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Any other shorty’s in here??
(616 views)Hello all - I am brand new to TA’s stuff. I am an avid video exercier and often saw her dvd pop up when on Amazon shopping for new videos but never read any reviews, checked her out,etc..
Anyway, I heard about her doing research on de-bulking and watched a couple of the videos on youtube. I was amazed to find out that she is only 5′1 and looks the way she does! I am 5′0 and was beginning to think that I was just going to accept stocky-ness as my lot in life. I love working out and figured that unless I wanted to stop all movement and starve my self, I would never look long and lean. Tracy changed all that!
This group has some great testimonials to the effectiveness of the program and my question was, are any of the ladies here of the shorter stature? And are they finding that they are enjoying the results just the same?
Thanks for any insight and I am glad to see that there is a thriving community here :0
(This vent has no vote question)
kameron says:
Okay so your post made me log on and register so I could leave a reply…I have been reading the posts here for some months now but after reading your post being a shorty myself at 5′3 I have to let you know… yes it really does work! In the past I have done spinning, running, weight training, blah blah blah you name it and like you said it has always been impossible to lean out for me. I figured pilates could probably help me out but could never afford the 25 -50 hour sessions. So after doing the matt dvd along with a good amount of cardio (i still use my elliptical even though tracy advises against it) for 5 months now I have leaned my body…FINALLY! I do the DVD at least 4 times a week…it’s like she says you gotta do it a lot to see the results. But for the first time ever I feel petite at 120 lbs…..I did a bit of “dieting” to get down from my body’s comfortable weight of 130. But now my body has actually changed so much I am not worried about gaining the weight back…it’s really gone….I really have began to morph my body like I have never seen before. It’s crazy!!! I never had even bought a workout DVD prior to this. But I saw TA in an interview and was like OH MY GAWD she is talking about my body, THAT IS ME!!! Always bulking and not leaning. So from one shorty to the next go for it, you will not be dissapointed! Good luck!
Gazpacho says:
kameron,
thank you for your response! You sound just like me. It gives me relief to hear you say that it has worked for you. I like that you now feel that you are at a place where your body is truly transformed and you no longer have to wory about it bouncing back to where it was. That is so wonderful! It must be such a relief.
I am in the same situation with weight too. I weigh between 118-122, depending on the TOM and realized that I am going to have to diet down a bit. I am definately more comfortable 10 lbs lighter. I was just resisting because I knew that meant eating 1200k a day for a couple months, but so be it. Do you fnd that over all you naturally eat less calories then before, and that is leading to maintaining your new leaness? Which diet plan did you use, btw? Just calorie counting?
So you don’t do spin at all anymore? Not even once a week? I am putting my cardio plan together and trying to decide which exercises to do. I am shooting for 5-6 days a week of cardio, how much cardio did you do? I would like to go to Jazzercise (yes I said Jazzercise!) twice a week - just the cardio part. No squats or weights. Then a dance video a couple times a week. Maybe throw a couple runs in there.
Thanks again for the response. I didn’t know if anyone saw it because of the format of this message board, you know?
Have a great day!
mary says:
I’m just under 5′1 and trying to de-bulk my body as well…lol…I love the fact that tracy is short because she knows first hand how bulky short women tend to look when they lift too much or have any extra weight on them. When I was younger I was always under 100 lbs, but then I hit 30 and oh boy the weight crept on. Now at 35 I figure I have to tackle this now or lose control, I weigh 117 now, down from 126, but i still want to lose another 10 pounds. Part of me wants to lose more but I think at this age it would be nearly impossible!
I try and do the mat or pp followed by the dance cardio at least 3 x a week, I know I would lose weight with more but my body truly needs the rest in between, esp my knees after the cardio! For the little I have done though in the 8 weeks or so, I’ve seen my abs more defined and arms and legs more toned. I have been following a low carb plan as well which is definitely helping with the weight loss and craving issues.
All in all I am pleased with the TA method, I feel it is the right exercise for us shorter gals. Go Shorty’s!!
Gazpacho says:
Hey Mary! Yeah go shorty’s!
You and I are in the same boat pretty much. How long did it take you to go from 126 to 117? I weighed in this morning at 122, but I am going to get my TOM any minute and I swear that all the extra weight is in my boobs! I went from….some where around 135lb (maybe more, I would almost never get on the scale!) to where I am now. It took me a whole year, but that is because I did not control my food at all. I am ready to count calories now, as I have definately been maintaining my weight for about 4 months. I have been changing up my exercise though, and I have gotten a little bit leaner, maybe 2 or 3%, during that time. I am ready to take the last peel off, you know?
Have you been following the main TA message board? They do monthly challenges over there. I am going to go introduce my self as I think they are gearing up to do a clean eating challenge, which would be right up my alley. I have not seen the pictures that they are always talking about, but they sound like some really fit girls!
I hear you about the work out schedule. I don’t have Dance Cardio, I usually just walk, run, or do a dance video I already have. Lately I have been feeling like I would like to step it up a notch though, do you think I should order the Dvd? Are you able to finish it? I tried out a dance routine of TAs that was posted on elle.com or one of those magazines. It was pretty fun. I could see my self enjoying more of that.
I have only had TA for ….maybe two weeks, but I can already see some changes. I have been a weight lifting, squating, spinning, lunging girl for years so I am pretty thick. But I have stopped all that and am doing just cardio and TA/ Barre exercise. TA’s arm moves really tone my upper back - I love it! I have been doing Jillian Michaeals w/os and although I love her and can tell I am getting a great burn, my arms were starting to look like hers, which I don’t want. TA is really lengthening them out. Also, this morning I put on some size 2 jeans that I have not worn in a while because of muffin top and how tight they are in the thigh area, and they are much looser! Almost perfectly comfortable
Thanks for writting, hope you have a good day.
mary says:
Hi Gazpacho! I’m at that TOM as well! And my boobs can’t take the cardio, so swollen..OUCH!!
I hear you about the last peel, it’s so hard to lose those last stubborn pounds, I’ve had good results doing the low carb plan, and even better results when I do allow myself some starches/sugars here and there. I think it tricks the system, to let go and have pizza or ice cream once in a while. I find I lose more weight when I have cheat days and am not so strict. It took about 3 months to lose 10 pounds, weighed in at 116 this am, and I have only been doing TA for 8 weeks sporadically. I need to also kick it up a notch if I want to lose those last 10 lbs. I have a very small frame so I still feel incredibly bulky at this weight.
I think I need this board to keep me motivated and honest. The challenge sounds good to me too. We can be each others support system! The S.S.S!(Shorty’s Support System!) Duh, I’m such a nerd…
I love the dance cardio, but it gets bad reviews. I love to dance, It’s a fun workout that goes fast. If you like to dance and are willing to learn the 8 combos and are coordinated, then I would say def get it. I have carpet and don’t wear sneakers because it’s hard to do the turns, but if you have hw floors you shouldn’t have a problem. I’m thinking of getting jazz shoes so my feet don’t get rugburn! The music is so addictive my bf loves it, he hums it all day.lol. It took me a good week to learn the combos and do the dvd straight through 45 mins. I find following her from the back is easier, and also I should say that I modify a lot of the moves because it hurts my knees if I jump around too much. Even with the modifications I am drenched at the end of this workout. She is ridiculous, like a frikin energizer bunny! lol. Hoping one day to be able to keep up with her. Probably when I’m teeny tiny like her. Congrats on the size 2!!! I’m looking forward to trying on my R&R size 26, that I spent way too much money on and only wore once or twice, because of the muffin top!! Here’s to fitting in our skinny jeans!
It was really great talking to you, Oh and I was wondering do you have the Mat and PP?
Gazpacho says:
Hey there Mary,
Muffin top kills, you know?
I am jealous of your 116! I have not weighed that low in several years. I have been on a slow, but steady decline for the last year though, so I know I will see it! Especially since I am getting so into Tracy and adding the extra cardio.
I only have the Mat w/o. I just got it less then two weeks ago. I ordered the dance cardio one today. Hopefully it will get here by Monday so I can start up. I saw all the bad reviews for it too, but from the clips I have seen, I am sure I will love it. So what if I don’t get the coreography the first time? I will just bounce up and down and watch her do it until I get it, surely that will burn some calories!
So you are low carb, do you count your calories too? About where do you try to keep it? My goalfor the next few weeks will be to keep my cals under 1400, 1200 preferably, except for when I have cheat meals to stimulate the metabolism. It really is not as hard as I was making it out to be, just have to get used to it.
Mary - get your butt over to the main thread and introduce your self if you want to be in the cardio/lower body/ clean eats challenge. if not, we can just keep tabs between you and I here. My goal will be matt w/0 5-6 times a wk, cardio for atleast 60 mins 6 times a wk. you said the dance dvd is really hard on the knees, so i will see how I do with that. I will stick with the dance dvd as much as I can and subsitute Leslie Sansone for the days that I need a break. Are you familiar with her stuff at all? If you can stand the chatter it is a really good full body w/o. I use lite weights in my hands and swing then around when I do her stuff, it really makes me sweat!
Ok, gotta run and take my Dad to the airport. Hope your day went well. I took today off exercise, but will be back with a vengence tomorrow! Will do Mat w/o before work and come confirm it here!
mary says:
Glad you ordered the dance dvd, I think diet combined with cardio is the key to weight loss. At least that’s what I’m reading in my internet research. The Mat and PP makes your muscles tighter and smaller, but not necessarily lose weight. Right now I’m trying to figure out what to do first the cardio or the mat work for the best results. If I’m going to dedicate 2 hrs to workouts I want to do it in the best order for maximum results. You know?
As for low carb, I don’t count calories, but 3 months ago I did do the Atkins induction for three weeks and lost 5 lbs just from that, without exercise. I think it was good because I kicked my carb addiction, I was a pasta bread freak. I would pound loaves of Italian bread with my favorite pasta fagiole soup, while my bf looked across the table in horor.lol. If you love the starches I’d highly recommend doing that for at least two weeks, then switching to a more modified approach. I eat bread/pizza once a week now and I don’t pig out like I used to.
As far as exercise today I walked almost 2 mile with my mom and dogs so it wasn’t that aerobic. But I did do three short sprints during which got my heart rate up and sweating. tonight I will do the post pregnancy, which I’ve never been pregnant but it’s a killer ab workout! the legs and arms are less intense than the mat. I got that dvd about a month after the mat. It’s set to classical music so at night its perfect for me and only around 45 mins long.
I have heard of Leslie Sansone is she the walk away the pounds?
I’m going to go to the main board now to do the challenge,although 2 hrs a day for 6 days is a lot!!! But the results will be worth it. I’ll be going to the shore next Friday for a week. Aggghhh Bikini time…
Hope you had a great day.
Gazpacho says:
Good morning there,
Hope all is well on your side. Btw, where are you? I am in Santa Barbara county, CA.
Leslie is the WATP lady, yeah. She talks A-LOT but if you can get past that, the work out is good. I actually appreciate her chatter because it is pretty funny. It is low impact and you can pretty much make the work out as hard or as easy as you want.
After work today I will fight the LA traffic to take a Bar Method class in Aguora Hills. Are you familiar with those dvds? They are ballet insired / barre exercises that are very challenging! I am very excited about this class, as I have never taken one of these classes. I hope it kicks my butt.
I am pretty pooped today. Looking at the computer and it is going all blurry. I have some projects that I need to finish up today so that I can leave early to make it to my class on time. Have a nice night and I will check in over the weekend!
Still jealous of your 116! I want to be 116 too.
mary says:
Hello again!
I live in Bergen County, NJ…oh Santa Barbara has to be the most beautiful places I have seen! I was there 2 summers ago and only for a weekend but it was so nice, going to the wineries and just relaxing.
Oh boy do I remember LA traffic!! I almost moved there with my ex two years ago but I chickened out because my family is all in NJ. How was the class? A lot of ladies are doing the fluidity workout, I think there is an infomercial for it, but it was expensive because you have to buy the bar.
You will see 116 sooner than you know it! Actually the slower the weight comes off the more likely you will keep it off!
This week was pretty bad for me, so far only doing the mat and dance one day and all the other days walking outside. This weekend I will catch up so at least I will have 3 days of TA this week. Which I know she says isn’t enough, but oh well.lol
Gazpacho says:
Good Morning Mary,
Well you can probably afford to be a little bad, as you are so close to goal! And you know what, I find that after a period of high activity, when I slow the exercise down and just do some walking, I shrink even more. Maybe you will experience that too. More relaxed exercise keeps your hunger down too.
Were you in Solvang wine tasting? That is about 45 minutes noth of SB city. Did the whole area look like a mini Germany? It is very beautiful there. Solvang also boasts a huge Chumash Indian Casino. I have lost some money there
How was your weekend? Its pretty hot up there where you are in the summer time, isn’t it? I lived in PA for a couple of years and I remember the summers there…very hot!
My weekend went well. My boyfriend and I did a lot of yard work and the backyard is finally starting to look good! Before he bought his house last December, no one had lived in it for two years. So the yard was a weed forest.
I kept up with my workouts over the weekend. I did not do Tracy, however. I did the original Buns of Steel - remember that one? It is a killer. It is all non weighted floor work for the legs - it is excellent actually! Sat: 40 min cardio at Jazzercise class, then all the floor work in BOS (35 minutes). Sun: Whole BOS DVD (50 minutes).
I did drink red wine both nights, and had some ice cream too.
Now it is back to bussiness! I have two girlfriends that recently lost a lot of weight (50lbs and 16lbs). They both look great. It is time for me to catch up! I am keeping below 1400k ( as I stated already) starting today and eating clean whole foods. We will see how I do. Wish me luck.
Anxiously awaiting my Dance Cardio dvd.
An anonymous user says:
I’ve just been introduced to TA recently. I’ve been familiar with workouts on vhs and now dvd since I can remember. But I’ve seen tougher workouts than these by girls her same size that lift more than 3 pound weights. I’m sure that the workouts are intense and I plan to try them. Part of her total package is genetics and diet. Not just exercise.
If you want to get a great tough workout in that incorporates all of the functional stuff you all love you’ve got to check out Tracie Long!!! I’ve been doing her stuff since she was at the Firm years ago! According to the other video fitness message boards, she’s got new workouts coming out very soon.