Anyone who ACHIEVED a great body:

[Buffgirl]

I was super thin as a teenanger, had 2 children in my 20's and lose the weight but in my mid 30's I found myself fat, wearing a size 12 and it was getting tight, I bougt one skirt size 14 and declared war against fat. I started with the Original Firms and Taebo, and as I became more advance, I discovered Cathe and later Beachbody. I lost about 50 pounds and I have kept them off for more than 11 yrs. I am now 50 yrs. old and I still wear clothes that are size 2-4 depending on brand.

There is not secret, you can lose weight without exercise by eating less but that is not the healthiest way. The best way is a combination on clean eating and exercise. Exercise is not only to lose weight, the benefits go beyond the scope of this post. I love to exercise, I am now doing Kettlebells because they give me the most benefits in the shortest amout of time.

I focus on nutrition eating the foods that benefit my body, and weight training to maintain my muscles tone and shape. Cardio is good for your heart, by training with Kettlebells I get strenght, cardio, core, balance and agility all at the same time. I am proud to say I am 50 yrs. old and people ask me what is your secret? There is no secret every body knows, eat clean and move.

[momofcha]

I just turned 41 and I am consistently looking better as I get older. I was always thin and active, then had 3 kids. Still not really heavy, I fell into the "fit, but fat" category. I worked out religiously, but was never tight, etc. Enter....kettlebells! Nothing, and I mean, nothing changed my body like kettlebells have. I now do a combination of kettlebells/CLX/barre and most recently added in TA. My boyfriend of almost one year constantly tells me I look better every time I see him (I think it's the TA). I am in great shape. I've never been happier. My abs are not where I want them - but that is because I won't deprive myself. I am at the best I can be with my workouts and eating what I want within reason.

I've found a combination that works for me. I know I need to add in a little more cardio and I'm trying to figure that out. Still a work in progress, because I hate step aerobics, running, etc. I'm hoping the new Cathe's fit the bill and I'm intrigued with Zumba and will be watching QVC on the 26th...

[2ndgen]

Thank you, for instructing me as to my patently false thinking on using the D word on VF and your instruction on what I could specifically not mention if I were to mention it.

I am sure there are plenty of people who never exercise yet maintain their figure through diet alone. My interpretation of research and personal experience is that people who maintain major weight losses for long periods of time in general seem to exercise consistently.

I agree with people on the thread who say that the D word is a major component of weight loss/maintenance. I feel that exercise helps, especially in maintenance.

I totally disagree that people were sedentary before Jane Fonda "discovered" exercise in the 1970s.

I also feel, to repeat, that even if I COULD maintain my weight without exercise, I would not want to.

I kind of did that for three months when I was laid up and before all that doing nothing for exercise began to catch up to me with a weight gain. I felt worse because I did not even TRY to exercise but I continued monitoring my weight and took monthly measurements as I have done throughout the period of my major weight loss. I actually lost weight at first by doing no exercise but quickly gained inches, was more depressed than the injury warranted and hated being sedentary.

I think exercise helps in maintaining weight because it helps me avoid those symptoms.

I also think it helps me to maintain muscle mass that seems to allow me to more easily maintain weight.

Just my take on it.

Originally Posted by videofit

I don't know where so many people got the idea you can't use the word DIET on here. Patently false. What you cannot do is mention specifics, i.e. low carb, low fat, specific foods, etc.

There are plenty of people who never exercise yet maintain their figure through diet alone. Not starvation or deprivation, just portion control. People lived that way for years before Jane Fonda "discovered" exercise in the Seventies. If you want to eat more, you have to burn off the calories. God only knows how fat I'd be now if I didn't exercise. Like Gwyneth, I love food so I exercise, but as a carboholic, it's a constant battle.

[2ndgen]

Huzzah! You are also an inspiration on the thread. Love the positive affirmation.

I guess I should use my kettlebells! Thanks for posting that.

Originally Posted by shammy902

I just turned 41 and I am consistently looking better as I get older. I was always thin and active, then had 3 kids. Still not really heavy, I fell into the "fit, but fat" category. I worked out religiously, but was never tight, etc. Enter....kettlebells! Nothing, and I mean, nothing changed my body like kettlebells have. I now do a combination of kettlebells/CLX/barre and most recently added in TA. My boyfriend of almost one year constantly tells me I look better every time I see him (I think it's the TA). I am in great shape. I've never been happier. My abs are not where I want them - but that is because I won't deprive myself. I am at the best I can be with my workouts and eating what I want within reason.

I've found a combination that works for me. I know I need to add in a little more cardio and I'm trying to figure that out. Still a work in progress, because I hate step aerobics, running, etc. I'm hoping the new Cathe's fit the bill and I'm intrigued with Zumba and will be watching QVC on the 26th...

[scrappindad]

I'm loving this thread.

I started exercising when I was 35 and I'm 43 now. If you go to my profile, I've uploaded some of my before and after pictures. There was no magic formula for me. Diet is very important for me to maintain, as is exercising consistently. I like and do a variety of workouts, from Jillian to Tony to barre.

In my 2011 picture you can see that I'm up about 8-10 pounds from my original "after" picture. Right now I would say I'm a little softer than I'd like but I'm in good health, which is most important to me, so I'm not complaining (too much ).

Debbie

[mizach]

I am turning 48 this year.
I started exercising in the late 90s before and after my son was born.
While in grad school, I was still skinny. Fast forward to my employment at the Big Blue. Then bam, my weight changed from 96 to 126 (5'2.5"). Cafeteria food and wealth were not good to me. Hahaha, I can afford to eat anything. From being a poor grad school student, you probably kno what I mean.
In 2005, I lost the weight until I was 99 lbs. I finally realized that diet is important in weight loss. It does not matter how many workout systems I own, if I don't watch what I eat, I will not lose the weight. The weight loss was for a 3 week trip to Europe.
Right now, my motivating factor is to stay as healthy and mobile as possible thru old age.
I am maintaining at around 103 - 107. I plan to get back down to the low 100s by end of the year.

[KellyMarie65]

<<Right now, my motivating factor is to stay as healthy and mobile as possible thru old age. >>

This is what I am working for. I want to be as fit as I can be for as long as I can be otherwise quality of life would diminish greatly for me.

[poohpeggy]

If I lift heavy, I also get very hungry and eat heavy. I have found that lighter weights and moderate cardio are best for my weight-loss. I throw in heavy weights or indoor/outdoor chores when I know I will be eating more. Once I achieve my goal weight, I will use more heavy weights to help maintain. Peggy

[mamaste]

Originally Posted by RedPanda

As for the instructors, I think they are genetically blessed with good figures in the first place.

But what instructors do to look great has nothing to do with genetics. Most of them are pretty active and pay close attention to what they eat. IMO, it's the diet factor that trips us up and keeps from reaching our visible goals. If you want to look really good, it takes more than just exercise.

[sherry7899]

Debbie-Wow!!!!! You look fantastic!!

Sherry