Fitness Friday

I'm on month 2 of this "lifestyle change" and things are going well.  I had a rough 10 days with me and the kids being under the weather.  Honestly, last week was that time of the month and it wrecked me.  I ate whatever and did not exercise at all.  I thought I'd gained 5 lbs!  However, I remained the same.  Not bad.  I'll take it in fact.

Starting weight: 292
Current weight: 280.5
Total loss: 11.5

What is going right:
Calorie intake.  I am being very conscience of what goes in my mouth.  I also log what I eat and how much I exercise here at Livestrong.com. 

What I'm struggling with:
That time of the month.  It's hard when all you want to eat is the high fat foods.  You know, Mcdonald's french fries and burgers.  I need to get my head around that.

Things I've learned...
*1 Weight Watcher's Point is approx. 50 calories
*I eat about 1700 calories/day...2000 if I workout that day
*I do 45 minutes of cardio 4-6x/week
*1 lb = 3500 calories
*Avg weightloss is .5-2 lbs/week
*1 lb fat burns 2 calories/day
*1 lb muscle burns 25-90 calories/day
*For weight loss, cardio 5-6x/week and strength 2-3x/week
*Your diet should consist of: 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat
*Using a heart reate monitor is key when doing cardio.
*Working in different heart rate zones aids in calories burned

***Thank you, Janet of YMCA for all your great information!  I could not do this without you!!!!