..Yes..it actually Does work!!...

[kellysue1972]

Originally Posted by lemonmama

Does anyone want to go for a SS challenge with me? I did great for about one week and then just totally quit doing anything! During the one week, my jeans fit so much better and people noticed a difference.

Right now, I am wearing a size 12, but would have so much more to wear if I could go down even one size. I have tubs of 10s!

I propose a SS challenge to whom ever is interested.

1. Pick your date to start.
2. Measure yourself.
3. Do the SS routine every day. (The exact movements are described earlier in the thread. I don't have the video myself, but just use that description.
4. Measure yourself one week later.

I'm going to go ahead and do the routine today, but I'm going to officially start the challenge tomorrow. I'll measure then.

Hope some of you will join me. It will be cool to see what kinds of changes we notice within a week or two.

Hi there, Lemonmama!
I am totally new to this forum, but I had been reading up on the SS program and stumbled on you guys! Well, I found the 7 min SS program as cheap as I could and I bought it. I got it yesterday and have been reading all the materials. I haven't seen the workout yet, or tried it, but I am planning to start today! I have taken down all my stats, and I am ready to rock and roll with you! So please update the board with your progress and I will do the same! I am hoping to have some good results to post here!
Thanks for your help and support!
*Note: I am the 35 yo mommy of a 9 yo special needs daughter and a beautiful, healthy 14 mo old daughter and I need to lose at least 40lbs of baby weight!

[kellysue1972]

Update:

I did the 7 min work out for the first time today and it is actually hard! I did find my arms shaking a lot, so I think I'll try the "O" hands technique somebody posted earlier, as I think it's due to my tight fists. Also, I found I could get more burn with the lower body if I really concentrated on tippy toes, squeezing the buns and tilting the pelvis while holding in the gut at the same time

I am so ready to start seeing some inches gone! My problem area is my whole upper body, esp the waist! I could use to lose 10 inches off my waist alone! My upper arms are so big that I am always finding the sleeves tight on shirts and I am totally over that.

I guess I'll just keep you all posted on my progress Oh also, I will look into the "abdonda" series you all mentioned.
Thanks!

[ajpinak]

Hi Lemonmama and KellySue. I'll join the challenge I've been doing the Abdonda series maybe 2-3 times over the last two weeks and want to get consistent with it. Maybe this will help me be more accountable

My goal is to do it everyday, starting tomorrow for 2 weeks. I also have been doing some callanetics, but not changing my eating habits so I'll be curious to see what happens.

[Kianush]

girl81,
I am almost 5'2 and weigh 121. I just want to hover around 115. The problem is in the past several months, I have been steadly gaining.
I have been reading up on this diet which seems really popular with professional body builders. Oh, and since this original thread was about the motionless exercise, I have been holding/contracting my abs since Friday (few times during the day) and I swear this morning it felt a tiny bit tighter, but the scale said "121.0". Probably should focus more on inches than weight.

Will keep you all updated.

Kia

p.s. Thank you Swinglow for introducing AD here. The proof is in the pictures you posted.

[swinglow]

Congrats Kellysue! Once you feel the burn you KNOW great things are happening in your body. And, better yet, shaking! Shaking means your muscles are firing at every level. Great job!

Great going, Kia! That tightening is a definite sign that positive changes are happening, no matter what the scale says. The scale only tells part of the picture, as I'm sure you know!

You're very welcome for the intro. I hope it finds you well.

[kellysue1972]

Hi there, Swinglow! I feel priviledged to have received a message from you! You really know your stuff and are such an inspiration to many of us here on the forum!
Anyway, Thanks for the reassurance, re: shaking arms when doing the SS plan. I tried the "O" hands today and there was less shaking, but still some when I really tense up. I am not really sore after doing the workout (only a total of twice now) but the second time doing it, I could feel where my muscles were worked the first time, so that's a good sign to me!

As for the DVD, you know what? After viewing it just once, I could do the exercises using the little bookmark thingy and sand timer that came with the kit! I will most likely keep doing the workout, but get myself a stopwatch for the timer and I already have a measuring tape. So I will probably end up selling my kit eventually... Anyone interested?

Also, I often travel for work and I just LOVE how simple these exercises are and how I can do them in the hotel room without bringing along any special equipment! I am also very thrilled at how fast and easy this "workout" is. FINALLY! Something I know I can stick to! And even better if I see good results from it!So thanks for everyone's encouragement! I can't wait to post next Saturday with my week one results!
Come on, people, join the challenge!

[lemonmama]

Good job, Kelly Sue. Are you still sticking with it?

I kind of blew my challenge this weekend. We were out of town visiting family, and I kept forgetting to do the SS routine.

I'm home now and back on track.

Glad to see everyone is doing so great!

P.S. Swinglow--thank you for your encouraging PM. You are such a sweetie!

[kellysue1972]

Hi Lemonmama! Just shake off the weekend and start the challenge today! I don't plan to measure until this Saturday, anyway, so that gives you some time to catch up! Besides, I have so much to lose, after doing absolutely nothing for the past year, I should start to see results pretty much instantly (I hope!).
TTYL!

[lemonmama]

Originally Posted by kellysue1972

Hi Lemonmama! Just shake off the weekend and start the challenge today! I don't plan to measure until this Saturday, anyway, so that gives you some time to catch up! Besides, I have so much to lose, after doing absolutely nothing for the past year, I should start to see results pretty much instantly (I hope!).
TTYL!

You are right about shaking off the weekend--that's exactly what I'm doing. I actually have a big (in-law) family reunion in July and I fully intend to be looking back to my "normal" self by then. For me, this means I would be thrilled to be wearing comfortable 10s and maybe even some 8s (what I wore before my precious babes). Right now, I'm in 12s, some 14s. I think it is totally doable. I just have to get on track and stay there!

By the way, my youngest is around 14 months--turned one year on Feb. 24!

We'll measure Saturday, okay? :-)

Jessica

[swinglow]

Aww shucks... thanks, Kellysue. I'm glad I could help. I'm so glad you've found something that fits YOUR schedule and can really give you results!

Hey, Lemonmamma! I think you can totally get into your 10s/8s by then! Like you said, just stay on track and you'll have your results! Great job!!!

[girl81]

Originally Posted by kellysue1972

. So I will probably end up selling my kit eventually... Anyone interested?

Which version? Is it the abdonda?

[kellysue1972]

Hi Girl81,
My kit is the good old fashioned Shapely Secrets kit she sells on tv. I haven't seen the abdonda kit yet, but I am interested in buying that one myself!
I'll let you know if I see one of those around.

Jessica, my precious babe was born on 3-16, so we are in the same boat when it comes to post partum body work needed!

Swinglow,
Thanks again for your encouraging words! Now, if I could just curb my eating! I have been doing pretty bad in that dept. but I tell myself, one thing at a time, so right now I'm just concentrating on doing my 7 mins a day every day!

[kellysue1972]

Jessica:
What is an eggcream? Please do tell!

[lemonmama]

Egg creams are the sweet little things that help me stick with the low carb way of eating. I could never last very long before, because I got soooo tired of eggs for breakfast. I always have to force myself to eat in the morning anyway, so my stomach is much happier with lighter things like drinks and shakes.

Anyway, here's the basic recipe and you can do with it what you like:

2 raw eggs
1 tblsp coconut oil
2 tblsp heavy cream
2 tsp. davinci sf syrup
4 oz. of another beverage, i.e. coffee, diet root beer, diet orange soda, sugar free soy milk
3 or 4 ice cubes
Blend it all together in a magic bullet or blender. Sometimes I leave out the coconut oil, and I usually make mine with the 4 oz. of strong coffee. When I use really good coffee, it tastes like a Starbucks drink. I'm NOT kidding.

I have also added 1 oz. of cream cheese and cinnamon to the coffee version, and it is good!!! Some people like to have the coffee version warm, but I blend in ice and then pour it over ice.

I've also tried a version where you omit the coffee and add some sugar free lemon jello powder and cream cheese. Very good.

You can play around with it, but it is amazing how it taste nothing like raw eggs. It just blends up and gets all nice and frothy. (I wash my eggs in soapy water to kill any bacteria on them before cracking them.)

You should give it a try! I like them so much that I sometimes eat them for lunch. And it is true about the energy! I especially notice a big energy boost when I use the coconut oil (as well as really nice skin!).

[kellysue1972]

That is so wild that you mentioned coconut oil, someone just suggested I try to get some raw organic coconut oil for drinking and for the skin and I wrote it on my grocery list!
I am not really following any sort of diet right now (Shame on me, I know!) but after I measure myself this weekend, I will have to figure out how to improve my eating if I want to really see results. I am just curious to see what happens if I do nothing else but the 7 min SS for one week. I may very well try your egg cream recipe, I have been craving (and drinking) coffee drinks a lot lately, and maybe I could start doing eggcreams instead? That would be a good swap for me! And I could start by at least eliminating the real starchy carbs from my diet...

Oh--I almost forgot to tell you that we buy raw, pastuerized in the shell eggs for my special needs daughter. She gets a few raw egg yolks per day for nutritional supplementation and these eggs are totally safe to eat raw! They are called Davidson's Safe Eggs and they are sold all over the country, but mostly in the east and south. I can just use them for my eggcreams!
Later,
Kelly

[kellysue1972]

Well, I'm here to tell everyone my first week results from using the 7 min SS workout (and nothing else, really)

Weight: up 1/2lb but body fat down 3% according to my bf meas. scale.
Waist down 1"
Hips down 1/2"
L Thigh down 1/2"
L bicep unchanged
Overall loss is 2" !!!!

Hey, it may not be dramatic, but if the trend continues in this direction, I will reach my goals in no time! Even 1" per week means I am shrinking and will add up in the long run So I am happy with my results enough to keep doing the 7 min workout, and maybe even add a few bench dips, push ups and crunches... I guess the whole point is to get off the couch, right?

I hope you guys had measurable results, as well! Please share!
Later, Kelly

[sazzie]

Hi All,

Gosh I haven't posted on this thread in sooooo long, but I remember doing SS and getting GREAT results. My husband always commented on how my body was changing for the better.

My only other exercise at that time was walking 2-3 miles a day, but due to a foot injury, I discontinued the walking, but kept up with SS.

Although I didn't keep a record of my measurements, I am vowing to myself today to re-start, because I KNOW it works. If it weren't for the OP, I would never have tried this, so Anna, if you're watching this, another big THANK YOU.

Kelly That is great progress...keep it up, and you will be amazed to see even more inches melt away. How do your muscles feel? Can you see a difference without flexing yet?

[swinglow]

Kelly!!! That is AMAZING progress!! Fantastic!

An entire inch from one measuring place is huge! Your results are a perfect example of why adding muscle is the best way to go. You went UP in weight and DOWN in size! You may even find you go up a bit more (not much, half a pound to a pound, maybe) while your fat stores continue to shrink; and your body pulls in. Then you'll see consistent downward movement of numbers as all that new muscle is feeding off your old fat stores.

I'm amazed by your week one results, friend.

[kellysue1972]

Thanks to all you guys for your encouraging words
Yeah, I wasn't too discouraged that the numbers on the scale didn't go down, like I said, I really am not dieting, so the fact that my bodyfat went down is huge, in my book!
Also, I am sure after I build some good muscle the fat will burn a lot faster.
Gracie: I feel my body pulling in and getting firmer, even though the muscles aren't really visible without flexing yet The fact that I can feel muscles I haven't felt in a long time is proof to me that something is going on here!
As I said, if the downward trend continues, I will be at my goal of losing about 7 inches off my waist and fitting into my favorite jeans again

[lemonmama]

Originally Posted by kellysue1972

As I said, if the downward trend continues, I will be at my goal of losing about 7 inches off my waist and fitting into my favorite jeans again

Wahoo, KellySue. Way to go!!!! You are doing awesome. How's it going this week?

I'm embarrassed to say I haven't been measuring! I know. I know. It's part of the challenge that "I" proposed. I work from home with my three small ones underfoot, and some weeks I am lucky to just survive! So the measuring hasn't happened. But I know I'm losing inches.

I was able to dig through a tub of clothes I haven't worn for more than three years the other day and found some new summer clothes to wear. It's very exciting.

KellySue, have you tried the egg creams yet? I think starting my day with one of these has totally changed my life. I have so much more energy and am able to accomplish a lot more. Plus, I just feel better emotionally and mood-wise. It's pretty amazing, really. I don't know if it is the eggs, or the coconut oil, or the Shapely Secrets routine, or what, but it's wonderful.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

[ThyckeCutie]

Do you need any equipment for this? Is this a total body workout?

[kellysue1972]

Hi Lemonmama!
Well, I am sorry to report that I have been eating just awfully this entire week and I am certain I won't have more inches lost for a while until I get myself back on track. On a good note: I have been faithfully doing my 7 min workout every day, only missed ONE day since I started
I don't know if the little bit of exercising I'm doing is making me hungry, or if I am somehow sabotaging my success. All I know is that I have got to make changes in my life or I won't succeed in my weightloss goals. I haven't gotten around to buying the ingredients for the eggcreams yet, but I do believe I will try them, esp the coffee flavor, to replace the coffe coolottas and junk that I have been drinking lately. I swear, it seems like the more I try to get in shape the "right" way, the harder my subconscious fights back and takes me in the opposite direction! (Right to McDonalds, it seems!)
Oh well, I am sure I will snap out of this soon. In the meantime, I am still going to do my daily SS and weekly measurements. It will happen eventually, I am sure of it!

[swinglow]

Hi there Kellysue, just wanted to confirm that every time you do the workout you're creating microscopic tears in the muscles (sounds bad but it's good! ). Your body produces more human growth hormone and makes it a priority to 1) repair these tears and 2) make the affected muscle stronger and more dense by adding more muscle (also a good thing). Your appetite can increase while this happens, but you must be careful because you can gain weight. If you just don't want to watch what you eat all the time I'd suggest eating low carb for two meals and whatever you want (within reason) for one. This will allow you to make sure you're getting those necessary calories while managing any weight gain. Actually, you should continue to lose.

[kellysue1972]

Thanks for your support, everyone
I knew my results this week would not be good, and they weren't as bad as I expected, thankfully.
I didn't lose any weight, I actually gained a lb and a half (no surprise) but I maintained the same body fat and measurements, so that is success, in my book! (That means the weight was either muscle or water, but not fat!)
I will continue to do my little exercises daily, and keep looking for the eating plan that works for me. At least with this easy "workout" I can be confident I'm doing something beneficial for myself!
Talk to you later!

[slendercate]

Hi, y'all,

I am starting over again today using Greer's orginal Body Flex & Body Flex Plus. I have seen SS, but don't know anything about the Abdonda.

Can anyone share info about them? Does anyone recommend one over the other?

Will post my results as I measure.

[girl81]

Originally Posted by slendercate

Hi, y'all,

I am starting over again today using Greer's orginal Body Flex & Body Flex Plus. I have seen SS, but don't know anything about the Abdonda.

Can anyone share info about them? Does anyone recommend one over the other?

Will post my results as I measure.

From what I understand, abdonda is basically body flex with new positions. Is that right Denise?

[slendercate]

Thanks for the info on Abonda. Where do you purhase? Is it from Greer?

Saturday: body flex orginal tape

Sunday: body flex orginal tape.

I am going to try to do daily for a week or two to jump start my inch loss again.

[swinglow]

The abdonda is the slender secrets workout outlined earlier in this thread combined with the bodyflex breath.

Originally Posted by swinglow

The abdonda vids are just the bodyflex breathing mixed in. Do the program outlined earlier in this thread (page 2 or 3, I think) and add in the breath. Be for each contraction, start the breath... pah and contract.... hold five seconds.... inhale but continue to contract for 20 seconds while breathing normally. That's one rep. Do four reps per contraction. Again, follow the contractions explained earlier in the thread or choose your own isometric contractions from doing searches on youtube. Lots of great examples there. Whichever you choose, remember to do four reps.

I hope this helps.

[girl81]

Originally Posted by slendercate

Thanks for the info on Abonda. Where do you purhase? Is it from Greer?

Saturday: body flex orginal tape

Sunday: body flex orginal tape.

I am going to try to do daily for a week or two to jump start my inch loss again.

This can also be done twice daily for faster results.

[macongagal]

I just did a google search for the Shapely secrets.. The strange thing is it brought me here to my home on the web. Ive been around here about 5 to 6 years now... I should have known if I needed information to come to LCF...lol Im ordering soon also.