I have been trying to lose the same stubborn weight for several years now.  During my first attempt, a Tony Little Gazelle sat idly in my living room for a couple years before I gave it up.  Since then, other small fitness equipment has come and gone with hardly any use at all, despite my best intentions.

Our latest money sink, a $500 treadmill, sits folded up right next to me in the office here, where I planned to use it when I needed a break from writing.  My husband actually bought it a year ago and has probably used it about half a dozen times.  I was in late pregnancy when I put it out here, and soon became unable to do any strenuous exercise.  I hold out hopes that I will use it once I recover from delivery, but those hopes are probably in vain.

If you are serious about losing weight, you will pull it off no matter how you exercise.  You can spend a whole lot less money and probably see much more positive results by investing in a gym or pool membership instead.  Our local hotel offers pool memberships for their indoor pool.  How much more fun would that be compared to walking in place on a treadmill in the same room you see every day?

Some people definitely do have the discipline and motivation to use home fitness equipment and benefit from it, but there’s a reason home gym equipment is such a huge industry – we keep hoping the next big thing will be the one we actually use to lose weight.

The most important thing you need to be successful at losing weight is determination.  Without that, no amount of fancy equipment will get you to your goal, and with it, you don’t need fancy equipment.  So before you waste money on buying your own equipment, test your resolve with less costly ways of working out.  Your bottom line – and your waistline, I hope – will thank you.