This is what I am trying to do personally, I haven't stuck to my guns because my stress level is through the roof right now and I'm a comfort food eater. But, when I'm not stressed out I will typically find my base metabolic rate (the rate at which my body burns calories just to stay alive with no other activities) I believe mine is around the 2000 mark. I'll add in the fact that if I'm diligent about working out or running I'll add in 200-500 calories depending on how active I am. From there it's just a matter of watching what I eat, logging it on myfitnesspal, and staying in my caloric goals. I try not to eat more than 150 grams of carbs if I'm working out, and the carbs I do eat I try to make sure don't come from crap (I have a slight addiction to Dr. Pepper that I need to kick). I also try to take in 1 gram of protein a day as well, doesn't matter to me if its protein from powder or meat. As long as I hit 170 grams a day I'm good. The rest of my calories can be filled in with fats from the meats, nuts, veggies, etc. I can typically figure how to fit what I want to eat into my goals after a few days, after that its just a matter of eating the same things pretty regularly. I find making a meal plan and sticking to it works awesome, and if I have the time I'll try to cook four to five different main courses on a Saturday or Sunday which keeps me from going out to eat. If I do go out I just make it fit into my calorie goals. A lot of the times I may be over by a couple of hindered calories, but that's ok because at the end of the week I can look back and adjust as necessary. Hope this helps ya some.