joshsmom said:
Ab Lounge? Gazelle? Tread Mill? WHAT WORKS??? What isn't worth the money?? I don't have thousands of dollars to spend (saving that for WDW!
). I thought the Ab Lounge looked interesting and like something I *might* be inclined to do. The Gazelle thing looked interesting too. But I'm so confused
Any help? I'm
!
As for what works: IT ALL DOES...if you use it! The key to weight loss is spending (exercising) more than you earn (eat). Anything that you do to burn calories will work.
I gained a
lot of weight when I was pregnant, and it didn't come off after DS was born. I was miserable overweight. Nothing looked good on me, I had no energy, and no diet seemed to work. I'd start exercise programs (yes, I even bought the Gazelle) but when I didn't see results after two workouts, I figured "Oh, that machine doesn't work."
Finally I had had enough, and decided that I was going to exercise, and would not stop the program until I had lost some weight. I refused to go spend more money on an expensive piece of equipment in case I failed again, so I went and bought a set of 3 and 5 pound free weights, and a couple of Kathy Smith and Denise Austin workout tapes.
I'm just preparing you here: it was SO HARD getting started!! I felt like a cow bouncing around, I would get easily winded, and I couldn't keep up with the people on the video...and the worst part was, after exercising daily for a week, I finally got on the scale only to see that I had not lost one pound! I was so tempted to quit, but I didn't. I made myself be stubborn about it.
I kept at it, and over the next couple of weeks, I found myself gaining more and more stamina. I could keep up with the tapes, I could do more and more reps with the weights, and I wasn't getting as sore. When that scale finally showed some weight loss, it was all downhill from there! Once you see that little bit of encouragement, that little bit of progress, you will not believe how motivated you will become. Just wait until you drop your first dress size...WOW what a wonderful feeling! But beware: your clothing budget will go through the roof because you will be so excited about what you can fit into!
The more I lost, the happier I became, and the more excited I became about my exercise program. I expanded it to include kickboxing, Pilates, yoga, heavier weights, step aroebics, Tae Bo, a ballet workout, running, and jumping rope.
I ended up losing 68 pounds! 
And I bet I spent less than $50 to do it. You do NOT need a piece of expensive equipment to do it. You will just need dedication. I didn't take a single pill, shake, or supplement either. I didn't even diet, I just ate sensibly.
Be aware that if you do use weights, which I highly recommend since it builds up lean muscle tissue (which burns more calories than fat cells do), the scale will not reflect your true fat loss. Muscle weighs more than fat, so your net weight loss will not be the same as if you were only losing fat and not gaining muscle. HOWEVER, even though the scale will not move that quickly, you will be able to tell the difference in your
size, which is what I cared about most. I couldn't care less if I weigh 400 pounds as long as I'm a size 6! So even though the scale tells me I lost 68 pounds, I know it was actually more than that when you take in the muscle factor.
Anyway, I went from a size 18 (I'm so glad this is an anonymous forum) to a size 6, and I've kept it off for years and years.
When I was still losing (and not just maintaining, like I am now) I tried to work out 6 times a week. I'd do cardio every day, and strength training every other day. When you get to your goal weight, you don't have to work that hard, just get in a good workout 3-4 times a week to maintain.
So, you don't need a piece of equipment, and I don't think I would have went to the gym at my weight. I did it in the privacy of my own home, with weights, a yoga mat, an aerobics step, and a few videos.
I did go ahead and buy a treadmill this year so that I can run when the weather's nasty. But I knew that I would use it, so I had no qualms about spending all that money.
But you can do it!! Just keep at it!! Picture yourself at your goal weight, and when you think about quitting, think of how excited you'll be to go into a store and put on anything you want, knowing it will look good on you.
Good luck!!
ETA (edited to add): I should have also mentioned that you should rotate your workouts and/or crosstrain. That helps with consistency, too.
