Hi. I follow the Southbeach diet plan which includes lean meats, lots of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, healthy fats in moderation and no white potatoes, white pasta, white bread,white rice.....everything is whole grain only. I eat some form of protein with every meal and snack...ie, laughing cow cheese on celery or apple, string cheese, 15 almonds, etc. Please note that, contrary to popular belief, Southbeach is not low-carb. I think a lot of people think it is low-carb because the first two weeks are very very strict with no starches or fruits. But, the first phase is just to break sugar addictions, which I desperately needed. I also count calories with my own excel spreadsheet that I just total each day. I added counting calories because I can overeat on healthy foods as well as un-healthy foods....who would have thought that! Personally, I get aggravated with the calorie counting sites because I have to hunt for my food. The spreadsheet is easier for me. From the past, I also know that one full hour of cardio exercise each day does increase my weight loss. The exercise should leave you slightly breathless, but still able to carry on a conversation.
Hang in there. If you get committed to changing your lifestyle, you can do this. You've caught yours relatively early...you can see from my ticker that I wasnt as smart as you!:)

Okay, okay, okay.... I just bought a cute little food diary. For now, the focus is to write everything down, whether or not I calculate calories and add them up. One baby step at a time....

Thanks Everyone !!!