Good Morning :) WHEW!!! I am so pooped out with all of the fun things I have been doing lately~~~I really live a boring, quiet life, but lately WHEW!!!! My DD and I had a great time in Santa Barbara at her swim meet~~~ages 18-80!! Seeing the older gals in swim suits and having so much fun and looking so healthy is really inspiring!! They all have such good body image, in the dressing rooms walking around in different stages of their nakeness, not sure I feel that good about my body:( I want to tho:) My weigh in was good, I am down another 1.2 pounds?? How can that be?? I ate so off the program last week with my visitors and all:( I did eat breakfast and lunch good, and when we whipped out the snacks I never ate like I would have before WW's:) As I was driving away from my meeting I was thinking WOW how much junk and extra calories I must have been eating in the last few years to be carrying so much extra weight!!! I am down 22.5 pounds YAHOOO!!! I feel so great!! Down about 4-5 more pounds than I even planned on:) AND the best part is I do not even feel like I have been dieting, just eating healthy!! I just hope I can keep it up:) Since I do not feel hungy or deprived of any foods I think I should be able too eh??? I have two vacations planned one at the end of July with my DH going up to Tahoe~~~two days after we get back from there my DD and I are leaving for a world swim meet in Palo Alto Cali @ Stanford U~~~we will be there for 4days and 3nights then on to San Francisco for 3nights:) That my diet friends will be the big test!! If I get through all of those days eating out and all of the temptations of vacationing I will know forsure I have made a lifestyle change:) I did not make it to CRUVES at all last week, except to weigh in, my pre weigh in before going to WW's for my weigh in LOL!!! But, I was walking and running around everyday so I guess that has to count. I will get back on track tomorrow:)

Hi Barbara, I've had similar concerns about position and feeling it in the butt. I'm taller, 5'6", but 1st of all, I keep the foot plate angled at the middle position. I've played around with the other adjustment and at one point tried bringing the foot plate in closer to the seat, but it did not feel quite right. When I'm sitting on the seat with my feet on the plate, it's not real tight, like you're crunched up in a ball, but ... picture a clock, with your butt in the middle of the dial, your back angled at about 10 o'clock, and the top of your knees at about 2 o'clock (I hope this makes sense) - that's my positioning. ANYWAY, about the butt thing ... I've tried lots of different techniques and I have to say I don't feel any of them in my butt like I do on the top of my thighs or the inner thighs (with your feet like a frog), BUT strangely enough, as I walk around during the day, my butt feels much more toned. If this is gain without pain, I'll take it! It did take about 4 weeks or so, at about 4-5x per week to start feeling something in the butt, but it's definitely tighter. I can't get over how well this machine works! Nothing I've ever done has toned my legs this thoroughly and quickly and (a long time ago) I did a lot of weight training. I do play around with a couple of sets of short, low reps and I like to do the frog position, feet & knees angled out, with both my feet flat and then a few sets with my toes up. Re the tailbone, I prefer to keep myself a little higher on the back board - I have a long history of lower back spasms, so I try real hard to keep my back flat and not arching, and keeping myself higher on the back board helps. Hope this helps a little - good luck!

Hi, I have the Orbitrek Eliptical although I think this one is a newer version. Doesnt seem to have any extra added features though for the higher price tag. I think they were asking $279 and I paid only $172 I believe in April. I just LOVE my Orbitrek!! I know some people have complained of problems and squeeking but I have had no problems at all. And that has been using it 5-7 days a week for 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours nonstop. I would definitely recommend it! I wouldnt be in as good of shape as I am now without it. I would consider the cheaper model though if I were you or wait until the new one lowers in price a bit. Good Luck! Tami

I use my elliptical almost every single day. I've got it sitting in my living room, near the TV, so that a) I see it every day and can't avoid it, and b) it's got a built in activity (watching TV) to make it more enjoyable. If you stick it in a bedroom or other place, you're more likely to skip using it. DON'T BUY NEW. Look on craigslist, and you should be able to find a great deal. I really wanted something compact, so I bought a used Orbitrek Platinum, for $100. This is not a machine that would stand up to super-heavy use (or a very heavy person), nor does it have any bells and whistles. But it's perfect for me -- I use it every day for about 30 minutes while watching TV or reading a book. In the 3 months that I've been using it, I've lost about 10 pounds (doesn't sound like a lot, but for me, it's a big deal!) Anyway, definitely check out Craigslist -- you can easily find something affordable on there...