Some basic rules that have stuck with me ...

1. "Plan to only have one serving of carbs per day" ... think about it ... If you are going to have toast for breakfast, then that's it ... but if you want to have a hamburger that evening, skip the toast in the morning, if you want to have pasta for lunch, skip the bun at dinner.
2. It's OK to feel hungry. It really is a first-world statement, but we do not like to feel hungry. If you feel hungry between meals, have a large glass of water.

At the end of the day it's always the same ... Calories burned must be greater than calories consumed. For simple math, beer or wine is 200 calories.. So 30 minutes on a treadmill at 4MPH is roughly 1 drink