This is how Ive got it done in the past for losing the pounds ,Two well sized salads with meat (grilled chicken ,ham ,boiled egg,tuna)as part of the topping ,no beacon ,cheese or heavy dressings .In addition its about limits on calories without filling starved or weak so in between meals the snack of choice is a limited intake of fruits or unsalted nuts to fill the void,some nuts are packaged giving you the calorie count per package,these you can find at Target stores.To excersise youll need to Walk at least 2 miles a day ,this equals to be around a 2 pound loss each week ,right now Ive lost 12 pounds at the 6 week mark ,at week 12 I should have reached the goal of 25 pounds,the extra energy you have is just a bonus of the weight loss. Their is a belief that most, if not all, fast foods have a certain degree of food preservatives added to extend shelf life ,some of these additives are deemed safe for consumption ,Its my belief that once you take almost all sugars and salts out of your food intake ,plus the preservatives ,your body can start to rid itself of pounds with limited excercise,Ive even made room to drink a few light beers at night ,3 16oz bud lights and still making progress.The biggest failure for dieters is a reward catagory they give themselves after accomplishing a part of their schedule,to remember the goal of weight loss is the reward and not a candybar ,if you sidetrack your goal it becomes negatory to each goal you have achieved to that point.The more you put into it the more you get out.Once youve found a workable program its just about maintaining a portian control after the weight is off ,but remember salts and sugars are behind most weight issues here in America.