[PhantomCat]

Video games are one great way to get fit and stay in shape. Before the vid-fitness games became popular, I used to dance all the time, for years: classes; rehearsals; shows; during workouts; and in nightclubs. I never once developed a 6 or 8 pack during the whole fun, sweaty process. Don't believe those verbal or visual lies they sale on TV.

I'll never buy another fitness drink or pill that's supposed to aid in muscles development because they don't give the supposed results. A known body builder was see on TV verifying that the supplement his picture is on did not give him the results he has. "People should know that I take other stuff too. They ought to know that," he said quit frankly, as if detouring his guilt after being cornered and called out. Is the other stuff steroids, is my question. The before-and-after photos are also a part of the scam and have been manipulated by professionals, and documented as so. One photographer says he's changed before-and-after shots within the same hour.

I don't think I'll ever buy another fitness program off TV unless I'm totally impressed with it and know it will work. There are so many scams out now. Sales people have throughly thought of the words they speak over their products to make us think the thoughts and pictures they want us to, to draw us in. Models are used that are already wiped into shape from years of building up their bodies from workouts and foods.

I saw the guy pushing P90X in an extensive interview. He said, "You will not look like this at the end of 90 days, but if you do the program a couple of times you will." I felt like a fool for buying it, especially after he pushed the "in 90 days" selling line for the product.

[coasterbruh]

c'mon man you HAVE to know that after 90 days you wont go from geek to sleek JUST by using whatever product they offering. Thats like my aunt who thought that taking hydroxy cut and thats it she was gonna come down a few dress sizes lol...just get a regular gym membership, hell you can just find household things go work out on, watch what you eat and do a good bit of walking/running and you will be ok...

[PhantomCat]

I know what you mean...
Sometimes common sense isn't so common, until we go and do "something" foolish (and we've all done it - you included) and then our common sense tends to return.

Because I love and know the power of dance - how it makes me feel, sweet all over, and keep the pounds off - that will probably be my workout of choice once again.

For the people who are after 6 to 8 pack abs: Neither Shawn T's Hip Hop abs or any other dance program will do it for you. Take it from a dancer who's been around plenty other dancers, don't fall for the flash and glitter infomercials. If you want the abs you'll have to get them the good ole fashioned way of hard work, and it ain't dancin'.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

I just want a treadmill . I have learned that running in place for a long period of time really hurts your ankles. I have given up on my game for a little while because my ankles are killing me. I'm ready to go home and get a gym membership so I can start a long lasting relationship with the treadmill. Question though what is the best way to tighten up abs? Because i have heard that just doing crunches won't work. I'm not looking for 6~pack or anything just flat and tone.

[PhantomCat]

I think - while standing, lifting each knee and bending over so that your forehead almost touches each knee is a good exercise. But without doing that, I sweated like a dog last year while working in the park. I lost a few pounds and my stomach shrunk greatly. I noticed it also happen to another weightier mama who lost more than I did. She looked totally different by the end of the summer. We both talked about it and she was thrilled to death - but still was holding somewhat in the tummy/waist area. I've also noticed when I roller skate I sweat. When I roller skate a lot, my stomach will also shrink greatly. The tummy is a stubborn problem area for most people, especially as we age. While it will shrink from over all exercises, those last 5 - 15 pounds need extra concentrated work in that area to vaporize it, and it can and is being done.

I know a local TV spokesman who's lost tons of weight but still has a tummy and waist. When I asked him at a local hockey game how he lost the weight he said he just changed his diet. He no longer drinks fountain sodas which are loaded with sugars and dyes, he watches his cake, bread, and snack intakes, and said a few other things I can't remember. And as you know, choosing more fruits over salty chip snacks is always good.

When I danced (It sure is time to start back again) I did a lot of hip rolls and mid-body vibrations because they looked cool, and that's the way I moved to the upbeat tunes. Not knowing at the time, there were other benefits to thos movements. I ate whatever I wanted and not knowing what I was doing, burned it all off by dancing for hours during workouts - because I loved to dance and wanted to get even better at it. Youth is a beautiful and powerful thing. Why does it have to go? I say, find the movements and exercises that fit your personality and go with those.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

Thanks for the advice. I don't think I would be able to do that lifting one leg thing while standing I have no balance. I hope once summer gets here and I can get out and about alot more I will start losing more. Especially since I am planning to do more when I go home. I am planning a coaster road trip this summer as my welcome home and sister's graduation gift. So I am gonna be doing some nice walking for that whole week and not as much eating since I don't eat much when I go to parks. I am a bored eater, and being here in England where it's cold and I can't drive to get out and about like I could back home I eat a bit more. Although oddly I never gain more weight. I'm pretty much stuck right where I have been since my son's birth. I have started getting healthier snacks since snacking is my problem. That game is a good workout, but it is causing me pain in my ankles and I don't like it. I couldn't even go down the stairs without wincing in pain everytime I put weight on my ankles.

I used to love to dance as well and trush me I stayed small. Then I got with my son's father and not only did he never want to do anything (so we just sat around the house), but all he would eat was fast food. So I started getting chubby . Now that I met my husband I have gotten into a better routine of eating home cooked meals and healthier food, and we get out and do more. I tell everyone that I don't want to go down in pants size or anything. I love my size, I love my curves, but I don't love my love handles and chubby belly. If I could just slim that area down I would be happy . It would be nice to go into a store pick up an outfit try it on and it look good and not have to try 5 on before it until you find the one that hides your tummy good . Well I think I'm gonna stop before I write a book .

[PhantomCat]

Too late. The book has been written. I'm sure you'll find something that will trim that tummy down. Also, if you care to look into it, health professionals are saying we need to perform a body cleanse periodicly to remove backed up waist in the colon, intestines, etc. It has been stated that here lies the answer to those last stubborn 5 - 10 mid area pounds that refuse to go.

The British were laughing at us for a while about our American overweightness, but I heard recently that the unhealthy foods and snacks have arrived on their turf and they are starting to show signs of weight gains as well. My dear American, have you find this to be true?

[PhantomCat]

There an electronic belt out now that's supposed to manipulate and massage the mid-section muscles into packs of ads. I don't believe a word of it!

Looks like another stranger has come to town with his horse-drawn wagon of so-called miracle cures and actors hidden among the crowd to testify of false-truths of his products. By the time people discover they've been taken because his quick-fix scams don't word, he's already moved to the next town, continuing his trail of lies and deceit...

Advertisers are very slick to avoid law suites. Instead of getting all caught up with the visuals, listen to exactly what they are saying as apposed to what they want you to believe.

From now own, ask yourself this question, "If this is supposed to be a totally new product, how can there be this many people, from everywhere on the map, singing the praises of these products?"

sign: Scorned by P90X Advertising

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

Yes I have seen numerous shows about the British public becoming overweight, and actually there was a show where the world's fattest man lived here and he underwent gastric bypass. However this one show came on and it was about American obesity, and let me tell you it sure irritated me how lazy people are . There was a 12 year old girl who was really obese at around 300 pounds and she wanted lipo suction and a tummy tuck. The worst part HER MOM SIGNED FOR IT!!! When did people so young become so lazy ? She was talking about how she was trying and nothing was working and in the midst of saying this she was sitting at a buffet her plate full of fried treats. Then went back up to the buffet and got one of everything at the dessert station. Trying my butt she was just to lazy to diet and excercise. Luckily she wasn't able to have the surgeries she wanted because she was anemic and her something with her blood level wasn't high enough for them to feel comfortable to do it (even after they had her on iron pills).

The only time I would consider plastic surgery is after I lose all the weight I can, and of coarse after I have my second child. I would consider a tummy tuck, but to me that isn't being lazy because I would have lost all the weight myself. I would just want it because there is nothing more I can do about stretch marks and how my tummy will look after I lose the weight. I would never suggest someone get it to lose weight and look better because if you don't start a healthy lifestyle then all that money is going to go to waste because you are just going to put all that weight back on.

I am thinking of trying something one of my friends was telling me about. She said it's actually a prescription that curbs your appetite and gives you energy. I could sure use something like that because I am always hungry, and that's one of my problems. Unless I'm having a bad day with my stomach all I want to do is eat.

[PhantomCat]

You said it exactly. I see the woman in singing group Wilson Phillips is blowing up again after her stomach surgery. Good eating habits are a must.

Today, I saw the latest Living Well product sponsored by former talk show host, Montel Williams. It was an ab exerciser advertisement without all the hoopla. It looks to be the gadget you're looking for. Do an Internet search and see if you can find it under Living Well products. The name of the actual product escapes me.

I bought the Living Well Blender. That thing rocks! It will chop up anything. I have blended a whole potato, stalks of celery, carrots, and spinach and blended it till I had hot soup. Yummy. I've found that I do like a little something in my liquefied soups like chicken or sardines...and don't forget the crackers. I've also found that when I make smoothies with real fruits and veggies, they don't taste like the ones in the stores because the stores are adding flavors and sweeteners. I'll bet most of their customers have never experienced an untampered with smoothie.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

If you don't get healthy before a surgery like that it's not going to do you any good at all. Not to mention those surgerys aren't cheap. That's why I changed my mind on the whole tummy tuck surgery. I would feel way to guilty and bad if I put any weight back on after spending so much to have my tummy fixed. I don't want to live the rest of my life feeling guilty about eating this or that. Which is why I'm not big on dieting. Diets just set people up for failure. I'm more into eating healthier snacks, but when it comes to meals I just lower my portions. My mom lost alot of weight doing that. She still drank her pepsi though, but she never stopped eating the food she loved. She just ate less of it and eventually she couldn't stand a big portion it would make her sick. If you deprive yourself of the food you love it's going to make you more likely to splurge on it in the future, and then you will have all those guilty, self loathing feelings come about. I say if you want a cookie have a cookie, just eat 2 not half the bag.

I will definantly look that up. I need a good ab excerciser.

Yea I'm not big on soups at all. I do love smoothies but not with yogurt. That is true at home smoothies do taste alot different than at a chain store. Although the only thing I have to compare them to is smoothies made with fruit, fruit juices, ice, and ice cream yum .

[PhantomCat]

Yes, Gotta love that Italian and Hawaiian Ice!
It has become fashionable for me to order an Icee with my popcorn now for most visits to the movie theater - even in the dead winter.

There is an informational running now with a man saying people can lose weight eating the foods they love by mixing fast digesting carbs with slow digesting carbs. I'd love to hear more about this but I'm not buying his eating program to find out.

Product Praise
A woman I know swears by the Nu Wave Oven. She says it does everything the commercial said it does, it cooks very quickly and her food is done - cooked through and through.
You gotta love those live testimonials where people don't have anything to win or lose from their experience with a product. Now this is what we need, more word of mouth testimonials.