To be nervous of using gym for weight loss?

[LemonadeRayGun]

I have recently been asked to be a bridesmaid for a friend and I am delighted but I want to lose some weight so I am happy with myself on the day.

I am considering joining the gym
as well as rejoining either slimming world or weight watchers - I have lost weight with both in the past. But, last time I was a member of a slimming club I found that the weeks when I had been to the gym, I didn't lose much if anything on the scales!

I know that SW/WW works by itself if I stick to it because I've done it before. But I would like to Tone up a little too - my plan before was always to Lose the weight and then think about the gym, but I never got round to joining. This time I haven time to lose weight THEN tone up, I have 5 months to be a beautiful bridesmaid!!

Am I being unreasonable, or just plain stupid, to be worried that if I do gym at the same time as SW/WW I won't actually lose weight?!

You will still lose weight on Zumba, calories will still be burned by doing it

I lost 22lb with a combination of healthy eating and Zumba. According to MyFitnessPal Zumba burns about 500-600 calories an hour. I worked according to that and it turned out to be true for me. I've no idea why anyone would say it's not suitable for weight loss.

Wobbly - the MFP calorie estimates are notoriously over-optimistic. The other day it claimed I had burned more than 700 calories over a two-hour hike!

Unless you're the teacher, and are really giving it some (or are very overweight and therefore burning more than a slim person), there is no way Zumba will burn 600 calories an hour. I don't burn 600 calories on a 10k run, and there is surely no doubt that a full-pelt 10k race is tougher than an hour of Zumba.

Nobody is saying that Zumba isn't worth doing. If it's the only exercise you're doing then great, of course it's better than nothing.

But there is far better exercise out there that will give you better results in a shorter space of time. Spinning and circuits work for me, cardio-wise - as well as running of course - while Body Pump and weight lifting also show great results.

The thing is with Zumba, and other dance-style classes, in which I'd include step, aquarobics, aerobics etc, is that you can put in as much or as little energy as you want. Whenever I see the Zumba class at my gym, there's people at the back who are barely shuffling from side to side. There's no way they're burning 5-600 calories an hour.

Whereas if you're at circuits, you are forced to work hard for the whole class, and are much more likely to get a "proper" workout. Ditto running. If you're running, you're running. There's no half-hearted hanging about in between tracks. Hope that makes sense.

SW and WW have failed as you've put weight on again. So don't waste any more money on those.

eat properly (you know how, if you don't see a nurse at your GP practice for dietary information) and move around - if joining the gym will help you do that, go for it. Any movement is exercise.

as others note, it takes a lot of exercise to burn significant calories so what doesn't go in your mouth is more important.

forget weight, forget dress size. Use mirror.

I lost the most with moderate exercise (long walks, gym but not excessively strenuous workouts, swimming, etc) and following a clean eating /loosely based SW plan, ie used the general principles of SW.
I did continue to weigh myself but also measured myself at the same as there were times you see inch loss but not weight loss.

I stopped going to SW classes, partly because it bored me to tears, but also because the lack of exercise to achieve bigger losses really annoyed me. The leader was actually telling people to cut back on the gym etc.
Losing weight is 80-90% diet in my experience, the exercise just tones you up. Without exercise though you can eat up looking "skinny fat" with no tone

I am very fit (ultra marathons, fell running etc). I recently took up zumba and I have to say I can really notice the difference in my physique - it is very high energy and great for burning calories. Don't underestimate it.

SW/WW didn't fail - they worked. I failed. I would have gained weight again whether I was doing calorie counting or paleo or low GI or clean eating or whatever. Any change in eating habits have to be maintained or weight goes back on. The way I naturally want to eat, and how I love my life makes me fat. I need a
Lifestyle change and not go back. That is why I have gained weight again, because I reverted back to my old ways. And this would have happened whichever restrictive eating plan I was following.

The thing is with Zumba, and other dance-style classes, in which I'd include step, aquarobics, aerobics etc, is that you can put in as much or as little energy as you want. Whenever I see the Zumba class at my gym, there's people at the back who are barely shuffling from side to side. There's no way they're burning 5-600 calories an hour.

But I do put in loads of effort, and have successfully lost plenty of weight easily doing Zumba. I found it much harder to lose weight through running and circuit classes because I hated it, whereas I enjoy Zumba.

But I do put in loads of effort, and have successfully lost plenty of weight easily doing Zumba. I found it much harder to lose weight through running and circuit classes because I hated it, whereas I enjoy Zumba.

And that's great, but is a completely different argument. The OP was asking about the best exercises for weight loss at the gym, because they previously hadn't lost weight through exercise, and I recommended some.

While you personally might put in a lot of effort at Zumba, lots of people don't, and see it as a bit of fun. Which isn't a bad thing at all, but isn't the best route to becoming far fitter.

That's why, I guess, from my entirely unscientific research at the gym - ie seeing the different people in different classes - the people who do Zumba and step aerobics tend to be larger than those who do circuits and spinning. The latter classes - in my opinion - attract a different demographic because they're tougher and burn more calories.

I do think that enjoying your exercise whatever form it takes, is critical to how well you will do at it.

I go to the gym and I run, I love running with all my heart the rest of it is just to tone me up and keep me strong. I'm always itching to get on the running machine though, not sure I would keep going if I couldn't run.

I had a personal trainer once and hated it as she had me doing nordic pole walking, bursts on the bike and some other stuff that I loathed - I stopped going after 6 weeks as I dreaded it so much.

So, in summary! Zumba good if it's the only thing you really enjoy but throw yourself into it with gusto .

MrsJossNaylor Actually I was replying to the OP's second message which asked: I used to really enjoy Zumba but someone up thread suggested that isn't worth it for weightloss? Is it good for toning?

And I was also replying to the other people who said Zumba won't help you lose weight. Clearly it will for many people.

...if that's OK with you :-/

Maybe I've been unlucky with Zumba classes but the ones I've gone to have been full of chubby women shuffling from side to side, whooping and clapping and having fun but not actually really getting their feet off the floor or looking like they're having to make any effort. I;
'm already very fit but it certainly doesn't raise my heart rate.

I do exercise too, and sometimes I also go to Gym if I had extra time, But I mostly exercise at home, and with the help of Liproxenol Max I easily lose weight in a week I see results, it helps me to suppress my appetite so I don't eat a lot, and cleanse my body to remove those toxic fats.
It's really great that I have Liproxenol max with me.