As said before, low calorie lose weight diets aren't that healthy unless you've eaten too much. Someone said don't eat too many carbs/grains, IE pasta, bread--that's bullshit: the Italians survive off pasta and are quite healthy. The key is everything in moderation, except fruits and veggies (unless its avocados, which are delicious, but will fuck with your digestive system if you eat too much cause they're a rather (good) fatty fruit!)
A simple rule to follow: starch, veggies, protein in every meal. Rice, bread, pasta, etc; veggies; meat, eggs, quinoa type grain. Don't be afraid to mix and match--use spices to your advantage! Learn the standard spices and the best way to pair them! Salt and pepper are basic and universal; from there you've got everything from chili powder to garlic salt to cumin to corriander, thyme, adobo, and everything in between--experiment with recipes (try something off www.punchfork.com and learn how the spices work together for which cuisine. Will also teach you cooking methods, timing, etc.)
Eating vegetarian is awesome! It's cheaper, easier, and veggies last longer than meat, and usually don't smell as bad if they're gone. You can basically do any type of pasta/rice dish with just veggies and it'll taste basically the same and have basically the same nutritional value as with chicken/steak etc if you use the same seasonings.
I try not to eat anything frozen or premade, unless it's been made by the local grocer. It's my body, I like to know what I put in it--who knows what is in, or where those ingredients have been. At least a head of broccoli grew out of the ground and eventually made it to the grocery store (I'll avoid the topic of organic v. industrial........)
A couple examples:
Breakfast go-to: breakfast burrito:2-3 eggs, pepper julianned, chopped onion, chili powder, garlic salt, cumin, tortilla, cheese, 1/4 avocado sliced. Maybe add some leftover chicken, steak, rice, whatever.
Lunch: sandwich: lots of veggies, some protein (or not), cheese, mayo, mustard (probably the easiest thing you can make) Leftovers from the night before.
Dinner: Stir fry: rice, pepper, onion, brocolli, snow pea, squash/zucchini, mushroom, bamboo shoot, water chestnut, carrots, any veggie you want, plus protein if you want. mix with a stir fry sauce or just add some of the above spices and it'll be great.
besides infinite other choices, skip frozen pizza and get premade pizza dough, tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings, and make your own pizza. tasty stuff when you've done it right.
Lastly, know that while spices are pretty concentrated, lots of veggies are aromatics like onion, garlic, etc that are used mostly for their taste (but definitely have lots of nutritional value!). Keep that in mind, but also learn to just appreciate the subtle tastes of a pepper or zucchini or carrot--remember that, typically, proteins aren't reproduced like a spice just for their taste. While most restaurants, fast foods, and other public food places have flavor packed dishes, remember that it wasn't always like that and dishes don't have to be super rich and full of flavor. I'm not a food snob or anything, but I have learned to appreciate the things I put in my meals for their face value, and don't find as much of a need to add that much to them.
