Gym workout advice please!

Hi all I need some advice from people about a gym workout and I notice the guys talk quite a bit about that kind of thing so here I am! I am 5'6" and weigh 131lbs. Give or take 2lbs this is where my weight tends to stick. I am okay with how I look now but as a confidence boost I would like to get a bit more trim for the summer. As a starting point I have made a target of one stone to lose weight-wise. However I will go with "until I lose the small cuddly bit on my belly" as an ultimate aim :D A couple of years ago when I was going to the gym when my littlest baby was six months old, I combined working out with the GI diet. I found this a really easy way of eating and overcoming my sugar cravings. I easily lost at least 2lbs a week until I hit my current weight. I am looking at going to the gym a minimum of 2x a week which I have to work around the littlest two who I have at home with me - the creche ends up being pricey after a while. I also do other sports once a week with my older two which helps woth cardio. What I want suggestions on is again combining diet with exercise to lose my excess weight. I am vegetarian (no fish but eat dairy) and like to avoid soya protein as much as possible. I also need a workout that AVOIDS any ab work as I have a diastatis recti (my abdominal muscles are split between two to three fingers space apart) and an umbilical hernia. I have consulted my doctor who says exercise is fine apart from any ab work. I want a fairly simple workout - last time I was at the gym they started trying to direct me towards all these daunting machines and it really put me off. I want to look good in a bikini on holiday but not go to massive extremes to have to keep it up. Also it would really help my confidence with hubz. Advice?

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