If you could spend about £200 a month on attempting to lose weight...

[nappiesandcontracts]

..what would you spend it on?

Hoping to lose 1.5 stone. Currently a member of a council gym which has decent kit, range of classes etc, costs £35 a month. Go 1-2 / week which probs isn't enough but struggle to find time or motivation to go more.

Diet is ok, eat fairly healthy food but weakness for wine and snacks...

Could afford a personal trainer 1x / week but I'm not sure just exercising for an hour will make any real difference to my weight?

There's a lovely looking David Lloyd nearby which I've toyed with joining in the hope that the loveliness will motivate me to go more, but it's obviously £££

Just a bit stumped where best to direct my resources. Feel like I need someone to tell me what to do and hold me accountable. Is that a PT or a weight loss coach (does that exist?)

Any advice/suggestions v welcome! TIA

The idea that extra exercise burns excess calories is a myth - as others have said it really is all diet. Your metabolic rate will adjust according to how much exercise you're doing, which is why it's hard/impossible to lose weight through exercise alone unless you are truly at the limits of human endurance (not very sustainable). This is a good thing because it is the down regulation of metabolic rate that produces so many benefits such as longevity, improved mood etc.

You absolutely should do exercise but I think you need to choose exercise that you really enjoy and that invigorates you. That kind of exercise literally means you snack / eat less because you will be less dopamine seeking.

Alongside this I highly recommend learning about the effects of UPF and cutting it from your diet. This is generally expensive and time consuming so you could spend some of your budget on ordering ingredient boxes for non-UPF meals etc, or just freeing up your time for home cooking. Losing weight through diet change doesn't have to be an ordeal that involves feeling hungry indefinitely. If you switch from UPF you may find hunger and cravings disappear quickly.

Many people believe they eat healthily but this is because of the spurious health claims (eg lies) all over so much of our food (UPF) which is not healthy at all. That "lights" option vegetable lasagne ready meal is garbage trash that will make you feel hungry and sad, a sure way to get fat. Healthy eating advice has now been completely co-opted by mega food corporations selling UPF. I recommend the book ultra processed people, absolute eye opener.

I’d spend it on a dream holiday and use that as motivation to do an extra class at gym, walk more and eat more veg….

The idea that extra exercise burns excess calories is a myth - as others have said it really is all diet.

On low carb alone, I lose a small amount of weight and have to be quite strict to keep it going down. If I run three times a week, the loss is very consistent. I think it's a psychological trick, possibly. Running, I REALLY notice the weight. So I think it tricks me into being stricter without effort. Because I don't want to be struggling, I like it getting easier.

OP, definitely think about joining @BIWI as she posted above. It helped me. I don't actually need a lot of willpower any more because I get to have good food without cravings. Doesn't work for everyone but it works for me.

I think exercise does help people to lose weight. Just not by then eating exactly the same and "burning" more calories. It's the "burn more calories" bit which is the lie!

Exercise releases endorphins which means that these don't need to be sought out by eating. Exercises switches on muscles and switches off the gut, directly reducing hunger. Exercise makes people feel happy and well, and proud of their bodies. Exercise improves motivation and mental acuity. So lots of reasons that it is helpful for weight loss - however these reasons happen via eating differently.