After reading the information here and elsewhere, last year I decided I was tired of being 200 pounds, and set out to lose some.
I took inventory of the foods I liked and that were available to me. I determined the calories in most of them, and set out to keep my calories between 1750-2000 per day. At the same time, I started going for an hour's worth of brisk walking every day, and going up and down the six flights of stairs to my office at least twice.
I started drinking a whole lot of water (at least 50-60 oz every day) which replaced the Coke I had been drinking. I also took a multivitamin every day, just in case, and consumed lots of V8 vegetable juice.
In this way, I was able to keep control of calories, at the same time maintaining eating what I liked to eat.
Over the course of eight months last year, I ended up losing 35 pounds. In the process, I'm sure that I started eating better, too.
Progress was slow but sure -- about a pound per week.
So now, I'm encouraged to begin weightlifting, and putting on some muscle. I'm not quite as low bodyfat as I'd like yet, but my wife said I was starting to look a little scrawny (!) so I figured I'd put on some muscle first :)
