And I'm down about 7 or 8lbs. I know most if not all of this was water weight loss (being on my period didn't help

).
don't get discouraged! it's coming off right...that is your only concern. it's about making a lifestyle change remember.
My diet is getting better. I have bought a food scale and have compiled a notebook listing the nutritional value of everything I eat.
outstanding This will make meal planning and calorie counting much easier. I still have a few wrinkles to iron out but I'm glad to say that I'm finally getting on track.
don't worry about the wrinkles. if you feel the need to make small adjustments go ahead, but concern yourself with diet precision and cardio persistence. I don't skip breakfast anymore and I'm drinking nothing but water, which has really cut my sugar intake a lot. I'm still having trouble getting my calories up to 1800/day. Right now I can just muster 1600 cal and that's if I don't skip any meals.
don't stress. your body will take some time to get used to the new diet format. just stick with as much as you can for now. it's about being better, and your body just has to get used to greatness.
I'm not too big on supplements but I do have some protein powder which I plan to use as pre-workout nutrition. I don't advocate exercising on an empty stomach so in the morning before my workout I plan on taking 2 scoops whey. Then I will have breakfast for my post-workout meal.
absolutely fine. keeping a high amino profile before and after a workout is a great idea. keep it up. if you run out, you can always buy more or substitute it with something else. few eggs and an apple. the protein will give you that amino profile while the apple will help get some blood sugar back up after your nightly fast.
Diet example:
1 shake 310 cal 52 gr protein 6gr fat 2 gr sugar
okay
4oz pasta 420 cal 20 gr protein 2 gr fat
that's a lot of cals coming from carbs here. i will assume this is your post workout meal so its ok here, but be careful with your serving size.
1 cup cereal 200 cal 9 gr protein 13 sugars 4.5 gr fat
cereal isn't a good bet. try for something cleaner. the only one i could see you using right now would be raisin bran or one of those fiber cereals. if not, oats will do the same. splenda and cinnamon with skim milk is actually pretty tasty.
9oz chicken 360 cal 78 gr protein 1.5 gr fat
do you like broccoli? green veggies would be great with that chicken.
2 fruits ~ 200 cal
possible to eat any protein here, i would. that's basically 50g of carbs, and you probably only need half of that to get to the next meal.
1 tortilla 160 cal 3.5 gr fat 3 gr protein
again, high carb. maybe throw some tuna in, and cut down on tortilla size. just trying to manipulate your carb intake to keep it even through meals.
1/2 baby spinach ?
1tbs lite honey mustard dressing 45 cal 2.5 gr fat
sprinkle fat-free cheddar cheese
little turkey and this is complete.
daily total ~1700 cal 162 gr protein 19.5 gr fat
Sorry I don't have a total for the carbs. I'm just shy of 1gr protein/lb LBM. I know I should be getting 1.5 gr/lb LBM but I'm trying to lean out not bulk.
protein content isn't going to make you bulk. total calories will. so don't worry about bulking. protein will also help you retain any of the muscle you have and any you will be building throughout your workouts. so don't let your protein amount intimidate you. it's a different idea from mainstream methods, but that's why we look better 