in need of a reasonable weight loss diet

Well for me all I can say is DONT diet...My plan is to follow MFP calorie guidelines and MOVE:bigsmile: So far I don't feel deprived..if I want something I eat it and COUNT it. I do try to watch sodium, bread and sugar intake for other health reasons. Good Luck!

Welcome aboard! Start with logging everything good and bad. Learn about TDEE and make sure MFP gave you a reasonable number of calories or post your stats here and we will find a decent number for you.

Congratulations on making the choice to do something!

If you don't have one already, get a food scale. You can a nice digital one for under $20 that will show grams and ounces. MEASURE everything you eat at home (this can be hard if you are eating out all the time). If you eat out alot, look up the restaurant on the internet, actually look at the nutrition facts that most of the places post now, and PRE-pick what you are going to order before you get there.

RECORD EVERYTHING! This includes the ketchup, mustard, oil, mayo, hot sauce, butter and ANY other ingredient for everything you eat.

You should be able to, in relatively short order, tell exactly how many calories you've actually consumed in a single day. Get rid of all the sodas (if you are an avid soda drinker, change to diet while you slowly replace the sodas with yep WATER). Drink 8-10 full glasses of water each day, doesn't matter if you have to pee alot, don't use that as an excuse not to drink water.

I hate to say it, but if you can, remove alcohol from your diet. One or two once in a while is no big deal, but there are alot of worthless calories in alcohol and alcoholic beverages.

If you simply do the above, you don't need a DIET PLAN, you will instinctively modify your diet to ensure you are at your calorie goal. Also, don't overestimate your activity level. If you have a desk job, don't set your activity level to moderately active, or even lightly active....keep it at sedentary. If you actually do have a higher activity level, then by all means use that, just make sure you are being TRUE to yourself when you set the activity level in your goals.

I tried every diet under the sun and some worked for awhile and then they fell flat. I have learned over the last few months that it's not a diet that is the key it's a life still change. Feel free to email me jcjordan2006@yahoo.com and/or add me on here. I'd love to chat with you. I'm a fitness coach now, I haven't reached all of my goals but I have all the tools in place and my team is seeing a ton of success along the way.