I keep seeing before and after photos of diets but no one is really explaining
how they did it and I would like to satisfy my curiosity.

How long did it take for you to lose as much weight as you did
and what diet plan worked for you?

I am currently on my own personal natural diet drinking lots of water,
eating healthy foods, and eliminating soda, fast food, and junk foods.
Currently I am not doing any exercising but I plan to buy a bike as soon as I pay off my share of the rent and bills.
I'm still anxious to see how that will go considering how I am a smoker.

What is the best way to go about dieting?
What are the best foods to eat?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you so much.

Lots of goal stories in the goal stories sections. For example -

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/goal...e-forever.html

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/goal...s-journey.html

and more can be found here - http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/goal-199/

Thanks. Amazing and inspiring stories.

Try eating more healthy snacks when hunger strikes. Eating more often can actually be a good thing. The right foods just have to be chosen. A healthy snack every three and a half to four hours is said by health experts to be better for you. A nutrient rich health snack between lunch and dinner can decrease appetite and help you eat less at dinner time.

Calorie counting is what works best for me. Journal your foods. Drink your water. Stick to whole foods. Lots of veggies, lots of super lean proteins. Don't wait to exercise--you can do it right now today. Walk up and down stairs. Take a walk. Jumping Jacks. Whatever.

I think that having other people struggling with their weight that I can "talk" to will help me be accountable.

Pretty much everything works for me... except the part where you KEEP the weight off!

For me weight watchers has worked wonders. It has taught me to keep snacking throughout the day and my metabolism sped up and started working right. It taught me portion control and most important that you do not have to follow strict guidelines and avoid tons of food. You can eat what you want just a healthier way and in a better portion size.
I have a blog where I am chronicling my journey and posting recipes and workouts.

Thanks for the advice everyone.