I saw these two workout programs mentioned at a low carb site with quite a following of ladies (probably men too!) who are very loyal to the programs.   I don't know anyone who has ever tried either so I thought I'd ask:)  

T-Tapp is kinda pricey but looks interesting.  Not sure about Callanetics. 

Take it from a nutrition major and someone studying personal training- Do NOT waste your money on T-Tapp!

I try to keep an eye out for new exercise and nutrition fads and I thought T-tapp looked interesting as well, I bought the book on Amazon, read through the whole thing and thought it looked good...until I got to the actual exercises. They're really odd. Nothing like traditional exercises and they're really hard to figure out by looking at the pictures. The DVD's are SUPER expensive too. I think it's all a scam to be honest. She claims to have trained many models but in the book there are many "success" stories and none involve these supposed models.

I haven't heard much about callenetics but it looks a bit odd as well.

Go for more traditional exercises like squats, lunges, bicep curls, tricep dips, plank, etc. In my own experience these work best. Jillian Michael's books and DVD's are great. Try her frontside/backside DVD set.

Thanks for the advice:)  I was looking at a couple of the exercises that are available to preview on the T-Tapp site and the one to help flatten your stomach was very weird (involved pushing your internal organs around from the outside--seriously).   Sort of reminded me of the Body Flex thing a friend bought with the weird breathing and holding positions. 

I'll check out the Jillian Michaels products--oddly enough it is both my frontside and backside that are my problem children:lol:  Thanks!

No prob, I'd hate for someone to spend a fortune on T-Tapp's work out dvd's only to regret it.

Oh and I do a lot of random exercises I find in magazines. I subscribe to Self and there are a lot in each issue. Prevention magazine is good too.

I've tried both, and I think Callanetics can be extremely effective, but the videos are incredibly dated and IMO, they're just very tedious.  If you can stand them, though, you might get results.  I would try to find the videos at the library, though, before you buy them. 

I didn't find anything great about T-Tapp, but Theresa Tapp has legions of devoted followers who swear her program works like no other. 

If you want similar workouts that are more modern and a lot more fun try - Tracy Anderson's Mat Workout (Tracy gets a lot of flack for being a bit of a flake, but this is an excellently produced video that I enjoy very much), Bar Method, Lotte Berk, Cardio Barre, Pure Barrre, and Squeeze and Squeeze Stronger by Tracy Effinger. Most of these can be found at Collage Video or Amazon, although some need to be ordered directly from the producers. 

I respectfully disagree with the other poster who says these workouts are not effective.  Traditional exercises likes squats, lunges, etc. are all well and good, and I don't dispute that they can be effective.  However, excercise is not  "one type fits all."  Different bodies respond to different forms of exercise. I've been excersing for years at home with videos, and I know what works and what doesn't for me.  I find the barre/ballet type workouts to be very effective.  They can be used on their own, or as a compliment to other types of exercises. 

If you want a lot of information on home workout videos, please check out videofitness.com.  There's a wealth of information there!

Thanks for the response:)  I've got quite a bit of weight to try to manage and I don't want to build any bulky muscles--looking for more feminine muscle building and attempting to keep my skin tightened and toned as weight comes off.  I guess I'm wanting flexibility as well. 

Thank you for all the suggestions--I get bored easily so a selection of things to do appeals:) 

Donna - Barre/ballet type workouts might work great for you!  "Bulking" is a hotly-contested topic.  One that I don't think anyone has the answer to nor is it a matter of "one size fits all."  Different training methods work for different people.   Personally, my legs build muscle easily, but that's also where I carry extra fat. I've found through many years of experimenting that if I do traditional exercises for the lower body with weights, my thighs actually get bigger.  (If you build muscle faster than you're losing fat, your legs will get bigger.)  On the other hand, I am quite thin in my arms and chest and don't build muscle easily there, so for my upper body, I have to do rotations of lifting heavier weights to eke out a bit of mass and shape. 

You might want to pick an exercise method to try and then stick with it for several weeks before evaluating whether or not it works for you.  Whether it's barre/ballet stuff or more traditional forms of exercise - heavier lifting with weights, etc., I would pick one method, combine it with some cardio and try it for 6 weeks.  If you're not getting anywhere, try something else.  Libraries usually have a diverse selection of videos, and this would be a great way to "try before you buy."  Netflix also has lots of exercise videos available. 

If you have weight to lose and you haven't been exercising regularly, chances are any method of training is going to get you results initally as long as you watch what you're eating.   It's when your body adapts (plateaus) that you may find you need to change things up to continue to get results. I  myself have done a lot of rotations over the years.  I alternate between heavier lifting with weights and gentler workouts like barre/ballet/pilates fusion stuff.  Keeping the body constantly having to adapt to what you're doing is the key to continued results. 

Like I say, videofitness.com is an excellent resource.  Check it out!

I wish you the best of luck!  Please keep us posted! 

As far as becoming bulky you don't have TOO much to worry about, but you need to try different things to see what works. I do a lot of cardio and if I ride the bike my thighs really bulk up, but walking/running tones them. But I have a friend who could ride the bike all day everyday and not bulk up her thighs.

It's the same with weights, for me I've been doing the exercises I mentioned above and they've toned my muscles nicely. People swear by pilates but I tried it and actually didn't care for it much, so just give some different things a try and see how you like it

I have the callanetics on vhs. they were difficult, slow moving and yes, they worked if you did them repeatedly just like an exercise.

Like most exercise gurus, she adapted existing techniques with a slight twist, rebranded it with a hot new name (in this case, hers with a etics on the end) and opened fitness centers, sold tapes and books. She used some pilates, yoga and other forms and stressed in her explanations that she was all about protecting the back, and building muscle without bulk.

I think I have a book on hand somewhere too, although it's hard to follow some of this stuff from books.

If you come across it free, it's worth a shot.

Thanks everyone:)  I'm short (5 ft) and even before gaining the significant weight that I've accumulated I tended to be "plump"--lg chest and wide hips.  I have sort of gained weight evenly all over head to toe and when I watch my diet and exercise it comes of fairly evenly.  My calves are where I don't want to build up anymore muscle as they are already very muscular and stout--in fact I wish there was a way to thin them out:lol:

I'm in my early 40's and have realized that my couch potato tendencies haven't been in my best interests:lol:  I do appreciate the help, advice and information=)

I tried low carb for awhile but the meals seemed to heavy and weird for me to stick to but at the site lowcarbfriends it seemed that some were T-Tapper and some swore by Callenetics so I thought I'd ask. 

Donna

I've done both, and both are effective, although probably not as effective as they claim.

Callanetics - it's been a while since I've done these - involves putting your body in a position where only certain muscles will be triggered, then doing a lot of very small movements of those muscles.

T-Tapp (yes, a lot of her most vocal followers are fanatical and a bit disturbing) is all about the right posture while you exercise - and it's complicated. 

The basic posture is this:  1. Tuck your butt under hard, like a bad dog, 2. move your knees out so they seem to point out over your little toes (you do this from the hips, not the knees), 3. pull your shoulder blades together and down, hands by your side, palms forward. 

From there you do the exercises, and believe me, doing a set of plies while trying to keep the right posture is harder than you think.  Once you get past the intro exercises in the book, you get a lot of exercises for your core, which she says exhaust muscle layer by layer.  I haven't done these regularly in 2-3 years, and have retained enough core muscle that I can stand, hop, wiggle etc. one legged without tipping over.  The arm exercises look easy, but will wear you out (and really tone your arms) if done correctly.

The floor exercise for stomach does seem strange, but it works.  It's the same principle as you would get on a backward incline or inversion table.  When some of whats in the abdominal cavity slides up under the ribs, you can tighten down your ab muscles incredibly hard on the now-emptier space.  A better contraction ultimately means a flatter stomach.  You stretch every muscle after you've worked it so you don't get bulky.

The cons - Callanetics and T-Tapp are boring!  There's no fun music or anything, just one exercise after another.  The T-tapp beginner DVD's are expensive, but include a lot of instructional breaks.  Great when starting out, and maddening when once you've learned.  You have to move to other tapes (Tempo series) if you want to skip the instruction, and that means more money.

You could try upper body kickboxing type stuff, like shadow boxing. Sometimes if I do circut training I'll do shadow boxing in between weight sets and it keeps my heart rate up. Oh and the rowing machine- it'll make you sweat!

Those stretch bands might be an option for you as well.  I've even seen exercise dvd's geared towards people who have mobility issues that you can do in a seated position.  I was randomly searching through some sites and was surprised at how many options there are out there:)