Some tips....

Eat breakfast, preferably with some protein.
Drink lots of water (8-10 glasses). This does help.
Keep a food diary and write down everything.
Get a small kitchen scale and weigh portions.
Up the fruits and vegs.
Make short, medium and long term goals.
Exercise.
Recognize this is a marathon, not a sprint - and the hardest part is
not actually losing the weight, but developing life long habits that
will help you keep it off.

Mary G.
Lost over 50lb in 2004, maintaining.

Time issue -

The time scale for fat loss is month to month no matter that
not one dieter in history has liked the fact.  One advantage
of the engineering approach in the Hacker's Diet is an
understanding of noise in the data readings (the scale bounces
from day to day) and the use of smoothing formulas (the average
of the last couple of weeks matters not today's reading).

Being able to view the time scale on a monthly basis during the
losing phases and on an annual basis during maintenance is
a huge advantage.  Any smaller view of the time scale leads to
frustration.  In the short term (months) action gets more leverage
than attitude.  In the long term (years) mental attitude gets more
leverage that action.

Problem solving issue -

Note that a stall is define dby Dr Atkins as 4+ weeks without a
cheat, without a new low, without a lost inch.  This definition is
useful across the board not just on Atkins because it gives
time scales about what is and isn't reasonable in expectations.
It also points out that inches matter - Lose size and you're
successful.  But the time eventually comes when a stall
happens by that definition.

Treat a stall as a puzzle to be solved.  There are blocking
foods and chemicals, nutritional deficiencies that can cause
lower metabolism and such.  A stall is the time for experiements.

Reaction to a binge -

If you binge, remember what triggered that binge.  Then avoid
that trigger.  In the process you've learned a way to not binge
in the future.  Learn a lesson and the memory of that binge
becomes a victory not a failure.  Thus don't fear the unknown.
Rather learn from what happens.  If you plan says this is the
month to try eating X, and that triggers a binge for you, don't
refuse to try X in fear that it might trigger a binge.  Step out in
faith that whether it does or not you will have learned how to
improve your maintenance variety.

I personally do not subscribe to the
ensuring eating breakfast rule.  You know
your body, you know your willpower.

For me, I am weakest in the evenings.  No
matter how much or how little I've eaten in
the day, I *will* eat a lot a night.  So,
for me, the best thing to do is to eat as
little during the day as possible so that
my night eating is not so disastrous.

Your mileage will vary.

-- Anita --
149/140/130