Bikini Time ...

What.. 5'8 145 is nice size.. My hubby wants me at that size, I will take anywhere between 140-150. So i am just assuming you want to tighten up since thats not any where near over weight. I was fine as wine when I was that size at 18, with no kids.. now..... :-( lol

Cardio Exercise like running, biking, swimming

Strength Training /Core Training exercises with a medicine ball or light weights. Google for lots of great exercises to do at home.

Eat Clean

You tone by working out, PLUS weight lifting, reducing unhealthy foods, snacking and eating many small meals a day of vitamin rich foods, and burning calories, drink lots of water, cut out any sodas. Walking on the treadmill isn't going to get you in shape.... doing it on a heavy resistance and high incline will for example. Weight lifting burns more calories and also tones your muscles. Join a gym and they will help you. or go here and get some great at home workouts. Strive to do at least 30 minutes a day... or twice a day, morning and mid evening.

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss

The two biggest things you need to know are WATER (drink tons of it, this is a huge tool in weight loss) and FIBER (fiber is what helps fill you up and keeps you feeling satisfied the longest). Also, know that it's actually 70% of what you eat/drink to 30% exercise believe it or not. The saying of "abs are made in the kitchen" is true. Stick to the outer perimeter of the store and stock up on tons of veggies to keep your calories in check so you don't binge on the potato chips from the pantry. Make sure you are doing cardio and weights not just one or the other each week. Also, if you choose to do cardio and weights in one workout session, ALWAYS do weights FIRST followed by cardio.

I was 145 when I was a size four (I am alot shorter then you too, at 5ft2) so I am have trouble picturing why you need to loose weight

I am a huge fast food junkie. I am 5'7" and 143, but alot of mine is muscle. What helped me was crossfit baby and eating more greens. Having a green drink every morning and greens (dark) for lunch and dinner also. Lean meats. If you are serious cut ALL the junk food:) good luck!!

Not sure when the party is, but if you have a solid 12 weeks you can really make a difference in that time. I am 5'3" and went from 128 to 120 in less than 12 weeks and toned up quite a bit. Here is what worked for me.
1. I did long distance walks a couple times per week. 1 time while my girls were in preschool and 1 time on the weekend. 5-7 miles each time. I used the App "map my walk" on my phone so it would track my route, miles, and calories burned.
2. I went to the gym (YMCA) 2 times per week and did some weight lifting. At first I started with the circuit machines and then added in some free weights. Weight lifting is the key to seeing change quickly. Just doing cardio will not help you tone up. Using the squat machine really made a big impact quickly. It puts weight on your shoulders and I did a combo of regular squats and then some jumping squats. Just doing regular standing squats was not good enough for me.
3. I changed my diet drastically. I eliminated as much sugar as possible. Regular bread to wheat bread. I avoided pasta and started eating spaghetti squash and quinoa. Even though I didn't join weight watchers I would research WW recipes and used recipes on blogs like Skinny Taste. I ate a lot of hummus and veggies, almonds, salads with homemade dressing that didn't have sugar (ex: hummus, olive oil, lemon juice), chicken prepared in a zillion different ways, talapia, yogurt with fruit, and fruit in general.
4. I used to hate eating breakfast, but trained myself to do it. Eating every 3 hours really helped curb any sort of craving for snacks.
5. I have a friend on facebook who has been advertising these Skinny wraps. https://jilllarson.myitworks.com/Home. don't know first hand if they work but she is having great success herself.

In the last 6 months I got off track a bit and just started working with a trainer in a group session 1 day a week. The price at the YMCA is cheap when you do a small group. Your post is helping to remind me of what I need to do to get back in the groove. Let's do it together!!!! Bikini bods, here we come :)

Is it an option to join a Y or a fitness club? When I first was ready to workout, it was helpful to have a place to go, with people who could show me what to do, if necessary, and to have the motivation of others around. I like to run/walk/bike alone, but I always work out harder around others that are working out, when lifting weights or doing a workout class - doing it at home alone it's hard to push myself!

Cardio of any kind is good for weight loss/maintenance, but for toning I would do weights, and an activity like Pilates or some forms of Yoga is great!

Then don't weigh yourself every day, maybe once a week.

Cardio is good, I really notice myself drop the fat when I do some intense cardio, but primarily I weight lift and I would suggest weight lifting to anyone who wants to lose weight. The best place to start is "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women". I personally do not like the weight lifting regimin in the back of the book, but the beginning section is such a good beginning for anyone who hasn't been in a weight room, or has but just isn't sure they're doing it right. Weight lifting will help your whole body.

Also, looking into joining www.fitocracy.com for exercise tips, encouragement, and fun! I love the site and it has helped motivate me more than anything.

When you treadmill, do you know what your heart rate is? Here is a trick that helped me: You need to work in your fat burning zone. At 30 years of age, that should be about 125 BPM.
Keep in mind that although cardio is a good fat burner, it does not build muscle, which is the requirement for "toning" up. My recommendation is either find a Pilates Reformer class or do some light weight training. I am about 143 pounds and 5'5" but because so much of my weight is muscle, I still fit in a size 6. (BTW I am 56 years old)

Umm... 145 lbs at 5'8" sounds like a perfectly ideal weight to me. Personally, I think you should work on your negative self-talk and try to practice accepting yourself for the way you are.

That aside...The only way to lose weight is diet & exercise, but the last few lbs are notorious for being stubborn. You're going to have to work HARD at interval training to lose that 10 lbs (and you should perhaps focus on toning rather than weight loss).

Try P90X, I've heard people have had great success with that.

Happy Early Birthday!!

That's all I've got . . .

Your weight sounds good, you are probably just "soft". I'd do some muscle training with weights to get yourself firmed up.

What are you doing exactly for exercise? What are you eating? Give us more details so we can help you! Are you eating smaller portions? What do you snack on? Are you drinking water only - no sweet drinks, tea, sweet coffee, soda, juice, etc. Are you exercising 4 to 5 days a week for an hour at a time? Are you doing any heavy weight exercise using your large muscles? Strength training is the way to go. Push yourself. Join a class. Power Up at the YMCA is a good one. You can get a punch card to try it. Running, biking, swimming, or another aerobic exercise on top of that. I would not weigh yourself so much - because you should gain muscle as you lose fat. But a really big thing to do is to eat less...smaller portions and less (or no) snacking. You can do it!!! Happy birthday!

I would keep a food diary, also. I workout 5 times a week and was not seeing the weight come off. But when I started using the APP... My fitness pal, I started to see the weight come off. The app tracks your food intake and you can put in your workouts and it tells you how many calories you have. My issue was snacking after the kids went to bed. But now I can look on app and see that I only have 100 calories left for the day and normally I will not snack. I was snacking just to snack and not because I was hungry.

I'm about your size and I lost 10 pounds a few years ago doing Slimfast. It's not fun, but it works. I wanted to lose it in time for coming home for the holidays and it took about 8 weeks or so. Some of the shakes and bar things are better than others. Shake for breakfast, shake or meal bar with 1/2 sandwich for lunch, and 500 calorie dinner. I think you got a snack too somewhere in there. No pop, no dessert, no fun, but effective. I started working out a few years ago, using a program made by a trainer (free for joining the gym) that was a combo of weight training and cardio. I didn't lose much weight (maybe a couple pounds) but for the year or 2 I went to the gym consistently my body changed. So do you want to lose weight or lose the jello feeling? Now I'm putting off going back to the gym post baby. I need the motivation of a Vegas trip, can I come too? :)

Congrats on your birthday. Your numbers would make many green with envy. How's that for a confidence boost. :)

Strength training, and core training will help. Try using an exercise ball or balance board for extra toning.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

if you need to tone you need to build muscle and do strength training. Sounds like a circut would work best for you where you are mixing cardio and strength in short burst over a period of time (30-60 min). Happy birthday! I hit 30 a couple weeks ago and decided it is going to be awesome. But I hated it!

Try to exercising more often. And maybe you need to increase the intensity. Are you breathing heavy and working up a sweat?

8 glasses of water at a minimum.

You don't really need to diet if you'd just eliminate the whites from your diet - white flour, white sugar, white rice, white creams, etc. My friend was diagnosed as pre-diabetic and so she did this and lost 20 pounds in just a couple of months.

Protein is a big factor, so make sure you eat a protein at every meal. And of course, lots of fruits and veggies.

Soda is really bad for you, so you need to eliminate it. Try sparkling waters instead. Or limit yourself to one diet coke a week. And I'm a chips & salsa addict, so I know where you're coming from. Try to limit this treat to once a week and make sure to buy baked or multi-grain tortilla chips, or Sun Chips.
Good Luck, you CAN do it!

Hi, I'm 5'3" and on Monday morning I was 114.8 lbs. I'm 53 years old. I average 400 minutes of exercise a week...I do yoga twice a week, zumba twice a week,plus workout at the gym and walk everyday...love to keep variety. I don't diet, but almost always eat our main meal in the middle of the day. NEVER drink soda, try to drink lots of water. I believe that all my exercise keeps my weight down...most days (other than yoga and zumba) I only do a half hour at a time, but sometimes, I may do three different times a day of exercise, walking in the morning, zumba later and something that evening. Don't know if you have that luxury, but it sure helps the lbs. to drop in a quick way. I still eat some junk-food too, just not constantly. If you totally deprive yourself then you'll binge...you just have to use some balance and common sense. When the chips come out, well just eat a FEW...not the whole bag! lol And you have something going some of us short people have always dreamed of being....5'8" lucky you!

I know people who did the P90 workout.
And they got results.
But it is everyday and hard work.
You gotta buy the DVD's or if you know someone who has it.

You probably have to workout both cardio and, strength training.
And eat healthier, so you get toned. If toned, then you will reduce in clothes size as well. Even if your "weight" doesn't change much.
It is what you lose in girth, that counts.

Eat healthier. Drink water.
Graze instead of eating only 3 times a day at mealtimes, so your metabolism is more even keeled.
Smaller portions.
Reduce simple "white" starches. ie: potatoes, white bread, rice, etc.
Increase whole grains/veggies etc.