The site is amazing. Anything you eat – almost without exception – is in their database. You enter what foods you eat, and get a daily running log of how you’re doing on calories, fat, sugars, fiber intake and more. You also log your exercise. At anytime, you can take an overall snapshot of how you’ve been treating your body and see areas where you need to focus. You can use it for any habits you’re trying to change – i.e., just log your exercise, or just your food, etc. There’s also a blog and diary area where you can track how you’re feeling (when you eat a certain food, or after exercise, etc.)

I don’t work for them or anything, it’s just been such a huge benefit to me over the past year. Oh, it’s also FREE!!! They have a subscription, but you basically get all the benefits as a free member too (although I appreciate it so much, I do pay for it). I’ve lost 30+ lbs and kept them off, and I wasn’t overly big to begin with.

Good luck!

http://roundoaktablev2.blogspot.com/

All in all, it’s pretty complicated, and there’s no pat answer to cover everyone, food-, exercise-, or whatever-wise. However, even though the pictures of zucchini and fruits pretty much thrill me, one of the reasons I’m so into fitness and nutrition is *because* these used to be struggles for me as a child. You wouldn’t know it now, but one of my most searing memories from elementary school is when two boys told me I should go on a diet. I don’t think I ate horribly, and I was certainly active. I simply had some genetics and could use some improvement; I was also still growing, which meant that I had my overweight period.

Anyway, that’s neither here nor there, but here are some things that are successful for me:

-Find what you like and do it. This applies to exercise as well as nutrition; if broccoli just bores you to death, explore the produce section. Go beyond romaine–are there any fruits or vegetables that interest you? Explore and experiment. It’ll get you more excited about eating these things and seem like less of a punishment. Find some recipes that you’d like to try. Ethnic sections are great to find items that will jazz up dishes. I cook in a way that my husband says he’s never seen anyone do before, and I think that might have to do with the fact that I cook a lot of ethnic dishes–Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern (Turkish, Iranian, etc.), Greek, Eastern European (Hungarian, Slavic, etc.), and of course, the well-known cuisines of Latin America, Italy, yada yada. Anyway, unadulterated dishes from their native locations tend to be pretty healthful. You’d be surprised what you can create at home that can rival an Indian restaurant (or come close to it).

Exercise-wise, I belonged to a gym for about eleven years, and found that if I didn’t vary my daily routine, I got bored and didn’t want to do it. At that point, it was drudgery–not enjoyment. So I wrote out a new weight-lifting routine, got into yoga, even took water aerobics classes. Change does a world of good. Now my challenge is different; I don’t belong to a gym, and winter is approaching–which is pretty serious in Minnesota. I love to road and mountain bike and spent growing up years skiing in the West, but none of those are options here, especially during the winter. Without a gym to keep me going, it’s tough to exercise. I check out workout DVDs from the library, have a stationary bike, weights, a workout ball, and a few other things to keep me interested. I work at home, so it’s even tougher to get going when there’s so many distractions. I try to stick to a schedule to get past that.

-I agree with Becoming Minimalist about the accountability factor. Making changes with your husband will help. There are also a few blogs that I’m aware of that might help–Hizzeather, who comments on SSB and Kristina’s blog, has put up a communal blog that people can post to about healthful changes. Join a walking group, set exercise dates with the CPA, etc.

-For the CPA, the favorite treats thing, including dessert–I think the answer to that is moderation. One thing I carried with me beyond my nutrition minor is that there is no such thing as “junk food.” Just food eaten in the wrong amounts. Have a piece of cake–not *a* cake.

Ah, there are so many more I could include, but I suspect it’s time for me to get back to my manuscript! Good luck, and if I can offer any more solutions, let me know. I’ll be watching for your changes!

i guess we just need to get that ‘high’ from exercising…
it’s hard when you first start, but i’ve found that my body actually craves exercise (running) now that it’s used to it.

just give it time! you can do it!

Set small goals.
-walk 3 times a week.
-not gain weight over the holiday season
-lose 5 pounds by Jan. 1.
-be able to fit into those pants from 2 years ago that I loved so much
-etc.

Small goals can seem more attainable than long term.

Just take one day at a time and don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the horse. Just get right back on!