I'm petrified but I am desperate to lose fat and build muscle to improve my self-esteem as I HATE my body and have done for some years since I put on weight.

It's a kettlebell class and I'm going to walk there, which should take me about half an hour. The class lasts for 60 minutes.

I have been losing weight and exercising at home for a short time but really need the motivation of a class to really get me started again, hence me going out. I also feel that my being very unhappy with my body has made my phobia worse.

I used to lift weights at the gym about 10 years ago and weighed 63kg. When I weighed myself then, I was always looking to be heavier as I knew I didn't have much fat to worry about. Then medication and bad diet made me put on 28kg.

Now, I am aiming to lose 22 kgs in, at most, 6 months and I want a good bit of my final mass to be compromised of muscle.

This is the first time I've ever joined a weightloss/exercise forum and it's the last time I want to be doing something to get my body the way I want it!

Nice to meet you all!

I'm going out.....

Good luck at your new class! I think a kettlebell class is perfect! Lifting weight burns calories during and after (but as a former weight lifter...you know that).
I find it almost impossible to work out at home. Being in a class totally makes me push myself harder than I would on my own.

Thanks Pepino!

Man that was hard! I literally did 2 hours of non-stop cardio and the kettlebell class was much harder than I anticipated. On the walk home i went from restaurant to restaurant looking at the menus and smelling all the food! But i didn't buy anything. Waited till I got home and had some lovely healthy fish and peas.

The instructor really didn't give me enough advice on form and my kettlebell form is atrocious! I would have really struggled with the lifting aspect of the workout too had I not known about form beforehand. So, I shall take the advice given by people here in the kettlebell threads and get my form sorted out before the next class.

It's a great workout though and I am very proud of myself for overcoming my fear and severe pain from arthritis to do this.

I felt on top of the world walking down through the town to the class though. Go me...yeah...lol

That's super brave of you to go to a class! I've gone to kettlebell classes too and it's great for your core muscles (abdomen area). The best advice I got was to be aware of the kettlebell at all times - most injuries occur when you're done with repetitions and are getting ready to set the bell down and take a break.

I also didn't get lots of advice until the 2nd or 3rd time I went to the class. The instructor had me take it easy for awhile and then really starting giving me guidance on form and how to use it efficiently. Once that happened, she let me start swinging bigger and bigger ones. It makes you feel pretty bad@ss once you can do the exercises with the "grown ups".