A few years ago I was also five stone overweight and had literally not exercised for 20 years since I left school. I calorie-counted like mad and started doing HIIT DVDs five times a week. I lost the five stone. Went from an 18-20 to a 10. Kept it off for about 18 months, then got laid up with a health issue that essentially stopped me exercising for about four years and also had to take medication that has a side effect of weight gain. I was depressed and I comfort-ate. Upshot was that I gradually put the weight back on.
Fast-forward to a couple of months ago when I finally decided to bite the bullet and see a personal trainer - I can't do my HIIT DVDs because I've got a frozen shoulder, so I wanted someone to guide me through workouts that don't use my arm. At the same time, I started doing Couch to 5K.
Two months later I've lost nearly a stone, my body fat's down and my lean muscle is up. I've made really good progress with the trainer and he's been amazingly helpful about diet too - he's told me not to cut out any foods and has worked out a suitable calorie limit for me and a carb-protein-fat balance to aim for if I can. He's even told me off a few times for not eating enough. I should also point out that for two weeks of this, I was on holiday - so was eating holiday stuff and not exercising in during that fortnight.
I also cannot believe how effective Couch to 5K has been. Even when I was at my fittest I absolutely NEVER ran - I hated it and couldn't do it. When I did the first three stages in the C25K programme I couldn't even jog for a full minute, I had a full-on anxiety attack about exercising in public, my foot went totally numb and I had really bad knee and shin pain afterwards. My legs were like lead and I was huffing like an angry hippo. I had to repeat weeks 1 - 3 more than once. But on Saturday I ran for 20 minutes without a break for the first time in my entire life and felt absolutely fine and can't wait to do the next stage.
I have still got another four stone to shift but I honestly feel SO much better - I've got more energy, I'm happier, I'm sleeping better and even my skin looks clearer and healthier. I cannot believe the difference it's already made. I'm enjoying my food and haven't really felt like I've missed out on anything. I won't lie - sometimes the workouts are far harder than others and I've had some sessions where I've felt rubbish. I nearly cried after one of my C25K runs and I was pretty useless at a couple of my sessions with the trainer. But I've kept trying and I feel like I've really turned a corner.
I am a short, fat, middle-aged clumsy woman with a frozen shoulder and a wonky ankle and yet I am completely confident that I can lose the other four stone I need to shift over the next year or so, and that I will be running 5K park runs in a couple of months' time. If I can do this, you absolutely can too!
Although I do want to lose weight - primarily through sheer vanity - I have actually enjoyed being fitter so much that it's really taken me surprise. When I lost weight before, the exercise was just a means to an end, which was weight loss. Now I feel like I would want to do the exercise whether I was overweight or not, and losing weight feels like something that will just help me to exercise more, rather than the other way round. It's a great feeling.