Hi Serenity, this is a rather long post but I just wanted to let you know how I have been doing it..
From July 2006 till present I have lost 25-30lbs.. I don't know the exact amount because I didnt weight myself for the first 3 weeks.. I've been counting calories, you are probably familiar with it since there is a long post here about it.. It really DOES work but it's not easy.. Just like quitting smoking you have to have to be in the right state of mind.. I went to the gym, did weights and cardio 3-5 days a week.. I cut out processed foods almost completely, ate ALOT of food, smaller servings but ate around 4 servings plus snacks.. One of the tricks is NOT to let yourself get hungry. If you do there is probably a chance that to food choice you will make at that time isn't going to be a great one..I keep cut up veggies in the fridge so all I have to do is grab and eat them, you don't have to wash, peel and ect, it made it alot easier to eat then just grabbing a cookie r 2 from the cupboard. Carry a healthy snack in your purse with you at all times.. I always have a slimfast, all bran or special K bar in my purse.. I also keep a box of one of them in my car just incase.. The point of this being that supposedly the more often you eat the faster your body will let go of the excess fat b/c it will get used to having food all the time.. Im not sure how much truth there is to that but it seems logical to me.. Now this is what my daily menu looks like..
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of Special K, 1/2 cup of Fibre 1 w/ skim or 1% milk.. For the days when I am running late I will eat a slimfast meal replacement bar or shake.. I dont like to do that, however, it is better then being hungry and taking a chance that when you eat your are going to make a bad food choice..
~Snack: carrots, a fruit, 1 piece of bread w/ peanut butter
~Lunch: tuna sandwhich/low fat turkey sand. (w/ cheese and/or mayo every second day)
Snack: Low fat yogurt or all bran/special k bar
Dinnner: Chicken breast w/ Salad or grilled veggie kebobs and steam veggies 1/4 cup of rice and a glass of milk
If I have left over calories to eat after dinner I choose my snack depending on my calorie allowance..
I hope this helps you out.. If you are on CC, add me to your friends list, my name is the same over