My Thoughts on the Nutrition Plan So Far

I already have a diet that works very well for me, but I am making changes toward the Insanity diet in an effort to follow the plan as closely as I can. For many this plan will be very doable and will be a huge improvement over their current eating plan, and it is definitely healthy. But here’s what I don’t like and what I’ll probably adjust slightly … and please keep in mind before you criticize my own choices that the first thing you have to consider with anything is whether you’ll be able to stick with it. Better to make small adjustments and carry through than to go all-out with something extremely inconvenient, etc., and burn out early.

1. Eating five small meals a day. I know this works great for some people, and I am adjusting my eating habits so that I eat five times a day. But I can’t make all five be exactly the same in number of calories. I have always found snacking leads to weight gain for me. So, while I’ve added in two snacks per day and adjusted the three regular meals accordingly, my meals are still distinct. I still want to have more calories at dinnertime than, say, breakfast. And here’s perhaps the most important factor: I still am part of a family of four for whom I do all the cooking, and we have a sit-down dinner every day that needs to be appropriate for children’s nutrition. What I usually do is make a low-calorie dinner for all of us and then add on extras for the kids: glasses of milk, extra butter, etc. My breakdown is more like this: Breakfast 300 calories, Lunch 400 calories, Snack 1 200 calories, dinner 500 calories, Snack 2 200 calories.
2. According to their eating plan, I should eat around 2,000 calories a day to lose weight. I know from experience this is not going to happen, at least not in month one. I need to eat more like 1,600 to lose weight, or even less. They do advocate re-evaluating every week to see whether you’re progressing and if not, adjust your amount. I have found that for month 1, eating 1,500 to 1,600 calories a day is about right.
3. They do not allow anything sweet, whether sugar or artificial sweeteners. I have a real sweet tooth and it’s not something I can just suppress but rather need to work with. This is a make-or-break thing. I use stevia as a sweetener frequently, and it is a natural sweet herb and not an artificial sugar substitute. I’ll keep using stevia. I love it. I’ll also use small amounts of sugar, but I’ve found cutting out as much sugar as I can really balances my moods. I’ve cut out diet soda, as they suggest.
4. Honestly, many of their recipes sound quite unappealing. I know a lot about nutrition and I’m also a very good cook, so I’d rather create my own meals based on their general guidelines.
5. Their recipes are heavy on meat. As a 95% vegetarian, this doesn’t leave me many options or at least not from their nutrition guide. I see the value of the extra protein, though, and I’ve been making sure to get enough.
6. They say they avoid processed foods and additives, but when you look at their recipes, they include lots of the following, which are all quite processed: lunch meats and other cured processed meats, protein powder, soy/almond milk, commercial cereals and bread products, canned tomato juice, nutrition bars, and crackers. I don’t have any problem with any of these, but they are processed, and so I don’t feel so bad about some of my processed vegetarian meat alternatives. I acknowledge it’s probably far less processed food than most people eat.

Again, this is definitely a healthy and balanced diet. I like that it’s not low-carb, but rather based on the body’s actual needs. You eat bread, pasta, and other complex carbohydrates that your body needs; lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, and lean protein.

Another big change I need to make is drinking enough water. I’m naturally kind of a camel and I never get thirsty. Drinking more water is even harder for me than making me split my three meals into five. I have been drinking a full quart of water just during the workouts, I notice. Perhaps I should use a larger bottle with more water in it and see what happens.