in 18 months of dancing, I've lost 22kg of fat, put on loads of muscles and gained so much toning. This wasn't intentional but I'm enjoying the benefits.
Having to hold myself up while bigger also gave me better strength, which is paying off now.
The only advice I can give you is:
Do not expect miracles or amazing instant loss from pole. It's not liposuction.
Eat well. Loads of unprocessed foods. Don't do the "lite" or "diet" foods, they're full of shite. Eat plenty of fresh veggies and fruit, whole grains, lean proteins (include legumes, grains and pulses in this category) and ensure you eat breakfast. Do not eat at fast food joints.
Keep a food diary and measure everything you eat for a month. It'll surprise you how big our portions are. Keep to proper portions and things will drop. Protein should not be anything more than the size of your palm, vege (mainly greens etc, not too much starch) should be the size of your hand. Eat off a smaller plate to fool your brain into thinking you've had a big meal. (Thanks Glitz)
Drink loads of water. Do not drink "diet" soda. Full of shite. If you don't like water, add a little squeeze of lemon to it.
Eat breakfast. Unprocessed food is better: oatmeal / porridge sweetened with dried fruit, fresh fruit, low sugar cereals. (Thanks Glitz)
Walk as much as you can. This is a great free exercise.
Only weigh yourself weekly, the body fluctuates throughout the week and you may get disheartened from a perceived weight loss. Also remember that the body retains fluid just prior to menstruation.
Allow yourself some treats or sometimes foods: if you want a chocolate biscuit, have it, just don't eat the whole packet from denial. Ditto, if you want chocolate, eat a high cocoa solid bar, you won't want very much before being sated. If you want a glass of wine, then have one. But that is the trick, learn moderation. I have found that by driving when we go out, I don't drink. Easy way to not overload on empty calories.
A 30 minute freestyle session with no spins is really hard and can burn a lot of calories. Top that with a 30 minute walk to warm up and you'll soon see differences. Just ensure your diet is healthy. Don't go for a fad diet, many people do this with no idea of what they're really doing. By this I don't mean deciding to eat vegan, do weightwatchers etc, I mean doing Atkins, skinny bitch etc without good dietary knowledge or the advice of a nutritionist. I'm vegan, but I trained as a chef, have my own garden and am very aware of what goes in my mouth therefore I know how to balance what I'm eating and how good really fresh broccoli tastes.
Remember that muscle weighs far more than fat, so don't rely on the scales for a true indication of your body; clothes getting loose are a far better sign of progress, as well as being able to work out for longer or harder. set up a measurement chart, watch your progress that way, measure bust, waist, hips, upper arms, thighs etc.
Most of all, set realistic goals and expect it will take a while. Aim for 1kg per month, and see what you get. Anything on top of that then becomes a bonus. Also ensure you see your Dr too, to ensure you're going about it in a healthy, sensible manner. A total screen also will give you a starting point by which you can measure the non-visible improvements to your health from your efforts.
Gah, I wrote a novel!! But after too many years of diet addiciton and body dimorphism, I feel I'm pretty aware of the traps. I do eat crap, but far less than I used to. But all the above works better than any fad diet.
