First of all, this isn't one of those "I need to lose weight fast" questions. I am just barely overweight for my age, height and body build and would like to get back to a healthy reasonable weight, even if it may take a while.

I'm 23 years old, approx. 6 feet tall weighing at 188 lbs (pounds) this morning. The highest weight that I've ever reached was 192 lbs and at one time managed to get it down to 162 lbs, but now it's decided to all come back to me a few years later it seems.

I know that the basic guidelines to a healthy weight are eating the correct foods, drinking plenty of water and exercising, but that alone is not enough to help me. I need some real world examples from people who have succeed with this.

How many times a day should I really eat? How much should I eat? What should I eat? I don't want to end up spending too much money on food, so how can I go to the grocery and buy just the right amount of things to get me on my way to slimming down the healthy way?