Trying to lose weight and want something different than the ordinary diet? Then we have an idea for you! The creator himself, Dr. Hirsch, introduced us to the SENSA Weight-Loss System at the Total Beauty Blog Summit.

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When many of us enter college, we are faced with a completely new environment; big lecture halls, intelligent professors, 12 page papers, and on-campus pubs. Yes, that’s right, pubs. A few years ago, back when I was in college, I heard that our new student center was getting a pub built in and didn’t know what to think about it. It was hard enough for me to concentrate in class without having anything tempting to impair my functionality!

Once it was up and running, many of my friends and classmates made it a part of their schedule to meet in the pub before or after class. There were times that I did join them, but I never did partake in the drinking. I have nothing against grabbing a drink after a long day at work or a glass of champagne while out to dinner with my guy, but a beer before a midterm? No, thanks.

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Some of you may have heard of the “lemonade diet” in the past. However, it’s not meant for weight loss, but as a form of detoxifying the body. This diet aims to cleanse the intestinal walls and colon, rebooting metabolism, and riding the body of toxins. For 10 days, about a gallon of this lemonade is to be taken throughout the day while fasting. Water, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, organic maple syrup, and cayenne pepper make up this lemonade. It is also accompanied by a salt-water flush in order to help rid the body of toxins.

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Things to do:

Meet all my deadlines at work, check.
Call everyone back from last week, check.
Do laundry, check.
Write next week’s list of things to do, check
Buy groceries, check.
Pay the bills, check.
Cook dinner, check.
Work out, ____. Right, like I will ever get to that!

There are some things we just cannot forget on our check-list, especially getting some exercise. Why should we exercise? Exercise can relieve stress and improve your overall appearance. Also, working out boosts our endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happiness causes smiles, and smiles, well, who doesn’t like smiles? A smile can make a person appear even more beautiful then they already are!

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PlasticSurgery.com’s “Biggest Loser” challenge has come to an end. And today, I am disappointed to announce that I did not win! But I AM down 9.5 pounds (still not enough to take the lead and win the grand prize though). Congratulations to Beauty Chatter Denice with 17 pounds shed, and PS.com’s Creative Manager (Dan) losing 10.

Everyone told me getting the weight off was going to be more of a challenge this time around (my second pregnancy), but I did not expect it to be this hard. I am 3 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but my body shape is completely gone.

I have been using Weight Watchers instead of The Daily Plate to stick to my diet. It is a little easier because I don’t have to think about how much fat and protein I am getting – Weight Watchers does it for me. It seems to be working because 3 of the 9 pounds were lost this week.

That said, however, I have not incorporated exercise into my weight loss plan as I had hoped to do. But now, with the sun staying out a bit later, I intend to bring it on!

Just 22 more pounds to go… I am determined to stay focused! (This is me, feeling “pretty in pink!’)

My son is now 13 weeks old (that’s me carrying Jonas at 8 months prego), and because I am no longer nursing; I am embarking on my journey back to a healthy body. The plan is that I am going to focus on how I feel and how my clothes fit versus the number on the scale.

Along with my PlasticSurgery.com co-workers and Beauty Chat contributors, we are all challenging each other to an in-office “Biggest Loser” contest. The winner gets a pot of money, which is inspiring me to lose my baby weight.

I have 30 pounds to lose and three to four dress sizes to go down to. My goal is to continue tracking my calories and fat on TheDailyPlate.com, walk on my lunches with Jennifer, and do some Pilates at home when the kids are in bed (I also have a 3 year-old daughter).

I would love to hear your weight loss suggestions, and of course your support is appreciated.

Track along with me and personal story on Beauty Chat!

‘Til next time…

Photo Credit: A Beauty Chat exclusive, taken at our recent Bejeweled photo shoot!

Denice’s Personal Story: OK…so on to Pilates’ “Day 4” (…Well not actually “Day 4,” more like week 6, session 4! HAHA!)  So I took off way too much time form Pilates.  It was quite a wake up call to my muscles.  I arrived at the Body Center in Claremont California at 4:45 p.m. with a miserable cold.  I really was having second thoughts about participating today due to not being able to breath, but I thought I had missed so much; I needed to jump back on this horse.

Stephanie came in as her bubbly self (she really gets me motivated!) and I explained I was having some breathing issues and she said to just take it easy.  I said, “OK!” And we were off! 

We always begin the session with leg work.  I enjoy these because it really helps me feel the burn in my quads.  My favorite is when we do “High Toes” on the bar and let our heels fall under.  It really works the quads and hamstrings.  FEEL THE BURN!!!! 

I found myself really concentrating on keeping my focus on the correct muscles and not just going through the motions, and boy did I feel it!  Stephanie had us do a new exercise…not one of my favorites, but I could tell right away I need to do more of them.  It was a mock push-up type of exercise. We were on our knees and facing the top of the Stott reformer machine, and we used ONLY our quads and abs to pull us.  My arms were getting the “crazy shakes” (as she always says) and it showed me how weak I am!  It is my new goal to be able to do this exercise with ease in the next few weeks.

After the session was completed, Stephanie had us stand next to the reformer and reach to touch our toes, then roll back up, and stand on our tippy toes.  I never really understood why we do this; it seemed meaningless to me after such a rigorous work out. But Stephanie explains it like this: “It helps you notice if your body is off balance, like if you overworked your back, you might fall forward, showing you that you may need to work your abs a little more and vise versa.”  I get it now! 

I am excited we are back on track — check back next week!

 Elana’s Personal Story: So my “Day 4” of Pilates was more difficult than our first day! I mean I almost wanted to say, “Stop! No more…I (inhale) can’t (exhale) take it (inhale) anymore (exhale)!” But it’s no one else’s fault but mine.

These are the 3 honest reasons why I allowed my body to move in slow motion and perform poorly:

• Skipped 2 weeks! (one of us was sick at one point, one of us couldn’t gather herself away from the computer to make it on time…wonder who that was?)
• Gained a few holiday pounds that didn’t quite make me feel as flexible and fit
• Grabbed a machine smack in front of the mirror! (Instead of noticing the definition of my arm muscles, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the size of my thighs!)

With these faults in mind, I am still proud of myself that I DIDN’T QUIT!!! But I must have done something right, because even writing this recap now – 3 days later – I can still feel the tightness of my abs.

 So here is what I vow to do in preparation for “Day 5” (which I already started today!):

• Do a 20- minute workout at home before I go to work
• Eat a protein-based breakfast before I get my usual Starbucks or Coffee Bean cup of caffeine
• Drink my 8 glasses of water a day!
• Get lots of sleep
• Return to recording my nutritional and fitness habits on www.dailyplate.com.)
• Forget about having a chocolate milkshake only a few hours before….(tear drop)

So I know I didn’t go too much into detail with my “Day 4” as I did with my “Day 3” details on the practice of Pilates.  So I will turn you to the recent, enjoyable interview with Jeff Fairley, the director and owner of the Body Center.

 Wish me luck for “Day 5!”

xoxox, Denice and Elana (so you probably figured out by now that those aren’t pics of us, but we thought you would get a kick out of seeing the EXACT type of movements we do!)

As Denice and I continue to commit to the practice of   Pilates, we are really learning about the focus of this exercise. During an in-depth interview with Jeff Fairley, the owner and director of the Body Center in Claremont, we gathered some great details about the uniqueness of Pilates and how it differs from yoga.

Beauty Chat: What is the main difference between Pilates and yoga?

Jeff Fairley: I think that first and foremost I should stimulate that I am a doctor of physical therapy, a functional movement expert, but I would not call myself a certified Pilates instructor because I’m not. I haven’t dug into the background and history of all the different holds of these exercises. I take a biomechanical approach and a neuromuscular control approach to Pilates, meaning I look at how the brain controls these muscle groups.

In general, yoga takes it’s origins many of thousands of years ago in India as a kind of exercise, but also part of an awakening and the introspection that comes with it. Many of the Pilates positions and activities are similar to many of the yoga poses; the work originally came from Joseph Pilates. He had some ideas about how the body should move and how you could heal yourself by having better control over your body; and how to do different exercises to try and help you get some of that control. So I think that there are definitely some parallels and similarities between the two.

B.C.: Why does the Body Center choose Pilates over yoga?

J.F.: That is a good question as well. Well it is interesting, a brief history: my wife and I purchased this studio approximately a year ago and it was called the Body Studio previously. When they [the Body Studio] planned the center they did yoga as well as Pilates and physical therapy. They made a business decision to slowly fade their yoga out of their business model, and so they added the reformer Pilates and physical therapy. We [the Body Center] tried a couple of different ways to introduce yoga, and we recently have introduced it again. 

 So we do have it a couple of nights a week because there is a crowd of people who want yoga. You know, my experience with yoga is that the challenge is slightly different then even with the mat or with the reformer Pilates machine. There is a more of an asymmetrical kind of sustained positioning; a bit different focus in the breathing, a little bit different mental focus, and I think my personal experience is that Pilates is more focused on being precise, and more controlled in the movements. With yoga, I kind of feel like I’m backing away and kind of…

B.C: Just letting it guide you?

J.F.: Yes.

Denice and I go onto agree that with Pilates, you can’t let your mind relax if you want to get as much as you can out of the exercise. Yoga, on the other hand (in its many forms), seems to losing yourself in the relaxation of it all.

Beauty Chat will bring you more interviews with Jeff from the Body Center. Be sure to follow our personal journeys towards getting fit, firm, and fabulous bodies!

We’re curious: Did you know the difference between Pilates and Yoga? If so, which do you prefer?

~ Elana

Photo Credits: www.bodyandmindworks.com and www.worth1000.com

Yes, we are still hard at work with the Body Center in Claremont and our Pilates adventure, but we are taking a break on telling you all about “Day 4″ until after Thanksgiving! 

Please check back soon to catch up with us.  Enjoy your holiday and eat lots of turkey!

xoxoxx, Denice and Elana

 Denice’s Personal Story: So I really did not want to go  to Pilates the day of session 3.  I was tired…more like EXHAUSTED!!!!  But, for the good of my body (and to stick something out) I reluctantly went.  This turned out to be a good decision on my part. 

When we arrived at the Body Center in Claremont, Elana and I were greeted by the ever-so-charming and happy face of Jeff Fairley, owner and director of the “Physical Therapy and Pilates Training” facility. Jeff makes you feel so important and welcome;  he is always so encouraging and makes you feel like you can do anything.  We love Jeff!  We were a tad bit early today so we took a breather and relaxed on the comfy couch in the back of the center and waited for our fabulous instructor, Stephanie, to arrive. 

And of course she was there,  ready to work us at 5 p.m. SHARP. Today was unique as Elana and I were the only two in the class!  It was kind of cool because I did not feel bad stopping and asking Stephanie to clarify questions on technique or position.  She was great at explaining how important the position of your pelvic area and lower back are in Pilates. 

Here is some terminology (EverythingAboutPilates.com) that Stephanie throws around that I am finally getting a grasp on:

Neutral Spine:  where your hip bones and pubic bone are held in the same plane. It is neither too flexed nor too extended in the lumbar spine.

Imprinted Spine: A term generated in the Stott Pilates method of Pilates. A place where the lumbar spine is slightly more flexed giving the feeling of your lower back being closer to the mat.

Table Top: When lying on your back, a place where your legs are elevated and bent at a 90 degree angle both at the hip and at the knees. Legs squeeze gently together to engage inner thighs.

C-Curve: Where the spine is flexed into letter “C” position. Enables the feeling of strong navel to spine and prepares you to roll through the spine smoothly.

Now that I know and understand these terms and their importance in Pilates, I am able to concentrate on the specific muscle groups needed to perform the actual exercises.  I think my favorite would have to be leg circles.  I feel like I get the BEST stretch on these.  My least favorite thing to hear come out of Stephanie’s mouth is “Let’s do 100s.”  When I hear this, I know the “Good Shakes” are to follow.

Check back next week to see how I am doing!!!

Elana Personal Story: I was completely in tune with my body on “Day 3.” In fact, I actually busted a sweat. In pushing myself to really stretch, twist, and follow instructions, I began to notice how flexible I’m becoming. Who knows? Maybe after awhile, I will be able to do the splits! (Then again, I couldn’t do splits at 8 years old even when I took gymnastics…so I need to at least maintain some sort of realistic expectations)

That said, I take back the fact that Pilates doesn’t make you sweat. Maybe I should rephrase my initial thoughts to: “Pilates can cause you to sweat but not nearly as much as cardio.” There – that’s much more accurate. I’ve just redeemed a relatively false statement.

As Denice mentioned, we had private lessons from Stephanie at the Body Center. Even though she enjoys it a bit more when her class fills up to capacity, we were fortunate enough to receive direct, one-on-one attention from her, a certified Pilates instructor. I only know this because I asked her; I was curious to know which type of atmosphere is more conducive to her enthusiastic type of teaching. She still looked like she enjoyed our efforts, saying “Great job you guys!”

The next day I didn’t feel a thing really, except for a bizarre sort of pain under my armpit. Everywhere else was fine. Tonight is session 4, and I am going to have a little chit-chat with Jeff prior to our Pilates course at the Body Center in Claremont. I look forward to interviewing him! Not only is it a pleasure to learn even more about this intricate type of exercise, but Jeff is such a pleasure to work with, so I know his answers will be real and forthright.

xoxox, Denice and Elana