Palmetto Proving Grounds

You should get one of those lap bands. They like tie a knot in your stomach so you can't eat much. You probably won't even have to exercise. If you have good insurance, it prolly won't cost you a dime.

Dude at 34, you ain't even seen the magic of fat accrual yet.

I can't give you a success story, but I can say that I feel your pain to some degree. P90X kicked by behind to the point that I couldn't keep up. I'm in a similar situation to you, but a few years older. I was up to 288 at 6 foot 2 at the end of December. By picking out my own exercise program with lots of weight training to keep from losing muscle and as much cardio as I can handle, I've been able to combine my exercise program with some dietary changes and was down 17 pounds as of yesterday morning (starting Jan 1).

To me, the exercise didn't seem to take when I didn't pay enough attention to my caloric intake. (INSANITY will no doubt take so much out of you that you probably can't eat you way to eating more calories than you burn, but mine is much less insane) So I found this Calorie Count app for my IPhone and use it to track my daily caloric intake, as well as my carb/protein/fat intake ratios (trying to minimize complex carbs and have had no bread or pasta since December) and nutrients taken in. It seems to be working. But I have noticed that I can go three days straight at significant caloric deficits (like 1,200 or so) without any weight loss due to water retention. Then I shed like two pounds in a day because when I up the carbs just a tick, I suddenly have to expel all the water in my body, it seems. It is funny, but it seems to be working without a specific workout regimen. I just try to make sure I get six to ten hours of workouts in per week somehow.

Good luck with what you're doing. I'm sure if you stick with it and complete the whole course, you'll be in much better shape than I will by the end of March, no matter how much success I have. I just can't take that kind of sudden stress on my body and my cardiovascular system anymore.

I have an honest answer for you. Before P90X there was Power 90. It's P90X light. You should start there. It's tough, but nowhere near as tough as P90X or Insanity. Use Power 90 to get you into decent shape. At the end of that, start Insanity. It will still be hard, but not nearly as hard. Starting from zero and going with the Insanity work out is borderline crazy.

http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/power90.do

I have done one or two of their workouts, and it's definitely not easy. I generally workout between 3 and 6 times a week and have been in decent shape for the majority of my life, but the biggest difference that I see in my overall conditioning has been when I watch what I eat. OP mentions weight being an issue, the first thing I would say is find a diet that limits your carb intake (processed sugars and startches including potatoes and pastas) and you'll see the weight come off. As you lose weight and increase your level of fitness you'll be better able to to the workouts...in the meantime, do the best you can and keep that heartrate up for at least 30 to 40 minutes.

Here's a link to an interesting seminar entitled "Why we get fat"...the speaker breaks down the way our body processes food in a way that's easy to understand...it's kind of long (over an hour broken up in to 3 sections) but I strongly encourage you to watch to see how it can help your training.

Good luck in your training!

Dude keep at it. I will tell you if you are just starting the program, WAIT until the next 30 days. Longer and harder of what you are already doing. I work out most of the time, 7 days a week. Weights, swim, and 2 days of intense cycle class. I thought Shaun T and Insanity was one of the best work outs I've done. The warm-up itself will get your heart rate up and get your shirt wet.
I just kept doing the second CD for another few months. I even got crazy and did 2-a-days with insanity and P90X! I'm 46, 6'5" and was 225 before. Got down in the low 200's and dropped 4"off my waist. I don't think that was a reasonable weight for me, though. I did my own diet-vegetarian and skipped late snacks & sweets. Will not give up the beer or two at night though.
This was a 2-plus year process for me. Last June I had a severe groin pull and was side-lined for the entire summer. I eased back into workouts late summer. And I'm back in the 220's rrrrrrrrrgh. It ain't hard to put it back on.
The only thing is both insanity & P90X were hard on my joints. I modified some of the jumping b/c of that. Never been a pull-up person, but after doing P90X for 6-8 mos. I was able to do a lot more and push-ups too.
Keep at it! Speedo season is just around the corner!!

Dude do what you can...stick with it....I had a heart scare in July ....long story short got. Heart cath at 40....I cut out salt sodas and started eating better...then started walking...then running....as of today I have lost 40 lbs.. Remember it is a marathon not a sprint....keep it up and you will start reaping the rewards....

Im on first round if p90x week two. I love it.

Being a vegan is just about the worst thing you can do for your health. Protein is essential and almost impossible to get in anything not an animal byproduct.

Not true.

Walking and weight training to start.

Stick with it. That insanity program is hard as hell. I have let myself get out of shape and need to start it back up. Good luck!

My wife is vegan. It's not tough at all. I never have to pander to her with restaurant choices as she always finds something she can eat on the menu. She's very happy and very fit. Her vegan cooking is really really good. You should do some research before you make that drastic of a diet change. BUT...it doesn't suck.