Karen:
You asked how 27 pounds were lost and I guess you were directing that particular question to me since that was the figure I mentioned earlier in this thread.
You said also that you would like to lose about 25 pounds and wanted to do that "first" before getting tank top arms.
There should be no "first" about it. You lose weight and get those arms at the same time.
I also used various Firms for several years. The results were good but not great. Remember that the name "Firm" says it all. Those videos will make you firm but not very cut or muscular. I will be grateful to the Firm for introducing me to a fun way to use heavier weights and showing me that I could do it. But I wanted more. Cathe took me there. I see myself in a mirror and just cannot believe how I look now. Never in a million years did I think I would have a body like this. As a matter of fact, I look very much like Cathe does in the Pure Strength series. My natural body shape is similar to hers (lucky me) but until I started to follow Cathe's tapes I could never have achieved the muscle definition I have now. I am overwhelmed with how great the results have been.
I began Cathe last year, sometime in early spring. I did cardio five or six times a week plus MIS and Pure Strength, making sure I hit each body part two times in each week. Now that I have lost the weight I needed to lose (I am five feet tall and weigh 102 pounds now) I have reduced cardio to three times a week. My legs, back and chest are in great shape but I want more more more cuts in the shoulders and arms so my current rotation includes an extra session for these body parts.
Now, on to the food plan part to all this. Through trial and error I came up with this and obviously it worked. So here is a condensed version.
Breakfast: Myoplex Lite protein shake with fruit (i.e., frozen unsweetened strawberries or peaches).
Lunch: Choice of:
Non fat cottage cheese with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of chopped pecans, or
Protein source on whole grain bread (i.e., baked turkey slices, tuna with very light mayonnaise, natural peanut butter and no sugar jelly, etc.) or
Protein bar such as Nature's Best Solid Protein, or
Large tossed salad with a protein source (not cheese) such as baked turkey chunks or tuna or boiled shrimp.
Dinner: Choice of:
Protein source (even lean red meat), raw salad, cooked vegetables, or
Soup (homemade with beans is nice and hearty) or Healthy Choice stuff.
Some ideas:
Try to include a protein with each meal (building muscle depends on this). Stay away from all white flour products (crackers, bread, pasta) and limit bread to whole grain and no more than two slices per day. Avoid junk food. If I had a need to eat between meals, half of a protein bar with a glass of skim milk usually did the trick.
Now, I would like to be able to tell you that every day went exactly as planned but I would be lying. Many times I caved in and ate things that were not good choices. In spite of that I lost the weight. I believe it took about 5 months. I made sure that no matter how badly I ate the day before, each morning I would get up and exercise. I went from a size 10 to a size 2. Not overnight, however, so don't feel that you must lose it all in a month. Slow and steady.
If you have any other questions I would be glad to answer them. I am certainly no expert, either with exercise or food plans, but I can just tell you what I did and what seemed to work best for me. I hope this information benefits someone out there.
Marlene
