Alli and Insanity
 

The title kind of sounds like a soap opera doesn't it?

Hi, I'm new to this forum (only been here a couple of days) and I wanted to start a thread to post updates of my progress through this new idea I'm trying for losing weight.

If you want to know a little more about me, I have an introduction posted in the introductions area titled "Navy guy in Japan" (sorry, can't post links yet).

If you want to know if this works, keep reading as I post updates.

O.K., what I have already been doing to lose weight:

Stopped drinking soda.
Drink at least 100 oz. of water (usually more) every day.
Eat some kind of breakfast (low fat/sugar) (never ate breakfast before).
Eat a healthy lunch (I used to eat fast food every day for lunch).
Eat a normal dinner with my family, but cut down on portions.

I have been doing this, and running a lot...and lost 10 pounds the first month. Normally that would be good, except that it was 8 pounds the first week and 2 pounds for the following 3 weeks combined. It's the 2 pounds in 3 weeks that has me wanting to try something different.

I started at 198 pounds and a month and 11 days later I'm still barely under 190 pounds.

What I have decided to try:

Alli, the only weight loss pills approved by the FDA...I'm hoping that means it works and is safe. The over the counter pills are half dose of a prescription medication that has been shown to work for a long time...so I'm hoping. Without going into nasty bathroom details, I'll just say it seems to be getting rid of fat pretty good so far.

I'm also trying the Beach Body Insanity workout. I started it yesterday and just did the fit test (which was still pretty hard). I'll be doing the fit test every two weeks to see how much I am improving. I'll definitely post updates after each fit test, and probably some in between as well (especially to say how hard it is... ;) ).

I can't post a signature, picture, or even a link yet...but when I can I'll try to get a progress of weight loss ticker up at some point.

Day 1...fit test.

Just started and the fit test to see what level you are at to start (and to be able to compare later) was a pretty good workout.

I'm kinda nervous to see what the actual work outs are going to be like. This program is supposed to earn it's name (Insanity) by being ridiculously hard. Of course, I'm not going to be able to keep up with the hard bodies in the video, but I'll do my best and that should be a good workout for me.

I'm actually posting this a little before I go do Day 2...so there will be an update after the first actual work out here in a couple of hours.

There are a couple of selfish reasons for this post...

1. It's a place to track my progress and post updates as I go through it. Even if no one else gets anything out of it...at least I have a place to log things about it.

2. If I know that others know I'm doing this program, then I will be less likely to quit. I know it's going to be hard, so a little bit of extra motivation could go a long way.

I tried Alli briefly, I personally thought it was pointless after a couple weeks (JMO), and it was more myself trying to play mind games with....um, myself. I was trying to trick myself into eating right and losing weight.

I dont think you should be discouraged with the 2lb loss in 3 weeks. I'm sure everyone here will say that normal *sustainable* weight loss is 1-2lbs a week. Considering you've collectively lost 10lbs in about 1 month, that is very normal especially with the huge loss the first week :D

Keep up the good work :)

Just keep in mind all the "safe" drugs the FDA approves and then recalls months or years later after people start dying...natural is always safest.

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Hope to continue to hear of all your success.

Hi memorysan

I'll be following your journey through your posts... So, keep it up!!! ;)

I use Alli and works like a charm for me. But I eat a lot of fat on weekends. If you are already in a low fat diet it won't do much...

Good luck!
Bele

If you do a little research on Alli it caused cancer in rats. I agree with AFChick, just because it's FDA approved, doesn't mean it's safe in the long run.

10 lbs in a month is fantastic. If I lost 4 lbs a month I'd be happy because I know I am doing my best, and I am eating better, exercising and getting healthy while I am on this weight loss journey.

By no means am I saying that Alli causes cancer or that you shouldn't take it. I am only saying, do a little research and read what comes up. I for one am anti drug. I think our society pushes drugs when they are not necessary, of course sometimes it is necessary, but often it's not. I don't like to take anything that I don't have to take.

I do wish you much success on your weightloss journey, no matter how you go about it.

Just finished Day 2...the first day doing an actual workout.

Believe it or not, it actually seems doable. I'm not going to lie, I had to stop and rest several times during the push-up part of it, but I believe once my arms get in better shape I'll be able to handle it!

Like I said, I did have to stop and rest for a few seconds (outside of the rest they give you) several times but I pushed myself as hard as I could and never quit.

I was covered in sweat even before the warm-up was done and through out the whole workout, and that tells me it's doing something!

Oh, I had my daughter take a picture of me with my shirt off (it's O.K., I'm a guy) as a before picture. I'm not going to post it until I have an after picture to go with it...so nanner, nanner...:crazy:

I don't know...I may post one after each fit test to show how it's going.

I just "survived" day 3 of Insanity. Yes, I am having to rest several times for a few seconds between the rests the video gives you...but I WON'T LET MYSELF QUIT!! Hopefully, the further I get into it the less of those rests I have to take. Meanwhile, I'll give it my best!

I like that it shows the intervals...motivates me to push to the end of that interval and get a few more of one exercises before moving on to the next exercise (or those 30 second rests that are barely enough time for my breath to slow down enough to take a small sip of water and get ready to hit it again).

The countdown is nice also...I can say to myself "only 16 minutes left...I got this" and am able to keep pushing myself.

May I ask why you want to weigh 145? Is it for your job? Seems pretty low for an adult male. Have you talked to your doctor about your goals?

Okay, never mind my last post, I read your intro thread and understand now.

Good luck.

I was about to post a reply, then I saw your signature...WOW!!

Losing 190 pounds is AMAZING!!! Congratulations!!! You have lost more than I weigh! You've lost a lot more than you weigh (but you already know that)!

Anyway back to your question...

145 is what I weighed when I graduated boot camp almost 14 years ago (I was 20 then). To be honest, I was still chubby then, in fact I told a friend that I weighed 170 before I went to boot camp and he told me "If you are this fat now, you must have been really bad at 170."

Most of the "ideal weight" charts I have seen on line say I should be anywhere between 125 and 155 (some go as high as 165) for my height.

If I don't get that low because I pack on some muscle and I am satisfied with what I look like, then I may change my mind. Right now I'm going off of remembering that I was even fat at 145, and I'm considering that to be a goal to set for now and go up or down from there as I get closer.

I have learned that Insanity is actually 63 days (9 weeks) long, not 60 as advertised. Since I just finished day 3...I now have 60 days left.

I'm not trying to argue with you, but I believe advances in medicine is why people live longer today than they did many years ago. I'm not saying they are all good (and nobody actually needs weight loss pills to lose weight...it can be done without them...I'm just looking for that extra push).

***If you are easily grossed out, don't read the next part***

I have noticed, looking in the toilet after I do #2, that there is an oily substance floating on the top of the water. That is the fat that my body is not absorbing due to me taking Alli. (sometimes there is a lot of it...which makes me think that if Alli only stops 1/4 (which is what the reviews say) of the fat from the food you eat from being absorbed then I am eating WAY too much fat...this has me thinking about what I am eating as well.).

***Gross part over with***

Of course you could get the same effect from eating 1/4 less fat but, like I said, I'm looking for that extra push to help me lose weight. I am guilty of not watching what I eat as well as others on this forum do (although, I'm doing much better than I was before I decided to lose weight)...so every little bit helps.

Just finished day 4. Cardio Recovery...easy day. It was mainly stretches. The only times I had to stop was when he had me holding a position for a long time...gotta build them legs up to be able to hold it for that long.

The first month is supposed to be hard, but it's supposed to build you up for month two, which is supposed to be the real hard stuff. I don't get discouraged if I have to stop for a few seconds during an exercise this week because I see it as building myself up and I'm sure I'll be able to do better later.

Digging deep and doing the best I can!

Today was no cardio...tomorrow is called Pure Cardio...I'm sure I'll be hurting after that one!

I need one more post to be able to post a pic...so the next post will be my "before" pic, so you can see where I started.

Here it is:

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/3...remay92010.jpg

Well, I didn't do my workout last night (went out drinking), but Sunday is supposed to be an off day. I'll just move yesterday's workout to today, today's to Sunday and be back on track by Monday (making yesterday my day off instead of Sunday).

Well, I did Pure Cardio today...WOW is all I can say! It was pretty intense with NO BREAKS!! Well, there were a couple of breaks during the warm up/stretch part, but NONE during the workout which is the hard part.

Needless to say, I had to stop several times...but so did the hardbodies in the video...and they took longer breaks. I just stopped for 3 or 4 seconds each time and jumped right back in.

Before the workout part of it started, Shon T., himself, said he was nervous about this one.

That was supposed to be Day 5, but I'm really 6 days into it because I moved tomorrow's break to yesterday...I'll just say I'm done with the first week after tomorrow's workout and I'll be back on track.

I really should have taken a side shot for that before picture, because my stomach sticking WAY out is what I'm most worried about and you can't even see it that much in the front shot.

I would love to turn my keg into a six pack!! I know that will take a long time and a lot of work...right now I don't see myself ever having one.

I survived one week of INSANITY!!! Only 8 left!

Since I have been through all of the routines for the first month now (they repeat for the rest of the month), and since I'm the only one posting on here, I will slow down on the posting. The next one will probably be after the next fit test to post how I did.

I will say that I have added a recovery formula (drinking the first one now) to my diet, right after the workout. I didn't go with the Beachbody one though, I'm using Optimum Nutrition (ON) 2:1:1 Recovery. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm still taking Alli with every meal and a multivitamin and calcium/Vitamin D pill before I go to bed (I had a stress fracture a week before I started Insanity and Insanity is high impact...the extra Calcium and Vitamin D are for my bones.

Wow!!! Good for you!!! 1 week complete! I really enjoy reading your posts too because I'm trying to psych myself up to do insanity (as well as spend the $120 on it - ouch!) because I think it will definitely whip me into shape much more quickly than other workouts will.

Congratulations on your progress you are doing great!

Thanks! It's nice to know that I'm not talking to myself in here...hehe!

I'm not going to post every day from now on...I'll post highlights.

I'll post more often when I start the second month because the workouts will change.

Great job! Keep it up I'm anxious to see if the infomercials are true. It looks so intense!

Yes, definitely keep it up. I just found your post today but I'll be watching....that sounded eerie, hehe.

I was COMPLETELY drained yesterday. I don't know if it was the recovery drink (seems like it could be because the day before was the first day I tried it) or if my muscles would have been that tired by this point anyway.

I had a hard time staying awake at work, and I slept most of the day away after work.

It's weird because the recovery drink is supposed to make you recover from a work out FASTER! Now, I don't know if I should just not try the energy drink any more or stick it out thinking that my body just wasn't used to it yet.

Anyway, I didn't work out last night because I didn't have ANY energy. I know it's bad, but I felt like I would have been lazy during the workout anyway because I didn't have much to put into it.

I feel a little better today, so I guess yesterday will have to be my day off for this week.

Good for you for fnishing the first week of Insanity! I've never heard of it, but it sure sounds hard. I've noticed that when I work out, I need more sleep, especially after weights. If I do weights on Monday, I don't need more sleep Sunday night, but if I don't get enough sleep Monday night, I'm very drained on Tuesday.

People I talked to at work said that it couldn't be the shake that did it, it had to be that my body was telling me that I needed to rest.

Well, I got plenty of sleep yesterday and felt much better today. I did yesterday's workout today and almost threw up after it...lol.

I'm trying the recovery drink again tonight (now) and I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

When I workout alot, I need more sleep. Also, if you are just exhausted, you may not be getting enough calories. When I was an undergrad (too many years ago to say :)), I was doing 2 hours of stairmaster, 6 days a week, 1 hour of step aerobics, 3 days a week, and 1 hour of weights, 2-3 days a week....ya, I know, it sounds like a reverse eating disorder, doesn't it? I think it was...anyway, I got to where I was so exhausted I couldn't function...sleeping 10+ hours and still tired. I thought I must be anemic...went to the doctor, and they basically told me that I wasn't eating enough. I was eating about 1000 cals/day. They made me add 800 cals/day, and my energy returned.

Keep up the good work! I tried Alli for a month and it didn't do enough to justify all the nastiness.

But if you like it, that's what counts!:D

Well, I drank the recovery drink after my workout last night and I didn't feel drained today...the Pure Cardio workout went pretty good also.

I guess my body was just trying to tell me it needed a break on Monday...it's definitely not the recovery drink.

I'll keep going with the recovery drinks because I actually like the taste, if nothing else...lol.

Hi! You are quite! I would take you home anytime :-))) Just kidding. Just to make you feel better - I am a woman and I have more pounds than you are...so ...thing could be worst...and you have a great start from that point of view....keep on...:)

Just what I needed right now to put a smile on my face!! Thank you so much!!

:carrot: I JUST FINISHED WEEK TWO OF INSANITY!!! :carrot:

I took a day off Monday (pure lack on energy that day) so I couldn't take the day off that was supposed to be today (I just bumped all the workouts back one day). I walked around the Nature Museum in Tokyo for about 7 hours and was pretty tired when I got home, so I took a small nap, ate dinner, waited 2 hours and did Pure Cardio and Cardio Abs (first time doing both together). Believe me, by the time I was done...I was exhausted (hence the need for the smile)!! I burned a lot of calories today, I'm sure that'll "do the body good".

I'll get another picture up to see if there is any noticeable difference, and post my fit test results tomorrow. Tomorrow is the first fit test after the original...now I'll have a comparison to make.

This has been a bad week as far as the diet and Alli go. I have cheated on my diet a few times this week and forgot to take Alli with several of my meals :o . I need to get back on track with this so I can see better results.

I do think I'm making a little progress though...and little by little is better than nothing at all (and much better than getting worse).

Hang in there! Keep us posted on how the fit test goes.

Fit Test 2 Results
 

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6...fitcompare.jpg
<---before (Day 1).....2 weeks later--->
It's hard to tell any different from the front...but that's all I took the first time so that's all I have to compare with. One thing though, when you can see a big difference from the front like this (hopefully this will happen later) it will mean I have made a BIG difference in my body.


The first number after each exercise / measurement is my result from Fit Test 1, on May 10th (Day 1) and the second number is from today's Fit Test 2 (2 weeks later). I had it spaced out where it would be easier to read, but the forum took out most of the spaces.

Exercises (# is reps in 1 minute)

Switch Kicks 40 65
Power Jacks 43 58
Power Knees 80 110
Power Jumps 30 38
Globe Jumps 7 11
Suicide Jumps 14 18
Push-Up Jacks 25 31
Low Plank Oblique 28 35

Measurements (# is inches or pounds, with the exception of BMI and Body Fat %)

Weight 188 185
BMI 28.6 28.1
Body Fat % 25% 22%
Neck 15 15.5
Chest 41 39.5
Waist 38.5 36.5 (Yes, that is 2 inches off my waist!!! (This is the area I'm most worried about.))
Hips 42.5 39.5
Right Thigh 23.5 21
Left Thigh 23 22
Right Calf 14.5 14.5
Left Calf 14.5 14.5
Right Bicep 13 14
Left Bicep 12.5 13.5
Right Forearm 11 11
Left Forearm 11 11

My conclusion so far:

The numbers are showing great results, but the pictures don't show much difference. It's only been 2 weeks, though, and I'm sure there is much more improvement on the way!!

Some advice for anyone wanting to do this:

1. The first week was the hardest (so far anyway, haven't started month 2 yet)...it's getting easier and the soreness was completely gone by the end of the first week (and I could have sworn my body was creating new muscles that didn't really exist just to make them hurt during that first week). DON'T QUIT because you think it's too hard during the first week, it get's better, I promise. (The workouts don't get easier...it's the same ones...but your body gets where it can handle it better).

2. On days where you don't feel like doing it...push yourself to do it anyway! I have found that by the time the warm up is done I'm much more into it than I was before I started, every time. Remember that your body will feel more into it after the warm up so you just gotta push yourself to get started and the rest will happen.

3. PUSH YOURSELF! You didn't pick Insanity for an easy workout, you picked it because you wanted a workout that is real hard. If you don't "Dig Deep" as they say and give it everything you've got then you aren't getting out of it what you wanted. Make every workout count!

4. Glance down at the timer at the bottom of the screen. I use that countdown timer as a motivation. If I know I only have 15 seconds of a particular exercise left, then I know I can dig deeper and push it until that exercise is done and move on to the next one. If I know there is only 10 minutes left of the whole program for that day, then I know I can dig deep and keep going for the next 10 minutes and I'm done. This actually helps me push out more reps when I'm getting tired and want to rest.

I know I'm barely into week 3 and I'm giving advice but, take it or leave it, these are things I have noticed so far while doing this program.

Anyway...time for an update:

In base housing here in Yokosuka, they only turn on the air conditioning for half of the year and heating for half of the year...we can't switch back and forth depending on the weather...our controls are off, high, medium, low...no temperature settings.

The reason I'm posting this is because THEY FINALLY TURNED ON THE AIR CONDITIONING TODAY!!!

Yes, I did my first Insanity workout tonight with air conditioning!! I found that I was able to push harder, stop less, and sweat less because the room was cold (I'm sure getting in better shape helped with that also).

Just finished Week 3, Day 2 of 9 weeks...or day 16 of 63 days!!

Way to go! I love A/C...can't imagine being without it. Thanks for the insight.