I use the daily plate for calorie tracking and logging whati eat. My fitness pal is another popular site for calories.

I'm a SAHM, so I don't really have a hard time fitting in exercise, sorry, can't help you there. But I use my fitness pal for calorie counting and it's great. Just about everything I've ever looked up is in there, even obscure stuff from the Spanish store by my house. They even have an app if you have a smartphone.

I find I HAVE to get my exercise in before I go home from work/university or else it doesn't happen, life gets in the way and there's always something more important. So I go between classes, right after classes or I walk over to my uni's gym right after or before work. I also aim to get at least 5 days of exercise a week. I also try to mix it up a bit - so Wednesdays I belly dance and every Friday the fiancé and I go rock climbing (also free at the university provided you're certified)- this keeps it fun and interesting. Sometimes, if I'm feeling really gung ho, I go to the gym AND belly dance on Wednesdays. It's just a matter of scheduling it like an appointment.

As for calorie counting, I use calorie counter on my iPad.

i just read labels n stuff for calorie counting or google the calories of whatever i'm eating

i work a split shift schedule right now, 7-8 a.m. and then 1-6 p.m. so i have a HUGE gap of time that is filled with household/kid stuff, errands, and random work meetings and whatnot...i also use that time for the gym

however this summer i was working more of a 730-400 p.m. schedule straight through so i would get up early to exercise...get up at 5 a.m., start workout about 5:30 til 6:30, home for a half hour of getting ready for work, out the door at 7 a.m. and at work with coffee by 7:30 a.m.

do you have an idea of how many calories/day you want to eat?

I like myfitnesspal.com for calorie counting. I have found their food database to be extensive. If you simply want to just look the calories up but not track, I like calorieking.com.

I can relate with fitting the workouts in. I work part time, and have a 3 year old and a 9 month old. I know there are people much busier than I that fit their workouts in, so I really try not to make excuses for myself. I like to go after I put the kids to bed. Since they're little that's pretty early (around 7). I really dislike working out in the mornings, but if it absolutely had to I would.

I get up in early in the morning to get my exercise in. I personally HAD to start doing this because trying to get it done after work just was not happening.
However, that being said, I get up between 5:30-5:45 and if I had to get up at 4:15 I don't know if I could do it.
Is it possible to get some workout videos that you can do in the mornings so you don't have to get up so early to leave for the gym. Use the gym on evenings and weekends when you have more time???

I agree with My Fitness Pal for straight calorie counting. It seems to be more user friendly and easy to navigate and has a nice data base of foods. There's also Daily Plate and Spark People. I found the latter to have too much "fluff". I like a nice clean site/navigation.

Regarding workouts, holy cow, I understand busy. DH has class until 9pm Mondays and Wednesdays and I have class until 9:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays. On top of that, I work 8-5 Monday through Friday and have to drop off each child at a different place every morning which means leaving the house no later than 7am.

I am admittedly inconsistent with exercise but I either take the kid swimming on the weekends (some pools are still open or indoor here) or get workout videos and do them in the garage. It's not ideal but it's what I've got. If you can't make it to the gym, try to do something, anything to move and get your heart rate up.

That I need to figure out.

Thanks for the replays I will check out some of those websites, and glad to know that I am not the only one that it is hard to get exercise in. I have thought about getting a used treadmill (I like the ellipitcal that is my fav) but I have tried out some of the cheaper ones they sell and it hurts my knees, the treadmill doesn't seem to do that.

I found a gym that is right across the street from work and go at lunch time so I get it out of the way. I get in about 30 minutes per day and then longer workouts ont he weekends. It has helped with the whole thought process of being to busy at night or to tired in the morning.

I've found for ellipticals, you need to find one that is the proper stride or has an adjustable stride length, like the big fancy one in gyms. It's not worth getting a cheap one that doesn't fit you and causes pain.

Regarding treadmills, if they still hurt your knees you may consider putting some gym quality padding (high density foam squares) underneath. It may provide enough cushion to alleviate your aches and pains. It may not be enough either so you'll have to decide if its worth trying.

I feel your pain about the workouts and time! I work part-time nights and make the same as full-time days. I tried days for 3˝ months (after nights for several years) and ran screaming straight back to my night job b/c I have so much more time!!

You will probably need to find some things you like to do at home for exercise and maybe stick to the gym on the weekends and workout harder and longer on weekends. Also, to save time during the week, I think you should try batch cooking so dinner will already be ready when you get home.

I work 11 or 12 hour days. I have to get up at 4 am to exercise because I won't be able to do it after work. I can't control when I leave work, but I can control when I come in so an early morning workout is required. And that is hard because I'm not a morning person.

The last thing I want to do when I'm done with an 11-hour day is to head to the gym when I'm tired and hungry.