oldfag here, 37 yrs. lost 40 lbs over approx 2.5 yrs and have kept if off for over 2 yrs. fairly low bf now, also pretty strong in the gym. height 5'10", weight 205, waist 33, bench 315, squat 385
most people want to lose fat quick and keep it off, very hard to do. best way is to find a lifestyle and eating habits u can sustain long term. here's what i did (and still do):
high protein / low carb protein shake for breakfast and one for lunch. (w breakfast i'll also have a cup of coffee...light cream, no sugar). in addition to protein, breakfast shake will also have blueberries, strawberries, fiber and sometimes half a banana. afternoon shake is usually just protein mixed in water.
for dinner i eat anything...pizza, burgers, fish, chicken, burritos, pasta, asian foods, etc, and will have a few chocolates or some ice cream for dessert...whatever.
i do the above pretty much 7 days a week. once in a while i'll have a big lunch on the weekend but not every weekend.
in terms of alcohol, i'll have a few beers total during the week and usually at least a few, and possibly a glass or two of whisky, both fri and sat.
i also work out in the gym 5 days/week, 1 hr/day. absolutely no cardio though, never have. my weight loss is not due to the gym however because i've been lifting exactly like that for 10 yrs or so and was heavy (strong/fat) most my life.
following that routine i lost/lose about 1 lb of fat every 2-3 weeks. it doesn't sound like much but in half a yr's time that's 10 lbs...and it's sustainable.
at first u will be hungry after both the breakfast and lunch shakes. after a month or so u won't even want a big breakfast anymore as the shake will fill u up. after a few months you'll feel the same way about lunch. by dinner u will always be very hungry though lol.
yes it takes some getting used to, but how bad do u really want to lose weight?
it's really not that hard at all. just stay the course and the weight will slowly come off and stay off. good luck