You actually can get slimmer in six

Every winter, I go through the same thing. I begin indulging a bit too freely in the goodies and libations that come with Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and New Year’s. Unfortunately, I’ve also begun extending my indulgences so that I include the candies and chocolates that come with Valentines and Easter baskets as well. As a result, when Spring rolls around, I invariably notice that even my “heavy” suits (the ones I wear after I’ve indulged a bit too much for a bit too long) begin to feel snug. When I tipped the scale at 207 pounds last spring (2004), which was the first time I’d been that heavy in over twenty years, I knew it was time to act.

But what to do? I’ve been a runner for twenty years now, but after two decades and countless miles, I’ve been finding it difficult to push myself hard enough to trim off the pounds very quickly. I’ve also done my “Ah-nuld” circuit on free weights in the basement, but I have to confess - I find weight-lifting a bit too tedious for my taste. I had a gym membership for a year a while back, but, if I’m going to work out, I like to roll out of bed and get right into my workout. With the gym, I always had the sense I had to make an appointment.

I’ve also been a good dieter over the years, but as I’ve gotten older, dieting is harder. I’ve plateaued on Atkins (having eaten enough cows for a small herd) and I’ve also veg’ed out on salads and low-fat treats (using the word “treats” in its broadest sense). But I was burned out on diets, tired of running, dreaded lifting weights, and needed something new.

Enter Debbie Siebers. I “met” her watching infomercials one early Sunday morning. Sure, I’ve seen all the gizmos, gadgets and programs, and I usually dismiss them. But I was desperate for something different, and something about Debbie and her “Slim in 6” program caught my attention.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Infomercial workout programs? Don’t those rank right up there with the “6 Second Ab” machine, and “Popeil’s Pocket Fisherman”? That’s what I thought, but there was something about the pictures of the folks on the infomercial -- both men and women -- that appeared genuine, and not the air-brushed, carefully lighted, trick photos that so many other companies use in their “before” and “after” shots.

On top of that, Debbie Siebers actually seemed sincere. She was not obnoxiously perky as so many of the infomercial types are. Even better, her six-week program came with a six-week money back guarantee. So I figured: how could I lose? I went on-line and ordered “Slim in 6.” (I did, however, decline the various attempts to get me to buy “supplements” and “resistance bands” to go with my program, figuring my own vitamins and free weights would be an adequate substitute.)

What follows is a summary of my experiences on the “Slim in 6” program and my own opinions about it. Bottom line: the program works, but you’ve got to stick to it. Now, I’m not trying to be a shill for the program. I just figured that, if you are anything like me, you’d like to hear about the experiences of someone who is not being compensated to tell you about them.

THE PROGRAM

I got my “Slim in 6” package on a Wednesday. They recommended doing the program six days a week for six weeks, so I planned on starting the following Monday, giving myself Sundays off. In the meantime, I reviewed the materials they included with my package.

They sent me a log book, a computer cd so that I could join an on-line support group, a diet plan, and an instruction book. I set aside all but the last -- I just wanted to know how to do the program. I’d handle my own diet and support, thanks.

The manual recommended using the two DVDs containing the program in sequence, starting with the “Start It Up” program for two days, then going to the “Ramp It Up” program. This was supposed to take me to the end of Week Two. For weeks Four through Six, I would finish with the “Burn It Up” program.

I wanted to get a sneak-peak of what I was in for, so I popped in the first DVD and watched the first few minutes of the “Start It Up” program. I noticed two running clocks on the bottom of the screen, one for the total time left in the workout, and one for the particular segment of the workout (legs, abs, etc.) that you were doing at the moment. Pretty smart.

I was happy to see that Debbie continued to be upbeat and personable without being irritating. I also thought it somewhat inspired to include two “ordinary” people -- a man and a woman -- and not two pumped-up, trimmed-out, aerobics-instructor types as Debbie’s “assistants.” Apparently, both of these folks had used “Slim in 6,” achieved “amazing results” and were invited to participate in the video as Debbie’s assistants.

As to the program itself, my initial impression was that it was rather ordinary. I didn’t find anything exceptional or compelling about the exercises as I fast-skipped through the various segments of the first 24 minute workout. In fact, the workout appeared to be a variety of rather routine aerobics class moves.

I skipped to the “Ramp It Up” program, which was a 47 minute workout, and fast-skipped through what looked like more of the same. The “Burn It Up” program, which is a 59 minute workout, also looked fairly routine. With a shrug and a sigh, I closed up my DVD case and put it away until Monday. I had promised myself that I was going to do this thing for six weeks, and I was bound and determined to do so. Plus, I always had that money-back guarantee in my back pocket. I was ready to see what Debbie could do for me.

Day 1

I start the DVD. Debbie welcomes me with some words of encouragement before jumping into her warm-up sequence. I notice that her warm-up moves, while appearing rather standard, actually do get my heart beating. In pretty short order, I’m feeling warmed-up and ready to go, and we begin a series of cardio-type moves, combined with some leg exercises, some standing crunches, some floor crunches, and some push-ups for the upper body.

As the workout moves along, I notice that Debbie’s low-key but enthusiastic delivery actually makes the program seem easier than it is. She’s eager, but not annoying, in her persistant encouragement to do the crunches, kick those legs out, and stretch those back muscles. She even makes completing a “plia” ballet move (feet apart, toes pointed to opposite walls, then squat) seem both easy and effective.

About 15 minutes in, I realize that sweat is actually pouring off of me. I’m surprised, because there is nothing particularly strenuous about any one thing I’m doing. But the consistent sequencing of activities, together with Debbie’s pleasant delivery, her moderate pace, and the fact that the two ordinary folks in the background seem able to do the workout with ease, all combine to make the “Start It Up” program go quickly and relatively easily. By the end of the workout, I have worked up a good sweat, learned to plia, and am feeling as if I’ve actually accomplished something.


Day 2

I repeat “Start It Up,” just like the book says, and again I feel as if I’ve actually worked out. I even do the plia moves without stumbling or feeling like an idiot, which in and of itself is quite a feat for me. I actually find myself looking forward to starting “Ramp It Up” on Day 3.


Day 3

I start “Ramp It Up” and right away, I notice something different. The pace is just a bit faster than the “Start It Up” program. The difference is ever so slight, but it’s pretty clear to me that Ms. Siebers and her assistants (two different ordinary folks for this program) are warming up more quickly, and doing the leg work, the back work, and the ab-work at a slightly faster pace. I begin thinking that I’m in for a long 47 minutes.

As I hit the floor for the ab work (which I discover is far more intense than it looks), I feel my stomach is actually quite sore from the first two days of the program. I find that I can’t complete the number of oblique crunches and double crunches that Debbie gently but firmly insists that I do. Oh sure, she’s very pleasant in encouraging me to try “alternate” moves, but what amazes me is that I can’t keep up with what appears to be a relatively straightforward and easy work-out program. I can’t keep up with all of her ab work, or the leg work, or the push-ups. Damn! This ain’t easy!

I look up at the TV and there’s Greg, one of Debbie’s assistants, merrily cranking out push-up after push-up. I grit my teeth and press on, taking some small satisfaction in the fact that at least they’re all sweating as much as I am. But the thing that surprises me most is that I actually find myself looking forward to the next day because I am determined to keep up with smilin’ Greg, Tracey and Debbie.

Day 4

Today’s not going to be the day I keep up. Here’s a tip -- don’t try to “Ramp It Up” on five hours’ sleep. When the alarm went off, I was definitely not in the mood to face Ms. Perky or smilin’ Greg. Plus, after they plia’d me half to death the day before, my knees were barking. I discover that knees take a different kind of pounding in a 47 minute work-out than they do in a three mile run.

Still, I had a personal commitment to honor. So I rolled out of bed, grabbed my shorts and shoes, stretched for a couple minutes, then popped in Debbie and her crew. I got through the work out pretty well, despite my fatigue, until the leg-and-butt work segment. I start doing the leg-kick thing she does at the thirty-five minute mark and -- yow! Apparently, we hit some muscles on Day 3 that I hadn’t used in quite some time. Debbie happily chirps, “Eight more,” and I realize that there is no possible way I can get my leg up eight more times -- it’s flopping around like a carp on a hook. Oh, I try, but it’s a pretty pathetic attempt to squeeze out eight more leg kicks, and I have to stop at five.

As I try to keep my leg up, I watch smilin’ Greg just keep cranking out the leg kicks, and then the leg lifts, and then every other stinking move, and I have to tell you -- there’s a certain motivating factor in seeing him do that. Good old smilin’ Greg is not some sculpted, ‘roid-driven body builder. He’s a regular-looking guy, pretty much just like me, who’s just going along with the program. There’s something in the back of my head that says, “If this guy can do it, I know that I can.”

I fight my way to the end of Day 4, squeezing off as many leg lifts and crunches as I can muster before collapsing in a heap.

Day 5

On Day 5, my knees actually feel better, despite the pounding. Encouraged, I get ready for my third day through “Ramp It Up.”

After only three days of Ramping it Up, I was keeping up better, at least until the leg/ab sequence at the end. I found myself muttering various expletives through gritted teeth as Debbie exuberates, “Keep those legs straight up in the air!” while I struggle to complete my umpteenth raised-leg oblique crunch.

The last six minutes of “Ramp It Up” is a cool down/stretching/yoga compilation of moves. Despite all the “good feelings” that everyone attributes to yoga-think, I just don’t have the patience for a series of “exalted warrior” stretches. On Day 5, I decide to just skip the whole “cool down” phase and see what happens.


Day 6

By Day 6, I was actually keeping up with almost every exercise. To be sure, when it was time for the bicycle kicks during the last two minutes, I was barely able to complete one for every three. But I was actually able to do one for every three, which was significant.


Week 2

Since this week was devoted to ramping it up, I decided to focus solely on keeping up with the routines, step for step, kick for kick, and crunch for crunch. By the end of each workout, the sweat was pouring off of me like it was coming from a faucet and my abs and legs were burning. But, little by little, I was getting closer to keeping up with all of the routines. By the end of the week, I had to admit that I had impressed myself because I remembered how I felt on the first day of ramping it up. I was keeping up, and feeling good doing it. I was almost looking forward to the next phase.

Week 3, Day 1

Time to start to “Burn It Up.” The pace here is quicker still. Debbie and her pals started with a rapidly-paced 4 minute warm-up routine, followed by a long set of cardio-squats, a long set of exercises targetting the waist, then some lunges, then a repeat of the waist routine, then another routine for the legs.

By this time, I had two weeks of practice under my belt, so the moves were familiar and I was able to complete the routines almost effortlessly. However, Debbie does throw in a couple of curve balls as we’re flying through the routines: front-back kicks, double knee pulls, and traveling pliés are all moves I have to learn on the fly, at a fairly quick pace. The end result is that the work-out was actually pretty intense. Debbie explains it perfectly about 10 minutes in: “We call this Burn It Up for a reason!”

The entire program consists of about thirty-two minutes of aerobic/cardio activity at a pretty good clip, after which is about 10 minutes of repetitive light-weight work for the arms and shoulders, followed by 10 minutes targeting the butt, hamstrings, and then abs. There are added moves in all segments, filling out the 53 minute workout, after which is another six minute “yoga-think” stretch/cool-down phase. I just skipped it. Six extra minutes in the shower seems a better way to spend that time.

As before, for me, the killer segments were the ones targeting the butt and abs, which Debbie gets to at about the forty minute mark. Believe me, after forty minutes, the last thing I wanted to do was the leg and butt work and, as before, I was unable to do all of the routines, what with the additional reps and longer sequences. By the end of the workout, my fatigue was genuine and I was drenched with sweat.

At the end of the work-out, I decided to take a few minutes to actually check my progress after two weeks of “slimming.” I looked at my reflection in the mirror and actually saw the vaguest hint of some definition in my stomach. THIS was a very big deal given my ever increasing middle-aged spread. I was actually excited at the first signs of a two-pack! (Hey, I’ll take what I can get!)

The real test came at the scale. My weight on day one of week three: 203. I was happy to take it, because four pounds was four pounds, especially considering the fact that I did not significantly modify my eating habits all that much. The work-outs were demanding, but the progress was genuine.

Remainder of Week 3

These “Burn It Up” workouts were intense. After the first 32 minutes and the end of the cardio jumping around, I found myself totally sucking wind. I determined to focus on keeping up and perfecting form, and I found myself getting better at both. By the last day of Week 3, although I didn’t keep up with every single rep, I no longer needed a break at any point. That, to me, was an achievement all by itself.

Week 4

My weight at the start of Week 4 was a surprising 200 pounds. I say “surprising” because I dropped seven pounds in three weeks without making any significant changes in my eating habits (well, except for eliminating the two or three beers I’d usually have on the weekend. I’ve learned over the years that alcohol is the bane of weight loss.) But the reality is that all I’d done was follow the exercise routine to the letter, and it was working.

As I continued the Burn It Up routine in Week 4, I slowly but surely found myself better able to keep up with the routine to the end. When necessary, I slowed down a bit, but I finished the 53-minute exercise part of the program without a break.

Even in my second week of “Burn It Up,” it was not easy to keep up. But I actually found myself concentrating on -- and feeling a difference in -- the different muscle groups as I completed the circuit of standing oblique crunches, side crunches, and double-knee pulls, all of which worked out my abs pretty well.

By the end of Week 4, I noticed several things. Relying solely on the exercises, my waist felt trimmer and my pants fit better. More surpising to me was the definition I began to see in my biceps and chest. The numerous light-weight reps in the program helped me trim down and define my muscles without bulking up. Don’t get me wrong -- I wasn’t getting “cut” by any stretch of the imagination. That’s not the point of the program. I was, however, noticing a little less jiggle in that belly o’ mine.


Weeks 5 & 6

The last two weeks of the work-out schedule highlighted both the best and the worst of the program. The best part was that, with continued repetition, I was able to keep up better and better each day, I felt and saw my muscles developing over the final two weeks, and I definitely lost weight and added definition. However, on the minus side, I did find myself tiring of the identical workout every single day. By the end of Week 6, I found myself getting a little twitchy at the repetitiveness.

However, that being said, I was actually quite satisfied at the work-outs I was getting. I found myself kicking through the leg routines no problem and reeling off 16 oblique crunches in a row for each side while focusing on form.

Because I did not alter my diet all that much during the six-week period, I was not surprised that the program didn’t make my gut disappear. However, I was not at all disappointed in the results. During the six weeks I dedicated to the workout program, I still enjoyed a few margaritas and a few desserts while I was I dropping 10 pounds. My 36 inch waist pants went from exceptionally tight to comfortable. I added muscle tone to my arms, chest, butt and belly without making any significant changes in my eating habits. I suspect that, had I gone into a full-blown salad/low-fat/low-carb diet (which is what the program recommends to maximize your weight loss), I would have dropped significantly more weight than I did.

EVALUATION

If you’re looking for a different kind of work-out, I can recommend this program whole-heartedly, despite the stigma that some of these infomercial-type programs bear. However, there are a couple of points that you’ve got to keep in mind when you try it.

First, even with the “Start It Up” program, you are not going to just pop the DVD in and glide through the work-out. Just like any new exercise program, there is a learning curve. It is going to take a little effort and concentration on your part to get the moves down and keep up with the music (the DVD lets you turn off the music and just keep up with Debbie, if you’d rather. My preference is to have the music on.) The first program is a 24 minute cardio workout, with some ab- and leg-work incorporated into the routine. It’s not grueling, but it’s not like riding a stationary bike while watching television. You have to put in the time, the sweat, and the dedication to make it through even this easiest segment.

Second, even though the workouts appear fairly routine, expect to struggle early to keep up. The informercials tend to soft-cell these work-outs, but the fact is that you are actually exercising. This is a good thing, by the way, but it is exercise and it will take some effort. For me, even in Week 3, my first week of Burn It Up, I was sucking wind at the end of the workouts. There is definitely a conditioning curve. But don’t be put off -- even if you’re not in A-1 condition, you can ease your way into the program by taking a couple of extra days with “Start It Up” and then pacing yourself through the workouts that follow. You will find yourself catching on and keeping up more quickly than you expected.

However, that brings me to the third point, which is the fact that watching the exact same workout, with the exact same words of encouragement at precisely the same spot every single day may makes you feel as if you’re living in the movie Groundhog Day. If you add a few extra days to the workout, I suspect that the feeling will intensify. However, if you can keep in mind that there is an end in sight, namely, the last day of the sixth week, you can make it through.

This, of course, brings me to the final concern. There is a last day. Ordinarily, you can keep your work-out regimen going by changing sequences, changing days, mixing in the elliptical machine, running on the treadmill, or doing some roadwork outside. With the Slim in Six DVDs, it’s either that routine, or no routine.

I got to the end of Week Six and had no where to go. Sure, I repeated the workouts, and sprinkled in some runs and some free weights. But once the program was done, so was my incentive to keep doing it.

All that being said, however, the advantages of having a pleasant personal trainer at my disposal in my own home made the program worthwhile -- at least to jump start a weight-loss and fitness program. For six weeks, if you want to drop a few pounds in a relative hurry, and you like to roll out of bed and into a workout, there’s nothing easier than popping a DVD into the machine when it’s convenient for you. In addition, if you’re like me and you feel a bit awkward doing pliés and double-knee pulls in a room full of people, nothing beats cranking through this workout in the privacy of your own home. All you need is some space in front of your TV and a little self-discipline.

Most importantly, the program actually works, as long as you commit to it. I can tell you that you can make a significant difference in your body, firm yourself up, improve your endurance, and trim that gut in six weeks, if you really want to.

FOLLOW-UP

Six months after I finished the Slim In Six program, Christmas 2004 was upon me, and so were the cookies, the cakes, the egg nog, the rum punch, the candy canes and the mulled cider. Then came New Year’s Eve, and the champagne, and cheese trays, and sliced pepperoni and.....well, you get the picture. My weight didn’t get back up to 207, but it got close.

I’ve delayed this spring’s annual weight-loss ritual by playing in a men’s basketball league (which also works to shed the pounds, by the way). However, I know I’ve got to do something again, and much as I like Debbie Siebers, I’m just not in the mood for six weeks of Debbie right now.

I’ve discovered, however, that Beachbody.com, the marketers of Slim In Six, have reduced the price of another program they’ve got: Tony Horton’s Power 90. They not only reduced the price (20 bucks for the DVD, which includes the postage and handling) but have also added the idea underlying the old video- and record-club memberships. They promise to send another work-out every few weeks, which I figure will help break up the Groundhog Day effect. So, I’m getting ready to try to keep up with actor-cum-personal-trainer Tony Horton. Hey, it can’t hurt, right? I’ll keep you posted.