Damaged metabolism | Cathe's video has helped me tremen...

renearcher

New Member
Hi Cathe.


This past year, I made the discovery that I was a chronic dieter. After years and years of living on restricted diets, I began gaining weight while eating less and less and working out more and more. Research taught me that I was doing all the wrong things - and so I began to focus on my heath (instead of my vanity - for a change).

I started focusing on proper nutrition; In addition, I began to change my workouts drastically. Before, I had been focusing primarily on cardio. I was doing it 7 days / wk (for one hour). I was also doing tapes like the Firm (using light weights) for an additional hour (over exercising and doing to much cardio). From my research, I knew that I needed to repair and grow muscle. I was ready to get serious. That's what lead me to you and this site.

As a result, I changed my emphasis on strength training. Currently, I do 4 days/wk weights (1 hour sessions) and 3 days/wk (1 hour sessions) cardio.

Cathe, my metabolism was so damaged. After I started to focus on my nutrition, I knew I had to increase my caloric intake. Unfortunately, I began gaining weight. I read that this was common for people that had damaged their metabolisms. I was so scared.

A few weeks ago, I received Maximum intensity - and it's changing my life.

After using your workout for just one week, I began to see and feel different than I've ever felt before. This is a huge deal for me - I wish you could see my exercise video collection. You would not even believe how many I've tried. Not only that, but I am extremely discipline. I just wasn't seeing any results.

Your video, is the first one that is helping me with my metabolism – It’s been 4 weeks now and I can see muscle growing and fat that I’ve had for many many years is actually going away.

I'm just very excited, and I wanted you to know how very much I appreciate your video and how much it's really helping me.

Questions:
Cathe, I'm wondering if you could advise me on which video to purchase next. My primary goal right now is to grow muscle. I would like rotate maximum intensity (strength) with another one of your strength workouts. I thought I would do the maximum intensity (strength) 4 times/ every 2 weeks - followed by another one of your strength training videos 4 times/ every 2 weeks. I was considering either getting muscle endurance, or power hour.

1) Which vhs would be best for me at this time?

2) I would like to know (in regards to muscle growth): Is it better to increase weight – or reps?

Thank you again for helping me to feel better,
Rene
 
Hi Rene
I am not Cathe but I would like to say congrats to you I am just starting back with weigths after a brief hiatis I think I read here awhile ago about doing strength with endurance So I would think power hour aor muscle endurance would rotate nicely with MIS I did bothn these videos and liked them both I too have all of Cathes tapes I did these 1 week then I did MIS the next and now I will do powerhour and muscle endurance this week I am going to rotate weekly for about 4 weeks these tapes then switch I read as long as you train the slow twich muscle fibers and the fast you are doing it right lots of variety on rotations you can do each once per week or swithc off weekly or monthy You just have to see what works for your body and also boredom level I am just wondering what size you are and what changes you have noticed good luck
Lisa
 
RE: Damaged metabolism | Cathe's video has helped me tr...

Hi Rene, welcome to the board. Like you I used to do much more cardio than strength training, and although that helped keep my weight in check, it didn't really give me the toning and definition I was looking for. Part of it was also my diet. I used to think that because I was doing a lot of step aerobics, it didn't matter what I put in my mouth.

To grow muscle, I started with the Pure Strength series and Pyramid Upper and Lower Body. I later added Power Hour and MIS. Just recently I added Slow & Heavy. Rotating these workouts has helped me whittle away the flab and has given me the strength I never expected I had. I started with 8-lb. dumbbells. I'd put them on my shoulders when I needed to do lower body. Four months later, I'm using 15's, which to my amazement are actually getting easier and lighter.

IMHO, it's good to do both -- increase weight during one workout AND reps in another. Pure Strength will really make you strong, if you just keep at it. Don't be hesitant about using heavier weight when the weights you're using seem easier. Power Hour is an endurance workout. Lots of reps here, so I have to take my weights down by about half. The way I understand it, increasing weight will help with strength, while increasing reps (while using lower weights) helps with definition.

Try the PS series and Power Hour. These have helped me tremendously. I bet they'll help you too.

Good luck,
Pinky
 
RE: Damaged metabolism | Cathe's video has helped me tr...

Hi Lisa. Thanks for the encouragement - and for your advise! I forgot to mention my size: I'm 5'3 and weigh 124 lbs. I would like to weigh 100lbs.

Before May, I was literally eating approx 300 cals/day and working out a couple hours cardio each day. I weighed in at 118.

After "waking up" and realizing the mess I had gotten myself into, I began slowly increasing my caloric intake. My weight just kept going up and up. At one point, I was close to 130 lbs. I was still under the advised caloric intake I needed to be (approx 900/day)...and was really scared to raise my intake any more.

Since using Cathe's tape, I have been able to increase my caloric intake by 300/day while not gaining any weight. In addition, I know I've lost inches, because my fat close are feeling comfortable now - where as before they were tight. My ultimate goal is to heal my metabolism and slim down to 110 lbs - if possible. I'll keep you posted on my upcoming results.

Thanks again for writing......

Rene
 
RE: Damaged metabolism | Cathe's video has helped me tr...

Pinky: Yeah, I know what you mean - I can't believe I didn't understand all these years just how important nutrition is when you're working out. I use to be only concerned about my looks and now I'm interested in taking care of myself as a whole person. I guess some good things do come with age.... ha ha. I'm finally wising up - after all these years.

Better late then never. I believe that. I think I'm going to order Power Hour and do that one next. Thanks for your advise. It really helps to hear other's opinions. These videos aren't cheap. But they're very much worth it! I appreciate the time you took to write me - thanks again.

Rene
 
RE: Damaged metabolism | Cathe's video has helped me tr...

Rene,

I'm not Cathe either, but I'm glad to hear how well you're doing with her workouts. I've been doing them since just after Christmas, and have noticed a big difference in my strength in particular.

I just wanted to make a comment on your weight loss goals. I know everyone's different, but I've actually gained some weight, about 5 pounds, since really getting into Cathe's weight work. My clothes fit the same, so I know it's muscle weight, which is a good thing (it shows the workouts are working). I just don't want you to get discouraged if your weight doesn't decrease as much as you want. Lots of people say this, but it's true, you have to go by how you look and feel, as opposed to what you weigh. Having said that, I also have the vain side of me, that liked the scale showing I weighed less. Oh well.

I'm very big on touting what exercise can do for you, because it's made a big difference in my life with getting my asthma under control. I wish you much luck with your plan.
 
RE: Damaged metabolism | Cathe's video has helped me tr...

Hi Rene, just cruising the boards here, and I think lisaLD makes a really good point. I'm 5'1", and when I started working out long before I discovered Cathe, I was a very sorry looking 98 lbs. When I started my Cathe workouts, I hovered around 102, 103. I was a size 4. Now I'm 105 lbs and a size 2. I never meant to go down one more dress size. [I've been small all my life, and the ultimate bane of being small is that sometimes you don't get taken seriously. Solicitors who ring my bell ask me if my parents are around. I am 34 years old!] But my weight is going up. I take that as a good thing. Yes, it can be so easy to get fixated on numbers. But just take it slowly. I don't have an ultimate weight or size goal, but mine is a strength goal -- to ultimately be able to bench press 50 lbs. I can do 35 lbs. now. When I started Cathe I could only do a max of 24. I have a long way to go. I'm giving myself about another 18 months to get to my goal. I know that's a long time, but it took me 10 years to get from 2-lb. dumbbells to 15's. Again, good luck to you. I know you'll make it!:7

Pinky
 

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