I'ev lost 37 lbs so far. Here's a system that worked for me.

I'm down 37 lbs in 5 months.

Using the MFP food diary, I was able to experiment with different foods and figure out a solid system that works for me. Check it out...

-I eat 6 times per day. Because I work all day every day, everything is quick and thrown together.

-For my first 4 meals (breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack), I aim for 250 calories for each meal - 1000 calories total.

-Breakfast usually involves 1 hard boiled egg (80), 2 hard boiled egg whites (35), and either one serving of fruit (135) or steel cut oats (150).

-My mid-morning snack is either microwaved egg beaters (120 - costco brand), and either one cup of pinto or black beans (125) or another serving of fruit (usually banana, apple or blueberries - these are my fav fruits). Another option for a mid-morning snack is one cup of Greek yogurt (120) with fruit (85-135), and yet a third option is one serving of steel cut oats (150) and of course fruit (85-135).

-For lunch, I either have a piece of fish or tuna (110-170), and steamed veggies (100), or one cup of mashed potatoes. Sometimes, when I'm out, I'll have Subway for lunch. I order a foot long veggie delite and eat half (265) and eat the other half as my mid-afternoon snack. Sometimes, I'll just eat the entire footlong for lunch and I won't be hungry again until dinner.

-My mid-afternoon snack is one of two things: Greek yogurt and fruit OR I spread a tablespoon of peanut butter (100) onto a banana (130). The latter is actually my favorite thing to snack on!

-By dinner time, I have consumed about 1000 calories. Because of this, I allow myself to have a 500-600 calorie dinner. This usually consists of something fun, sort of like I'm treating myself but still remaining within a healthy weight loss range. Usually, I'll make veggie tacos, homemade nachos, or I will go out for Thai food. The point is to give myself a little room to indulge but still remain within weight loss range.

-Before bed, if I'm hungry, I'll have a banana covered in a tablespoon of peanut butter or an apple, but I don't always get hungry after dinner.

After a day like this, my calorie count comes in at somewhere around 1700-1900, well within weight loss range for me. It works great for suppressing my hunger and it keeps my metabolism going. It's not perfect, I sometimes consume too much sodium, but I'm well below my caloric limit and it's been the reason I've lost 37 lbs.

And don't forget to drink your 8 cups of water!

I hope some of you found this useful!

edit: just added some more detail.