Good Morning! OK..what are you favorite weight loss tools?

By that I mean are there any favorite websites? Exercise? (personally..I am a little embarrassed at my size to do pilates or yoga but my goal is to attend my first class before the end of the year). I told my hubby that I want to get an MP3 player...I love to listen to music and it helps keep me going. Since I have a 2 year old that will not be able to go to the gym everytime mom wants, I hope to supplement with walking. I do have problems with my feet and hips hurting but I hope that starts to get better as I go. OK..am I annoyingly ready for action?

Hi Wendy, I used walking as a major part of my exercising. In the beginning I was having pain in my feet. And since I am diabetic I wanted to make sure I am not doing any damage to them. So...I went to the foot doctor and got a great pair of shoes and inserts. Since then no pain. That could be part of the reason for your pain. Ann 306/222/130 Non-op

hi there Wendy, My favorite weight loss tools?? hmmmmmmm...well I work out regulary at my gym. I go 3 times during the week and for one of the Group Power (weight lifting to music - 60 minutes) classes on Saturday morning. I do the elliptical for 45 minutes and then the weight circuit for 20 minutes. I also sometimes grab the big ball and do some crunches on it, and some squats. I used to exercise even when I was 350 pounds. I credit my regular exercise routine with being able NOT to get back to 400+ pounds. I'm one of those freaky people that didn't see how fat they had become, so basically I wasn't so incredibly self-conscious at the gym. I also bought a balance ball (75cm) for home and I do a pilates routine on my days off from the gym. It only takes about 15 minutes but it still makes me feel less sluggish. I am excited for you that you are ready to do some exercise!!!!! Donna

Hi, Wendy, www.fitday.com is the greatest for tracking everything, food, exercise, vitamins, etc. When I stopped smoking a while back, I went to www.hypnosisnetwork.com, their program for smoking is great. I told my daughter to try hypnosis for weight loss. She found www.tomnocoli.com (or www.tomnicoli.com) and bought the smallest set (2 CDs $40.00) and says it is great, she's lost her desire for sugar and appetite is way down, also she said if I got it not to listen to it before bed because it energizes you and you can't sleep. The large set has 7 CDs with one for low and one for no carb dieting, and one to help you want to exercise, it's about $90.00 with shipping and tax. I've always had problems going to gyms, I'm so self-conscious it takes me a lot of time to get dressed to go, even if I lay out clothes in advance, I'm never comfortable enough with my appearance. I've bought a lot of gym contracts in my life and never really used one . I have a treadmill, so that's good, but I use tapes or DVDs for exercise (ones that have music that I can relate to, it's more fun that way ). A good digital food scale, try Walmart or a drug store, and a good digital weight scale (I don't like having to adjust a scale to zero and having to weigh 3 times and take an average .). Snacks, after spending most of my life dieting, I just can't do celery and carrots anymore . I eat green beans and asparagus straight out of the can, and cucumbers sliced kinda thin and soaked in a little vinegar and water, salt and pepper to taste. Can't think of anything else right now, as if that isn't enough. Best of luck, Holly

Hi Wendy, I also had some problems with my feet and I found that never going barefoot and always wearing proper shoes (with inserts) helped tremendously. I am also self conscious about going to the gym so I have purchased some Richard Simmons dvds and I do a 45 minute dance routine every day or so. The songs are fun and once you learn the routine, you can work up quite a sweat. I got the dvds on Ebay and they were not expensive. Good luck~ Nancy 300/290/150