Welcome to the group!!! If I learned anything during my fitness journey is that nutrition is THE KEY to results. You can workout all you want but if your nutrition is off, the results won't be the same. What works for me is eating small portions around 5 times a day and balance it out between protein, healthy carbs fruits and veggies. I feel like when I completely cut something out of my diet, I begin to crave it and that's when I fall of track. Of course, it is an everyday struggle to keep myself on track with food, but if I am good at least 80 - 90% of the time, it works! Don't' beat yourself up because you ate bad for the last few days. What's important is that you get back on track and move forward. I found that the nutrition plan from my last program that I did (21 days fix) worked the best for me. They had separate containers and if certain food fit in, then you can eat it. It was super easy to follow and very effective. So now I just try to stick to that plan more or less and it has worked great. As far as motivation, what works for me is to practice it daily!!! I like to connect with other people like me so we can keep each other accountable. It motivates me to motivate others and also keeps me accountable. It is a lot less likely I will skip a workout if I know there is a group of people counting on me!!! Congratulation on starting Pilates!! Do you usually work out at the gym or do you like to do workout DVDs at home?

I've been on MFP for 1 week now. And every day I have been careful to eat below my daily calorie count and to exercise. But today I went to the doctor and I weighed in 4lbs heavier than a week ago. I'm so disappointed. Does anyone have any words of encouragement for me?

Don't get discouraged! Weight loss is never a straight line down.. it is more likes waves all the way. As long as you stay consistent do work on it every day, you will see results. What kind of workouts are you doing now?

@FightingFitMom - I think what is important is find your soul workout and what you truly enjoy, but also make sure it is effective. Some people love cardio, others love weights, some love yoga - but the key is right combination of all these excercises. I know that running on a treadmill or elliptical has not worked well in the past. I only take classes at the gym and mostly workout at home. Ever since my last baby, working out at home was most convenient and luckily I found programs that gave me really good results. It is still a struggle to constantly be on track so I try to keep myself motivated. What kind of workouts do you like to do?
P.S. Congratulations on you baby!!!