I just realized the main reason why I may have not lost any weight doing the Insanity workout schedule; while following the diet tips, I unknowingly was consuming enough calories in order to "Maintain My Current Weight." According to the plan, I should have been subtracting 500 calories per day from my meals. So, if you're doing Insanity and not losing weight, make sure you are taking in the correct amount of calories. 

This program has a very strict divide between month one and month two. Month one merely prepares you for the rigors that month 2 brings. Each month has a workout that corresponds with one from the other month... sort of like a simple/advanced relationship (despite the fact that simple isn't simple). The Insanity Workout Schedule breaks down like this... 

Cardio Intervals 
Month 1: Plyometric Cardio Circuit 
Month 2: Max Interval Circuit 

Both of these workouts involve a wide variety of jumping and endurance moves. Month two adds 15 seconds to each move (so the intervals are three minutes long instead of two) and a longer, tougher warm up. 

Plyometric Strength Intervals 
Month 1: Cardio Power and Resistance 
Month 2: Max Interval Plyo 

Get ready for some push ups! These two will really have your shoulders and arms on fire, not to mention your legs and back. These are probably the best full body workouts. 

Cardio and Endurance 
Month 1: Pure Cardio 
Month 2: Max Cardio Conditioning 

Pure Cardio was a slap in the face to me. It was 20 minutes of constant exercises... no rests. Max Cardio Conditioning expanded on this. It was about 15 minutes longer, still no rests, but there are recovery moves thrown in. 

Recovery Workouts 
Month 1: Cardio Recovery 
Month 2: Max Recovery 

Wait, these are recovery workouts? These are tough! Particularly Max Recovery... it will really stretch out and strengthen your core and shoulders. Despite their difficulty, they do give your heart a much needed rest. 

Abdominal Workouts 
Month 1: Cardio Abs 
Month 2: Insane Abs (only included in "Deluxe" version) 

Cardio Abs is probably the easiest workout in the whole bunch (and also the shortest). Insane Abs is about 2x as long, and it is by far, the best, most enjoyable ab workout I've ever done. It blows P90X's Ab Ripper X out of the water in every way possible. If you can get a hold of Insane Abs, I would highly recommend it. 

The two other workouts I haven't mentioned are Core Cardio and Balance (a pseudo-recovery workout that blends everything together *the last 5 minutes are brutal!!*) and Max Interval Sports Training... a "Deluxe" package workout that incorporates moves with various sports in mind. 

Just a quick word about the two "Insanity Deluxe" workouts... I borrowed them from a friend of mine, and they ended up being my two favorite workouts. Get a hold of them if you can. There is a third deluxe workout called Upper Body Weight Training, but I never tried it. 

In conclusion, this workout has a 30 day money back guarantee for a reason. If you can't make it through the first 30 days, there's no way you'll make it through the second 30. But if you're in good shape and are looking for something to really push the envelope, you've really got nothing to lose other than some inches (and possibly some muscle mass unless you incorporate weight training). 

As for me, I'm not sure if I'll do another complete Insanity cycle. It seems like something you do once and then move on to something else. It would seem odd to me to start back with month 1 after the month 2 workouts are so unbelievably taxing. I think I'm going back to P90X and P90X+ in order to put back some of the upper body muscle mass that Insanity took off. 

Have fun, and don't give up! 

The 7-day Cabbage Soup Diet plan promises all you can eat -- as long as you stick to the small list of allowed foods on alternate days, along with two daily bowls of fat-free cabbage soup. Other specific foods that must be eaten including fruit, vegetables, skim milk, and meat. Dieters are also advised to drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol.

Here's a sample Cabbage Soup Diet plan:

Day 1: Cabbage soup and all the fruit you want except bananas. Drink unsweetened tea, black coffee, cranberry juice, or water.

Day 2: Cabbage soup, all the low-calorie vegetables you want (except beans, peas, or corn), and a baked potato with butter.

Day 3:  Cabbage soup and a mixture of the above fruit and vegetables.

Day 4: Cabbage soup, up to eight bananas, and two glasses of skim milk.

Day 5:  Cabbage soup, up to 20 ounces of beef, chicken or fish, up to six fresh tomatoes, and at least 6-8 glasses of water.

Day 6: Cabbage soup, up to 3 beef steaks, and unlimited vegetables.

Day 7:  Cabbage soup, up to 2 cups of brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices, and unlimited vegetables.

The recipe for the cabbage soup varies slightly among different versions of the diet. But it basically includes cabbage and assorted low-calorie vegetables such as onions and tomatoes, and is flavored with onion soup mix, bouillon, and tomato juice.

Here's a typical recipe:

1 package dry onion soup mix

2 bouillon cubes, either chicken or beef

Because the HCG diet combines injections or supplements of the HCG hormone along with severe calorie restriction, you may lose weight — at least for the short term. But it's the calorie restriction that causes the weight loss, not the HCG. In addition, the safety of HCG for weight loss is uncertain, and the hormone hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for obesity or weight control.

HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced during pregnancy. As a prescription medication, HCG is used mainly to treat fertility issues.

Proponents of the HCG diet say that HCG can help you lose weight, burn fat and redistribute fat away from your buttocks and stomach. On the HCG diet, you either receive injections of HCG or take HCG supplements. The HCG diet also requires you to drastically cut your calorie intake, typically consuming just 500 to 800 calories a day — about one-fourth to one-half of the standard calorie recommendations. The HCG diet is typically offered through weight-loss clinics that say they will provide medical supervision.

Although researchers have studied the HCG diet for years, no high-quality studies have shown that the hormone itself helps weight loss. Following any very low calorie diet is likely to result in weight loss, regardless of taking HCG. And the HCG diet can have drawbacks. Severe calorie restriction can make it hard to meet all of your nutritional needs. And rapid weight loss can lead to gallstones. Also, HCG can cause side effects, including headache, fatigue, irritability and male breast enlargement. And be careful about buying HCG products on the Internet — they might not be what they say they are.

Once you stop the HCG diet, you're likely to regain any weight you lost. The key to permanent weight loss is developing healthy eating and exercise habits — not following fad diets.