If you've lost weight using Joyce Vedral's books...
 

Joyce vedral got me into lifting weights. I used the fat burning workout book and lost 20 pounds in about a month and a half. I did the reps very fast and I do believe this contributes to the effect. When I lift slower I got much bigger and had full fluffy muscles. Following Joyce I got small hard muscles. I also used Definition. And it gave me a lot of...definition. :p This plus Callanetics are my desert island, guaranteed results and I have them memorized.

I used Fat Burning and The Bathing Suit workout and Defintion books for a three month stint many years back. I didn't lose any weight but everyone, including my doctor, thought I had. They kept saying how much slimmer I was. I didn't do any cardio in those three months, by the way, but my endurance was still good.

Joyce got me into lifting with her book Now or Never. I lost about fifteen pounds in that routine (supplemented by step aerobics). That's a slow and heavy pyramid routine. At that time, I was working out at a campus fitness center, and one of my football-player students asked me where I'd gotten my routine. I told him "a book," and asked him why he asked. He said, "you look like you know what you're doing." I lost about fifteen pounds and I didn't pay much attention to diet.

I personally think Joyce really shines in her books, not her videos. I've gotten several of her videos from Netflix; no way would I buy them.

It has always bugged me that Joyce will not use the poundage that she herself uses in her routines when she makes her videos. No way would she be flinging a 20 pound dumbbell around, like she does the 3 pounders she uses in her videos. Cathe uses her real poundage in her videos; I wish Joyce would. I guess she doesn't want to intimidate beginners. Fine, but you don't get musculature like hers with 3 pound weights. I think Joyce looks great, BTW.

That said ... I started with her 12 Minute Total Body Workout, then got Definition and several of her other books. While I didn't have weight to lose, Joyce's routines really gave me strength and definition. I am not crazy about some of her lower body exercises; the upper body ones are great. Joyce was the person who got me into weight training; I'll always be grateful.

Oh, and it always took me longer than 12 minutes to do the "12 minute" workout. It was probably more like 15 to 20. Joyce always had made unrealistic claims about how quickly her workouts can be done. However, they are still time-efficient. I do really appreciate Joyce's minimalist approach in terms of equipment, and her talent at putting out effective routines.

I followed her recommendations in the books to move quickly and to only take short rests. I don't know for sure how that speed compares with her videos, however.

I've used the routines from the Bottoms Up and Definition books, and I think they're excellent. I have the Definition DVD, and I don't like it. The routine is great, but she moves way too fast.

I like to put on my own music and do the upper body segment from Complete Bottoms Up, since I know the routine by heart. I do think that speed is important in getting results (lost inches for sure and maybe some weight loss), but I don't think it's necessary to move at lightning speed the way Joyce does in some of the DVDs.

For me, a good rule of thumb is, move as fast as you can without compromising safety.

ETA: I lost 28 lbs over about a five-month period two years ago when I was using Joyce's books or DVDs regularly. I did change my diet quite a bit and was rebounding every day and doing a lot of walking, so I don't know how much to attribute to Joyce's routines. I do know my upper body was in the best shape ever.

1. Which book(s) did you use? 12 Minute Total Body Workout

2. If you've used more than 1 book, which did you like best? Have 4 others by her, but never tried them since I loved the 12 min one so much

3. We know Joyce moves fast in the videos, but did/do you? Does "resting 15 seconds" between sets or doing exercises "without resting" really matter? I heard she made the videos because people were moving too slowly. But won't you still get the same good results without going at a crazy pace? Nope, I do not move fast and I lost 50lbs doing only her 12 min exactly as she outlines in the book and eating relatively clean

I saw Joyce first on the Phil Donahue show :o and was impressed & found her funny, bought her books and then droppped 50lbs. I did purchase the DVD of the 12 min workout (had a different title & a second workout on it) and did not like how fast she moved
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