Eat 12-1600 cals per day most days higher end
For the most part I only drink water and a cup of coffee during the day
workout 5-7hours per week mix up of whatever I feel up to
NO fried foods, no eating out, (90%) of the time
No late night eating.

Yep. I realize fruits have calories and carbs, but as I see it, fruit is good and good for me, and if I'm hungry I'd rather go to grapes or oranges (clementines, really, they are so small) or a banana than a candy bar or an order of fries like I would have in the past. I really don't think I'm hurting myself or hindering my weight loss by eating all the fruit.

That's understandable . . . and clementines are about half the calories/carbs of an orange so that makes a difference. I have to watch my carbohydrate intake because of my diabetes so I usually try to balance my carbs with protein. For instance, if I have an apple I try to pair it with a string cheese or other low-calorie protein.

My overall plan is very simple:

1. Weigh daily
2. Stay under 1200 calories daily
3. Eat mostly to entirely unprocessed foods.
4. M/W/F- spin class and abs; T/Th/(Sat. optional) strength training

Currently I am trying to decrease the calories and cut out chocolate because my old stand-by that took off 75 pounds isn't working anymore. I am really having to dig in my heels and I have not had very many on plan days with the cutting out sweets!

My plan is very simple and very flexible.

Log every bite for accountability
Eat 12-1600 calories to lose weight
Avoid sugars and starches (grains and most fruits) to avoid blood sugar spikes and cravings

Within that framework, I play around with it from day to day. Some days it's mostly meat and fat. Other days it's primarily vegetables. Some days I include wine or liquor. Most days it's pretty high fat, for satiety. Some days I jump on the Wii Fit (new toy) or go for a walk. Other days I barely move at all.

Lets see

10,000 steps daily
Exercise 5 days a week. Perferably, Cardio M W F and strength T TH.
Count every calorie on My Fitness Pal and stay with in all of my ranges ( cal, fat, sat. fat, protien)
Avoid trigger foods

Thats it!

Right now, I am eating 1200 calories a day, walking at least 3 miles 5-6 times a week (I live in an apartment and have a dog, she needs walked at least that much), and plenty of water. Because of health problems, I do not eat dairy, corn, wheat (or any other grains right now), yeast, artifical anything, sugar including fruit and starchy veggies. Basically natural meats, veggies, nuts and legumes...and olive oil.

Great idea for a thread! My plan is pretty much,

-Eat 28 points a day on the WW program. And try not to always eat my extra points.
-Track my points everyday.
-Get in at least 30 mins of exercise daily.
-Drink at least 6-8 glasses a water a day.
-Eat as much fruits, veggies as possible.
-Eliminate sugar as much as possible.
-Eat whole grain foods.

When I was trying to lose as quickly as possible:

• 1500-1800/day (this shifted over time as I exercised more/weighed less)
• Track everything on Fitday
• 40-50% protein, 40 grams of fiber, carbs and fats take care of themselves.
• Very, very few refined carbs,
• Light cardio twice a day (got up to an hour each time) and weights/abs every other day.
• No restrictions on artificial sweeteners, caffeine, sodium.
• Weigh daily.
• Wear clothes that fit.
• One indulgent meal a month, including desert.

I'm maintaining right now (trying to conceive) and my current plan is

• 2000 calories a day during the week, bit more on the weekend.
• Very careful record keeping.
• Still aim for 40% protein, 40 grams of fiber
• Light cardio for an hour a day, weight lifting every other day
• Looser on the refined carbs, but still with an preference for complex carbs.
• Weigh daily.
• No caffeine (this sucks)

I'm still tweaking the maintenance plan, but overall I've maintained for about 3 month now with no real gain (some weird bloating and light gain on an IVF cycle, but it went away).

Bfast
1 cup Special K - 110 calories
1/2 cup rice milk - 50 calories

Lunch
1 slice whole wheat toast - 80 calories
2 T (yes, measured) peanut butter - 90 calories
1 - 2 oz pkg. apple slices - 30 calories

Supper
6 nights per week - 500 calories or less to include protein
1 night per week - up to 700 calories

6 days a week - 60 minutes treadmill or equivalent

I almost never drink anything other than water. It must be 0 calorie if I vary.

My plan is:

Keep my calories under 1500 a day
Drink 80oz plus of water a day
Walk whenever I want too
Eat low fat by eating veggies, fruit, lean meats, fat free or low fat cheeses, dressing, and mayo.
WHEN I get my excerise bike I will ride it 5 times a week for 30 minutes a day

I have done calorie counting for a long long time. Recently, I changed to food exchanges because it will work better for me when I have a surgery soon.. I still weigh and measure. It reminds me to always get in my veggies! It works out to 1200 -1600 calories

protein - 5-6 exchanges
starch - 5 -6 exchanges
diary - 2 exchanges
veggies - at least 6 exchanges
fruit - 3-4 changes
fat - 3 exchanges
These exchanges are the same as the American Dietetic Association. It's the old Richard Simmons program. I don't use the Foodmover - I write it down.

I do stretches and strengthening exercises and arm weights. (no weight bearing exercises at this time)
8-10 glasses of water

I am working on 'living with food' changes too:

eat seated only
no seconds
fork down between bites
slow, mindful eating
taste food
plan, measure,log

My plan:

Don't ever touch "no" foods (baked goods, salty snacks, candy, ice cream, sweets.)

Very sparing of refined carbs-- one slice of bread for breakfast, no rice, potatoes, or bread at other meals.

Only eat single serving snacks (cheese stick, yogurt, apple)

1200-1350 cals daily, logged on fitday.

Run 30-40 minutes daily 4-5 x a week.

Weigh daily.

After countless attempts at dieting I did things "my" way in the end.

After so many failed attempts, I finally admitted there is a big difference between people with 20 pounds to lose, and myself with over 150 to lose. I didn't just have a few extras for a few months LOL So, I went to counselling to address why I was such a spoiled brat and so given to swift impulses - not only for food, as in "wow there's a chocolate bar, gonna eat it" but also "ooo nice new purse, gonna buy it"! LOL and while working on that (which I credit for 90% of my losing success, and 100% of my maintaining success):

- boring FREE calorie counting
- nothing was 'off limits' but had to be accounted for
- ate a good breakfast, protein rich
- stopped eating out for lunch 4 times a week, took my own lunch. Worked out great, everyone in the office started doing the same and we all play Trivial Pursuit at lunch while we brown bag it -- really good for the soul to have some silly fun at lunch before getting back to it
- gave up McDonald's which might as well have been heroin, but I did it
- started walking, 1 block at a time. When it was too cold or too hot, our local Arena has indoor walking programs & stairs woohoo
- was KIND to myself. Self-loathing was never in my makeup, but I took extra care to cut myself some slack, which in turn didn't allow me to throw my hands up in defeat at a bad meal or a bad day. I was kind to myself, forgave the slip up and got back on track the very next morsel of food.
- came on 3FC every single day to read stories of others struggling, success stories etc.

I'm on an exchange type program. I'm going to give the exchange totalss, but they are planned at specific meals and snacks throughout the day. The meals/snacks are Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Snack

Lean Protein - 4 servings (includes limited cheese)
Vegetables - 5 servings (minimum, veggies are unlimited!)
Fruit - 2 servings
Legumes - 1 serving
Root Vegetables - 1 serving
Whole Grains - 1 serving
Nuts - 1 serving
Healthy oils - 5 servings
Water - 70+ ounces
No Dairy (except the limited cheese above)

Cardio exercise 3x a week for 30 minutes.

On days when I've entered my foods into FitDay, it's been 1300-1400 calories.

Oh, and forgot to say, logging of everything: food, water, other beverages, sleep, exercise, relaxation, time of meals, etc.
And supplements (vitamins, etc.) based on blood tests and in quantities determined by my doctor.