Welcome! I'm new here too!
You have done a FABULOUS job- an inspiration to me, so thank you!
As for my opinion on your workout (and please bear with me if you already know any of this info!):
As far as your workout routine goes: are you able to have a one hour consultation with a personal trainer? They may be able to help you come up with a workout plan targeting toward meeting your
goal. They will definitely be able to help with proper technique using
weights or weight machines. Don't forego this part of your workout, as it builds lean muscle for strength to keep up with the kiddos and raises your metabolism so you are burning more
calories at rest. I have found it to be a key part of my
weight loss so far; I really noticed a steadier rate of loss when I added the
weights (I use the machines by the way). Incorporating
weights is something you do no more than every other day. When you use
weights, you are actually tearing muscle tissue, and the rebuilding of that tissue expends
energy, which is why you burn more
calories while at rest than if you didn't use them. This tearing and rebuilding, however, also demands that you give your
body time to rebuild the tissue, thus, a day of rest between weight training sessions is neccessary.
How long have you been doing the workout you outline in your post? I ask because as you lose weight and become more fit, your
body needs to work harder and/or longer to continue to lose
pounds. What you were doing at 231
pounds is not enough at 197
pounds. As you lose, you need to step up your workout a little more. I recommend alternating your
cardio by using the elliptical OR the
treadmill on any
cardio day. You will be working different muscles and consequently getting a different type of workout. I can't tell you what program or level to use because that will depend on your
heart rate while using the machine....but you should increase your workout time to at least 35 minutes, and then 40 after a week or two. You are getting fit, and need to adjust as the workout starts to become less challenging for your new
body!
I hope this helps you...best of luck and glad you're "on board"!