i've also decided to lose some weight.. i went to a dietitian for advice and this is what she's told me: (warning, kinda long post, but i've really learnt from it..)
breakfast - 6am-ish
1 cup of cereal or 2 weetbix, milk, no sugar
morning tea - 9am-ish
fruit the size of your fist. i.e. 1 apple, 1 orange, handful of grapes, small piece or watermelon. its up to you what you eat, but it should be limited to fist size.
lunch - 12-ish
1 sandwhich or wrap, should be wholemeal or multigrain bread, can have chicken or ham and salad. no cheese.
arvo tea - 3pm-ish
fruit again, same as above
dinner - 6pm-ish
chicken or steak the size of your palm, or fish the size of your hand (i.e. palm + fingers). a cup of vegetables and a cup of carbs (cooked volume).. so potato, pasta or rice.
before bed - 9pm-ish (optional)
small tub of yoghurt. like kids size.
the idea behind this is that you eat every 3hrs, in smaller amounts.. i know this is said on tv a lot, but i never quite grasped just how to do it.. what this eating plan does is it keeps your metabolism going all day.. it kicks it off early and keeps it going all night. you will get hunger pains when you first start this, but just stick with it! after a few days the pains will go away and you'll find this really easy to achieve. just think of the hunger pains as the eating plan working, because as you get those hunger pains, your body starts breaking down fats in your body.. if you're anything like me, you'll find you only get those hunger pains about 15mins before you're supposed to eat anyway.. but its pretty amazing how pretty much every 3hrs on the dot, you get those hunger pains.
with the food you can mix it up a bit, i dont stick to it 100% but i'm sensible about things when i deviate from what i've been asked to eat.. cut out take away all together if you can! maccas, hungrys, kfc, the lot.. its really tempting to have some when you're in a hurry and are hungry, but it doesnt take too long to get over it.. then you'll find that when you go try some maccas or kfc after you've not had any for a few weeks that it tasts like rubbish anyway!
the bread and/or wraps you eat have to be wholemeal. white bread is processed easily by the body and stored where as wholemeal is not.
what you drink is important too.. i was drinking lots of softdrink, we all know thats bad.. so i then moved to water but mostly juice.. juice is bad too! you should, especially when you start, only drink water.. i now occasionally have a juice or a softdrink, but only 1 per day if i have one at all.. 1.5 - 2 litres of water is your goal, but dont stress if you cant drink that much. sometimes i have less than a litre, sometimes i have 3 or more.. i have found the days that i drink more water, i lose more weight - although i dont do it now, i was at first keeping track daily to see how different things affected me.
also, really limit your alcohol intake.. i used to have 3-4 drinks a night.. i drink bourbon and coke, so thats nasty to begin with.. but it goes for anything, beer, wine, whatever.. its all sugar and will be stored in your body as fat as its really easy for the body to process..
exercise wise, if you can fit it in, you need to try do 30-60mins a day. the amount that you walk around the office each day could be counted as exercise, but try get something in that raises your heart rate a little.. as i said i try mix it up a bit to keep myself interested.. weights, situps, push ups, skipping, cycling, walking.. i do a bit of everything i listed just there.. i probably spread myself too thin on each thing excercise wise, but i'm certainly noticing a difference.
my little brother and dad have been roughly following the eating plan i'm following.. my little bro has lost 10kg and my dad has lost a few as well.
i myself.. well.. in november i was 117kg.. i'm now 95. i've sat pretty steady for the last 2 months or so though with all the shit going on around me, eating healthy & excercise have been the least of my concerns, but i've still not put the weight back on cause i know better now. also goal is 80 for the moment.. i was planning on being there by the end of this month, but it hasnt happened.. i was on target for a while there.. i figure if i can make it there by my birthday i'll be doing really well