I'm a mom. My youngest just turned 8 mos old and I am interested in losing my "baby weight". I know that I have to cut down calories and exercise but, I have no idea what the best way for me to start would be. I am not very active, outside of chasing my kids around, and I'm a smoker. I feel that I am very realistic in knowing that it will take time to lose the weight. I am a full-time college student on top of being a stay-at-home mom, so I don't have time or the money to go to a gym. I am only looking to lose about 30-40 lbs. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best way for me to get started??

Say for instance someone wants to lose weight in the stomach (what they call pop bellies, etc.), abdominal area (the gut) or hips and legs areas without any type of crash diet programs that are not successful anyway. Is exercise and proper eating the best way? Help, give me advice! I need to know from peoples experience.

What's the best way to lose fat without gaining weight? I started exercising again to lose weight (about 2 weeks ago) and I read somewhere you can't lose fat from a certain area, you have to tone your entire body. So when I started working out again, I gained weight instead of losing weight, could it be muscle weight? Because I really want to lose fat and not gain muscles. It's really strange because I used the exact same workout I did last time and I lose 2 pounds every week, in just one week I seemed to have gone from 115 to 118. All I want is to lose my big belly.

I feel that my thighs are pretty fat and I'm in the process to lose the weight there. What is the best way?
I have been exercising, but what are good exercises to trim the fat? Like which ones are better and which ones lead to trimming the fat faster.