Help me slim my waist!!

J

JAS

Member
I am SOOO frustrated! I have been eating pretty well, working out using CTX as my latest rotation and before that I did a PS rotation. I've been fairly consistent for 6 months now and NOTHING is happening. I've lost inches everywhere else, so now my jeans are baggy in the butt and thighs but still the same in the waist. I should mention that I had my third child a year ago in two weeks, hence the battle for the waistline. I remember Cathe saying a while back that running does great things for the waist, and I hate running, but I'll try anything at this point. Any experiences out there? THANKS!
Jackie
 
Good question - since I had my third child about four years ago, my problem prone waist has been more trouble than ever. I feel for you! I have wondered about running too - is there some special reason why Cathe recommends it for slimming the waist? Hmmm..
 
Two suggested workout that really work the waist....kickboxing and walking fast with your arms pumping. Really concentrate on engaging your abs while you walk.
 
Jackie-

I am an apple and have tried everything. Working out 2 hours/day, doing all of Cathe's tapes, etc . . . all those things helped me attain incredible results for every part of my body - excpet my abs. My problem was my eating. Now that I've cut my calories my waist is wasting away. So what has worked for me is simply cutting calories (along with exercise of course.) I am not advocating my present diet as it has been quite shameful, but I have lost close to 7 lbs. in 3 weeks. I allow myself whatever I want to eat - pizza, cookies, candy, etc . . . I do also eat good things too but don't deny myself pleasure foods. I just make sure I count calories. I have never had great results like this in the past with just exercising. I tried incorporating a low-fat diet, but I just felt denied from goodies. I've tried Atkins and did lose some stomach flab, but turned into a pscyho woman on that diet. And I got plain bored with it too. You can only eat so many eggs! For me the thing that works is allowing myself to eat what I want and just make sure I eat a certain amount of calories. When I deny myself, I tend to want it more. I'm quite amazed with my results so far. And I've even lost some of my flabby thighs. Woo hoo! Well just thought I'd share what worked for me. Everyone is different. Take care.
 
I have no kids so I can't advise you there. But, what's your cardio routine like? Do you just do step? You may want to add more types of cardio. Running is a great calorie burner (plus it tones your legs/butt). Spinning is also tough. It's easier if you go to a gym where you could take different classes and also use the machines. Take advantage of the warm weather and add walks with hills or jog or bike.
 
Hi,
Another apple here! I hate cardio but have found that doing more more more cardio and eating clean works real well ... all I do for weights now is an easy split routine with just 2 sets per exercise so that I'm done in about 30 minutes and can still keep my cardios. I know muscle helps in the long run but my goal is to get rid of the waist and cardio seems to be the only thing working.
 
Ah, the eternal quest to lose the ab slab of flab. I am also an apple. I have long limbs which are thin and no butt. When I drop weight it goes from every place but my tummy area and so my advice is once you reach a resonable weight, love your body and accept it!

Tsut, when you say you aren't advocating your present diet because it has been quite shameful, do you mean you have cut your calories extremely? Beware that, should you desire to start eating normally again, you may pack on quite a bit of weight because calorie restricted diets slow your metabolism. Also, it puts your bones at risk so be careful. Losing two pounds a week is actually fine as long as your diet provides adequate nutrients. If it doesn't, you may find yourself with no energy, lackluster skin abd hair and many health problems. I personally like a sensible diet, lots of exercise and a good attitude toward my body which has borne three children, endured a c-section, ran a marathon and, at 39, is far from perfect when compared to some fashion model's, but pretty great, strong and slim enough!

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
Hi Bobbi -

I normally eat a very clean diet, but lately I've been allowing a cookie here and there and even a slice of pizza during the week (which is not normal for me.) That's what I mean by not advocating my diet. They say a super-clean diet is what makes your abs appear. So I'm really surprised that I'm seeing results. I guess what works for me is moderation with all food - good or bad - because I've tried to eat healthy and it always backfires on me on the weekends. When I deprive myself of food the more I want it. Now I find that eating whatever I want within reason has helped me balance out my diet more. Does that make sense? And, no I do not eat a diet too low-cal. I simply cut back on calories by 300/day as experts suggest and that has worked. So right now I eat about 1500 calories a day. I am very petite so some experts say 1500 it still too much, but that's what I'm comfortable with and so far it's working.

I could never eat a low calorie diet because I would be unbearable to live with. I normally eat every 3-4 hours from the time I get up until bed time so severe calorie restriction would be a big no-no. Thanks for asking though. I hope I didn't mislead anyone. No way would I advocate severe calorie restriction. That lowers your metabolism and that defeats the whole purpose of fat loss.
 
Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. I try to incorporate more than just step into my cardio routine weekly, usually with hi/lo and kickboxing. It's CTX for now. Although I've noticed that CTX is more step than anything else, not a real lot of hi/lo, wonder how much of the cross-train benefits I really get from that? Anyway, I'm still nursing my daughter so cutting calories too much is off limits for sure. I've been on Weight Watchers since mid January. I've lost about 10 lbs on that and I've got 10 more to go. But I'm at that dreaded plateau. I had a great experience with Tae-Bo a few years ago when the tapes first came out. I did it almost every day for 4 months (before I knew about Cathe and all the videos that exist other than the ones you can buy at Wal-Mart) and I got amazing results, but I'm so burned out on Tae-Bo that I just can't stand to even look at it still!! Are the new get ripped tapes any different at all? I think I'll try a stuff I hate rotation: running, Tae Bo and ab work, LOL. Maybe that will work. The battle continues. Thanks again!
Jackie
 
Jackie, try Powerstrike

Jackie,

If Tae-Bo hasn't totally burned you out on martial arts/kickboxing, you should check out PowerStrike's Millenium series -- http://www.powerstrike.com. For more discussion run a search on these Forums and on VideoFitness' forum. There's been a lot of happy buzz about these two tapes this spring.

Both tapes are an hour long. Each one is a fairly easy-to-learn and very well-instructed kickboxing class concentrating on basic punches, basic kicks and fun combos. (And if I say they're pretty easy to learn, believe me they are, because I'm choreographically-challenged. :)) They are an absolute blast, too! Everyone here on the Forums who's used them (myself included) has reported that they just kick butt and really work you so well. I found especially that my upper body (front, back, abs, shoulders) were unbelievably sore the first few times I did these tapes. That's gotta be doing something, right? ;-)

http://www.clicksmilie.de/sammlung/sport/sport003.gif Kathy S.
 
RE: A thought

Just a thought. There is a difference between ab fat and ab bloat, and there are usually different solutions for each one.
If it is truly ab fat (you can pinch the inches), the only thing that works is cardio cardio cardio. It doesn't have to knock you out, but you should be cross-training 5-6 times per week at least 45 minutes per session. (IMHO)
If it's bloat-- not fat-- maybe you might be eating too much dairy or something else that doesn't agree with you. Beano seems to help with this, or lactaid, if you don't want to change your eating habits you can help your body metabolize. Dairy bloats me out really badly myself. Keep at it, you'll get there, and in the meanwhile, keep up with the ab exercises so that when you do shed the pounds/water in that area you will see sexy toned abs!
 
RE: A thought

Tsut, yay! I eat clean also and indulge only on occasion and there's nothing shameful about that! Pizza is a favorite and I had part of a yummy cinnamin roll yesterday with cream cheese frosting. That's a smart way to eat. Never say never but definitely say moderation!

My quandry with my stomach is I am 5' 6" and 125 which is a good weight for me and one I stay at pretty easily. I know I'd have to do a deprivation thing to lose the fat. My body hangs on to those pounds like crazy and just packs it into one spot. Darn it! I wish it could be moved up to the area of my bosom where I really need it! I fanasize about liposuction which is probably the only way to lose it anyway. I always keep trying, though, I just try to do it sensibly through a clean diet and exercise. I also tend to perceive myself as fatter than I am. I'm an apple but at least I am an apple with a BMI of 21!

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
bobbi love your advice!

Having borne 4 kids and now being over 40, I agree with your advice. We should do our best to eat healthy and exercise and remember to accept and love our bodies. One thing I never do is even think about a fashion model's body. They do not look healthy to me.
Now, CATHE looks very healthy and so do her video buddies; and you can see that they are all very different!


Take time to enjoy those who matter most to you & do all things in moderation :)
 
RE: A thought

Hi Bobbi-

Glad to see that other people indulge as well. Unfortunately I’ve been indulging more than normal these days!

I face the same situation. I am already at the low-end range for my height so I don’t want to sacrifice too much weight. I’ll just keep at it too! I am finally seeing some results with the small calorie reduction so I’ll give that a good 4 weeks before I decide if my plan is truly working. I am recovering from a bad cold and can now workout again. I am ashamed to say how long my layoff from exercise has been – it’s bad! Let’s just say Cathe kicked my butt last night on a 4” step. LOL!
 
RE: A thought

likes2befit,

Here! Here! This body has never conformed to the standard idea of beauty. If it did all models would have long skinny legs and arms and a short waisted or no waisted! I like this eat well/ exercise thing much better! And I have found you can actually pack away quite a bit if it's the right kind of nutrient dense, low calorie food. Happily, I love whole grains and fruits and vegetables and beans. As long as ice cream and chocolate and pizza are there for those times when you've just gotta have them, I am happy to eat sensibly! I have tons of energy to keep up with my 13-year old, my 11-year-old and my soon to be 5-year-old. Who am I kidding I can run circles around those kids! :) Mother's Day really brought it home to me. I though a lot about all the mom's who lost their lives last September. I am so blessed. I don't want to waste a moment fussing about inconsequetial stuff like aging or sagging! I am happy! Life is beautiful! Somebody pinch me!:)

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
RE: A thought

Bobbi,

Can you give us a typical day's menu?
Also how many calories do you take in?

Thank you in advance,
Sham
 
I really had problems losing my tummy (still do) when I was nursing my son, so I didn't fret when I was nursing my daughter. In fact, I didn't even try to lose weight until I weaned my daughter at 9 months because I was hungry all the time.

If you have only the last 10 lbs to lose (which is difficult to lose anyway), your body may just be holding on to that extra fat as a defense mechanism against "famine" - your efforts to lose fat may be hindered by your body's efficiency at keeping you and your baby nourished.


"Pain is weakness leaving the body."
 
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