What Is BodyFlex And Would I Recommend It?

Greer Childer’s Body Flex weight loss program has been around for ages. Does it really help you “lose inches”? Read the review and find out.

What Is BodyFlex?

Several months ago I started receiving questions almost daily about a weight loss program called “BodyFlex”. I had never heard about it and figured it must be more popular in Europe, as most of the questions come from my Russian subscribers.

With so many people telling me that it helped them lose weight I got interested and started investigating. The first thing I came across was the program’s creator Greer Childers doing a video about it, which seems to be created around the 80s:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jte5ep8bkCs?rel=0]

I have to admit, I seriously couldn’t keep a straight face. Although I also have to admit that the breathing technique she is using actually comes from an ancient practice of yoga breathing so there may be basis for it working somewhere.

What Does BodyFlex Do?

80s hairdos and jokes notwithstanding,  it looks like a lot of people lost weight with this, judging by the emails I get and also the video’s comments on YouTube.  So what else is part of this program besides the breathing? This is taken from the BodyFlex website:

You can do the BodyFlex program in just minutes a day, all while sitting on your couch and watching your favorite television program. Plus, the GymBar’s unique rolling feature that adds approximately 5 lbs per roll, allows you to progress and keep losing inches as you get stronger.

I personally think if things were that easy, we’d have not that many overweight people walking around. But it’s the sitting down while exercising that really gets me alarmed and, as open-minded as I am, this doesn’t fit into my understanding of fitness at all.

The disclaimer on the website clearly states that the results may vary, and also that order to achieve results you have to do the full program, which is a combination of breathing, exercise (on your couch, in front of your TV, that is) and follow a 1,600 calories per day meal plan.

My Take On BodyFlex

If you are able to keep a straight face during the breathing exercises and eat a 1,600 calorie / day diet, then BodyFlex can work for you. However, eating just 1,600 calories a day would probably even without exercising on your couch or deep breathing make you lose weight.

From what I’ve read, Greer Childers has been keeping her weight down this way for over 20 years, and I have to admit she looks quite amazing for her age. I’m not sure how old she is now, but at the time of the video above she was 54. I also know if I had to eat a 1,600 calorie diet for 20 years there would be some serious mental breakdowns and I probably wont’ look nearly as good as she does. That stress would make me age in overdrive.

Personally I like to exercise and stay active and “active on the couch” doesn’t fit into my understanding of healthy activity. I also like some muscle on me and this program promises weight loss but no muscle – that’s a big minus for me.

With everything I mentioned above, you can pretty much say that I personally wouldn’t recommend the program because it doesn’t make much sense to me, but everyone is different and what works for one person might not work for another. You can give it a try if your goal is lose weight without gaining any muscle, and if you are able to not laugh hysterically throughout the video.

Picture courtesy of Jacob Boetter.