Trying to Gain Weight While Doing Insanity
I think most people that are thinking of doing the INSANITY workout have the intention of losing weight. I am probably in the minority as my goal is to actually gain some weight. Of course, the weight coming from muscle. I realize this is not billed as a muscle a building program per se, but I certainly know you will build muscle as a by product of the intense workouts.
Since you burn so many calories each day during the Insanity workouts, you really have to refuel your body. I am finding it difficult to consume enough calories! Of course, I am referring to good calories, not junk food 
I have tried to do the 5 meals a day, but can’t really get into the groove of eating more than a 300 calorie or so snack in morning or afternoon. I think that is where I need to add more. I do eat 3 real good meals each day that I try to pack in as much protein as possible. Oh yeah, and I am a pseudo-vegetarian – I eat seafood but no other meat.
I need some more ideas to add a couple hundred calories to each ’snack’ meal in the day. Right now I am eating protein bars, nuts, natural peanut butter and a few other things. Please post some of your favorite healthy snacks in the comments!
Filed under: Nutrition
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I’m doing the Insanity program too, and like you I’m a fish-eating semi-vegetarian. I’ve been following your progress. I’ve also been keeping a diary but haven’t posted it online yet. I’ll send you a link when I do. I laughed when I read about your Morningstar Farms breakfast strips, because I LOVE those, and I also have to adjust the Insanity nutrition plan a bit to accommodate my favorite occasional meat analogs, even though they’re processed.
Here is an awesome and quick lunch idea that is perfect for recovering from really hard workouts. It’s high in protein and vitamins and best of all, you can freeze and reheat later wrapped in a paper towel for about 90 seconds.
PORTABLE SWEET POTATO BLACK BEAN BURRITOS
1 TBSP olive oil
1 small chopped red onion (1 cup)
1 small sweet potato, cut into 1/4″ cubes
1 can rinsed and drained black beans
2 cups packed baby spinach
Roasted sunflower seeds, as much as you’d like
Whole wheat tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese (maybe full-fat, for you)
Salt/pepper or hot sauce to taste
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sweet potato, season with salt to taste, and toss to coat the vegetables with oil. Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes or until heated through. Add the beans, spinach, and pepper sauce if using, cover, and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until the spinach has wilted and the beans are warm. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and remove from heat. Heat the tortillas and divide filling evenly as desired, sprinkle with the cheeses, and roll. The number this makes depends on the size of the tortillas you use and how much filling you add… probably 3-6.
Also, try adding a scoop of peanut butter to your oatmeal sometime. It tastes fantastic. Other good variations: pumpkin puree plus cinnamon/nutmeg, or applesauce and maple. If you’ve never used TVP (textured vegetable protein), it’s great too — you can replace half your oats with it as it has the same texture and chewiness.
Another great snack that’s super-high in protein: take two or three mozzarella cheese sticks, cut them into halves, dip them in beaten egg and then shake them in a bag of ground-up Fiber One with Italian seasoning and salt/pepper. Bake them at 375 on a sprayed pan, and give the sticks an extra spray of oil. Done at about 10 minutes. Dip in marinara sauce. If you’re trying to gain weight, you could just roll them in egg and then in Italian-seasoned whole-grain bread crumbs and then pan-fry them in a little oil. (PS — The kids love these, too.)
Good luck!
Sara, thank you so much for the post and the insight! That is a great recipe that I will definitely use. Maybe you need to start a blog about Insanity nutrition! I’ll help you set it up. Feel free to comment as much as you would like on this site. I hope your Insanity workout is going well.
Recovery drinks really help- but most have creatine- i am not a fan. After a workout a smoothie hits the spot and is a reward
1 cup OJ less sugar
1/2 Banana
1 cup frozen berries (frozen because it is like adding ice)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
Thanks Matt for the great recipe! I will try that one out.
I’m a female trying to gain weight while doing insanity as well. I’m also a semi-vegetarian. A couple things that have worked for me is adding Quinoa to everything I possibly can. A cup of cooked quinoa has about 254 cals. I add a half cup to my oatmeal in the morning, my pasta, my cereal, my shakes, etc. It’s virtually tasteless and each grain is tiny so it works perfect just for extra healthy calories. Almond meal is also great as only 1 tb has 40 cals and can be added to a lot of meals as well. I also eat a lot of ground flax and avocados for quick high cals. Hope this helped!
Has anyone been able to gain weight?