Amateur in need of fitness facts

Spaniola

The thing is up to about two months ago I basically did minimal excercise (walking), and as I am now approching 30, the weight has crept up on me and I made a radical decision (as I was to some extentanti) to join some kind of fitness regime. I decided for the obvious reasons to join Curves, which I find brilliant - very relaxed works out, but with focus, absolutely no "faffing" and convenient.

To digress for a moment, and provide you with some background, I do (unless I am missing some majic secret) eat a healthly diet. My typical day would be a breakfast of (red) fruit & a low fat yogurt, lunch of a homemade salad with low fat dressing or a wholemeal chicken salad wrap and dinner typically is Fahita's, or Spag Bol, or something along those lines (made from scratch where time permits).

Anyway I have been going to Curves for about 2 months now, 4-5 times a week, and have not lost any weight....so I got measured as I have heard a rumour that you shouldnt weight yourself when you first start excercising?? fact or fiction I do not know.....and I have lost not one inch anywhere and it is begining to get me (ashamedly) down. Oh I should also mention that for the last 4 week, I joined the personal partnership program (basically a personal trainer who will force you to force yourself - pretty good really!) which I feel is making me have an extra extra work-out!

Now that I have filled you in on the background I suppose I need to lay out the reasons I am starting this thread.....well for me to be comfortable again, I think I would need to loose 1.5 stones, which at this rate is not working - and I wonder am I doing something wrong? or is there something else I could do (within reason - I am no gym bunny!)?

I know if I can even shift 1/2 stone, I will be remotivated to keep going, please help!

Pugsley

A lot of 'low fat' yoghurt's are far worse than you than normal ones, because their crammed with sugar, and lots of it. Low fat dressing tends to be the same. Another important factor could be portion size, spag bol in the evening is a bad enough idea (too carb heavy), but if it's a huge heaped portion then you will gain a lot by rethinking your dinner. Have a read through the stickies, they will give you more than enough information about nutrition without any of that 'magic secret' marketing nonsense.

The not weighing yourself shortly after starting a regime is mostly for heavy weight lifting, as muscle gain and fat loss will be fairly similar in the early stages, you may even gain weight, but lose fat.

Also you said 'relaxed workouts', perhaps it's just because I mainly train weight's, but isn't that in itself, impossible to be effective? If I'm not a borderline cripple, with a disagreeable stomach and barely able to walk a straight line by the end of an hour long workout, I'd say I was slacking off

Spaniola

Thanks for your comments re the dinner - duly noted.
Re the low-fat stuff, my dad is diabetic and I only eat yogarts/salad dressing which he was recommended, so I dont think there is too much sugar, I may indeed be wrong...
By 'relaxed', I did mean enviornment...when I am finished a workout I am wobble legged and gasping for breath!!!

Thanks again.