Which one - Yoga vs. Pilates?

Which would you recommend and why? Does one help you lose weight more than the other?

I am looking to lose 25 lbs. I would like to join a Gym, but cant afford it at the moment. I thought a few DVD's that I could follow along would really help, but I need to know which ones are best.

Yes, I was planning to follow a calorie intake of 1500 calories, combined with the yoga/pilates, lots of water, and ab exercises.

To lose 25 pounds you'll need more than Pilates or Yoga - diet of under 2000 calories daily, lots of water, and some sort of cardio as well. That said, I prefer Pilates. I started with Pilates for Dummies. I thought it was a good 25 minute workout that left me feeling pretty worn out the first month or so, but it has moves for beginners and then more difficult positions for when you become more advanced.

Good luck!!

Before you start, please understand that neither program is designed to burn fat. Yoga and Pilates are excercises which strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility. Either exercise program will whip your muscles into shape and make you feel good. It's still exercise, so you're still burning calories, but it's not a massive fat burning fandango like a cardio workout would be.

Having said that, I prefer Pilates to yoga. Pilates focuses more on muscle strength than flexibility. When I had time to do Pilates on a regular basis, my torso was very lean and my body was quite strong. However, since literally ALL Pilates exercises focus on the abs, you might want to forgo any other "ab exercises" you were thinking about doing.

I adore the Rael Pilates program. I own the 3 DVD set which includes System 7 (Beginner), System 17 (Intermediate), and System 27 (Advanced). I have never seen it in a store; I ordered my set from amazon.com last year. You will also need to purchase a yoga mat...you CAN do the exercises on a carpeted floor, but it will be very uncomfortable without the mat.

Great you already have the answer!! What you need now is to be consistent and learn more about yoga. I recommend yoga, because, first it's older than pilates in terms of History. It's proven by history, that it helps with weight loss and make the body looks beautiful!

By the way, here is a very nice free yoga e-course:
http://www.yoga-health-beauty-energy.com...


Peace