For months – no, make that years – I have wanted to drop a few pounds.  Unfortunately, the few pounds turned into 10, and now 25.  Thirty would be perfect, but I don’t want to push it.  I figure being realistic is better for the psychological battle.  I have been uncomfortable in my clothes and am not used to having rolls. About six weeks ago I decided enough is enough. I was going to be serious this time.  I launched an exercise program consisting of fast, long walks with my dog and aerobic classes with Fit-TV.  I began to eat more fruits and veggies and less fat.

A few days later I was asked to write about an interesting business near North Hills mall designed to shed inches from your midsection without surgery or liposuction. It was based on vacuum technology.  This wasn’t something I normally would have given credence to and looking at weight loss from an inches perspective rather than a pounds perspective was new to me. I’m from the old school – no pain, no gain.  However, as a reporter we are expected to keep an open mind, which is what I did.  I talked with the owner of Body Chic (www.bodychic.net), Swanie Tolentino, and what she said was intriguing. She told me that during typical aerobic exercise, body temperature decreases in the stomach, buttocks, hips and thighs because blood typically flows away from the skin and into muscles. Blood must be available to transport the required fat for the muscles to burn as energy, she told me. When you are able to increase the blood circulation in the lower body while doing a low impact workout, you increase the chances for fat to be transported to the muscles to burn as energy.

It sounded interesting, but I had no idea if it made sense or not. I’m no scientist.  I asked if I could test-run the VaccuStep system to see how it felt and Swanie one-upped me. She kindly offered a complementary 20-session program. Each session is 30 minutes, she said and it works best if you do it 5 times per week.  I’d get measured at the start, after 12 sessions and again at 20. What perfect timing, I thought, so naturally I said yes.

Swanie stressed that VaccuStep is a complementary program to your usual exercise routine.  She suggested that I choose a piece of clothing that was either too tight or too small (I chose a little black dress) and see if it fits me after 20 sessions. She also asked me to promise her that I would eat in a nutritious manner. I agreed and signed on with great enthusiasm.

Session 1
My first day on the equipment was July 18.  It was so strange. I put on an extremely tight medium-sized polypropylene skirt that is much like the spray skirt a whitewater kayaker would use to prevent water from leaking into her boat. I stepped onto the VaccuStep machine with assistance and Swanie sealed me in.  The VaccuStep is basically an enclosed elliptical trainer.  It looks like something out of a Woody Allen film. Swanie then turned on the vacuum and I could feel a slight pressure on my lower body.  After five minutes she raised the pressure to Level 1 – again only slight pressure.  At first the stepping was awkward. I felt a bit off-balance and had to resist stepping too quickly and raising my heart-rate beyond my fat-burning rate.  I didn’t quite know where to put my hands and arms and opted to rest them on the skirt. Leaning on my elbows ended up giving me a minor “rug” burn on my elbows, so next time I protected them with a towel.  Leaning was okay, but standing up as straight as possible felt better and forced me to engage my abs. Swanie stressed it was important to step slowly and stay in my target heart-rate zone. It was challenging not to pedal faster, but it was kind of relaxing, too. I felt less psychological pressure than when I usually do an elliptical trainer.  At fitness clubs I feel I should go fast, increase resistance, and sweat like a pig.  At Body Chic, you go slow, barely sweat at all, and can easily maintain a conversation. This gave me an excuse to chat and learn. In what seemed like seconds, my 30 minutes were up.

Day 2 and Beyond
On Day Two I was stepping beside a woman who was there for her first time.  We had so many laughs and she felt a good burn in her thighs. She seemed skeptical, but she was having a good time. I saw her again later in my sessions and she loved it! By my third or fourth session, I felt very comfortable on the machine.  The best part of it was that I felt accountable to someone, and if other women were working out, we usually chatted and had a few laughs. We’d exchange “inch-loss” stories and those who had not yet had their second measurements were encouraged by those who had already lost inches.  It became a friendly 30-minute community.

Measurement Time
At the end of 12 sessions, my skirt size went down to a small and I was going to be measured. I was nervous and feeling bloated, but the results were good: I had lost 4 3/4 inches total.  Measurements were taken of my torso, waist, hips and both thighs.  Swanie said my loss was slightly above average. I felt inspired.

It was onto the last 8 sessions.

The last part of my experience wasn’t as smooth as the first.  Work was busy and I had a difficult time getting over to Body Chic in North Hills five days in a week.  I missed a few days in a row and enjoyed food a little more than I had before.  I had one-foot off the “VaccuStep wagon” and it was taking a slight toll.  I hadn’t gained weight or inches, but I wasn’t losing either. I could tell without being measured. So, the last five sessions I stepped it up, got back on the wagon and was consistent about eating right, exercising and VaccuStepping.  The end result: I lost 5 ½ inches total!

This morning after my work out and shower, I garnered the courage to try on the little black dress I plan to wear to my godson’s wedding this weekend.  I was afraid to put it on – fearing that it still would be a little tight around the waist and derriere. Guess what! It fits. It fits perfectly! Again I feel inspired. But my dieting will have to wait until Monday.  This weekend I am going to enjoy all the wonderful restaurants in my home town of Boston, celebrate my nephew’s marriage, and eat some tasty Italian on Providence, Rhode Island’s famed Federal Hill.  When I land in Raleigh on Monday, I’ll continue my quest to drop a few more inches – and maybe even see if it translates into pounds.