I used to live in sunny Southern Florida. The weather there was ideal for staying in shape. I loved the heat and humidity, so I was always outside doing something. I was a tennis fanatic. I would play every day if possible. It is a great sport for burning calories. In addition, where I played tennis there was also a fitness center. I was in pretty good shape.

Then we had to move to North Carolina because of a job opportunity. We had to move in the middle of winter. What a shock for this body which had never lived north of 1-10. It seemed like I gained 10 pounds instantly. Suddenly I was not playing tennis everyday. I no longer had a fitness center readily available. And I was depressed about the move. What a combination! I knew I should immediately do something to change this pattern of weight gain.

Here it is almost two years later. I still have that 10 pounds. At least I have not gained more. I also have to take into consideration that I am post menopausal. It is much harder to lose weight at this age. Another factor now hindering weight loss is that I have started a business, in addition to my regular job. Unfortunately my job requires me to sit at a desk. Most of my past jobs allowed me to move around more. My own business is a home based business done on the computer. This means additional hours each day and on weekends just sitting.

I started a second website on health and fitness. This has made me more aware that I need to get moving. Here is my plan. Hopefully it will work for me and YOU.

The first step is to eliminate most sweets from my diet. This is tough. I have the world's biggest sweet tooth. I need to substitute veggies and fruit for the sweets. The simple solution would be not be buy any sweets. My mind knows that. I doubt if I can go totally "cold turkey", so I will allow for a treat once in awhile. This allows you to not feel totally deprived.

I already eat lots of fruit and veggies, so that part of my diet is good. For a lot of people, finding acceptable snacks is their main problem. You must have the good snacks on hand

and rid your house of the bad snacks. I could not have any chocolate in the house and if I felt the urge, I would have to walk to the store to get some. Isn't that a good idea? At least I would burn off some calories walking to the store. Also I might decide that I was too busy and go without the chocolate.

The other thing I have to do is exercise more. It is so easy to get out of shape and so hard to get back in. If you have a friend that is in the same position as you, get her to exercise with you. It is easier if you have a work-out buddy. I need to force myself to start walking more. I am not much of a runner, but walking is a great exercise. Winter is here and all I have to do is bundle up and get out and walk.

Be aware of one thing. The longer you wait to make changes to your diet and exercise, the harder it will be. Time seems to fly by. Don't be like me and discover two years from now that you still are carrying around that extra weight. Do what I am doing finally. I have made up my mind to get back in shape. How can I be webmaster of a health and fitness site if I am out of shape? That is my motivation. Contact me at my website and see how I am doing.