My Weight Loss Log and Tips

Starting Weight: 208
This was my weight after I had a baby and lost the baby weight I had gained. This was my weight before I got pregnant with my second child. I began to lose the weight in April of 2009, when I returned back to work after my maternity leave. So my starting, non-maternity, weight was 208 pounds.

Current Weight: 175 (33 pounds lost)
This was my weight on October 12, 2009 (roughly 6 months after I began to lose weight).

Goal Weight: 150 - 160
I calculated my goal weight by what would be healthy for my body. For my height (5' 8"), the healthy range for weight is between 135 and 165 pounds. If I can maintain my weight between 150 and 160 pounds, then I can have some leeway with my weight and still remain in a normal healthy range.

Tricks: I chew sugarless gum or drink a diet drink when I start to feel a craving coming on. On average, cravings only last about 10 minutes, so I only need to do something temporary to get me over the hurdle. Sometimes I have a craving where I just want to chew something, and other times I want something sweet. The gum satisfies my need to chew something, and a diet soda gives me something sweet, without giving me extra calories.
I sometimes feel hungry when in fact I am thirsty. If I drink a glass of water, my hunger pangs disappear for a while until it's time to eat again.
Sometimes I really just need a snack. There are somedays when I feel hungrier than other days (especially around that time of the month) and my tricks just aren't enough. I'll go for some reduced fat popcorn (one cup of popped popcorn has about 20-40 calories depending on the brand) so I can eat plenty and the popcorn gives me something to pick at over a small amount of time and helps me to feel fuller.

Motivation: Actually seeing the numbers on the scale drop is great motivation alone. However, when I finally dropped down a pants size, that's when it hit me that I was actually losing weight. My starting weight was considered to be in the obese range. My current weight is considered to be in the over-weight range. I never thought I'd be happy to be considered over-weight, but it beats being obese!
I've been over-weight for my entire life. In middle school I had a mean nickname that poked fun at my weight, and I even received a letter home from the school nurse concerned with my weight. I don't want to be that fat little girl anymore. In my mid-twenties it became time to be a healthy, fit woman. I can't hide behind that chubby girl any longer, and I refuse to go back to that weight. For me, that's the ultimate motivation!

Diet: I try to stick to around 1,500 calories a day. I don't make any food or beverage off limits. As soon as I tell myself that I can't eat a food, then that's all I'll want to eat. I try to balance out my meals. If I know that I'm going to go out for dinner or order a pizza at home, then I'll eat a smaller lunch. I'll either eat a salad or try to consume less calories. If I can't do either of those things then I try to get in a good cardio workout that evening to eliminate some of the extra calories I consumed. The important thing is to not worry about an overage of calories. If I have a bad day and eat too much or eat too much of the wrong food, I try not to worry about it. Plus, there are plenty of days when I come home tired from work, and the last thing I want to do is work out. Off days happen and you can't always control them. I stick to my weight loss plan for the following day and so on. I've noticed that I am picking healthier meals and snacks without feeling the urge to eat something bad for me. My "diet" is slowly becoming more of a life change and a daily habit.

Exercise: I try to do cardio exercise at least 3 times per week. I aim for 30 minutes each time. I do a variety of exercises and aim for the fat-burning heartbeat range. The fat-burning range is a lower-impact cardio heartbeat range.
I go for walks at a moderate pace. I will push my baby in the stroller when I'm at home or walk alone on my lunch break at work. I use my mp3 player with a programmed list of upbeat songs to keep me motivated to keep moving. In half an hour, I walk about 1.0 to 1.5 miles and burn between 160 to 200 calories (depending on how fast I walk). To keep track of how far I've walked and how many calories I've burned I use a pedometer. It's small and easy to use, and highly effective.
If I can't get outside, due to the weather or shear laziness, I'll do some cardio routines at home. I'll do all of the aerobic exercises on the Wii Fit game. When I do them all properly, I get winded and sweat. Plus it allows me to incorporate yoga and strength training with my aerobic workout. Sometimes I create my own workout routine. I'll jog in place, do squats and lunges, jumping jacks, kicks and punches, etc. I'll add any exercise to the routine just to keep me moving for 30 minutes.

Resources: I sometimes look to the website myfitnesspal.com. It's free, and it lets you log in your daily meals and exercise to help you keep track to your daily calorie intake. The website also helps you calculate how may calories you should consume a day.