Eating some apple before a work out would be awesome! You can add 1 or 2 Tbs of peanut butter or a light cheese stick for some protein. Then you can have your breakfast after you work out.

Until the baby is a bit older, I recommend short walks. Like one in the morning after breakfast and another one after afternoon nap. Maybe another one when the oldest gets home, or a family walk before dinner, when DH gets home. Once the baby is older and not eating every two hours, you can do a longer walk in the morning and an exercise video during nap. Is the 3 YO in pre-school? You may be able to find an exercise class or some other moms to work out with while he's in school. Then baby can chill in the swing or exersaucer for a few minutes while you take care of yourself. And above all, don't forget to be kind to yourself. There is a lot going on. So please be kind to yourself if you're not losing as quickly as you like.

How about a turkey sandwich? Apple and peanut butter? Instant oatmeal? A smoothie?

I would recommend a weights class, if your gym offers them. They are great- the instructor's there to show proper form and answer any questions. I don't care for the machines or lifting weights in the weights area- so the weights class was a great fit for me.

Lizardgirl- I hear you! Do you have a partner/spouse who can do the pick up from day care/ dinner/ clean up/ bedtime routine a couple of nights a week? Can you get to a gym or take a walk on your lunch hour? And what is your schedule on the weekends? Alternatively, many gyms have childcare. I take DS 3x/week: Tuesdays & Thursdays at night and Saturday mornings. I do my work out, he gets spoiled by the child care staff- we both win. I feed him a snack in the car on the way over and we have a crock pot supper or something from the freezer for dinner. My DH works overtime often so I had to find a gym with childcare if I wanted exercise. Take a close look at the family schedule and see where you can carve out time for yourself. As mothers, we need to follow the Flight Attendant Philosophy: Put on your own oxygen mask before putting on someone else's.

If you need a good program that will give you structure and help you learn healthy eating habits, I suggest Weight Watchers. They have a low-carb program called Core. Or you can learn portion control by following the Points program. I count points- because I need the accountability of journaling and am still learning portion control- but my food choices are mainly from the Core food list.

A woman told me something yesterday that I needed to hear. I expressed my frustration at... okay, I was whining... at my situation and how exercising and dieting was frustrating. I sarcastically said that I hoped this stuff paid off eventually and I'm tired of feeling better but not seeing any visible results She just said, "I just try to be healthy for today." That really struck me on many levels- the main one being to take this aspect of my life one day, one hour, one moment at a time. It lifted a huge burden from my shoulders. Now I don't have to worry about what I'm going to eat at Christmas, because it's September. I just have to worry about and plan for today. Hope this helps.

The 13th Warrior is a good adventure movie.