Many people who are following Weight Watchers, whether they just began yesterday or have been at it for awhile, wish to incorporate some sort of exercise routine into their weight-loss program. Because P90X and Insanity are so popular-most people have seen the infomercials-it is common to see questions about them on the Weight Watchers boards. Here I will address the most common questions regarding following Weight Watchers while going through the P90X or Insanity programs:

Q: Can I do P90X or Insanity while on Weight Watchers?

A: Of course you can! In fact, it was via the Weight Watchers message boards that I discovered P90X. I’d seen the infomercials, but I was skeptical. Let’s be realistic: many if not most products advertised that way are overpriced garbage. But then I met several folks on the Weight Watchers boards who’d gone through the program with fantastic results. I decided to take a chance and purchase a copy… and I never looked back. I loved my results so much that later on, I decided to try Insanity. I’ve had nothing but positive results in combining these exercise programs with Weight Watchers.

Q: How do I calculate Activity Points (AP’s) for P90X or Insanity workouts? I don’t see them listed in the AP calculator.

A: Here are the methods that have worked well for me. In calculating my AP’s in this manner, I can eat every point coming to me and still lose weight:

P90X Strength Workouts & Ab Ripper: keep track of your total time, then choose “Weight-lifting, universal-type (vigorous effort).” As a side note, this will give you the same number of AP’s as if you used the manual calculator set on “moderate.”

P90X Yoga X and X Stretch: keep track of your total time, then choose “Hatha Yoga.”

P90X Cardio X and Core Synergistics: keep track of your total time, then use the manual calculator set on “moderate.”

P90X Plyometrics and all Insanity workouts: in order to be conservative, I don’t count the entire time as “high” intensity. Let’s be honest: you probably weren’t going full-throttle for every single second of the workout. For these workouts, I keep track of my total time, then count half of it as “moderate” and the other half as “intense,” using the manual calculator.

Q: You said “total” time. Should I be subtracting time for breaks?

A: I don’t worry about subtracting for breaks unless I take a significant break, meaning enough time that my muscles get cold… and you shouldn’t be doing that anyway, because you risk injury if you take too long a break, then jump back in without going through another warm-up.

Q: What about the Nutrition Guide I got with my workout discs? Should I follow that or stick with Weight Watchers?

A: If you read the Nutrition Guide, you’ll notice that a lot of the advice contained within is in sync with the advice in Weight Watchers’ plan materials: eat smaller meals; move toward whole grains, fruits and vegetables; steer clear of nasty junk food; don’t “Exercise for Cookies.” Michi’s Ladder is actually very similar to the old Weight Watchers Core Plan (now called “the Simply Filling technique”). Additionally, the recipes in the Nutrition Guide are low-calorie, and therefore very point-friendly. I use the information in the Nutrition Guide as a supplement to Weight Watchers’ advice.

Q: When is the best time within the Weight Watchers program to start P90X or Insanity?

A: Anytime you want! You can begin on the same day you join Weight Watchers, or you can start months or a year down the road. It’s up to you.

Q: I’m really big, I’ve never exercised in my life, and I don’t know if I’m ready for P90X or Insanity. Are there any Beachbody programs that are more for beginners?

A: Yes, there are. For example, Power 90 (P90) is a very popular program for beginning exercisers who still have a lot of weight to lose, as is 10-Minute Trainer.