Donna, you have been given some excellent advice. I can't believe how many women who responded eat just like I do, including the choice of complex carbs over simple carbs.

I have a follow-up question. What were your daily calories before you went to see the dietician? And what are your calories now?

The reason I ask is because the calories are critical, and the calories are what have to be individually shaped to your needs. A dietician can tell you the calories, but seriously, you take the recommendation and then you figure out what your body needs. Susie (offthegrid) recommended several calorie nutrition programs; I use Calorie King. When you exercise, particularly with cycling, you have to eat the right kind of calories to compensate for the body losing nutrients during the exercise. Somehow, those calories have to be added to your daily requirements, and you can only determine what that number is by recording the calories over time and watching the results. The dietician might tell you that you can't exceed 1500 calories a day, but if you are out cycling 25 miles a day, that number will need to be altered, and only you can figure out what the number should be.

Weight loss just isn't sure and easy like they show it in television commercials and on the reality television shows. It is why all of us have so many friends who are large and heavy and don't ever move their bodies; it is because they start from a position of being so out of shape they can't exercise enough to lose weight, and they become discouraged and stop making the effort. A large part of the equation is moving the body, and the more weight you lose, the more you have to exercise. Remember, the official recommendation from the federal government and the American Heart Association for weight loss is 60-90 minutes of aerobic activity each day. That is every SINGLE day, not every other day, or only 2-3 times a week, it is SEVEN times a week. But, as the body fat goes down, you still have to increase the cardio time. That means you have to reprioritize the routines of your daily life and put exercise at the very top. It can be done. Somebody says, "Hey, want to go to a movie and dinner," and you say, "I can't, I haven't done my cardio yet." You go on vacation, you choose a hotel that has a fitness gym or has access to a fitness gym, even if you have to pay more to get such a hotel.

And get that heart rate monitor right away. It will make a difference for you.

Darcy