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First couple days have gone well overall. I have kept my calories in check my goal is 1500-1800 a day both days I have been below 1700. Monday I had a basketball game to go to so I didn't work out and today was a long day at work so didn't make it to the gym. Need to go the rest of the week to hit my goal of going to the gym 5 days per. No excuse only solutions. Tonight I plan on hitting the sack early so I am rested and ready to go for tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well! See you tomorrow.

Yeah 1500-1800 is low at my weight I should probably be around 2000 or so. This is kind of an experiment for me I guess. To see what is possible / healthy. Alot of people at my work have been loosing tons of weight on the F.A.S.T diet http://www.meanestmanindieting.com/ Which is basically calorie counting exersize and accountability. After talking to some of the guys at work it seemed this is the calorie range they want most of the guys in, the ladies around 1200.

Last week I didn't exersize once but was happy I kept my eating good. Went to the gym tonight for some upperbody work and just hoping to keep the momentum going. I know if I keep it up for a month it will become habit.

You are right about strenght training you need to keep your muscle to burn more fat. If you want low calorie protien I would definately reccomend chicken breasts and pure protien bars (walmart/Sams carries them) http://www.pureprotein.net/. As far as protien bars they are the best I have tasted. I have one of those bars every morning for breakfast, if I am busy at work they get me through to lunch.

So last night I entered in my bicycling for the first time on this site to see how many calories I burned. I was really surprised that for 40 mins of cycling between 10-12mph they estimated I burned 750 calories. It seemed like a lot compared to other exercizes. So I did some research on top calorie burning exercises and this is what I found.

1. Running
Running is one of best activities you can do. It doesn't require special equipment (except some quality shoes) and you can do it anywhere. Best of all, you burn serious calories, especially if you add hills and sprints. A 145-lb person can burn 300 (at 5.2 mph) in 30 minutes. The downside is, it takes lots of practice and you should watch your knees and ankles for any discomfort or pain.

2. Cross-Country Skiing
Whether you're on a gym machine or swooshing over miles of snow, cross-country skiing is an incredible cardio exercise. What makes it so great is that it involves your upper and lower body, which means it doesn't take much to get your heart rate soaring. A 145-lb person burns about 330 calories during 30 minutes of skiing. The downside is: it's HARD. Take your time and ease into it.

3. Bicycling
Outdoors or indoors, cycling gives some great cardio. Using all the power in your legs, you'll increase endurance while burning lots of calories, anywhere from 250-500 in 30 minutes, depending on how fast you go and how high your resistance is.

4. Elliptical Trainer
The elliptical trainer is a great way to build endurance while protecting your aching joints from high impact activities. Plus, if you use one with arms, it's just like using a cross-country ski machine. The elliptical trainer is also a good choice for runners looking for a break from pounding the pavement. A 145-lb person burns about 300 calories in 30 minutes.

5. Swimming
Swimming, like cross-country skiing, is a full body exercise. The more body parts you involve in your workout, the more calories you'll burn. Spend 30 minutes doing the breastroke and you'll burn almost 400 calories. Best of all, your joints are fully supported so you don't have to worry about high-impact injuries. It's also great cross-training for other cardio activities.

6. Step Aerobics
Step aerobics has yet to lose its luster for many gym-goers and it's a good thing. Step is one tough workout that targets your legs, butt and hips while burning almost 400 calories in 30 minutes (during high intensity sessions). Though it might look complicated, step is easy to learn if you start with a beginner class or video.

7. Rowing
This is an often overlooked machine in the gym because most people are confused about how it works. Vigorous rowing can really get your heart rate up while working your arms like crazy. Plus, it's probably not something you do very often which means you'll burn even more calories. In 30 minutes, a 145-lb person can burn about 300 calories. That's if you do it with a little oomph.

8. Rock Climbing
Rock climbing burns a whopping 380 calories in 30 minutes, but this isn't an activity for the faint of heart. Though you use strength and power with your arms and legs, rock climbing has a high learning curve and requires lots of special equipment and techniques so you don't hurt yourself. Mental strength is a plus!

9. Walking
If you put a little oomph into it, walking is a great exercise, burning about 180 calories in 30 minutes. Adding hills, sprints or even a few minutes of jogging can increase the amount of calories you burn. Make sure you walk briskly--pretend you're trying to catch a bus--and keep you head up, back straight and swing your arms.

10. Handball
Okay, I'm not just putting this in here because my husband plays handball (and very well, I might add). Similar to racquetball (but without the racquet), the side-to-side sprints will get your heart rate up as well as strengthen your legs. The learning curve is high, so plan on practicing a lot before you can even hit that little ball. A 145-lb person burns over 400 calories in 30 minutes.

Even though Swimmming is up there I really thought it would be #1 calorie wise.

Went on a bike ride tonight I usually try to pay attention to the wind so that the first leg of my ride is into the wind and with the wind on the way back. I started out really strong not paying attention. I don't know why it didn't hit me when I was coasting along at 20 mph but it didn't. Until I turned around to head back. Lets just say the ride back was a little tougher! Either way it was a great ride.