Arrrrggghhhh panic time!!
 

Just recently found out that we could be going on holiday to Florida (first holiday for over 10 years!) anytime from October this year to February next year!

So i've got between 5 and 10 months to lose around 20 pounds and tone up my flabby body!

I've just spent the last 2 and a half months on an exercise kick-doing videos at last 5 days a week (i did nothing before) but it rally hasnt made any difference in my weight or inch loss.

Any hints or tips on how i can make my goal would really be welcomed

Two pieces of advice for you.

First, mix it up a bit! Doing just one kind of cardio day in and day out means your muscles acclimate to it...they need a challenge to keep burning lots of calories. So try a new activity or two, and try not to go a week without incorporating at least one day of something different.

Second, strength train! Lifting weights to build muscle will help you in so many ways. Not only will it make you look more sleek and toned (which is important on vacations...you want to be toned in photos, right?), it will help you burn more calories all day long. Muscle tissue burns more calories when you're just sitting around than adipose (fat) tissue, so the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns in a day, even at the times you aren't exercising.

I'm new here so I don't have much to offer as far as advice on the best plan for you, but I can tell you how I lost 12lbs in 4-months. (My plan may not work for everyone, but it's the ONLY plan that has EVER worked for me!)

In a nutshell - cardio, cardio and more cardio!

Like you, I was no stranger to gym. For two years I was working out 3-4x/week with 30-minutes on the elliptical and then weights for another 30-minutes. Years past and besides losing a few initial pounds, that plan did nothing for me but make me stronger and give me more endurance. I was discouraged and gave-up for 6-months before I decided to try something new.

My first plan was to cut my calories from 1400-1600 to 1200-1300. I made a promise to myself to enter EVERYTHING I ate into Fitday. EVERYTHING. I even purchased a food scale so that I could measure my foods to make sure that I had as accurate count of my caloires as possible.

I also stopped eating microwave lunches. All those Healthy Choice Steamer Bowls and soups were replaced with home prepared meals w/o any additional salt. My 100-calorie snack packs and “diet” cookes were replaced with carrot sticks and apples. I still go out to eat but I changed my way of eating by ordering fish w/o any butter or sauces with steamed veggies or salads w/o any dressing, cheese or breads. Make lean protien and raw veggies the staple of your all your meals. Raw fruits are my snacks and desserts! I also eat very slowly – taking one bit then putting down my fork to chew before I take another bite.

I went from maybe 4-glasses of water a day to over 100oz of water a day. I also gave up caffiene (surprisingly, this was easy with the amount of excerise I was/am doing).

I work out at least an 1-hour a day doing cardio. Since I did the elliptical for years, I decided to hit what I found to be the most challenging - running. Then I started using the treadclimber, treadmill, stairs and bike – switching up my exercises every few weeks.

After 3-months of doing this, I finally started to drop weight - and fast! My average has been 2lbs a week since March. I've know by body is getting more effiecant as I'm sweating a whole lot more than I use too.
Besides doing all the cardio, I lift weights on Saturdays. I do 30-minutes of cardio on Saturday and then a full body workout with weights. I do try to max out my weights. I went from 20lbs curls to 50lbs since January so I KNOW I am getting stronger!

I rest from the gym on Sundays but I do not rest of exercise. I usually walk, garden, or do some sort of outdoor activities with the kids. The new rule is NO TV on Sundays. Sunday’s use to be my binge day, so keeping busy keeps my mind of snacking non-stop in front of the tube.

I would also like to point out that it may take a few months before you start seeing a real change in your weight, so don't get discouraged! Keep up your routine and keep your goal in mind! It will take will-power of steel so you gotta *really* want it and be prepared to put in all the hard work, but it is worth it.

GO FOR IT!

I agree with lots of cardio but I would highly recommend lots of weight training too .... Along with squeaky clean eating, plus eating every 3-4 hours ...

Oh and if you stick to it you definitely can lose those last few pounds by October... Good luck and keep us posted on your progress....

I recommend doing intervals for part of your cardio training. You'll burn more calories in less time and there is some evidence that it boosts your metabolism all day.

Also, you'll lose weight much faster if you change your diet in addition to exercising. It's possible to lose weight through exercise alone, but in my experience, it's a slow process. If you want to speed things up, look for ways to improve your diet--portion control and healthy choices.