I have!

I got to say though that those ridges on the inside HURT after a while.. Imagine being pounded with a meat tenderizer.

I only worked out on one for a few minutes and I was hurting.

My mother on the other hand was doing it for 30 – 45 mins at a time for weeks and she had bruises on some days.

The weight portion is fine I didn’t feel like I was really working out though.

I’ll see if I can get my mom to write a review for you.

@frankielaguna Wow – BRUISES?!?! Yeesh!
Would be great if your mom would write a review of her experience. Especially on whether it helped her to lose weight/inches quickly, but not sure if that would be worth being bruised!

I have tried it, yes – it hurts and I had such huge bruises, everyone though my husband must be beating me…couldn’t wear anything but long shirts…I chucked it pretty quickly

@Simone_De_Beauvoir Aside from the bruises, which would deter me anyway, did it work to lose inches or weight?

@chyna I don’t think I did it long enough so no

Mine isn’t weighted, but I have one. I can’t do it yet, though.

I have a 2-lb hoop that I had custom made for me (by WhoopKat on Etsy.com). It’s a great workout if you can commit to it. I like to go out into the back yard and play music and hoop for 30 minutes to an hour. Very little bruising, and it’s fun.

The problem with a hoop that is too heavy or too light is that you can’t keep it going for very long. (And the longer you can hoop, the more fun you’ll have and the more calories you’ll burn.)

hell i can’t even work the non-weighted ones :-/

Thanks for all the answers. I don’t think I’ll spend the money on the hoop being I can’t see myself doing it for 30 mins or longer and I’m not into paying for bruising.
The belly dancing for fitness DVD, which I got because it was only $7, looks like a much more fun (& pain-free) supplement to the elliptical machine at the gym :)

Just saw this today from Prevention via health.MSN.com:

“Hoop it up
Sometimes child’s play is the best thing for adult bodies. All those great kids’ games like tag and kickball and playground fun take your body through a full range of motion while letting your mind relax and laugh. For flexibility in your back and hips, the most “therapeutic” kids’ play may be with a hula hoop! Swinging your hips to keep the hoop in motion rotates your vertebrae in a full range of motion they never see during everyday life (unless you moonlight as a belly dancer), and it’s good exercise. You can even buy a weighted hoop called a Heavy Hoop. These foam-covered steel rings come in weights ranging from 1 to 7 pounds, and they make your abs and obliques work twice as hard as a lightweight hoop. Research shows that vigorous gyrating with a Heavy Hoop can fry up to 110 calories in just 10 minutes! Now that’s no child’s play.”

Here’s the reference: Lifestyle Shortcuts to Big Weight Loss

Still, from the above answers, it seems like too much pain for gain.

I got the weighted hula hoop because of your question and it’s awesome. It hurts the first couple of days, but it is great exercise!

@Narl Wow, I’m glad that you like it since you bought it because of my question! After you’re doing it for a while, I’d love it if you came back & updated me on how much weight and/or inches you lose!