Where do I start?

It can be overwhelming to think you're doing well with weight loss only to gain weight.  Been there.  Two things can get you started.  You have to be realistic with yourself.  Start a food and exercise diary and you need to track two things accurately to start:

Forgetting about the bag of M&Ms or the 5 handfuls of chips you had mid-afternoon because you were starving is not getting you anywhere.  Write down EVERYTHING you eat and what time.. Measure it too!  You could not be realizing what you're eating or you could be WAY overdoing portion sizes.  Be realistic.  Is that dessert really 1 portion or are you fudging and adding some to satisfy your craving?  Are you eating small meals and snacks throughout the day?  Are you under eating and starving yourself and killing your metabolism?  You need to know what you're eating, how much and when to truly decide if you're eating right.

Second is your activity level.  Do you really know how active you are?  Do you workout?  Is your job a desk job?  You have to be realistic about your activities.  The easiest way to determine.  Get a pedometer (step counter) and wear it every day for a week.  Add all days together and divide by the days.  It'll give you a clear picture of how active you are.  See How Active Are You? and see some Pedometer ideas and what I use along with some my friends use.  There are a wide variety of Pedometers out there these days that track everything from calories burned to sleep time to heart rate and ones with built in radios.  There's one for everyone.

Activity Levels for steps per day
Sedentary < 5000 Steps
Low Active 5000 - 7499 Steps
Somewhat Active 7500 - 9999 Steps
Active 10,000 - 12499 Steps
Highly Active > 12500 Steps


There are tons of ways to increase you steps per day to get you on the right track to lose weight by increasing your activity level per day. 

Take a walk with your spouse, child, or friend

Walk the dog

Use the stairs instead of the elevator

Park farther from the store

Better yet, walk to the store

Get up to change the channel

Window shop

Plan a walking meeting

Walk over to visit a neighbor

Get outside to walk around the garden or do a little weeding

Steps Per 15 Minutes of Exercise
Walking 3 mph - 1500
Walking slow - under 2 mph - 909
Walking slow - 2 mph - 1136
Walking 3.5 miles per hour - 1727
Walking 4 miles per hour - 2273
Walking 5 miles per hour - 3636
Racewalking - 2955
Aerobic dance - 2955
Backpacking - 3182
Badminton - 2045
Ballroom dancing - fast - 2500
Ballroom dancing - slow - 1364
Basketball - shooting baskets - 2045
Basketball game - 3636
Bicycling - 3636
Bicycling fast - 5455
Bicycling under 10 mph - 1818
Billiards/pool - 1136
Bowling - 1364
Calistentics - vigorous - 3636
Calisthenics - light to moderate - 1591
Canoeing - 1591
Children's playground games - 2045
Circuit training - 3636
Climbing - rock or mountain - 4091
Cooking - 909
Croquet - 1136
Fencing - 2727
Fishing - 1364
Football - 3636
Frisbee - 1364
Gardening - 1818
Golf - 2045
Gymnastics - 1818
Handball - 5455
Health club exercise, general - 2500
Hiking - 2727
Hiking - orienteering - 4091
Hockey - field and ice - 3636
Home/auto repair and shop tasks - 1364
Horseback riding - 1818
House cleaning - 1364
Hunting - 2273
Ice Skating - 3182
Inline skating - 5455
Jazzercise - 2727
Jogging - 3182
Jogging on mini-trampoline - 2045
Jump rope - 4545
Kayaking - 2273
Kickball - 3182
Lacrosse - 3636
Lawn bowling, shuffleboard - 1364
Lawn mowing -power mower - 2273
Martial arts - 4545
Minature golf - 1364
Punching bag - 2727
Raking lawn and leaves - 1818
Raquetball - 3182
Roller skating - 3182
Rowing machine - 3182
Rowing machine, vigorous - 3864
Rugby - 4545
Running - 5 mph - 12 minute miles - 3636
Running - 6 mph - 10 minute miles - 4545
Running - 7 mph - 8.5 minute miles - 5227
Running - 8 mph - 7.5 minute miles - 6136
Sailing, boat and board, windsurfing - 1364
Scuba diving - 3182
Shopping - 1045
Sitting - 455
Skateboarding - 2273
Ski machine - 3182
Skiing - cross country - 3636
Skiing - downhill - 2727
Skimobiling - 3182
Sledding - 3182
Snorkeling - 2273
Snowmobiling - 1591
Soccer - 3182
Softball - 2273
Square dancing - 2045
Squash - 5455
StairMaster - 4091
Stationary bicycling (moderate effort) - 3182
Stationary bicycling (vigorous effort) - 4773
Step aerobics - 4091
Stretching, yoga - 1136
Surfing - 1364
Swimming laps - moderate - 3182
Swimming laps - vigorous - 4545
Swimming leisurely - 2727
Table tennis - 1818
Tai chi - 1818
Tennis - 3182
Volleyball - 1818
Water aerobics - 1818
Water aerobics - 1818
Water jogging - 3636
Water polo - 4545
Waterskiing - 2727
Weight lifting, moderate effort - 1818
Weight lifting, vigorous effort - 2727
Wrestling - 2727
Yoga - 1136

Fit In A Workout At Your Desk  is great for people with desk jobs to INCREASE your activity levels.  Burn 100 Calories NOW is a quick workout that burns 100 calories fast!
And, poke through old blog posts, there are great workouts scattered throughout!

Once you know your activity levels and what you're eating, it's easier to figure your caloric intake to get on an appropriate nutrition plan.

Don't forget to re-figure you're activity levels and nutritional needs every 30 days as you begin workouts and make changes to your nutrition. See How Much Should I Be Eating? for help figuring a calorie target.

For tips on healthy eating see Nutrition, The Key That Unlocks Healthy, Smoothies & Shakes for healthy snack and meal replacement options,

These things are the habits you'll learn that will stick with you to lose weight AND keep it off!