Ok, here is what ya do, there are two methods that work real good for food, 1 is counting calories, although i don't recommend that for people who don't have the time or might forget, but it can improve your math skills. Write down all the foods you eat and record how many calorie's you've consumed either from boxes that the food was in, cook books index, or searching that food on the internet, you'll want to eat between 1300-1600 calories. Or, the other method, you can either eliminate snacks, or only eat fruit and veggies for snacks. Then, make sure you eat breakfast, a small lunch, and for dinner, NO SECONDS!, try to make up your meal 1/2 veggies/ fruit 1/4 carbs (pasta, potatoes) 1/8 meat and 1/8 fats (that would be considered desert, like ice cream, only 1 scoop!). Ok, the next part is the hardest, because you have to make sure you DO IT! I recommend that you pick up and exercise video or two, those will give you the best work out. I recommend tae bo w/ billy blanks, it's great! If you can't spare the money, then you'll want to either start walking, running, or jump roping. In walking walk 20 minutes a day building up to an hour. In running, start at 5 minutes jogging and increase to 40 minutes! In jumproping, start with 4 sets of 70 jumps, and work your way up to 12 or 15 sets!, or even 7 sets of 150 jumps! Also try push ups, sit ups, and crunches to get toned in your arms and stomach. Good luck! ~Michelle