There is a lot of info in all these posts and they seem to be good advice. My 2 cents as follows....
- Lifestyle not diet. If you treat this as diet it will end when you are satisfied with results and will likely start gaining again.
-Track calorie intake. If you don't know how many calories you are consuming I can almost guarantee you that you are consuming too many calories. This is a great website to track calorie intake as it allows you to track calories mostly from a user created database of foods
http://sparkpeople.com/
- Cardio is a must; it goes without saying but keep in mind the earlier you exercise in your day the longer you keep your metabolism at a higher level and the more calories you burn. Spark people also has a cardio tracker.
- Strength training. Overlooked quite a bit but very effective seeing as muscles are calorie burning machines.
- Rest. Don't go go go all the time, you will get more hungry and be less likely to stick with a program; make one change at a time, then once you have that down add another.
- Protein. If you are deficient in protein your body will crave all kinds of crazy stuff, mostly carbs. Make sure you are getting enough protein especially if you are strength training.
IMO sparkpeople.com made the biggest difference in my recent bid to lose a few pounds. When I followed my plan strictly I lost roughly 4-5 lbs a week; keep in mind I was weight/strength training on top of cycling 50-70 miles a week Getting real with my self about how many calories I was consuming really did the trick, and I really don't think I was ever starving or felt that I needed to eat more. Give yourself a day to cheat but track it so you don't get out of control; I allow a myself a Ben & Jerry's sized container of ice cream each week as a dessert, and on my cheat day I can have one over the top meal ie pizza.
Low calorie foods that may help you: Galeo's Miso Dijonaise Dressing, tofu scrambles instead of eggs (throw in garlic, tumeric, onions, spices), Hummus and veggies, Tempeh , high protein breads instead of wheat, lentils, thick hearty soups fill you up very easily and if made at home typically can be made very low calorie.
Good Luck!!!