Eat all your fat/carbs in the am.

Back in 2000, I lost 40 pounds over 5 months. (Gained 10 pounds back since, but have kept the 30 off).

Basically, I cut out most animal fats, sugar and simple carbs. I ate plenty of lean meat, lower-fat dairy, lots of vegetables (especially romaine lettuce), and whole grain breads. I ate "Kelloggs Bran Flakes" for breakfast almost every day.

I also walked a lot (Power Walks! -haha), but it was about a one-hour brisk walk 4 times a week. After the weight-loss was done, I started jogging and have been ever since.

I lost almost 30 lbs in about 10 weeks, because there was a size 2 dress I really wanted to get into. In the end I apparently went a bit overboard because the dress felt a tad loose on me. I obviously do not recommend my way or my motivation for that matter. It was quite unhealthy, as I did not exercise at all and just ate very very little (not more than about 700 calories and about 14 gr in total fat per day). It was also a form of self-discipline for me because food is one of my biggest weaknesses. So if you wanted an unhealthy crash diet, I could give you tips, but I think you are on the better path by doing it the healthy way which will also enable you to keep your figure after you achieve your desired weight loss. But to give you proper advice: doing small meals a day works for most people. With me, it would not. If you think that eating a small meal will trigger your appettite for more and that you can not control yourself that way, then skip the breakfast by just drinking some orange juice, and eat a low-cal meal for lunch (yes, do look at the calories of what you are eating. If you know what you are eating does not exceed a certain amount of calories, you will feel better about eating it), and for dinner eat whatever you want as long as you stay away from oil/butter and eat in small portions (like you can cook a bowl of pasta with no oil and add some pasta sauce that you made from scratch with minimal oil). Grill your meat and make sure the meat you choose do not have much fat. And steam your veggies. I find that those low-cal frozen foods do the job well....Oh and fruit is your best friend. And walk....a lot....

And give yourself a reward on Sunday for being good and sticking to your diet all week. But the reward should not be a BIG indulgence, just maybe a chocolate bar or ONE slice of cake. So during the week if you crave for chocolate, you can say to yourself "just two (or however long) more days till Sunday when I WILL have it"

ok first of all, i totally comend you for doing that. no matter how you did it thats something to be proud of!

i understand how you are.... i'm a bit of an all or nothing person myself.
i think like you say, my main strategy is going to be calorie counting. and im ok a discipline with exercise. i t hink i can do that...

thanks for the advice

don't forget your body starts to plateau sometimes for a while because it wants to hang onto the fat. just be patient and don't overdo things, it will slowly go back down again. you have to do it slow and steady and gradually if you want to keep the weight off rather than just the short term goal of 12 weeks.

tilki - thats still way too unhealthy and is then asking for rebellion because the taste buds aren't going to be sated by plain shit like that. you need to have some fat on there, you're better off with full fat but tiny tiny amounts (they're rich anyway so you don't need much). not to mention skipping breakfast for orange juice is ludcrous. have muesli with some cut up fruit, yogurt, flax seed oil and honey with soy milk - its far more fulfilling and gives your body and your brain a good start so you can function. you can't not eat something. plus in the morhning you'll burn it off.

i'd also recommend just exercising. seirously in 12 weeks if you went to the gym 3-4 times a week doing 30mins cardio and a weight program 3 times a week (every second day)y ou'll lose body fat and raise your metabolism.