Jill - This is the diet plan that finally worked for me when I lost the first twenty pounds. Slightly modified from "The Warrior Diet" - actually kind of a schlocky book, I didn't bother to buy it after I looked at it, but did read a magazine article about the basic plan. During the day, you eat only vegetables, some fruit, and some protein. For dinner, eat whatever your family's having, but eat your veggies first, your protein second, then your carbs (better potatoes or rice than bread, but whatever). I used to eat a veggie burger for breakfats (not a soy burger, but these kinda hash-brown tastin' things with a little oat bran, corn, whole soybeans etc,. Probably hard for you to find. Eggwhites with veggies would be good.)
For lunch, a large salad with chicken breast and veggies (Subway or Jack-in-the-Box have good ones, so I could eat out if I was out with the kids). V-8 juice and those individual carrot stick packages with dressing to dip them in, or fruit, for snacks. Then dinner, I could make my family's usual meals, just add a chicken breast for me if it was pasta, and eat a small portion of pasta last.
I found this worked for me because when I eat carbs I tend to get food cravings - this way, my diet was balanced, and I only ate the carbs when I was already almost full. Plus, I could enjoy a regular dinner wiht my family without feeling deprived.
