is there something i can do to also reduce inches as well as pounds? i have mentioned in several threads that i have recently lost 30 pounds. (are u sick of hearing it yet?) well i have gone down in bra size from 38c to a 36c and of course all my shirts are mostly too big now. not sure about waist mesuremnt because i forgot to write it down but i know i only lost 1 inch in my hips. as far as my shorts, i have not gone down sizes. im still wearing size 14 shorts which are very loose, but wehn i try to get into 12's my big butt and belly keep me from being able to close them. im aware that one is not able to spot reduce, and i know that i need cardio to lose weight all over. but im starting to get discouraged now after doing all this work and not really being able to get into a smaller size. i must be doing something wrong....

Heya Wonderwoman

You should probably try lifting weights, just get some dumbbells or some resistance bands and you just have to tone up. Its kinda weird you didnt lose alot of inches in that 30 pounds, maybe take measurments all over and compare those weekly from now on, i've lost over 60 pounds and went down 7 pants sizes from 44 - 36 I do my cardio on an elliptical trainer, what are you using? you might want to find something that targets more than one muscle group targeted.

Hi Wonderwoman,
I'm not sure if you're doing something wrong, but 30 lb.s is GREAT don't get discouraged now! I know they say you can't spot reduce but....
I'm not too sure about that. I use only a treadmill and the weight-loss has
been spread out evenly. But after 30 minutes of treadmill, I use a swissball
which I completely recommend, I do sit-ups on it and it's sooo much easier
than doing them on the floor! But I also do "donkey kicks" where you are on the floor on your hands and knees and you pull one knee into your abs and then out and up, point your foot towards the ceiling and try to do as many
as you can and switch and do as many reps as you can for 3 sets. That exercise has always help tone my butt, thighs and tummy in the past and
I think you should try it. When you're done you will definitely feel the work you've done. They may say you can't spot reduce but see for yourself,
you may be suprised! Tina

fitski, 7 pants sizes? thats awesome! mostly i just walk either on treadmill or outside (depending on weather). i also do dumbells for arms a few times aweek. i do crunches daily with the couch holding my toes because i cant do them otherwise. i THINK i have also lost 2 inches in waist but like i said not sure cause i didnt write it down. i am going to take mesurements tho. thanks both of you. will be getting THE FIRM soon and hopefully i will see better results after i add that to my program. geez, wish i had a trainer! was also thinking of joining ymca but dont know if they have people there that will be able to guide me a little.

Dear Wonderwoman...CONTRATULATIONS on the 30 lb loss!

I can relate to the inch loss challenge, been at that myself. Baby #2 really took a toll on my body and I though I'd never lose my belly and hips (of course I gained 60 lbs with the pregnancy so I guess I'm to blame but I had a healthy, 9lb, 3oz baby who is now in high school) Yeah, like I said I thought I'd never reshape up but my doctor told me about a program called T-Tapp More to help me rehab my sciatica and groin hernia (from lifting a patient) and wow, even though it's a physical therapy at home fitness program, it's been help me drop inches like never before. They have a regular 15 min Basic Program and Total 45 min program but I'm telling ya just do the freebies on their site, especially the one for a flat stomach called "Organs in Place/Half Frogs"...it's only 8 reps but whew, you can really feel it but more important it will target your lower abdominal area. I did it every night before bedtime for 10 days and lost an inch in my lower tummy (I measure 2 inches below my belly button) They've got one for the arms, the legs, the torso, etc on print outs (article section) as well as free video clips. They don't even make you register your email to get 'em either! Finally a place to try without buying! They also give away 10 videos every 10 days (I haven't won yet, but I've only entered 3x)

At any rate, what I've learned from T-Tapp is that inch loss can happen. It's all how you work the muscles (full fiber with both attachments activated vs. standard exercise using only one attachment to belly of muscle) She educates on the videos. Never heard of this approach before but you sure can feel the difference! Just try the tricep curl on her home page(t-tapp.com) - oh my! can't believe how much you can feel the muscles work, all without weights too. Last of all, if you do decide to become a customer, they offer unlimited free tech support (800# as well as email) - I've called several times and now ask for Lauren - she's soooooo helpful!

Good luck, if I can flatten my belly (I'm still a work in progress cuz I want to drop at least another 2 clothing sizes) ANYONE can!

Tam

I used to be the person you would see on the treadmill for hours and I still wasn't seeing great results. I started on a program with a personal trainer and everything was done online so it was ultra convenient and all the exercises are animated. The trainer designed my workout with mostly resistance training to tone and tighten my troubled areas. As someone mentioned earlier, get some dumbells and start doing resistance training!! I am also on a nutrition advising plan. So far it's helping me and I am seeing results after only 3 weeks!! The hardest thing for me right now is eating enough. The program I am using is at www.Imagebodyconsultants.com
Check it out...They have free stuff like food logs to download.

Even with doing weight training you don't actually spot reduce. In fact, if you are doing a lot of situps, your waist will definatly be the last to shrink because you are building muscle underneath and pushing out any excess fat ... I'm not saying to stop, just to keep that in mind. Ever person is built differently and everyone stores fat differently. Some people are even, and some are unlucky enough to have it all go to one spot. That just means that you have to work a bit harder than some to get down to a confortable size if that "area" is something that you don't like (usually butt and thighs) ... however, once you start noticing that you are losing inches, you'll lose them a lot faster than someone who has their fat stored throughout their whole body ... positives and negatives.

T-tapp sounds like an interesting approach. I will have to check out that site you mentioned. Anything that doesn't require huge amounts of time sounds intriguing to me

Im 142pounds and my height is 1.65m.. Being a Malaysian, Im pretty big framed n i really want to lose weight but Im not sure what is the best form of exercise. I have a stomach too which i so desperately wanna lose. I need some advice. Help me.

Your doin fine wonderwoman! not many can say they have lost 30 pounds! I agree with you doing some weight training. As your body starts getting more toned it will help to take away the focus on the parts that store the fat the longest. My younger brother & I have the same problem with our waist area. He has six pack abs but still cant seem to get rid of the fat around the rear of his waist, however, the overall toned condition of the rest of his body sufficiently hides this fact.

From reading this I'm definetely going to do some crunches everyday despite the fact that I suck at them
Also good news: My dad just got back from the mall and he bought me dumbells...So its all good. I also run on the treadmill in the mornings and in the evenings and do squats and I stretch...hopefulyl everything works though.

-me-

Crimson, you're so lucky to have a dad who's willing to support your work to a better body! Many parents of overweight teens don't seem to care that much even though they really should!

I'm not exactly a teenager anymore, but my mom is pretty supportive... when she remembers to be (sometimes she thinks she's doing me a favour by buying me chocolate bars and bags of chips! I can't really blame her though, I do love them )

One of the best things I ever did was give up crunches and sit ups. My back doesn't bother me any more and through the use of ground based free weight exercises [edited]

My core has never been stronger.
Now I might be in a strength class and they do crunches and they feel like child's play. like they are hardly even worth doing.