Has anyone lost weight and really toned up successfully?

Placemarking

I've lost 10 stone and workout regularly. I definitely have definition and muscles - sadly it can't be seen as saggy skin covers it up. However I am stronger and fitter and that's actually what matters.

I've read this thread last night and have just done the Caroline Girvan day one Epic beginners on Youtube. Wow, I am hugely unfit!
I'm going to try and do one Youtube workout a day as well as eating better. Anything is better than nothing right?

The HIIT class was very painful good thanks, @MindBodyChocolate! I did a short weights workout first thing this morning and then W4R1 of C25K on my way home from the school drop off. I arrived home looking like a tomato

I am feeling a bit thinner, but reckon I have at least half a stone to lose before I can fit comfortably into most of my clothes, sigh. Till then I just rotate the same half dozen tops or so and stare longingly at the others

I'm going to meal and exercise plan later to account for half term. There may even be a reward chart involved - if it works for the DC...!

Well, I have DP if you can call him support @MindBodyChocolate the issue is that he just doesn't listen to DS1 or have any idea how to deal with his meltdowns, and has very little patience with the DC in general. To be fair he does also work full time but has always had plenty of child free time - I have had very little of it and no nights away, unlike him! - and I just think, if he wanted to train for a marathon/ join a sports group/ take up a regular hobby he'd just do it and not care what I thought. Luckily(?!) for me he's too lazy to even go to the gym...

I planned a run for tomorrow but have been given the chance to try another HIIT class for free. Really hoping all this work pays off on the scales soon!

Walking daily plus heavy weights sessions have made more of a diff to my shape and general fitness than anything else. I’ve done all kinds over the years. Pilates also good.

Thank you @MindBodyChocolate ; you're entirely right, there's nothing wrong with eating chocolate, but I would rather not at the moment! Or I would, but then there's no way I'll make my weight loss targets...

DS1 had another meltdown this evening - we talked it through later and had lots of hugs but I worry about him so much. There doesn't seem to be any way of predicting them or heading him off when he starts and my nerves are completely shredded

I managed a short workout and a run today which I'm pleased about. Food was a bit rubbish though. Will plan better tomorrow!

What a lovely post @WebCookiesAreIntrusive; I am re-reading your wise words today after a tough day with DS1. He is 5, borderline ASD and incredibly hard work some days, and today was one of them. He's always up early and bouncing off the walls by 8am, I simply don't have the energy to keep up sometimes he was on the verge of going into meltdown this morning when I managed to bash him on the head by accident and of course felt horrifically guilty! Then I cried over my breakfast at the thought of never being able to fulfil my plans of getting slim and fit, doing more exercise etc whilst he is this tough to deal with day in, day out. I just have no idea how to cope apart from eating lots of chocolate

@bookworm1632 what a nightmare to have to stay at the gym for hours!! You must have been exhausted!

It's the beauty about dieting with exercise. It's SO much easier than dieting alone for so many reasons, but the main one is that after a couple of weeks of an exercise regime, the exercise becomes something you look forward to - it's no longer a chore. The endorphin release is so addictive and it makes you feel so good about yourself. The weight loss then becomes a total bonus on top - NOT the be all and end all.

The one thing I am pleased about is that I have taken it one day at a time and if I fell off the wagon I forgave myself and got back on it. I've not looked down the road and thought of the 2 stone I've needed to lose. I just thought about today. 5 months in I am 1.5 stone lighter and although that doesn't sound that much over 5 months, it has pushed back against me as I've built muscle. My clothes have dropped 2-3 sizes but I have bulked up a bit especially in my legs. I went to try on some skinny jeans yesterday and thought bloody hell, I look like I've been training for the Olympic cycling team. That's OK though, I'm still happy.

It's a journey, and I am enjoying it. The destination is actually irrelevant in a way. Along with your weight loss and fitness journey, you should also add in other stuff to make you feel good. As my weight has decreased and confidence returned I've started wearing nicer clothes, wearing jewelry and being more thoughtful with makeup, and wearing a bit more.

Make it a holistic experience for yourself. You deserve it. Your loved ones will love that you are taking care of yourself and be really proud of you.

I've lost 2st from 18:6 fasting and calorie deficit, and found myself not as toned as I would want, so I've been going to the gym for a little while now. I cannot abide running, so I use the 'steps' machine - you perpetually climb stairs - and the exercise bikes, and despite my pessimism I'm seeing results. I really thought I had some sort of weird inability to become shapely, but the secret is to fuck off counting sets and reps and things and just go as hard as you can as long as you can, and don't stop until your legs give out. Then take a little break and go again. Try to do some weightlifting too, as that is far more effective than running.

THEN I considered the data on transmission in households - secondary attack rate is ~17% - so if the risk of passing it on in a gym was similar to a household, my risk would now be 17% x 10% = 1.7%.

But of course, a gym is FAR safer than a household - I'm only there for 60 mins, vs LIVING there! And the opportunities for surface transmission are far lower... so it's likely the risk of picking up the virus is a lot lower than 1.7%.

That correlates quite well with the total lack of reported infections picked up through gyms.

If you factor in the risk should I contract covid, then I figure there's a bigger chance of me coming to harm from over-exerting myself on the treadmill .

Incidentally - on value for money gyms, I use PURE. Most places it's £19.99 a month and open 24/7. I used to use "The Gym", which was also excellent and cheap (apart from the time I forgot they locked the changing rooms at 11pm and left my car keys/phone/wallet in there, so had to spend the entire night exercising to stay warm until the cleaners arrived at 7am and I could go home!).

Good on your gym for being Covid secure @MindBodyChocolate but yes, I can imagine fixed time slots are a pain!

Our local leisure centre was never really value for money but now they've had to restrict class numbers (and make everyone wait outside beforehand!) then I know a couple of people who just aren't bothering any more. One friend has given up her membership in disgust and is attending all her classes via Zoom instead - and she could walk there in 5 minutes, so it isn't about time/ convenience.

DP's gym is massive; he assures me that all their preparation has made it Covid secure, just waiting for him to go and see for himself really...!

Well, inspired by everyone on here I actually went for a run after dropping the DC at school!! It was only week 3 of C25K and I was slow as ever but I did it, and arrived home with a puce face to show for my efforts

Thank you for the Les Mills advice @bookworm1632 and @WebCookiesAreIntrusive, I'm finishing a short local weights course at the moment (online) but will have a look at LM after that.

That's really handy of your gym @MindBodyChocolate! How are things when you physically go there? DP hasn't been to his gym for about 18 months - a real shame as he'd been going consistently for a year but then got out of the habit - and is now using Covid as his excuse for staying away I'm very frustrated with his constant "I need to lose weight and go to the gym" refrain, followed by him parking his arse on the sofa and eating crisps all night...

5 stone is fantastic @EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall!! Joe is great isn't he? My exercise kick was really started this year by PE with him during lockdown. The DC had zero interest after a bit but I kept going! He actually puts some helpful stuff on social media too and all his YouTube videos are free, which has helped. Although I did invest in some of his cookbooks, which are not the cheapest

Well done op! I've been doing the body coach exercises on YouTube. I'm just under 5 stone down now so following the thread for more inspiration!

bookworm has pretty much covered it Clara. The only thing I can add is that we have Apple TV and play it through the app on this. If you go onto the Les Mills website online there are loads of instructions on how to set it up on different devices.

Weights and the bar are ££ but honestly, this is one of the best investments I have made. I go without other stuff to have it. These workouts have had a massive effect on my physical and MH health.

You should check out local Gumtree and FB selling places to see if anyone is selling any of the kit you need. Also, when I was looking around I saw weights and kettlebells being sold on and off in Aldi, Lidl and TK Maxx.

Connecting tablet/laptop to TV also works - you just need a TV with an HDMI input which is anything made in the last ~15 years!

If you have a SMART TV, there'll almost certainly be a way of mirroring your phone to your TV without a lead.

Some workouts don't need weights - Pump is the exception and unfortunately they're quite expensive right now with a basic kit - bar and 6 weights coming up at ~£150! The price of gym equipment has soared since last March.

You can do a free trial with Les Mills online to see what's what.

Thank you @WebCookiesAreIntrusive - another slightly dim question, how do you watch the workouts through a TV?! My friend who has it just uses the app, but frankly I need something on a bigger screen to be able to follow it!! (A laptop would also be ok but a phone is just too small!)

Would I need to buy actual dumbbell type weights? I have hand weights and kettlebells but nothing else...

Well done to you too @bookworm1632 and great advice I have to say running didn't do much for me in terms of weight loss probably because I was so incredibly slow but it did improve my mood a lot, I might start C25K again from week 3 or something. I got to week 8 last time, was really pleased with myself and then the schools closed, destroying my running time opportunities

I'm just very fed up of being fat and nothing seems to shift the pounds at the moment!! Although AF is due shortly which never helps!