5'6, 165lbs

You'd get more responses on this kind of post in the weight loss section but to answer your question it takes a few things...

1) patience--the weight won't come off overnight but it's consistent forward progress in light of momentary setbacks that will get you to goal.

2) eating at a calorie deficit--if you follow MFPs calorie recommendations you will lose weight. Make sure your goal isn't too aggressive (not more than 1 pound per week with your goal of losing 30 pounds).

3) don't be too restrictive--this will likely backfire and lead to burn out very quickly or a pattern of restricting and then binging on the treats you don't allow yourself to have so incorporate those items into your daily diet and just account for them

4) eat your exercise calories as needed--I always eat mine and MFP was designed so that they are to be eaten. This is important because exercise increases caloric expenditure and therefore increases the number of calories your body NEEDS to function. You said you want a "toned" body which means that you need to retain as much lean body mass as possible (LBM) which requires you to fuel your muscles/body appropriately. So, don't refuse yourself additional calories when you need them.

That's about all I can think of but really it's simple--small steps forward until you reach goal. When you slip up, and we all do, just put it behind you (no compensating, no guilt or berating yourself) and make better choices at the next opportunity. Best of luck to you.

I started at 5 lbs heavier than you, and am now down to 142 with some still to go (would love to see 135). It's completely doable. You're not that overweight now. You most likely won't experience the same HUGE losses as people with more to lose. Keep a calorie deficit, find some kind of exercise that you love to do, and you'll find the weight coming off.

You'd get more responses on this kind of post in the weight loss section but to answer your question it takes a few things...

1) patience--the weight won't come off overnight but it's consistent forward progress in light of momentary setbacks that will get you to goal.

2) eating at a calorie deficit--if you follow MFPs calorie recommendations you will lose weight. Make sure your goal isn't too aggressive (not more than 1 pound per week with your goal of losing 30 pounds).

3) don't be too restrictive--this will likely backfire and lead to burn out very quickly or a pattern of restricting and then binging on the treats you don't allow yourself to have so incorporate those items into your daily diet and just account for them

4) eat your exercise calories as needed--I always eat mine and MFP was designed so that they are to be eaten. This is important because exercise increases caloric expenditure and therefore increases the number of calories your body NEEDS to function. You said you want a "toned" body which means that you need to retain as much lean body mass as possible (LBM) which requires you to fuel your muscles/body appropriately. So, don't refuse yourself additional calories when you need them.

That's about all I can think of but really it's simple--small steps forward until you reach goal. When you slip up, and we all do, just put it behind you (no compensating, no guilt or berating yourself) and make better choices at the next opportunity. Best of luck to you.

exactly this.
Great post. I could not have written it better.

You can add me too. I am 5'6 at 173 lbs. I lost some, gained it all back during xmas, and am back to losing again.

Rather than eating the same things and just logging and reducing portions, I'm trying to actually change what I eat. Slowly I am adding more veggies and I'm eating healthier versions of food, like wheat everything and altered recipes.

I'm also going to try a juice challenge, where I drink a juice everyday for 30 days. I've never tried juicing before, but I've read several things on it and watched "fat sick and nearly dead" and have been inspired. Juicing veggies and fruits can help you ingest alot of micronutrients that your body may not be getting from your normal diet. I'm adding flaxseed to either my juice or my morning cereal to get the benefits from that.

Also, I've stopped trying to "diet". I've learned that as long as I think of it as a diet, I'm always longing for bad foods and having negative thoughts, and I'm always waiting for the day when I can eat bad foods again. Instead, I'm trying to live a new lifestyle. I want to change how I eat for life - to improve my health.

I'm 5'6 too I started at 173lbs in 2009, got down to 133 at one point and then maintained at around 140 for ages. At the moment I'm 149 after getting a bit complacent before Christmas, so I'm trying to get back to 140 again

Mostly I try to eat healthily without banning any foods because then all I want is the forbidden things!! I tend to reduce my carb portions because they're usually the highest calorie part of my dinner.

I also use the calorie goal set by mfp to give me a general guideline but I don't beat myself up when I go over occasionally. And I try to go to the gym 3 times a week but it's usually more like 1-2 times a week..!

Feel free to add me if you like