This board is wonderful! I use it not only for support but learning tools to help me with my my own journey.
Don't treat dieting as a "all or nothing" plan. Treat it as a learning period to where you will learn to eat all things in moderation (instead of deprivation) and have while having more good nutrition than bad nutrition (though you can still enjoy these too). This should be a lifelong habit you are forming.
One great tool includes signing up for a free online journal such as
www.fitday.com. There are more sites which you can learn by searching the forums or searching the web.
Whatever plan you pick, make sure it is something you can do forever. Personally I don't pick a specific plan. I identify more with calorie counters, but I also try to watch some of the other stuff and mostly I want a healthy diet without depriving myself of some of the sinful stuff I enjoy. Everything in moderation.
Portion control is an important word in any diet. It takes time to retrain ourselves to fit proper portions.
Snacks are okay. I eat 6 times a day, so I'm never feeling deprived. Pick good snacks. Have them around. Try to make the sinful things harder to get and farther between the times you get it.
One excercise you might try is to list obstacles/barriers you face in weight loss and then think of strategies to help yourself through it. For ex, I was a chocoholic. I wanted a candy bar every time I went to the grocery store. I could not turn down chocolate. It was my stress reliever. My strategy was to find acceptable chocolate alternatives. One alternative was 40 calorie fudgecicles. I ate ONE every night. Now its been a few weeks since I've had one. What are YOUR obstacles?
Make a master list. This list should include all the foods you are willing to eat that would fit a healthier model of eating (including your alternatives). Leave the bad stuff off. The more you put thought into this (maybe having basic food group categories, meal categories, or just foods themselves category), the more choices you will have when you go to the store. It will show you healthy is not limiting. It will remind you of other foods to eat when you start to feel stuck in a rut. It is a list that changes with time. You can add to it.
This is a learning experience. Learning can be challanging but it can also be FUN!