The FIRM Check in Week 9

[s&k'smom]

Hey gang, just wanted to get the thread started as I skipped Sat/Sun and ate like crazy. You know when you can't wait to work out? Anyway this am was lower body sculpt II with Libby and then my tv show. But man do I feel gross after the junk, especially Sunday. I couldn't wait to get in this am and touch base with you all.

[sueg]

FIRMIES!
Yesterday was crazy, but I managed to do CA&WT. Not my best performance but I do think that my shift from sculpting to C+A is producing some results. I lost over 1 lb. last week, without any real eating changes, (i.e. I'm still SB Phase 3) and I feel a little trimmer. My best barometer is the skirt that I'm wearing. It's a donation suit- - the pregnant co-worker who is using my plus sized clothes gave me several suits. When I took the suit, the skirt JUST FIT (i.e. no tucked in blouse) but today I could have easily tucked in a shirt. YOOHOO!!
I've repeatedly posted how I don't feel completely comfortable with CA&WT and Cardio Sculpt Blaster, but I see that even toughing your way through, missing some steps here-and-there can give results. Gee if I ever master those tapes, I could be invincible!
This AM, I returned to Super Body Sculpt (Upper & Lower, only). It was a good workout. I only wish I had time to do the Ab portion before awakening DSs. That would have required 5:15, instead of 5:30. Since we had a late BB game last night, those extra 15 minutes were needed for sleep, let the Abs wait.
We're having a heat wave in NJ. Getting to mid 80's today. How happy am I that I can wear a sleeveless shell to work.
Have a happy & healthy day! SGG

[sueg]

ZerasPride,
I didn't read the end of last week's thread, before posting. Big congrats on breaking the 50 lb. barrier. Your progress is "right-on"... reasonable enough to be healthy & just enough to inspire you on! SGG

[toystoryduo]

Hello FIRMies,
Today was Complete Aerobics and Weight Training w/ Emily. :faint:

s&k's mom~ Thanks for starting the thread!::yes:: You are doing a great job with exercise! :Pinkbounc

sueg~ Congratulations on the weight loss! Woohoo!:Pinkbounc

Lisa~ Let's celebrate!! Woohoo!!!! That shiny new clippie is yours. You have done an awesome job and your hard work and determination continues to pay off! You are an inspiration, Lisa. Now, let's celebrate!!!:jumping1:

Have a great week FIRMies!
Tracy:wave2:

[Octoberbride03]

WOW! These weeks sure do go by fast don't they?

I've lost count of how many weeks i've been Firming now but its going along pretty well. So here i am back for another week.

Sunday night I did AS with Lisa and felt good to get all that ab work in. I'm even moving up a little with the few positions that i started on the beginner. Its nice to feel my muscles getting stronger.

Monday i did 10 minutes of CS with Allie, and Lower Body of BS with Jen. I could have done more CS, but it was sooo hot here and i just wanted to get done. When i do it again on Friday it is suppossed to be cooler. But i am impressed with myself for not just saying "Its too hot" and chucking the whole workout :goodvibes It bodes well for me keeping this up over the entire summer.

:wave:

[s&k'smom]

Good morning, this am was body sculpt with Jen. I used the heavier weights for the lower part and think I over did it on the upper body portion. I plan to do just lower part in the am and give my arms a rest. Tried on a pair of short yesterday because it was so warm here and they fit but boy do you feel self conscious no matter what shape your in. Have a great day everyone.

[sueg]

FIRMIES!
Just a quick post to say that today became an off-day. Secretary's Day has become Secretary's Week, in my office. I had to bake my legendary Crumb Cake for DH's secretaries and it tastes soooo much better when you make it in the AM & serve it warm. The healthy news is that I did the whole process from baking-to-serving without sampling--something that I could never do my "old WOE". Can't exercise tonight because DS(16) is pitching & DS(9) is turning 10 on Weds. & we'll be baking (again!) tonight because he wants to bring brownies for his class.
It's back to FIRM tomorrow morning, probably Cardio Sculpt Blaster w/ Lisa Kaye.
Have a happy & healthy day! SGG

[MelanieC]

Hey FIRMies.........

This morning I really had to pull myself out of bed. I kept hitting the alarm clock, but at the last minute after re-setting it for 6:30am I decided to just get up and exercise. We got home so late last night and I ate a heavy meal (not on my WW's points either) and it was still with me this morning. But.......I did do it! I did Cardio Sculpt with Allie this morning.

Saturday turned out to be a rest day, Sunday I did Body Sculpt and day 5 of 5 Day ABS and Monday I did Maximum Cardio Burn plus Abs.


Sue- I am so proud of you for not sampling. That is difficult! Congrats on the 1 pound. Yep, you definately see results even if you miss some steps here and there. Its slow and steady and the results will come, along with being able to do more of it better and faster.

S&K's mom- The self conscious thing will go away eventually. I put on my shorts this weekend (have to buy more now because they are all WAY to big and could barely wear them. I had no choice because I didn't have time to go shopping). But now that I am so close to goal, I didn't feel self conscious. I actually felt really good!! Hang in there, it gets better!

Octoberbride- Congrats on moving up on a few moves. Thats how it starts and before long you will be doing mostly intermediate and advanced moves!! Keep up the great work.

Tracy- I need to be "gettin down with the Fanny Lifter" with Emily. Maybe I will do that one this week. I keep putting it off because it keeps skipping. I need to contact the FIRM and see if they will replace it.


Have a great day everyone.

[s&k'smom]

OK firmies one question, now say I wanted to stray from the Firm (don't hate me just want to add some rotation), do any of you do Pilates? What's your opinion.

[vfb2girls]

I have a question also, how long after working out with the firm did you see results? Honestly I don't think my arms look any smaller they look pretty big to me, in fact my husband has started to call me grizzley! I am not sure if I should take that as a compliment or an insult! Anyhow please let me know when I can start seeing some positive results.

[s&k'smom]

Morning friends, this am was LB1 with Lisa. And then my show. My shoulder is still pretty sore but I was able to do a little bit of weights.

vfb2girls-maybe it's muscle that your seeing and that's why your arms look bigger. Muscle is heavier than fat. I have noticed my arms are a bit more muscular and my thighs finally seems to be responding but I'll always have a belly. I think it's my Irish shape!!

[MelanieC]

Today I did Fat Blasting Cardio and the Ab portion of FIRM-Hips Thighs and Abs.

I said no to the donuts and other goodies brought into work today too! I am trying to get back on track at least till the weekend. I gained a few pounds since my mom came in this weekend. Hopefully its mostly water weight and will come off easily. It looks like it was roughly a 3-4 pound gain, but I will have to watch it over the next few days. I am so close to my WW goal- I need to get it back down quickly.


S&K's mom- I don't do Pilates, but I hear its great for elongating your muscles to give you that great shape. Any exercise you do is good for you! Plus, doing different things keep you from getting bored. My problem is, is that now that I have over 30 FIRM DVD's I don't even have enough time to do all the FIRM ones I want to do. Never mind adding other things. I know eventually I probably will. Plus I am also going to start adding the treadmill more religiously once my mom leaves.


vfb2girls-
It's probably muscle you are seeing. The first things that I noticed were my arms. My arms got really good defination within the first few weeks. Then it took several months before I noticed a difference in my thighs. I am close to goal, so this is why I am seeing it there at the moment. That is where my fat is coming from. You can't spot reduce your tummy, thighs , hips etc. You can only make the muscle under the fat tight and then when you start melting the fat away you will see your results. It all depends on where you are. I will look for something on the FIRM Direct bulletin boards that talks about when you should see things. I think they say that 6 months is when you REALLY see results. The results vary for people in the beginning, but you should see some kind of results. My upper arms feel really strong now, and I would say they are definately bigger in a good, musclar way!

[s&k'smom]

Melanie C 30 videos! Your my hero!

[ZerasPride]

Good afternoon FIRMies!

I'm sorry I haven't posted in the past few days but I'll bring you up to speed with where I am. Sunday I did ab sculpt, Monday it was cardio sculpt blaster, Tuesday I did body sculpt (lower body) and today I did cardio sculpt blaster again. Sunday was weigh in day and I officially hit the 50 pound mark, with my weight loss total being 51.5 pounds and losing 5 inches in the past 2 weeks!

I don't know if I mentioned that I am using the entire 14 inch step for the leg lifts or not. I am quite pleased with myself. I am very short and never thought I'd be able to use both portions but I am! Woohoo!!!!

It sounds like you all are going strong and I am so proud of you!

s&k'smom - my sister does Pilates and enjoys it. I've seen the Windsor infomercials several times and it makes me want to order the set for myself when I lose a few more pounds. I agree with Melanie that adding variety will keep you from getting bored. I will definitely have to remember that.

Melanie - Wow! You must have the entire FIRM collection. No wonder you are close to goal. You are my inspiration!!!

vfb2girls - I think Melanie gave you such a great answer to your question about when you'll see progress. I wanted to add that it's been close to 5 months for me and I am really starting to see some changes. Especially in my tummy and thighs. One coworker this morning actually said she couldn't believe how flat my tummy is! My tummy is not flat by any means but I have definitely lost quite a few inches in that area. Also I have lost quite a few in my thighs as well. I was sitting in a chair in our lunchroom yesterday and thought the chair felt funny. It turns out that I am so used to both my thighs rubbing against the sides of the chairs that I hadn't noticed for a while now, I actually have room in the chair on both sides of my thighs. It feels so so so weird but I love it! Stick with it. If I can see results when I started out at over 280 pounds, I know you will sweetie!

I hope everyone has a great day and make it a great work out! :)

[Cheryl N. WI]

Hi FIRMies

Last week ended up being a bad FIRM week for me with DD off of school all week and lots of things going on on my days off of work and then an extra hour of drive time added to the days I did work to get her to and from the sitters house. It was a bad DIS week too, I hardly got to the boards at all except in the very beginning of the week. I am back on track now with my eating and my exercising! Both Monday and today I did 45 minute jog/walk on the treadmill and FIRM Super Body Sculpt upper body and abs. Yesterday was an off day. I am going to try and get out of bed early tomorrow and do one of the shorter tapes before work. Maybe I'll finally give Cardio Sculpt Blaster a try.

s&k's mom I have been thinking alot about starting to rotate in Pilates too, in fact this morning when I saw the infomercial on Winsor Pilates I called and ordered the DVDs. I payed the $5.00 extra for the express shipping so I should have them in a week. I'll let you know what I think. I have heard so much about how it helps you tone and strengthen too and how it is so good for you I finally decided I'll give it a try.

Have a good week everyone!

Cheryl :wave:

[s&k'smom]

This am was Tough Tape II. Christa, Jen and Lisa from the recent tapes are in them. It moves fast but I really like the 5 day ab dvd.

Thanks guys for the Pilates notes, I'm gonna try to get to the store this weekend and get a few more tapes and I just may give Pilates a try.

Yeahhhhhhhhhhh Zera's Pride, that is terrific news. I'm so proud.

[toystoryduo]

Good morning FIRMies!:wave2:
Today was Maximum Cardio Burn + Abs with Allie. I really like the ab workout in this tape. It really makes me feel like I am working my muscles. Those planks are tough! Whew!:crazy2:

Melanie~ Did I read that correctly? You have 30 FIRM DVDs?! :earseek: Wow! That is awesome! :Pinkbounc

Have a great day everyone!

Tracy:wave2:

[sueg]

FIRMIES!
No post yesterday because I'm REALLY busy at work & in the evening, it was all about youngest DS's 10th BD. But I did Cardio Sculpt Blaster yesterday & today. I'm getting sick of posting (& therefore, I'm sure you're sick of reading) that my performance is "not all that great" for this tape & this AM I went back to the tape to try & work on some of my weak spots, i.e. my footwork around the "heel-rock" segment. I'd love to say that I really improved this AM, but alas, I don't lie to my FIRM buddies. My footwork is still barely adequate, although the rest of the tape is getting better. I really am questioning myself on whether this workout is for me, but there are sooo many reasons not to quit it yet. First, I HATE quitting, Second, I value my FIRM buddies' opinions & you give this workout very favorable reviews, Third, I really do like having a 30 min. challenging workout for weekday mornings. Fourth, I think I'm seeing some new results from the combo of this tape & CA&WT.
No CSB tomorrow, it's Friday & I'll probably join DH for WATP.
s&k'smom,
I wanted to respond to your pilates question. I didn't know alot about pilates, I tried it by buying a tape w/ straps (I don't know what system, but it's the tape sold at Whole Foods). I didn't like it at all. Then I spoke w/ "exercise-friends" at work & they said they never really felt comfortable w/ pilates until they took a few lessons w/ a trained instructor. They felt that you had to get your form down & having an instructor is the best way to start. We even tried to get a lunch time pilates group w/ instructor going at work. Our schedules couldn't be coordinated. I was interested in pilates as an easy way to exercise when you travel -the equipment is so much more portable than sets of hand weights. Good luck & keep us "posted"(LOL) about your pilates experience.
Sounds like you guys are doing well. I've gone on too long to give individual shouts, but I can't sign off without a WOW to Melanie...30 tapes means you have more variety of FIRM tapes than overstock.com.
Have a happy & healthy day! SGG

[s&k'smom]

Thanks Sueg for the heads up on the Pilates. I have to admit I am really hooked on Firm tapes. Especially the newer ones and I figures out why this am. The women in the tape are not all 12 years old. Sure they're gorgeous but some are in their 30's, 40's, and I really like that. Keep up the good work everyone.

[sueg]

FIRMIES!
No FIRM for me today...it was WATP w/ DH. Somewhere between not-so-challenging & an off-day, but a good Friday tradition.
I have a busy weekend ahead, so I'm going to try awakening EARLY, at least one day, for CA&TW w/ Emily or Cardio Sculpt w/ Allie. Work calls--TTFN
Have a happy & healthy day! SGG

[s&k'smom]

Good morning, today was STanding Legs. Holy mother of God is that tough. They do tons of leg presses. Actually I think I over did it. AllI could think of was I hate squats, I hate squats as I'm doing them! Have a great weekend everyone.

[toystoryduo]

Good morning FIRMies!
Today was Total Sculpt + Abs, but I skipped the Ab Section today. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Tracy:wave2:

[MelanieC]

Hey everyone,

This morning I did Calorie Killer 2. I will probably add an abs tape tonight, because for some reason I didn't feel what I did this morning. Sometimes that happens on a new tape, and I was running late this morning. The last time I tried this tape I turned it off and tried something else. Its pretty intense on some of those cardio segments. The one feels like it never will end. There is quite a bit of 4 limb cardio as well along with some table work for the hips/thighs and butt at the end.

I guess I never got a chance to check in yesterday. I did Complete Aerobics and Weight Training in the morning and then I did the new Hips, thighs and abs with Pam Merriweather (only the hips and thigh portion-not abs) and did the first 2 segments of the new FIRM Power Yoga. I was waiting on the DH & the kids to get home and I just tried it out to get a feel for it. I really liked the music.

Yep guys, right now I have so many FIRM DVD's I dont' even have time to do them all. Here is what I have. There are no more on DVD at the moment. There are still some that are realeased on VHS, but I don't think I will buy them. Hopefully next year they will release more of the older stuff on DVD.

Cardio
Calorie Killer-BSS2
Calorie Killer 2
Super Cardio Mix
Fat Blaster
Maximum Cardio Burn plus Abs-BSS2
Super Cardio Sculpt-BSS1
Cardio Sculpt Blaster-BSS1
Fat Blasting Cardio -BSS3


Cardio & Sculpt
Cardio Sculpt-BSS1
Complete Aerobics and weight Training-BSS2
Total Muscle shaping-BSS3
Complete Body Shaping-BSS3
FIRM Strength
FIRM Cardio
Body Sculpting Basics-Vol 1
Time Crunch Workout-Vol 4


Sculpt
Hips Thighs & Abs-BSS3
Power Yoga-BSS3
Express Total Body Sculpting-BSS3
FIRM Abs_BSS2
Upper Body Sculpt- BSS2
Total Sculpt plus Abs-BSS2
Lower Body Sculpt-Vol 1- BSS1
Lower Body Sculpt-Vol 2-BSS1
Body Sculpt Blaster-BSS1
Super Body Sculpt-BSS1
Ab Sculpt - BSS1
Body Sculpt-BSS1
Upper Body Split
Lower Body SPlit
Tough Tape II
5 Day Abs
Standing Legs
Upper Body
Maximum Body Shaping
Sculpted Buns, Hips & Thighs

Ok.........thats 36. No wonder I don't have time to do all of them, the majority are sculpt and I generally do 1 heavy sculpt day a week and alternate cardio and Cardio & Sculpt on the others. Yesterday I did decide to alternate a lower body every other day (lower body hips, thighs butt- not one that does squats, leg lifts, dips etc.) so that I get more of this in. Most tapes don't have any or enough to work this area effectively. Most of these types of tapes are short and not very strenous (done mostly on the floor) and would be easy to do in a half an hour after work.

S&K's mom- I agree that standing legs is tough. I want to quit when its just beginning lol! The first and only time I have done it I did upper body afterwards and I was sore for days!

Tracy- You skipped the ab section!! I complain when there isn't one lol! I wish all of them, even the short add on tapes had great ab sections!!

Sue- You know, WATP's would make a great tape to do when you need to rest but want to at least move. I dont' even break a sweat with that tape, but at least it would be moving. I might try that sometimes. Keep at the Cardio Sculpt Blaster- I promise one day you'll get it and go A-haah!

Cheryl- Sorry you had a bad week last week- Great job on the TM work! Keep up the good work, sounds like you are doing terrific!

Lisa- Congrats on hitting the 50lb mark. You are doing fabulous and al this exercise is really helping. Keep up the fantastic work!

[toystoryduo]

Good morning FIRMies!
Today is a rest day for me, but I thought I'd stop in and say hi! I'll be getting some of my "junk"..errrrr... I mean "stuff" together for a yard sale we'll be having in a few weeks. ;) That should provide me with quite a bit of exercise. Plus, we plan on taking the girls for a walk to the park today so that will count as exercise too.::yes::

I do have a question though... I know this week we have been talking about results and how long it takes to get them. I have been FIRMing for 3.5 months now and I can see a huge difference in my legs and arms, but the weight is very slow in coming off my hips, stomach, and rear. Does anyone have any idea why or any suggestions on how to combat this? I would be fitting in much smaller clothes by now if my hips and stomach were shrinking as quickly as the rest of me. :rolleyes:

Have a great weekend everyone!:Pinkbounc

Tracy

P.S. Hey Mel.... I wish we lived closer to each other so I could borrow some of your DVDs from time to time.:teeth: That is quite an impressive list!:Pinkbounc

[ZerasPride]

Good evening FIRMies!

I'm sorry I haven't been around to post on a regular basis these past few days. I have been thinking of you guys and keeping up wtih my works. Yesterday (Friday) I did FIRM body sculpt and today I did FIRM cardio sculpt with Allie.

I hope everyone is doing well. It's official weigh in day tomorrow so I'll report in what the scale says.

Thanks so much for the congratulations. We're all working so hard and your commitment to your individual exercise routines really encourages me!

Have a great Saturday night!

[toystoryduo]

Good morning FIRMies!
Today was supposed to be Cardio Sculpt Blaster, but I felt like I needed more cardio so I did Maximum Cardio Burn + Abs instead. We have a party to go to this afternoon and I thought I might exercise more to battle the food I will eat later.

Have a great Sunday!

Tracy

[sueg]

FIRMIES!
Kept my weekend promise. Yesterday was 5:30 AM for Cardio Sculpt w/ Allie. Today, DH got up at 6AM, for his workout & I kept a pre-lunch date w/ Emily & CA&WT. I almost felt like I really "got down w/ the fanny lifter". This is a good workout, just wish I had the time to do it more often. Back to the shorter tapes tomorrow AM!
Have a happy & healthy day! SGG