Tracy Anderson Method - does it work?

We are in the onslaught of summer and bikinis so of course the time has come to get in shape. I can't really complain as I'm not obese or excessively overweight - but I do seem to gain weight when I'm content - anyone else like that? I mean, if I'm depressed, the last thing I want to do is go eat a tub of ice cream. I lose my appetite and pretty much just go out walking or jogging on my own, to think, reflect, wallow, etc. No eating - and I don't feel like going out dining and drinking. Heck, depression is the best diet for me.

It's when life is content, happy, going well...that's when I find myself enjoying rich meals, lots of wine (and champagne and vodka too), and of course the pounds come on easily during happy times.

So given my recent happy months, I must say it was time to find a way back to a healthy svelte body and lifestyle. I decided upon two things: No alcohol for 30 days, and follow the Tracy Anderson method.

I thought I should give a review of the two Tracy Anderson videos I am using: her Dance Cardio DVD and the Mat Method DVD. I've been using both for about two weeks, and thought it best to record my results. Most of the review sites I have read about her method seem to rate the usability of the video, but don't really share results specifically. I think it's important to know what's happening on a day to day basis - so at least you can try it yourself and rate your progress against someone else.

Of course we all respond to exercise in different ways, and I know for sure that people have ways of "cheating" and not really performing correctly - if you get lax in either of these videos I am pretty sure the results will be less than good.

So before I even tell you about the videos, I'm just going to post my results here. I weigh myself everyday, after exercising and before eating anything. I also take a body fat measure (my scale measures it for me), and by tracking that over time I can see if any progress is being made. I think it is important to take measures every day - of course, in just 2 or 3 days you really don't have much information, but over time, you will see a pattern and that is the important thing in weight loss.

June 1 64.1 KG / 33.8% body fat
June 2 63.6 KG / 32.2%
June 3 64.3 KG / 30.7%
June 4 64.3 KG / 31.3%
June 5 64.7 KG / 30.2%
June 6 64.0 KG / 31.3%
June 7 63.1 KG / 30.6%
June 8 63.9 KG / 30.7%
June 9 63.3 KG / 30.5%
June 10 63.7 KG / 28.8% no exercise
June 11 62.9 KG / 29.4%
June 12 62.6 KG / 28.4%
June 13 62.2 KG / 29.5%
June 14 62.2 KG / 29.0%
June 15 61.7 KG / 28.1%
June 16 62.3 KG / 26.0% no exercise
June 17 63.0 KG / 28.5%

Okay, those are the results so far...and the no exercise days were for pretty lazy reasons. On June 9th I went to an AC/DC concert in Marseille, so had little energy the next day to get up and do the DVDs. And on June 16, I had so much to do I had to start early and never got around to the exercise.

If you just look at the numbers, it looks like I am edging down in both weight and body fat - with some fluctuations day to day. Bottom line is that I definitely weigh less than I started - and for sure my body shows less fat than when I began. I notice it mostly in my clothes - tight pants/skirts are now fitting quite well. So while the overall weight loss is not significant (only about 1 kilo or 2 pounds in two weeks) I must say that a 5% reduction in body fat is a very important differnce.

(By the way, if anyone wants to know what scale I use, happy to share; I did quite a bit of research to select it and feel confident that my brand gives near accurate readings overtime - compared it with doctor's and gym facility measurements and it does match).

Okay, now we see my results in 17 days...next thing is to focus on the DVDs themselves. Let me get to my lunch date (oh yes, did I mention that I've changed nothing of my eating habits? Well, nothing except omitting alcohol...all right, there was one Pop Pommery bottle of champagne at the AC/DC concert, but then lots of bouncing around to the rock!)

More later...