newbie hereee

hey everybody :D as the title says, i'm new here and have a couple questions about nutrition and my diet.
so i'm 5'6 16 years old Female and 140 pounds right now :(.  i used to be in the 130s (133-138) around there.  i have an athletic frame and have been an athlete all my life.. but now i'm really looking to cutting back and losing some of the inches around my hips and thighs (and losing overall bf%).  anyways im not sure what the best way is to going on a diet.. i've been searching and researching online and some sites just seem to contradict each other.  I'm trying to cut back on calories but then again I don't know how to count(or guess) calories in which the foods are homecooked and all.  anyways this is what i've been eating the last week
breakfast 7am: quaker oatmeal 160 cal 22 g carb + a handful of rasberries
snack 10am: whole weat bread with 1 table spoon of peanut butter(the pb has 50 cal, 1.25 g fat, no saturated, and 2 g sugar)
lunch1pm: salad with tomato cucumbers and sometimes very little cheese with squeezed lemon on top
snack4pm: fruits usually some blackberries,boisenberries,strawberries or apple
dinner7pm: varies, although i try to get in most of the protein at this time....

no exercise this week because i've been extremely busy.. i used to run 3 miles 6x a week about 2 months ago at the gym.. then i stopped going for about a month because of personal reasons but i started again and my plan is 3x cardio 3xstrenght training.

im just wondering what i should change and or add to my diet.. thanks :D

btw i got my bf checked about 3-4 months ago.. 1 month after my sports seasons ended, and a month before i started running 3-4 miles 6x a week and it was at 25%.. i was shocked and didn't know how it was possible but yeah :/

uhh, wake up at 6 am, eat every 2 hours...eat a lil less at each meal. do this u will start losing slowly. Throw some cardio in and ur solid.
 
o, and cut back on the fruits a bit a well.
 
good luck :)

i wouldnt cut back on the fruits altho veggies are still better, just make sure you have a source of protein on every meal, even if its not too big, throw in a piece of chicken or turkey every time. avoid pork. fish is amazing.

20
7-8% BF
178-182 lbs

Many people are confused on this subject. Harvard U and gov pyramid say to not eat less food or calories but to eat differently. The stress of counting calories is fattening even though stress has no calories. Salt has no calories but it is fattening according to the governor of CA. This site on Losing Weight tells what else he says causes you to retain water making you fatter and heavier even though it is not from fat.

Make sure to eat good fat which helps you burn fat. Tell your congressman to make trans fat illegal in the USA. It fattens people around the waste and kills people. Meat and dairy are very fattening and it has nothing to do with the calories in it. Fruit will help you lose weight and be healthier. The sugar goes into your blood a lot slower than with other food. This is part of the study of glycemic index and glycemic load.

ORIGINAL: ginkgo1

Tell your congressman to make trans fat illegal in the USA. It fattens people around the waste and kills people. Meat and dairy are very fattening and it has nothing to do with the calories in it. Fruit will help you lose weight and be healthier. The sugar goes into your blood a lot slower than with other food. This is part of the study of glycemic index and glycemic load.

Huh?  Make it illegal?  It's up to me to decide what I want to eat, not the Government.  What's next, outlawing pizza, cheesesteaks, and ice cream because it's fattening?  Give me a break.

Not all meat is fattening and certainly not poultry.  If your goal is fat loss, you DON'T want to be eating fruit, but rather vegetables.

Diana, try looking at this link for help.  Dan is a trainer and knows a great deal about weight loss.

http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_111175/mpage_1/tm.htm