Using Weight Watchers for P90X, Insanity and other Beachbody Workouts

The Weight Watchers diet plan is really common, and many people who do P90X, Insanity, or the other Beachbody programs want to continue using the diet as they are already familiar with it. There is no reason that you can’t use the diet plan with these workouts. This information can be used for the Points Plus system.

The Problem With the Weight Watchers Diet

The problem with the Weight Watchers diet program is that the goal is to lose weight through a calorie restricted diet. It assigns people points to optimize fat loss, by taking people down to about 1,000 calories a day below their Maintenance Level. This gives people an average loss of 2 lbs of fat a week, which is the supposed maximum safe fat loss level. Any more than that and your body can go into starvation mode, where your body tries to save itself by hoarding fat and burning muscle. That is obviously bad.

However, when you add an extreme fitness program like Insanity or P90X, you increase your daily calorie burn dramatically. If you don’t add calories to your diet, you move from the safe fat loss level to starvation mode. While Weight Watchers assumes some light activity in their point calculation, they don’t anticipate P90X level activity. So if you are already on Weight Watchers, you have to add extra points/calories to your diet to maintain a safe level of weight loss.

What is a Point?

To write this column, I researched Weight Watchers’ patents to come up with an answer. A Point is essentially 50 calories. However not all calories are the same. For example, 50 calories of food high in fat is worth more points, while 50 calories of food high in fiber is less than a full point. So I can’t just tell people to figure out how many calories they burn and then add the appropriate number of calories. However you can roughly estimate that you should add 2 points for every 100 calories of exercise.

How To Calculate Extra Points To Add To Your Day

In reviewing the Weight Watchers patent, there is a formula for points to allocate to your exercise. Unfortunately, Weight Watchers even states that they underestimate the Points you might need, as they believe people overestimate their exertion. However, few people would describe Insanity, P90X or TurboFire as less than Intense. For that reason, I will modify the Weight Watchers’ formula to be in the middle.

If you are doing P90X, Insanity, Power 90, ChaLEAN Extreme or TurboFire, you want to use the following formula:

.1783 x (your weight in pounds / 2.2) x minutes of your workout / 75

So, if I am doing P90X and I weigh 154 lbs, I generally estimate that P90X averages about 70 min a day (with ARX). That means that it is:

.1783 * (154/2.2) * 70 / 75 or 11.6 points.

I round that to 12 points to add per day on average.

Simplified Math for P90X and Insanity

If you are willing to trust me, here is the overly simplified math for estimates for Insanity and P90X:

For P90X: Multiply your weight in pounds by .07564

For Insanity Month 1 and Recovery Week: Multiply your weight by .04214

For Insanity Month 2: Multiply your weight by .05943

Less Intense Workouts

While I don’t intend to downplay the level of effort involved in Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, Slim in 6 and other programs, they are not at the intensity level of P90X and Insanity. There is a slight modification to the formula for these programs as follows:

.0711 x (your weight in pounds / 2.2) x minutes of your workout / 75

The other programs vary to much in length of workouts to give a more simplified number. Again, you can average the length of the workouts, so that you are not using different points every day.

Let Me Know If You Are Stuck

I realize that this can seem complicated. If you get lost in the math, feel free to send me a message at ira@irawinkler.com.

These Are Estimates

As I said, these are estimates. You need to watch your results and modify as appropriate. Ironically, I will say that if you stop losing weight, I recommend that you add points. Again, on Weight Watchers, you are already bordering on starvation mode. If you stop getting results, you very possibly put yourself firmly into starvation mode, so you should probably add about an extra 1/3 of the points you added for exercise.

Weight Watchers is a very established nutrition plan, but again it does focus on calorie restriction. P90X and other Beachbody programs focus on a holistic combination of exercise and nutrition. It can however be safely modified for the Beachbody programs.

How to Choose a Home Fitness Program

Since Beachbody offers a lot of great home fitness programs, I am frequently asked, “Which is the best program?” I don’t know why people are surprised when I answer, “There is no single best program.” The reason is that every program has its own unique benefits. Some people would prefer one trainer over another. Some people hate Tony Horton, while others love him. Some people want an extreme workout, like Insanity, while others haven’t worked out for a decade and need a program, like Project You: Type 2. Some people run frequently and want to improve their upper body. In short, the best program depends on you.

Factors to Consider

There are a variety of issues to consider when choosing a fitness program. These factors include the program goals, trainers, program focus, program philosophy, length of program, your current condition, among other factors. Too many people go for a program that is the most popular, or listen to success stories, and that is how they make their decisions. All too often, the person will give up on the program and just waste their money. So, stop listening to the infomercials and let’s take a logical look at what to consider.

Program Difficulty

P90X and Insanity are the most popular programs out there, specifically because they are extreme. The infomercials promise that they will push you to your limits, and people think the fat melts away. They want to make the radical change in life that these programs can deliver. If that works for you, that is great. However, I contend that if you are not in good condition to start, it is probably better to be able to do 80% of an easier program like Power 90, than 40% of a harder program like P90X.

Similarly, if you want a cardio based program, Insanity is the extreme program, but you might find it easier to get through a comparatively easier program like TurboFire. It is not just that you can physically get through more of the program, and therefore burn more calories, it is probably psychologically better as well. You are more likely to continue with a workout that doesn’t make you feel like a failure if you can’t do most of it.

So in short, yes, you can get through a harder workout, but getting the most out of the process is more important than stumbling through a harder program.

Trainers

The style of a trainer can make or break a program for most people. If the trainer annoys you, then you are much less likely to finish the program. Personally, Shaun T’s style in Hip Hop Abs was hard for me to take when I did that workout. However, he is awesome, to me, in Insanity. While most people love Tony Horton’s sense of humor, there are many who hate it. Chalene Johnson is definitely the iconic aerobics instructor with all of her energy and constant smile during the hardest workouts. Many women love that style, while some men despise it on principle. Look at the sample videos and see if you appreciate the trainer’s style.

Program Focus

The Tony Horton workouts that include P90X, Power 90, and 10 Minute Trainer are full body fitness programs, as is ChaLEAN Extreme. Insanity, TurboFire, Turbo Jam, and Hip Hop Abs are cardio programs. Project You: Type 2 is a workout for diabetics and pre-diabetics. Body Gospel is a Christ-based fitness program and is ideal for Christians who want a faith based program.

Length of Program

While P90X is possibly the most effective program out there, it does take the largest time commitment. P90X takes an average of 75 minutes a day and runs from 60-90 minutes 6 days a week. Then you have the other extreme of 10 Minute Trainer. With workouts that are 10 minutes long, you really have no excuses not to workout. The other programs fit somewhere within that range. The best fitness program for you is clearly one that you have time to do. Just keep in mind that the longer the workout, the better your results will be.

Making Your Choice

You need to chose the program that is best for you. If you choose a program you don't stick with, I contend that it is the program's fault, and not your's. Take advantage of Beachbody's return policy, and exchange it for a program that better matches your needs.

I'm Here To Help

I realize that this can all be overwhelming. However if you want help making your decision, or to return a program and get another one, please feel free to send me a message. I have tried all of the popular programs, and can help you make a better decision. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me at ira@xcompanionguide.com.