The Water Cooler

No trainer, but most of them will agree: diet, diet, diet. Most people focus on what they have to do in the gym and don't put as much effort into what their diet is like. And when I say diet, I mean what you eat daily...feel like I need to clarify that since most people look at my funny when I explain my eating habits. The lifting/cardio is easy to figure out and you really don't even have to get complicated with it to see results.

Check out this site if you're looking for something totally different. Seems a little crazy, but I've been on it for well over a year now and love it. So much easier to follow than eating 5-6 small meals a day (that gets old quick, but is still effective if done correctly) and it's pretty straight forward in it's approach. (site is best viewd on browers other than IE)
http://www.leangains.com/

BTW...congrats on deciding to make a life change. Good luck

Good luck!

I'm in the same boat. 2 months hard core then slack a month then 2 back on....

Not a trainer, but a healthy diet goes a long way in changing your body.

You don't need to eat breakfast, wait as long as you can for your first meal of the day because your body continually burns fat from your last meal the night before until you decide to eat again the next day. But as soon as you eat your body starts burning what you just digested and can't focus on burning your other fat. Eat nuts, meat, cheese and greens during the day. Fruit is okay later in the day and if you have to have complex carbs have them later in the day preferably dinner or before bed. And if you are working out regularly your body will crave carbs but the later you wait in the day the better because you can reward yourself by eating whatever you want up until you fall asleep because like I said your body will burn fat all night.

I am sure someone will say that is not healthy or you will hear a hundred different things that are supposed to work but I have lost 18 pounds in the last 3 weeks by following this diet and working out rigorously 3-4 times a week. I am 24 so not far off from your age and at 27, so good luck man. Hope that helps you as much as it has for me.