Where to start..?
 

I'll be going off to college in several months, but before that, I need to crawl out of my fat suit ~40 pounds.. :o

This forum looks like a good place for support and info, but I don't know where to start.
Is there a popular, easy-to-follow diet plan(?) around here that you guys have seen good results with?
Haha something more specific than "eat less, move more!"

Welcome! Good luck finding the diet/life style change that works for you. I have tried them all and am currently having success with low carb.

Welcome and good luck on reaching your weight loss goal. I think different plans work for different people. I do a Calorie Counting plan. Currently I do 1200 calories a day. Plus I exercise 5-7 days a week.

Hi Eternitas. :welcome: Haha @ last comment re: eat less/move more! :)

To be honest, the best easy to follow diet is the one that works for you. I'd look online to find out how many calories you need to lose (many people recommend this site) if that's the route you want to go.

I'd start out slowly without overwhelming yourself. Do you drink a lot of soda? Cut it back or switch to diet, although water is best. Coffee, tea, etc is just fine as well. Do keep calories in check if you use milk/sugar. Eat a lot of fast food? Cut that back as well and start making your own (read labels for calories- macronutrients don't really matter in the long run unless you're trying to be a bodybuilder.)

With calorie-counting, you can eat anything as long it's within your calories. Filling your meals with a ton of low-cal veggies is a great way to give more volume and keep you more full without going over calories.

Just keep in mind, weight loss is not always linear- there will be weeks where you're up for no good reason (water weight from sodium, TOM, weird body fluctations, etc), just don't give up and keep doing what you're doing! It is a trial and error process and you learn as you go.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

:welcome2:

Like Mama Whitty said, different plans work for different people. Definitely read over the information in the threads and find one that fits your particular lifestyle. What you don't want to do is a crash diet...instead make changes in smaller steps and it will be easier to maintain and less chance of binging/rebelling against the diet.

I'm personally doing a mix of weight watchers and calorie counting. With apps like MyFitnessPal, calorie counting is super easy (it has a barcode scanner, and tons of food already listed in it). I also find these two methods are very forgiving as far as eating things that may not be "diet" type of food. For Weight Watchers, you simply calculate the point value of the food (there are calculator apps for smartphones, as well as online tools through third party sites if you don't want to spend money to join), and stay within your point range for the day. Same with calorie counting...the only limit is the amount of calories you eat, not what you eat.

I'm sure you will do fantastic!! This forum is amazing for support and information, and it has been my way of holding myself accountable for my actions. If you ever find yourself needing some motivation, browse through the mini-goal/goal sections and read some of the success and NSVs (non-scale victories), or if you need help, make a post in the forum that best fits what you need :)

Good luck!! You can do it!!! :cheer2::cheer3: