What do you guys do for diet plans? I think I have my exercise down but I never quite know what I should be eating. I have been sticking to whole grains, fruits, veggies, fish, chicken, and other low cal foods... But I don't know if I am doing it right.

There is so much info out there for dieting I am so overwhelmed! Some if you have lost SOOOO much weight and I just want to know what has been working for you guys.

Also, I feel like I get hungry real fast. I used to be a big snacker and I am trying to cut that out. Also I am consuming about 1200 calories a day. Should I consume more? I weigh 230 right now and I want to get to 150. I am terrified of not losing weight and instead putting it on.

I know its a lot of questions but I am new to this whole new lifestyle!

so i've done a bunch of different diets and realized that NONE of them work for me. i basically just went to slimfast.com and figure out how many calories i could eat in a day to lose 1.5 lbs/week and i try to stick with that. i still eat fast food (horrible, i know) but i go online to nutrition menus and know what i can eat for a reasonable amount of calories. i also never completely deprive myself because i have an obsessive personality and will not stop thinking about my craving until it's fulfilled...so i've become a HUGE fan of the 100 calorie packs (i always crave chocolate so i have a box of 100 calorie fudgcicles in my freezer at all times). I also set mini diet goals like 1 month I made it my goal to reach 5 servings of fruits/veggies a day BEFORE i let myself eat my junk food. Now it's natural for me. everyone does different stuff. many people would disagree with my methods, but i got the weight off and it's staying off. i know it wouldn't work for a lot of people. my best suggestion is to try a bunch of things like playing the lottery. don't look for a winning ticket everytime. go in knowing it might not be right for you, and eventually you'll find the right one...without the disappointment

Those foods sound good to me!

I don't necessarily think there is something wrong with eating 1200 calories a day, but it's awfully low to start out with, especially if you find yourself hungry all the time. What if you could get away with 1800 calories a day and here you eating way less than you need to?

I agree with the PP, that it takes trial and error. As long as you are eating enough and eating nutritiously, there really is no "wrong" way. Chances are, if something isn't working you are going to know soon enough before too much damage is done.

If you are feeling hungry, then you probably need more calories. 1200 is pretty much the minimum amount of calories you'd ever want to consume. ANY lower than that, and your body starts to go into starvation mode. You don't want that! If that happens, instead of burning excess calories (or fat stores), your body holds on to every calorie you eat, and your metabolism slows waaay down, which means you burn even LESS calories... its a viscious cycle, and not one I'd like to flirt with.

The girls before me said it right, its trial and error. I would recommend eating all those healthy foods you listed until you are full. If you start feeling hungry again, than have a healthy snack! Nothing wrong with that. Just as long as its not empty calorie crackers or sweets or chips... you wanna much on veggies!! They fill you up but hardly have any calories!

When it comes down to it, weight loss is really simple math. Burn more calories than you eat, and you lose weight. Everyone's bodies are different though... You can do a BMR calculation to figure out how many cals YOU need every day just for your body to function. Then you can figure out how many cals YOU should eat to lose either 1 or 2 pounds a week based on how many cals YOU burn in daily activities plus exercise. Since a pound of fat is equivalent to about 3500 calories, you would need an average deficit of 500 cals a day to lose 1 lb a week, or 1000 cals a day to lose 2 lbs a week.

I like www.caloriesperhour.com. It's a fairly complex website, but it is PACKED with info. If you take the time to figure out what your body needs, that's a good place to start. Keep at it for awhile, and you will see a difference!!

I snack ALL THE TIME. I have to eat every 3 hours otherwise I'm starving. There's nothing wrong with snacking as long as its healthy stuff, fruit, veggies, etc.

First, I would try increasing the amount of calories you eat daily. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it's important to give yourself enough nourishment and (maybe even more importantly) satisfy yourself so that you don't binge-snack. At your weight, it's perfectly fine to eat around 1500 calories, and that should still make it easy for you to drop pounds with exercise.

The foods you listed sound like a good plan. I always try to eat all whole grains, fruits, veggies, and non-processed foods. However, that can't always happen. Sometimes, I need some chex mix, yo. Or I need me a chocolate chip cookie. So I have it. I'll buy the 100 calorie chex mix bags or portion out one of the big bags into snack baggies. And when I want a warm chocolate chip cookie, I just buy a package of the refrigerated dough (the Pillsbury All-Natural ones) and just bake off one when I need one. 120 calories. I just tell myself that if I deny myself my favorite foods, I'll backslide. That was the trick that I learned that finally got me started. So instead, I just make healthy choices and healthy substitutions, and make sure that I'm still happy and satisfied.

Since you're feeling hungry, my other tip I have besides increasing your calories is making sure that the calories you're eating contain a lot of protein and fiber. That's what helps you feel full. Thinks like whole grains, nuts, and protein bars and shakes are a good start. You can google a list of foods high in fiber and protein. Watching your calories is important, but not as important as making sure that the calories you're eating come with the other nutrients you need. It sounds like you're on the right track - just try to add some more healthy calories.

Lastly, I'm a snacker. I mean - big time. So for people like us, I think it's important to snack as much as you want...as long as it's on plan. What I mean by that is that you need to draw out a food plan for yourself and make sure you allow for snacking. Try eating at least 6 times a day (what I do), and make sure that all of the snacking you plan to do keeps you within your calorie limit.

I hope some of that rambling is of some help. Keep up the good work - you're doing great!!