Greens, greens, and more greens!!!

My sister is getting married in June and I have decided to try to and get into better shape for this cute little black dress we get to wear. Well...easier said than done! I started doing some research about weight loss, average size for your age and height, diets that work and don't work, etc...there is so much information out there that's it's almost overwhelming. I'm not taking diet pills and I'm not doing some crazy diet that consists of nothing but brussel sprouts and beets. After talking with several people who have lost weight successfully and have kept it off I finally came up with a plan that I knew wouldn't be easy but that I knew I could follow if I just stuck with it. I try to exercise three time a week and I've decided to eat about five to six times a day (that's a good start because I do like to eat :) But in order to do so, I have to control my portions; I eat only until I'm satisfied and nothing more. I'm told that when you eat five to six times a day it keeps your metabolism working constantly. When you eat just two or three times a day your metabolism slows down and your body stores what you eat as fat for a future energy source. I eat lots of fresh fruit, veggies, protein and whole grains and try to stay away from processed foods. I've read and heard that dark green veggies are what your body really needs! The first week was horrible cause I kept cheating and eating what I wasn't suppose to. The second week I did a little better but not by much, the third week I actually stuck with it but didn't really enjoy it and now my fourth week, which is what I'm on now, has gone so much better that I've been eating really good and I'm actually beginning to crave fruits and veggies. Saturdays and Sundays aren't all that great and I have to try harder on those days but the rest of the days are pretty good. Here is a typical day:

Breakfast - Yogurt and toast or whole grain muffin
Mid morning - One piece of large fruit
Lunch - Salad with lots of greens like spinach, romaine, broccoli, and peppers with some protein like turkey breast or chicken, a few almond slices and a small piece of fruit.
Afternoon - raw carrot sticks or celery
Dinner - Grilled chicken breast or fish, 1/2 cup of barely steamed veggies and
maybe a little whole grain pasta or brown rice
Evening - Granola or popcorn without anything on it

Of course I vary a lot of my meals and I don't eat the exact thing everyday but as long as its healthy, raw, or whole-grain I'll eat it. Now I've been doing this for four weeks and this past weekend I was getting a little frustrated thinking 'is this really working or even worth it?' But yesterday at church I had several people tell me I looked like I was losing weight!! Yea!!! I was so excited, I guess it is working it just takes lots of persistence and stick-to-it-ness!