovery or weakness. Today is my 3rd fast day.

I used to weight 240 lbs but after a heart attack scare 20 years ago I lost 40 lbs and kept it off. Three years ago I lost 25 more and kept it off via nutrition, HIT style spin and weight workouts. I’ve put on ~8 lbs over the last 6 months with a lot of travel and eating way too much. BTW I’ve never done more than 30 minutes of “cardio” and I firmly believe that long term weigh loss is rooted in the weight room. I’ve built some muscle to replace what I lost y being sedentary and it burns calories 24 hours a day. The short tough HIT style works are sustainable. Hours of cardio just make your body more efficient at burning calories. Not a good thing for fat loss! LOL

Bootsy Badger

8:50 pm
24 May 15
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Thanks for info re trade name, diverdog. I have written to the company and expressed my opinion, which gave me an outlet at least. They are probably too busy adding up their profits to take much notice, lol.

Also thanks for your info in your previous post (21 May) on how you structure your HiiT/ weights sessions. For the past 8 weeks I have been doing the regime as outlined in the Fast Exercise book – or rather trying to. I think I shall try the pattern you outline.

Cheers, all.

diverdog

10:24 pm
24 May 15
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Bootsy, i haven’t read the fast exercise book yet. I’m going to pick it up to wee what they are advocating for exercise

Looney41

10:04 pm
25 May 15
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Thanks for your posts everyone 🙂 Harpreet I can sometimes definately do with some motivation! Lol x

I’ve now completed my second week of the famous silly hard HIT workouts and I’m down by a further 3 pound this week so I know it’s possible to fast and do the hard daily workouts. It is hard work but I can already see and feel a difference so the HIT should really make a big difference by the time I go away in July. I’m still doing 4:3 and although I am getting hungrier on my fast days I know I can stick to them now so it’s just having the willpower to not give in and keep doing the exercise! I’m extremely busy at work at the minute with more marking to do at home too due to exam season so at least that will provide a distraction to the fridge!!

Hope everyone has had a good bank holiday weekend. If I’m feeling brave I’ll post my before and after pics from doing Shaun Ts “IN…” Workout but still got another 7 weeks to go!!! As he says on the workout “dig deeper y’all. We can do this!! ” 🙂 Love from South Yorkshire UK x

_deleted account

10:27 am
26 May 15
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Hi Harpreet,

I apologize for taking so long in answering your question, but it was a holiday weekend for us in the States I didn’t spend much time on the computer.
Let’s see if I can let you know my schedule without turning it into a dissertation.
I do strength training workouts on Sun, Tues, Thurs. These are videos from the P90X workout. The first is Chest and Back: push ups and (in my case, modified) pull-ups. The second video is a shoulder and arm workout, and the third of the strength workouts is back and legs. They are about 50 minutes in length. I do not fast on those days. I eat about 1500 calories and it is mostly protein, fruits and veggies. I am allergic to dairy and have a gluten intolerance so there are few grains in my diet. P90X has other workouts as part of the program which includes plyometrics, yoga, and another aerobic routine that involves kicking and punching. I am not doing those workouts for now because I am swimming on the days between the strength training.
I swim on Mon, Wed, and Fri. for an hour. I usually get about 2500 yards in. I have to eat a snack before I swim because otherwise I just have no energy. It is usually a plain piece of gluten free toast. Then after I swim I have an egg and some fruit so help replenish my muscles a little. The next time I eat is dinner. 350 calories is quite a bit of food when it is only meat fruits and vegetables. I get pretty full. There are some days, if for some reason I am not that hungry after I swim, I will skip the post swim snack. I figure that really puts me in fat burning mode.
I will admit, the Monday, Wednesday fasts are the easiest. By the time Friday rolls around, I find it more challenging and usually end up a little over, around 600 calories. I don’t worry about it too much since it is the third fast day of the week.
I hope that helps. I just ran out of time and gotta go.

Cheers.

Looney41

8:50 am
6 Jun 15
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HIT training and 4:3 workout.

Nearly 4 weeks done of the 9 weeks of the workout … Shattered is an understatement but I’m down by 7lbs now and I need to do my measurements as I feel much more toned too. Work is very busy at the minute so fast days are ok but by home time (and especially of the workout has been done in the morning) I am starving. I really really enjoy my main meal though. 6 weeks today till my holiday goal of 3 stone loss and although some weeks I don’t always lose now, I’m at 2 stone 9lbs loss overall this year so very happy with that. Hope everyone is well x

Harpreet

3:04 pm
14 Aug 15
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Hi everyone apologies for the extremely delayed response. I did lose my way and let life’s stressora get the better of me. I am extremely disheartened and ashamed to say I am now at my heaviest but I have pulled myself back on track this since Tuesday. @VirginiaEdie and @looney41 I am so incredibly impressed by your regimens and it’s inspiring. Thankyou soo much @VirginaEdie for the breakdown of your plan I am going to look up the exercises you do. How has everyone been getting on? I hope everyone is well. Best wishes from Birmingham, UK.