I am interested in knowing your advice regarding calories vs. fat grams... is it better to watch calories or far grams?

A combination of both. I would cut out maybe a couple hundred calories a day and look for choices with fewer grams of fat to substitute fattier food items as well.

I agree, it's a combo of both. Some fat free foods actually have more calories than the regular kind! Try to cut out sugary drinks, fast foods, processed foods, and high fat/calorie foods. Checking with the doctor before you start a weight loss program is always a good thing to do. It can really help to get the doctor's input on what your ideal weight would be, how to diet, and to make sure you are healthy enough to exercise. When you diet, make sure you are still eating balanced meals and getting all the vitamins and nutrients that you need.

Check these out before you make a decision:

What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie? - New York Times

ABC News: Excerpt: 'Good Calories, Bad Calories'

Watching your fat intake is # 1 on my list of things to watch and lower, use spreads, olive oil and stay away from high percentages of fats in general. If you learn to read the nutritional labels on food products, they give you a wealth of information on all the nutrients in any product your eating. Including the correct portion size for the calories indicated by the label. I know that everyone wants a magic # for how many calories they take in every day, but people are different and unless you have a through physical and we know how your metabolism works slow, fast, etc, how fast your body actually digest foods, there's no correct amount of calories, again I can you you an average, the new average for females is 1600-1800 calories, and males 2700-2900. But what I advise is not worry so much about how many calories, what is most important is are you eating correct portions of healthy foods, (unprocessed, no fast foods, fried or fatty foods) if you keep your sodium and sugar intakes to a real low level and eat lean cuts of meats and fish, with 3 oz. being a serving size along with veggies and fruits and whole grain products, you'll be OK.

Thank you so much, best answer I've had that really make since...