Oh the thighmaster brings back memories of another exercise thing my mom used to have in the early to mid '70s. It was pink, and was the precursor to the thighmaster. It was made of two pieces of plastic joined together with a spring, and it was sold to build "muscles" in the breasts and make your breasts larger. The instruction sheet also showed how you could use it between your thighs. Apparently it would make your thighs smaller and your breasts bigger.
Yeah, I'm old enough to remember Ayds and Metrecal. Metrecal was big enough that the Flintstones could do a takeoff on it: remember the episode where Fred was puttering round in the garage and invented "Fred-o-cal", but instead of losing weight he shrunk down to 6 inches high?
oreo
I love Richard Simmons and sweating to the oldies. I still do them from time to time.
Deal a meal. The thing really worked. I just gave my old set ( friend gave it to me to give to a friend that doesn't want to bother counting calories ) She is eating great and has lost all kinds of weight. Basically, as I recall, it takes the required amounts of the four basic food groups and breaks them down for you. Gives you different sets of cards. You set up what you should be eating and when the cards are gone you are done eating for the day.
My mother drank Tab pop. Oh my gosh, she sure had NO worries any of us kids would try to steal it lol. Except my one girlfriend, she loved the taste of the stuff. I always knew she was a little nuts.
The TOPS website has exchange cards you can print out (though you'd have to make your own wallet).
I printed some out and took them to my TOPS group for a presentation a couple months ago. I used an old checkbook and two plastic credit card inserts to hold the cards. (two so that one side would be the before eaten, and one side the after eaten).
I use exchanges alot, even now that I am eating lower carb. I just replaced most of my starch servings with protein servings. Sometimes I use the cards, but mostly I use a checklist that I created and print out.
Before Diabetes I could lose nicely on a low fat, high carb kind of diet and did pretty good with Susan Powter -- not now.
Yep . . . I love Richard Simmons too . . . as annoying as he can get, he comes across as really, really caring about other people rather than so many others who seem to just want to show off and make money.
I agree Meow... he's really got a passion for people.
I just went to Susan Powter's website and just like back in the 1990's... there are very little pictures of her being over weight (can't even see her face in 1/2 of them) but a ton of pictures of her now/skinny. The one picture where she (if its her) is heavy sitting with her legs extended looks like a preggy picture to me. Just seems so phony.
Adys were yummy.... never lost weight with them but it was a good treat LOL
Tab ... bleeech
I remember the grapefruit diet OMG BLEEECH !!! I still get goose bumps thinking about it.
I was in my early twenties when I used Deal-A-Meal to lose about 60 pounds. It worked great for me.
After awhile, though, I got tired of having to keep track of all those cards, the weekly menu planning while sitting down with the cards, etc.
And now I need to lose those 60 pounds again. Sigh.
I remember when Richard Simmons had his TV show. At the end of his show he always had some encouraging words for anyone watching. My Mom (who was obese at the time) loved him because he was always so sympathetic, encouraging, and passionate about inspiring people to be healthy.
He also had some health-clubs in the late 70's or early 80's. My Mom was a member and went regularly. She loved it, because she said the classes were taught by instructors of all sizes and most of the people who went were not size-2 gym bunnies, so she didn't feel awkward about being obese in a room full of other people who all looked like her.
She also liked how some instructors were overweight too, and they were also in the process of losing weight. I remember her raving about one woman who was still pretty heavy after losing a lot of weight, but who also taught an aerobics class and would work them all up into a good sweat. My Mom could see how the pounds were coming off that woman over time, and it was inspiring.
My Mom used to tell me that those clubs were great because she could identify better with everyone there, from students to instructors, and there was a lot of encouragement and support for her there.
She lost a lot of weight at the club, but stopped going when Richard sold his clubs to a big chain (I think it was Bally's) and it all changed.
But oh i LOVED my thighmaster!! I also loved when it snapped in half mid-squeeze -- my thighs were THAT strong (or the product was that cheap)! Who's the Thighmaster NOW??
Ahahahaha! Way to show that Thighmaster who's boss!
Oh! Richard Simmons! We had a Home Ec./Health class in middle school and every Wednesday we had to do an aerobics tape. Half the time it was Sweatin' to the Oldies. I still can't hear that song "Wendy" (I think that's it?) without seeing Richard in his little shorts and tank top waving his hands above his head!
The boys always like "Buns of Steel" day. Some of the exercises were very funny to them!
Drank Tab and Fresca. Tried Metrical and Ayds. And the little wheel with handles to exercise the abs. And the nylon rope thingie that attached to the doorknob. I still do "Sweatin' to the Oldies" once in a while - it IS a good workout and I like the music
Other odities I had - a digital chew counter - you pressed a button every time you took a bite and it blinked every second for 30 times (just TRY chewing the same mouthful for 30 seconds). The Octagym - worked great, but you spent half of the time changing the contraption from one setup to the next. An airwalker (forerunner to the Gazelle).
And - I was the leg warmer QUEEN! I knitted my own and had a pair for every outfit. Little hearts up the sides, stripes, zig-zags, polka dots, I think I knit at least 30 pair. I even gave them as Christmas gifts (egad!)
We must, we must, we must
We must improve our bust
The bigger the better
The tighter the sweater
The boys are depending on us.
Yeah, I am that old.
you and me both my mom taught me that!
I'm pretty sure between my mother and two overweight grandmothers (not to mention the aunties as well) everything you guys have mentioned has been tried.
My mother - Tab and Fresca drinker, made it VERY clear those were not for our consumption (I remember even being maybe 10 years old and the laundromat and my mother bringing her Tab with her). Weight Watchers member (also from around the age of 10, pretty sure she's joined about 10,000 times by now).
Dad's mom - Ayds gallore! Deal-a-meal user. Oh and I remember when chocolate became off limits and we started getting Carob bars from the Heath Food Shop (even if it tastes good, I have such bad memories now I don't even think I could try it again). Have to give her kudos though, she did get slim and become the oldest "new" aerobics instructor in town (boy the older ladies LOVED her).
Mom's mom - Richard Simmons follower, Ayds user, ALBA shake drinker, Weight Watcher.
It's funny, but in a way it's also sad... see how many decades it's been since the diet industry became big business? Sadly this too was my example and probably part of the reason why I have a distorted image of myself. ALL of the women in my life despised their bodies. What kind of example is that for a young girl?
Whatever happened to Alba shakes by the way? My mom drank those too. Man would she be p.o'd if I would drink her shakes!!
Fresca is still around, in fact they have it in 3 different flavors now. Tab is (or was: I think I still see it around some places, I hope they reformulated it but I don't intend to try it again) vile, but Fresca is delicious
The instruction sheet also showed how you could use it between your thighs. Apparently it would make your thighs smaller and your breasts bigger.
Satan's pee! Most vile-tasting stuff that ever existed! How did they ever decide that was fit for human consumption???
and so many others.
The one picture where she (if its her) is heavy sitting with her legs extended looks like a preggy picture to me. Just seems so phony.
