You don't need to be so restrictive on your caloric intake. I still eat about 2000 calories a day (I'm 6'1" and 168 pounds now, was 188 when I started). You j

You don't need to be so restrictive on your caloric intake. I still eat about 2000 calories a day (I'm 6'1" and 168 pounds now, was 188 when I started). You just need to eat the right calories. The hardest thing for me was cutting out the bread and pasta. I can still eat bread, but only "sprouted wheat" bread, which you can find at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. Also, I eat real eggs (about 2 for breakfast scrambled with vegetables, slice of sprouted wheat toast, cup of fruit, 3 times a week) all the time. The myth about eggs causing high cholesterol is just a myth. Your body can process the cholesterol in eggs just fine, since your own liver can produce way more cholesterol in a single day. It just depends on the rest of your diet. It sounds like you are making some great choices so far, but I would personally avoid the "low-fat" foods since most of them are packed with sugar, or even worse, High Fructose Corn Syrup. Instead, just eat good fats. Try putting olive oil and balsamic vinegar on your salad instead of sugary "light balsamic vinagrette." Also, you're right to cut out the fruit juices. Unfortunately, as much as I used to love orange juice, it has a lot of sugar. Much better to just eat an orange, because the fiber that comes with the orange will make your body take more energy to digest it, and your body will absorb the sugar more slowly. I also cut down on my alcohol intake a lot. I can still drink a glass of wine with dinner every day, but I stay away from drinking beer or more than 1 drink at a time. Green tea twice a day is also really good for me. Stick with it! Sounds like you're doing well, although I don't think you need to cut your calories down so low.