Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am the classic Beachbody target - just turned 40, had 30 pounds to lose, felt like crap. As a former long distance runner, I knew what it was like to be in great shape, but man had I let myself slip. So I set myself a goal - lose 30 pounds, and 7 inches off my waist. There was only one complication - I made a bet with 2 other buddies to see who could lose the largest percentage of body weight in 12 weeks, with the loser required to sing a song and wear an outfit specially designed for the occasion by the 1st and 2nd place finishers. This was highly motivating to me, because I knew that in the event I lost, the other two dudes would have me wearing something like a banana hammock, mink leg warmers and duck bill, and singing 'Me Lost Me Cookie at the Disco' by Cookie Monster. Clearly there was no time for fooling around - I needed to find something that would get me into rip roaring, navel winking shape in extremely short order. This, of course led me to Insanity, which claimed to turn pretzel pounding lardasses like myself into striated demigods in 63 agonizing days. Perfect. Sign me up. The only catch was that it said you already had to be in some semblance of physical shape to undertake the heavy workouts they would deliver. So, I quit smoking and decided that was as good a start as I was going to get, and kicked things off the next day. Ooooh, daddy.... The first week passed by in a bit of a blur, but to my credit I did not yarp like many of the other folks here seem to have done. I did, however fight to hold body and soul together. Just the opening warmup was a killer, and that (without belaboring the obvious) was just the warmup. The workouts are very good, and Shawn T keeps you motivated throughout. Things do get repetitive, however, and a couple of the steel bellied assistants they have in the background get brutally annoying. Tanya(sp?) manages to keep a Topol smile plastered on her face throughout, and by minute 32 I (and I'm sure many others) want to shoot her out of a cannon into a parallel galaxy where she can smile and clap excitedly while doing endless leg lifts somewhere far, far away. As a person who was fat enough to be dodging my own tits through the first workouts, I would say that it is possible to start the Insanity program without a huge amount of physical conditioning. That said, if that is the route you are going to take, get ready to suffer real good for about 2 weeks as your body gets acclimated. I would also guess that the chance of injury is increased quite a bit if you start out unfit, but I was lucky there and did not have much issue in that regard. I did not stick to the diet religiously, but have kept very low carb since I began the workouts. The weight loss is pretty amazing - I am now in the first week of month 2, and am 10 pounds down. With the super intense second month just starting, I would guess that I will easily lose another 10 pounds before the 2nd month finishes. That will mean I will be 20 pounds done with my 30 pound weight loss goal, in only 2 months. A quick note on the 2nd month - it really is tough. Just when you have gotten used to the first month's workout, they switch it up on you. The workouts are about 15 minutes longer, and every minute of that extra time is spent driving you until you drop. I am just getting used to the pace, and actually it is very doable, but there is no way you can finish without being totally exhausted, with your clothes absolutely soaked with sweat. Also, as many people have said, there is no way to do every rep of every exercise. Just do the best you can, and don't sweat the rest. All in all, this product works exactly as advertised - great results, but you will have to work your a$$ of to get them.