Ikonzelman....100 LBS!!! Thats great...You go girl!! One thing that keeps me going is hearing everyday people success stories. I love hearing about people getting fit & improving their lives.

"FromVA" How do I get in contact with Trainer Dan? Do I just ask the same answer on the exercise forum & hope he replies? I have explained to my wife that spot training does not work. Fat leaves the body differently on each person. She's just a little pissed off at her inability to lose the little flab left on her stomach. It's more like loose skin than it is fat. Hopefully losing a little bit more weight & Pilates will help out.

Serena..My wife went out and purchased a pilates DVD today. She said she did only a few minutes of it & can already feel the burn. She sound so excited about it that I think I'm going to do it with her. The DVD has 3 sections to it for fat burning, so hopefully it will help us out, if not, at least we have something else we can do besides Tae-bo, running, treadmill, stairclimber....etc. Thanx again!! BTW what Pilates tape did you get?

I have the 3 tape series...learning the basics, basic workout an dadvanced. I bought the ab workout and thigh and bun workout. I like it, the advanced is almost an hour long though. That's hard with 2 babies. I think I'll be able to make time for the other 2 on alternating days. My little girl (she is almost 3) does it with me, she thinks it's fun.

Let me know how it goes...

pherjo:I noticed that this thread has been moved to the Exercise Forum. I think "TrainerDan" is a forum manager (I read so many threads I have a terrible time keeping them straight because they are so full of information). If you click on the yellow bar (Success Stories) you can read about him. (If it isn't there, it is on the official Atkins site). Ask the Forum Founder and she can give the the absolute straight scoop on "TrainerDan". You can also click on "Profiles" and probably find him there, too.

Hi all! I just thought it might be good to mention the Matthews Method ab workout. Very much like Pilates, but harder, IMO. And the instructions are free online (click the link).

If she likes those, you might be able to put off buying more Pilates tapes (I have!).

I wish all these post-baby women the best of luck returning to their desired shape. I am pre-baby right now, and not looking forward to having my body all stretched out of shape when the time comes.

ALOPEX. My wife has already bought a pilates DVD. She has tried some of the exercises on the DVD. She like the workout it gives her abs, but it will take some time to get used to. I took a look at the Matthews Method workout. OUCH!!!! I haven't done them yet but it looks like a great workout. I don't know if my wife will do them but I will. I've printed them out so I can do them the for y next ab workout. Anybody who reads this thread need to take a look at the "Matthews Method" ab workout. That stuff is sick. How can u not workout your abs,back & core muscles by not doing them. Thank u very much Alopex.

I have to disagree with those who say you can't spot reduce - maybe if there is some abnormal distribution of fat it might be a problem,(you know where people get abs or thighs liposuctioned because fat deposits are still there after losing weight) but a normal body should respond to having certain parts of it exercised.

All those other ab exercises are great - but I find that the very best is the olde fashioned sit up - if your wife works up to 100 of those a day she should lose inches from her waist very quickly. They say crunches are easier on the back but you don't feel them work nearly as good as a full sit up.

Edit ok, maybe I wasn't clear what I meant by responding, I agree that you can't spot reduce fat from one area - that is up to your body to decide when the fat goes - but exercising a particular area will tighten it up, build muscle and tone it ending up in a reduction of inches in the area being targeted by exercise.

You say your wife has more loose skin on the tummy than fat - depending on how much it is - some women get stuck with this for life after having children - if she's finished having children and at her goal weight maybe you could get her a tummy tuck for Christmas

KoKo: I LOVE your artwork! (Love your garden, too...but REALLY love the artwork.)

oh Thanks fromVA

Hi PHERJO! Well I'm 31 and have had 3 daughters. A 12 yr. old, 3 yr. old, and a just turned 9 month old. One thing that I've had problems with is trying to lose and firm up my tummy! After my 12 yr. old I flattened tummy by lots and lots of sit-ups. Worked like a charm! I was also only 21,(easy to loose) 3yr. old, had an in-home day care didn't have time to do anything. This last pregnancy I excercised throughout and still gained 35 pounds. Now I'm trying, Oh so hard, to get rid of it as quickly as possible. I've lost 35 lbs,but now have started to do WINDSOR PILATES for the past 2 weeks and also started THE FIRM. OH MY GOD! I love these videos. With PILATES I've already started to loose inches and THE FIRM is so tough but a wonderful pain, where you feel sooooo good after done. I believe and feel like I'm toning and shrinking! Can't wait to weigh in and measure....PILATES is great for the abs and I feel like THE FIRM AB sculpt, and 5 day abs is great to add to routine. I also walk and jog on the treadmill at least 2 times a week. I hate to excercise but since I've been on Atkins I've had so much energy and these videos make me want to excercise. I want those results and am determined to get them.

Jessica


Good luck to you and wife on future success....
Don't worry work those abs and you will
eventually see the results. CONSISTENCY Is key....

I don't know of any exercise that will tighten lose skin. I just had my first baby in February, and still have a bit of weight to lose. Once I lose all the way, my husband is rewarding me with some Suddenly Slender body wraps. I used to work at the training center, and I've seen it work with my own eyes. A woman who still looked pregnant a year after she had her baby, after I gave her a wrap she lost three inches off her waist and was much firmer. It's definitely not a replacement for a healthy diet and exercise...but it's great to tighten the skin. There is also a wrap that specifically helps flush excess fat out of the body. Depending on where you go to get the wrap, it can cost $60 to $100, but it is well worth it. I won't dare get one now, because I still have about a 50lbs to lose, but once I hit my goal I am there! I know from experience it works. Sounds like your wife is working hard, and this would be a wonderful reward for her!

Hi Koko First of all let me say I love your paintings. What are you thinking about when you do your abstract paintings? & how do you know when your finish? I'm not making light of your work, I just always wondered what is going on in the mind of an abstract artist. Art can mean different things to different people. I wish I can paint like that.

After serving 8 years in the Army, my wife & I are sick of sit-ups. Push-ups too.... but I'll be sure to let her read your thread about doing the dreaded sit-ups. She do Tae-bo & crunches a few times a week & their great workouts, but she's a little excited about doing Pilates. She only did half the workout on the DVD & she can feel the burn.

shpgrl03...We didn't get the Winsor pilates DVD. I wish we did. I haven't heard to many negative comments from ladies on Winsor Pilates. I've seen a few people here in this forum talk about 'The Firm'. I don't know what that is..yet. I'll have to look it up. Thank u both

I just wanted to add that if your wife or you would like to try out videos to see if they might be good for working on that part of hte body a good place to try a tester might be the local library. I have gone there and checked out different videos of exercising for free to see if I think it would be worth purchasing or not.

It has been helpful instead of jumping all in at once.

Hi pherjo - I wish you had a journal so I could answer you there cuz this is off the topic but I'll risk it - I don't actually think about anything when I paint - well not consciously anyway. I just draw a line and and start adding to it - eventually I see something emerge from those lines. I throw out an awful lot of paper before I get a good start that I am happy with - it's the first couple of lines that are the hardest for me, somehow a blank peice of paper waiting for me to put a mark on it is very intimidating. LOL about how do I know when it's finished - I never do, that's my problem, I over work things. The only way I can stop is to put them away for a while and start working on something else. I don't sell or show them though and don't really consider myself an artist.

I can understand about being sick of sit ups, I have added different things to my ab workout but they are devices I have bought. I hope she gets good results from the Pilates - that little area (the pooch) is so tough to tighten up especially after having babies. Good luck to you and her

I'm 36 and have two children (6 and 3). I exercise at a health club and take pilates classes. They do help to slim due to the core exercises. I have never tried a tape. However, I recommend taking a class with a certified teacher that will help with the movements. Pilates requires very percise and slow movements. It sometimes takes a couple of classes to get it. When I first took a class, I thought it was too easy. It just seemed like stretching. I kept on going because I heard great things about it. Now, my stomach , upper back and butt are sore the next day. Angie

Pherjo: I must give credit to Natrushka for posting the link in another thread somewhere. You're right that they're insane moves. I'm not very good at them yet, but I'm planning to get better soon. My plan for "trunk day" is Pilates in the AM after my cardio (nice workout, but it isn't enough anymore), then Matthews in the PM. Feel the burn.