skipidy wrote: »

I have 15 pounds to lose and I'm lost in knowing what to eat to lose weight. The only way I know is starvation and I don't want to go that route. If I was to stick with the same breakfast, dinner, lunch and snacks everyday (as an example), what foods would that look like and what portions?

MFP isn't about starvation. You have to change your eating habits so the weight loss is sustainable. My advice would be to try to make fruits and vegetables the bulk of what you eat, keep your protein levels up. Cut back on bad carbs ( processed foods). Keep your calorie intake at a deficit of what you're burning.

A typical day for me is: Breakfast - Greek yogurt, blueberries, and a bit of granola, & coffee; Lunch - fruit protein smoothie; Dinner - a protein, veges and fruit; Snacks - string cheese, fruit, hard boiled eggs, deli sandwich meat

My calorie intake is set at 1200 calories. I try to keep meals to 300 calories and use the other 300 for snacks. On days that I exercise I have more calories to eat, but I try not to eat them all back. Hope that helps.

Don't starve! It doesn't work anyway! Like the lady above me, I find it helps to concentrate on getting lean protein and healthy fat. I try to include some in every meal and snack so that I feel satisfied and my energy doesn't peak and trough. I like to eat five small meals per day and my goal is 1470 calories net although I usually come in under that.
A typical day would be: Breakfast: smoothie made of greek yoghurt, banana, PB and chia seeds; mid morning: porridge and a couple of eggs; lunch: veg and bean soup, rice cakes and low fat cheese; afternoon: a protein-rich homemade muffin, or some fruit and nuts or cheese; dinner a veg and tofu stir fry with cous cous or quinoa. I'm vegetarian by the way, hence all the cheese. OK, I just love cheese. Oh and lots of tea because I'm English so it's obligatory.
And exercise, exercise, exercise - that way I can eat more so I know I'm getting the nutrients I need, but burning off enough calories to lose weight. Plus you can't eat cake when you're doing burpees so that's an hour of my day I know I'm not going to put calories in my mouth! I find it incredibly hard to stick to my calorie goal without exercising.

Oh - and although the other two ladies have talked about a 1200 goal, you might want to think about whether you've got scope to increase your calorie intake as an extra 100 or 200 calories or can make life a lot easier. The downside is of course that you will lose weight more slowly, but you will still get there in the end.