I am in desperate need of help/advice

M

mommymaria35

New Member
Hi,
I just joined the site and I will be honest, I know little about Cathe Friedrich except that she works you really hard. I find myself in a very odd place right now, and would love some advice from some more experienced, healthier/fitter people.

I was always a thin person (not athletic, but thin), until about 8 years ago...then I got married, then I had two babies, and fast forward 8 years....ta da...I am fat, out of shape, and physically probably in the worst shape of my life. I am 35, and basically can't stand to look at myself at this point. I am approx. 40-45 pounds overweight on a 5'7" frame. I am hoping that Cathe Friedrich can be the answer to my prayers, of getting back into shape and into a healthy weight range, because I am tired of missing out on my life. I hate going out, dread running into people that I knew when I was thinner, and can fit into 2% of my entire closet. From someone who used to love to dress, and go out, and shop - its a brutal feeling.

I am overwhelmed by the number of dvds available and have no idea where to start. I own some equipment (dumbells, ball, weight ball and tubing/bands), and am looking to make this totally about working from home, for financial and childcare reasons. My ultimate goal is to lose the fat, to tone/tighten up, and get in the best shape of my life. Although I will admit, I have ZERO self-confidence in myself and don't think that I can turn this situation around at this point. I am feeling very desperate about making a change at this point, and would absolutely appreciate if someone could guide me in the right direction in terms of how to start, what to eat, etc. I would also like to add that although I am technically a beginner, I'm actually pretty tough, so I do have some strength in me, in case that makes a difference.

I'm sorry for the length of this post, and if I've put it in the wrong area. Thanks again!
 
Welcome! You have come to the right place and will love it here. I can so relate to what you have written and I promise there is hope! So many of these wonderful ladies have been an encouragement to me on my fitness journey and of course, I think Cathe's DVDs are the absolute best. She has a beginner's rotation that you should check out in the Rotations forum which lists the easiest workouts to start with. I am sure others will chime in too, but just wanted to say hello before I head off to bed now!
 
You can do it!

Hi MommyMaria35,

You can do this!!! If you're as tough as you say, I have 100% confidence in you. LucyH is right--this is an amazing place--all the posters are wonderful. I've been fit for 20 years, but never as much until I found Cathe. I'm a personal trainer as well so I know what it takes. You've taken the first and most important step--asking for help! Try to start slowly so you don't burn out. Try a DVD everyday unless you really need a rest day. Lifting weights (follow Cathe's lead as she's very safe) will help you sculpt your muscles. Cardio burns fat, resistance training sculpts muscles. Keep posting for support and send me a private email anytime you have questions!

Keep the faith!!! :rolleyes:
 
Welcome! you CAN DO IT. you will be amazed on HOW FAST will you see the changes if you just commit to exercise.

I can assure you that you have come to the best place, because Cathe workouts work and we all talk by experience!
 
WELCOME and CONGRATS on making this decision to do something wonderful for yourself!! The women and men here are very knowledgable and supportive, and Cathe has got what it takes to whip anyone into shape!!

I would start by clicking "Shop Cathe" at the top of the page and look for a beginner bundle -- I believe it includes the full sized club step and a few DVDs to get you started. Once you receive them, try out the beginner rotation...http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236223

Good luck and please do not hesitate to come back with any questions that you may have!
 
ITA with checking out the beginner rotation!! also don't be afraid to search around the forums and get an idea of how ppl are choosing healthy foods and other workouts they do. so many ways to go it can be overwhelming but its motivating to see others work towards the same goals. i get a lot of great ideas from these boards.

kassia
 
Welcome!

When I started, I got one weight DVD (The Pyramids) and one cardio (Cardio Fusion). Once I got comfortable with those, I lurked on the boards to see which DVDs were the big favorites (turns out...most of them!).

Hope to see more of you on the forum. :)
 
Wow, LaughingWater, you STARTED with CardioFusion?? Talk about tough!!!:eek:

mommymaria, welcome to the CatheNation! I agree with everyone's advice to start off with the beginner rotation. It's pretty tough for beginner stuff and will give you a good intro to Cathe and her workouts. Many of us have been where you are now. The forums are a great place to get advice and support. Good luck and keep us posted on how you're doing! :)
 
That's still pretty impressive! And look at it this way, once you've mastered it, you can pretty much do ANY Cathe workout!

(I still haven't bought Cardio Fusion because it looks so hard. I've been doing Cathe workouts for 3 years, and I already own all of the workouts it uses. But it still intimidates me.)
 
Hi Mommymaria,

Here's my .02: Whatever weight Cathe is using, start with HALF OR LESS. I have been Cathe-ing for some time now and still use half what she uses - it's simply my body build, I'm petite and am naturally much stronger in my upper body than my lower.

So don't gage yourself by what she's using for weights - be proud that you're now in the Cathe Nation and are on your way to an improved and happier you!
 
Welcome Mommymaria, great advice from the other posters, just want to add my encouragement that YES, YOU CAN!!
 
Welcome Mommymaria,
You can be successful and this website will definitely help you!! I know exactly how you feel. I danced my entire life, then after the birth of my first and becoming a stay at home mom, I found myself at 5'2" and 171 pounds. Basically I weighed the same as my husband, I was pretty disgusted with myself. I started working out with The Firm DVD's in '02 and eating between 1300-1400 calories a day and within 4 months I had lost down to 125 pounds. I kept this up and after the births of my two daughters, I was able to return very quickly to me pre-baby body. I just stated doing Cathe's DVD's in July '07, but got hooked and know am addicted. Even if you just start with walking for thirty minutes and maybe trying Pyramid Upper and Lower Series...then ease into some of Cathe's Cardio as you feel more comfortable with exercise. To be honest, it is very overwhelming to start. But the Beginner Rotation will help tremendously. This website is great, there are so many of us, all different ages and different stories, but we all are dedicated to being healthy and fit and want to encourage those who want to do the same!! Good Luck and God Bless,
Mandy
 
You CAN do this--you can turn it around :)

I agree with the suggestion to do half of Cathe's weight when you're doing her strength workouts. You can choose any of her weight workouts and just go lighter to start, but I think Pure Strength is a great place to start because of the form pointers. It's a little dated with Cathe's headband, but ignore it :)

I'd also suggest that if you start with her cardio, either choose a beginner workout (Low Impact Step, Cardio Fusion, etc.) or modify modify modify if you go for a non-beginner set.

You're going to find out relatively quickly if you like simple choreography or more comlex. Don't get too frustrated if you are tripping over your feet at first! It gets easier.

I suggest using no step at all with any of Cathe's step workouts. See how that goes, and see if you like step aerobics, before you invest in the actual step.

The biggest piece of advice I'd give is to take it slowly. Don't feel like you have to work out every day at first. You don't want to exhaust yourself. If you do want to do something every day, just do 10-15 minutes. And realize that for a lot of people it takes a while before you start to actually like it. Eventually you will be addicted :)

Just want to also mention videofitness.com, which is a great site with tons of valuable information and wonderful people as well. Can't talk diet there, but you can here. Open Discussion is a good forum to get lots of info here at Cathe.com (oh, sorry, thecathenation.com :) )

Good luck. Post back often in Open Discussion and you'll get tons of answers!

Wendy
 
Hi and welcome to Cathe land (or Cathe Nation now). I'd also suggest you take a look at Cathe's beginner rotation on the rotation forum and start with the workouts in that rotation. Cathe also has posted an Intermediate rotation, and I'd suggest you do that one next. If you haven't done step before, I'd suggest you start the step workouts without it, maybe using a small rug in place of it to mimic its placement on the floor. Then when you are ready to get a step, purchase the "Club" step ... this is the full-size step that Cathe uses in almost every step workout except the Basic Step/Fusion dvd and, I think, Low Impact Step. If you get the smaller one, you'll probably eventually regret it and end up purchasing the full step in time anyways.

Finally, please don't get discouraged with all the options. Start slowly, use the beginner workouts, progress at your own pace. Cathe offers some of the most advanced workout DVDs available, just don't expect you'll be able to get all the choreography or work at Cathe's level for awhile. Be patient. And best of luck! Keep coming back -- the people on these boards are some of the most helpful and kind that you'll find anywhere!

Deb
 
Welcome to our humble home at Cathe Nation!! We all love it here and are excited to help out others that need our help, we all seem to lean on each other from time to time. Not only does Cathe have a great site and wonderful workout dvd's she also has managed to have a warm and inviting forum community.

I have been working out for 8 years now and I wont go anywhere else but here, once I found Cathe I never looked elsewhere. She is simply the best.

When I first started 8 years ago she did not have the beginner rotation package that she offers now and man do I wish I could have gotten my hands on that. I am sure that package is a great way to start getting into shape and keep you from getting burnt out and frustrated. Once you master that you can start working your way through all of her other challenging workouts. Don't get frustrated if you can't make it all the way through a workout at first, I couldn't! It took me about a month before I could complete an entire Cathe workout when I first started.

You will find days from time to time that you try to talk yourself out of a workout (I still do) but the one thing that gets me to push play each and every time is the feeling I know I will have when I am done, dripping with sweat from head to toe and feeling like I just accomplished the world. Sometimes when the workout is over I have found myself laying on the floor breathing and admitting to my tv that she just kicked my butt... and other days I tell the tv "is that all you got?"

You'll find great fitness days where you are peaked and love every step you take, enjoy every rep you do and want more more more and you'll find days where you are so desperate for the workout to be over you watch the clock the whole way through, this is NORMAL!!!

Our bodies act and react all the time this is why some workout days you are on top of your game and while other days you are left scratching your head wondering why it blew you away. Acknowledge these times and try to plan for them and adjust your workout to meet how you feel, this will keep you from feeling like the workout is too much.

GOOD LUCK!! Keep us posted and if you need encourgment we are ALL here for you every step of the way!!!
 
Mommy Maria,

First of all--congrats on taking a very brave step! The first step is ALWAYS hard and you just did that by sharing with us today. So congratulate yourself on that!!!

Second--YOU CAN DO THIS.

I was thin until I had my baby 19 months ago. I gained 45 POUNDS during pregnancy, and couldn't workout during my pregnancy because my heart rate got too elevated. After my pregnancy, I had a baby with colic and with only two-three hours of sleep at night, I couldn't workout out. I got WAY out of shape, and didn't start back again until January. And I had to start from the beginning (although I had been doing Cathe for years prior to pregnancy.) Oh, yeah, not helping is the fact that I was 37. Much harder to lose baby weight at 37 than 27!!

But in January I committed to being healthy. I started back with some walking DVDs and Cathe Basic Step (her beginner step DVD.) Then I added Cardio Fusion. I did the Total Body Sculpting DVD, and Stretch Max after one of those segements to add flexibility. I also did the Pure Strength series, but did it with light weights. Combine that with healthy eating--no preprocessed foods--and the weight came off. Then I moved up to my old Cathe DVDs and added 4DS. I dropped my walking DVDs and progressed to boot camp and more stepping.

And guess what? I'm fit now. Fitter than I ever was before! I've got more muscle definition, I feel lean, and most importantly, I feel healthy.

SO YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Again, be very proud of yourself for owning your situation and committing to do something about it. And like others have said, ordering that beginner bundle is the perfect way to start.
 
Echoing everyone else...You can do this. Do you have FitTv? Cathe is on three times a day. Even though the workouts are shortened to fit in an hour it is great to see what you like and don't like without shelling out a lot of money. Although almost everyone likes all of her workouts and eventually you will add to your collection. My first Cathe DVD was Pyramid and it is my favorite. I did start out with Basic Step and Cardio and Weights because it came with my step which I bought at Walmart.com. when I finally decided to add step to my workouts. I got my High Step from Amazon and that came with High Step Circuit which is another great beginner workout. good luck making a decision. Everyone here is very helpful and always willing to listen. Welcome.
 
You can definitely do this!!!! Cathe, her crew, and all of us are right there with you. Remember ANYTHING you do will be 100% more than you've been doing, so even if it's Low Max without a step, you're moving and that's what counts.
 
I haven't read the other responses, but I just wanted to offer my support and let you know that you can do it!! After two back-to-back complete bedrest pregnancies, I found myself 65 pounds overweight. I am 5"3' and very slender normally. After my second child was born I had very little confidence that I could lose the weight since the bedrest had done a number on my stamina.
I am happy to tell you that I lost 70 lbs in eleven months!! I had always eaten a good diet, so adding the weights and cardio just made the pounds melt away. It is possible- you can do it!
 
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