Newbie here, needs food helps and tips!

I posted this earlier so don't mind reposting it... I will personalize it a bit for you..

I used to get on the scale every day and the numbers weren't always encouraging. I say put that scale away. If you are going to always use the scale then make sure that you keep an accurate log of your weight from day to day (include weight gained). You'd be surprised how many times I've gained 2 lbs over night just to lose 3 lbs over the next couple of days. Find food that you like. That's probably been the most important thing for me to consider in my weight loss. It's easy to go out and find cook books that have 300 and 400 calorie meals. If your one of those people with enough time and money to prepare these meals they are amazing. The problem for me with these cook books is that the cost for preparation of these meals + the time invested in making the meals doesn't work for me. So I have really searched hard to find meals that can be prepared quickly, low priced, and low in calories. I have now found the sweet spot that includes enough variety for me and I think that has really helped my dieting. Another thing that is just important as dieting is exercising. Find something you enjoy doing and stick with it. Cardio is great for burning fat and we all know that. The thing that people don't emphasize enough though is where you do that cardio. I started running around my neighborhood when I first started dieting and I absolutely dreaded it. I always had dogs barking at me and felt like everyone was peeping out their windows to catch a look at the fat guy. I have now started running at a nice secluded park about 10 minutes from my house that has some really relaxing trails. I can run out there without having to worry about who is watching or anything of that nature.

I noticed that you asked about what people eat.. I'll give you a run down of what I eat. I would like to note that sodium content on my diet is particularly a bit high. I do however drink lots of water, am under the supervision of a family doctor, and get blood work done once a month. I try to make sure I eat 5 meals a day to keep my metabolism going (breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner). I promise after a week of dieting at 5 meals per day you will soon have a hard time actually eating ENOUGH calories because you will be full all the time. A

BREAKFAST- I have found that my breakfast has the least amount of variation of all the meals I eat. That is because I love omelets. I eat a small egg white omelet/scramble with 1/4 cup of low fat cheese, fat free ham & fat free turkey OR
If I am in a hurry I will eat 2 packages of instant oatmeal (typically Apples & Cinnamon Quaker)

SNACKS REGULAR- An Apple OR
Kellogg's FiberPLUS Antioxidants Chewy Bars (They are lower in Calories than the FiberOne Chewy Bars) OR
A FiberOne 90 Calorie Brownie (I prefer the Chocolate Fudge vs the Peanut Butter one) OR
a Weight Watchers Smart One Smart Delights Desert (My favorite is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sunday Icecream.. it has 140 Calories, 3g fat, and 2g of protein). There are other snacks that I eat but I try to make sure they are under 150 calories.

Lunch/Dinner- I eat probably 20 different meals lunch and dinner. I will not include them all but I will list a few of my favorite.

Petite Sirloin and Sweet Potato:
My favorite meal is the 4 oz petite sirloin and a small sweet potato. The sirloin can be bought at pretty much any grocery. I like to buy the individually wrapped sweet potato's that come in saran wrap and can be microwaved. I do marinade my steak usually for 2 hours in a low calorie marinade and then just throw it on the grill.

Tuna Salad:
I use one can of Starkist (my favorite brand of tuna) 5 oz chunk light tuna in water.. drain the water (don't over drain though you still want it to be moist), throw in 1 tablespoon of sweet relish, and throw in some diced jalapenos. I do not add mayonnaise because it is full of fat and calories. I found that it tastes almost identical with or without mayonnaise. I make two sandwiches with this and eat them both. The bread that I have found that I like the most is Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread. It's only 50 calories per slice. I have tried breads that are lower in calories but this bread actually tastes great.

Ham & Turkey Sandwich:

Deli Sliced Fat Free Ham & Fat Free turkey on Nature's Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread.. no cheese. Topped with Lettuce, Jalapenos, Cut Dill Pickles, and Banana Peppers. I will only eat one sandwich and it is very fulfilling.

I still eat a lot of things I used to like meatloafs, burgers, and spaghetti.
For all of these I use 90/10 Angus Ground Beef now. I found that if I use regular ground beef instead of angus that the meal turns out very dry. On my meatloaf I also use little to no ketchup. For my burgers I never use cheese anymore. For spaghetti I use whole grain noodles. Also portion control is very important. Make sure you aren't having too large of a portion or you just shooting yourself in the foot.

I also have a bunch of different frozen dinners that I throw into the mix for variety. My favorite frozen meals are the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers. They taste great. I also do lean cuisines, and pretty much any other low calorie frozen food that is on sale and I think I might enjoy.

Drinks- I Only Drink Water. Some juices are okay though. I have tried a few different juices and V8s that I enjoy. Also I found that the new Dr Pepper 10 tastes pretty good for only having 10 calories. Make sure that if you are drinking something besides water that you are only drinking 8 Ounces. People will say "oh this juice only has 90 calories"... well yeah that's true for an 8 oz glass but most people drink out of 24 ounce glasses. So that juice that you thought was only 90 calories was in fact 270 calories.

Probably the biggest contributing factor to my weight gain was all the soda and other crap I was drinking throughout the day. I really wouldn't consume that many calories in my food.. but I would drink soda all day long. Those calories add up and in a hurry.

WATER WATER WATER-
Drink It all day long. Learn to love it. It is amazing at curving appetite. I usually drink a bottle of water while I am preparing my food. Then drink another bottle with my meal. Each and every time I do this I end up being full and happy after my meal.

EATING OUT-
Don't Eat fast food.. it's a losing battle. That doesn't mean that you can't go out and eat with your friends though. I have ate out plenty of times since starting my diet. My main rule for myself though is "KNOW BEFORE YOU GO". It's important that you know where you are going and what you are going to eat before you go. Look up nutritional information on the food that particular restaurant serves before you go so that you can make an educated decision on what you are going to eat. Also plan your diet accordingly. If you know you are going to eat somewhere and have a higher calorie meal then try eating light earlier in the day or go exercise to burn some of those additional calories.

I would also like to add that you said that you guys eat out a lot at work. Don't fall into that trap. Bring your lunch. Those sandwiches I listed above are an excellent food you can take to work. Also take your two snacks into work with you. If your going fast food then there are a few options that aren't terrible. I particularly enjoy a club sandwich from subway and it's low calorie on top of that.

I am also on a multivitamin that my doctor prescribed me. Oh and make sure you are having regular bowel movements. I wasn't so I picked up a fiber supplement. Keeping it regular seems to have helped me substantially with my weight loss.

MEATS I EAT A LOT OF- Chicken breasts, turkey, fish (particularly talapia, but also sometimes salmon), Petite Sirloins, and low fat angus ground beef.

COOKING OIL- CANOLA (PAM)... I use it on everything. it's amazing and zero calories. (actually it's a few calories after spraying it for a few seconds but it's still better than any other solution).

EXERCISE.. Start out slow. Go for a walk.. the next day walk further.. the next day walk faster.. so on and so fourth. Before you realize it that walk will turn into a jog and that jog into a run. Just be dedicated to it and don't short yourself. Push yourself for results every day. Go further, go faster, and soon you will be doing things you thought were never possible.

the best thing I can tell you about eating out is to look up the nutrition info on what you order before you order it. do you have a smart phone? most fast food/restaurants have their nutrition information online and you can just take a look at what you want to have. Sometimes the stuff you are used to ordering has soo many calories, but there is something equally as delicious on the menu for a lot less.

Good snacks:
1. Apple with 2 tbsp peanut butter (I don't buy the low fat stuff cause the fat helps fill you up). I cut up a bag of apples once every two weeks and put them in baggies with a little lemon juice - this keeps them from browning. I also portion out my peanut butter in mini plastic containers (you can also buy pre portioned containers of peanut butter.
2. Any kind of veggie/fruit you like cut up and packing into containers/baggies for quick snacks. I like carrots and cucumbers personally. They are more filling if you pair them with some kind of fat or protein. Example: Carrots and hummus, cucumbers and ranch, celery and peanut butter. It makes the calorie value go up, but it keeps you full longer.

Also I want to tell you that you can do it!! Finding a routine that works is challenging and takes a bit. Don't beat yourself up for every little thing. Explore new foods, exercises little by little and you will find what works for you.

I'm completely new to my fitness pal, but I have been doing a lot of research over the past year and making my own lifestyle healthier. My biggest tips would be to always eat whole wheat bread, have lot's of fruits and vegetables available especially ones that you really enjoy, try to drink only water, and when possible, prevent yourself from eating stuff you know is bad. For example, I looove poptarts, cookies, cinnamon toast, pretty much any warm, sweet thing. So I never buy those things and when I'm craving them I can't eat them so I'm forced to make a healthier choice. Or, for going to restaurants, order just and appetizer, split something with a friend, or even ask your waiter to put half of your meal in a to go box before your meal comes to help prevent yourself from overeating. I hope these help and good luck! I'm sure you can do it

People are giving good advice, heres my two cents....
Eat clean, real unprocessed foods, if you want peanut/almond butterm buy natural ones, not ones packed with sugar and crap.
If youre going to eat carbs like grains, make sure you eat wholegrain
Get plenty of veg in there
Drink water
Snack on Nuts, fruit, things like that. I personally would avoid snack bars and such because theyre ususally full of hidden sugars and processed junk. Keep it as natural as possible, and if in doubt, make your own flapjacks or something with oats, dried fruit and seeds, and some honey.