How to lose fat....

[ellaenchanted]

Originally Posted by cherimac

And I was the opposite of Debbie. Intense workouts were beating me up so switching to more gentle workouts like walking, Pilates, and barre, helped me keep my appetite in check and shed pounds.

Me too. But even more counterproductive is the fact that constant intense workout triggered a stress response in my body that caused it to hold on to weight or actually gain a few pounds. I keep intense workouts to 1x per week max. Many times I d rotations without any intense workouts at all and I still get all the health and esthetic benefits I want.

[Debbie S.]

Originally Posted by jenn38

What did you use in place of DVD strength workouts? And why did you stop using them?

I do my strength work on my own. I've just gone full circle. I started lifting when I was a junior in high school, and started using DVDs while in the process of coming back from my 3 back surgeries. Even though I've done some great programs (P90X and CLX are a couple), nothing compares to doing it on my own.

If anyone is interested, Venus Index I is a great program to start with. This is the program that I did while I was transitioning to paper workouts, the majority of which I have shared here on VF.

I stopped eating homemade popcorn because it started to control me. I popped it in EVO and used sea salt, so it was healthier than buttered popcorn, but I couldn't control my portions.

But my main point of my post was that switching things up just might be the key. Even though I swear by traditional strength work, I would never shove it down someone's throat.

[cherimac]

Originally Posted by Debbie S.

<snip>

But my main point of my post was that switching things up just might be the key. Even though I swear by traditional strength work, I would never shove it down someone's throat.

I think it's a great example of how different things work for different people. And I, too switched things up. Pilates and barre are still "intense " to me in their own way, but not like the pounding impact/heavier weight stuff I used to do.