WHAT DO YOU ALL EAT ...?

it's all about portion control - I eat what I want to eat, I just don't eat a large bag of Doritos for lunch any more. I still eat chips, I eat chocolate almost every day, I eat fried foods sometimes (but not every day), etc.

calling some foods good and some foods bad and denying yourself access to the 'bad' foods (in my experience) will lead to a binge on those foods and derail your progress.

the best rule for me is all things in moderation

Everyone will define "healthy" in different ways.
I eat eggs and toast for breakfast lunch & dinner meat,veggie,carb...banana,almonds,jerky for snacks.
For lunch my favorite is pasta,pesto/basil sauce,and tiny cooked shrimp.
My favorite dinner is big salad,top sirloin steak,and mashed potato's.
Just stray from fast foods too often is what I do or have subway.

My diary is open feel free to check it.

A lot of being successful here is just finding out what works for you. Try things. Spend the first week or so just recording what you eat. Don't get hung up on eating this or that. Just record it. Then start cutting it down to a reasonable number. Reasonable for you. If you're starving all the time or weak just miserable, that's too little. So eat a bit more.

When are you particularly hungry? In the morning? At night? Try different patterns. Some people do the best if they eat a hearty breakfast, get ahead of the hunger, and then eat smaller meals for lunch and dinner. Some people, like me, like to eat all day, lots of 200-300 calorie meals. Some like their 3 meals a day. Some would rather not eat until at least noon. Some find it works best for them not to eat after dinner. They closed the kitchen. None of these are wrong, unless they cause you to eat more than you should. If you skip breakfast, think about food all morning, and then come charging into lunch eating everything in sight, I'd not do that any more, eat breakfast, or at least eat a small amount mid-morning.

Drink water, eat a small portion, wait 15 minutes. Still hungry? Eat more, wait. etc. For many people, protein helps them feel full longer. Try it.

Exercise. Don't be ridiculous about it. 3 hours of cardio every day when you did none prior to join MFP is not a good idea. Increase your exercise to a reasonable amount for you.

Read the "sticky" posts at the top of the forums.

I basically try to follow the advice on here. I eat this way whether I'm trying to lose weight or not. I like to eat for health and weight control is just one factor of health.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/

Here is an example of a common weekday menu for me.
Breakfast:
Either oatmeal or 2 muffin omelets (50-80 calories each)
Coffee with milk, sometimes a tbsp. half and half

Lunch:

Smaller portion of leftovers from dinner or salad with chicken, lots of veggies and balsamic vinaigrette (the kind I use is 15 calories for 2 tbsp)
1 piece of fruit
Lunches typically come in around 500 calories

Afternoon Snack:

Yogurt! Usually greek with fruit on the bottom, range from 100-130calories
If I am still hungry or know dinner will be later I'll have some more fruit or veggies.

Dinner:

Typically protein with lots of steamed veggies.
About 2-3 dinners a week incorporate carbs (potatoes, pasta, rice). Last night I had salmon, steamed broccoli, and a small portion of mashed potatoes. The calorie count came in around 550. I try to keep dinners around 500-600 calories.

Evening Snack:

I usually have enough calories left for an evening snack. Typical snacks include splitting 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, air popped with my boyfriend. 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt (about 100 calories). Special K chips (110 cals for 27 chips). Frozen fruit. Greek yogurt popsicles that I make (about 70 calories each)

I am most successful when I cook everything at home. I go out to eat on the weekend and find it to be a struggle. I am hoping the longer I do this, the easier it will become to manage.

I eat vegan, but it's very possible to be a fat vegan! I'm proof. Now, I have cut out fats and oils, and bakery type stuff as much as possible, and I'm being so much better about sticking to cooking at home and eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies so I'm losing steadily. I feel great, and I have no problem sticking under my calories, in fact, there are plenty of days when it's bedtime and I haven't eaten all of my calories but I'm not hungry. I can eat a lot of food for just a few calories when cutting out the fats and oils, not to mention being sure that there are no hidden animal foods (all fatty) in there.

I'm not intending to start a flame war or disagreement about being vegan, just saying what works for me.

TODAY
Breakfast: 2 scrambled Eggs-scrambled with whole milk (2 tablespoons per egg)
1/2 of a Gluten Free Bagel- lightly toasted
Green Beans- fresh no butter
Coffee- With a lot of Almond Milk- Almond MIlk Plain, Unsweetened

Lunch:
Roasted Chicken Breast- skin removed- 4 ounces (leftovers from dinner yesterday)
Teaspoon of BBQ Sauce
3 Ounces Boiled red skin potato- about 1/3 of a teaspoon butter
1/2 of an English Cucumber -
1/2 of a very large red pepper
Teaspoon of Ken's Steakhouse Red Wine & Olive Oil Vinegarette

Dinner (have not done yet)

But let me illuminate a bit. This is day 15 for me. Week one, I set my calorie intake to lose one pound a week. I was over everyday except ONE. I made my mind up to log in, every thing, no matter if it was up, down, sideways- NO punishments! No Diet! The following week, I tightened up a bit. I hit on or near to on several days and my OVER days were not as heavy, except for one. Sunday comes- day 14. I am tracking meticulously. I woke up and decreased my eating without missing a step, I do not care, I do not have cravings, I do not feel like I am on a diet. So- I used way less butter today, I started the gluten free bread again instead of regular, I am making an effort to include vegetables on every meal - even breakfast. (I love them, so it is fine with me) I used less and less butter on them until today- where it became close to non-existent.

I let it happen. And it did. Log everything you eat. I went to my Food Diary category page and added, Before Bed and Overnight Eating. If I wake up and eat and it is before midnight- it goes on the day. After midnight- the next day. I have a medical disorder that prohibits the overnight fast.

I started using Whey Protein Isolate - NOW BRand- for my night snack, or before bed, sometimes a meal substitute. I buy frozen fruit in bags. I put a cup or so in blender cup in frig to partially thaw before use. I usually add about a cup of fruit, scoop of whey, water as needed to blend- ice if it is not cold enough. I either put 3 tablespoons of Chia Seeds in the shake or swallow them alone at sometime of another. I was shocked on how much the Protein Shakes and Chia Seeds fill me up and give me MUCH more energy. Yes, I entered them. And if I went over, who cares. On day 14- I had reduced myself to a diet- with NO PAIN.

Just track. You will learn SO much. Always be honest. The system will give you a carb count, a protein count, a fat count ect. depending on the calories you set. I would not follow another persons diet either- just record for week one and see where you are. It may not take you two weeks for you to get into a plan, it did me. But I have never been so at ease with a diet. I do not feel deprived. I am happy with my food. I am no longer clock watching for the next meal. Start today, log all of your food. NO self criticizing! This is an experiment to find your groove and identify places for change. Gradual change. If I could do it all over again, I would not change a thing. This is the first time in my life I have been on a diet that was not "weird", difficult, labor intensive. I am not climbing the walls. I highly recommend you start with tracking and blossom to your diet groove!

Nothing special here. Just eating in moderation hitting my macros. My diary is open though

Oh, and one more thing: I find that if I drink 8 oz (1 cup) of water every HOUR while i'm at work i'm not very hungry at all. Sometimes it gets busy and it's hard to keep track, but I have a 16 oz cup with a straw at my desk, and I keep an eye on the time. If i've been at work for 2 hours and I haven't gone to refill my water yet, I chug. =]

Lots of people on MFP will tell you to "drink more water drink more water". TRUST them. You'll thank them later.