Any kind of dancing helps not only to lose weight but also to tone because you use every muscle when you are dancing. Pole dancing lessons are a fanastic way to lose weight because the pole gives you resistance and you aren't straining anything usually, unless you are doing acrobatic pole tricks. It's the hottest new exercise rend and is definitely worth looking into, there are hundreds if not thousands of sites to go to for more info, just google pole dancing lessons, exotic dancing lessons, or something similar and you will be shown all types of places, I believe there is even a pole you can buy that comes with a video to teach you if the thought of doing it around someone else embarasses you.