I use almond milk on cereal. Blue Diamond unsweetened. At only 40 calories per cup, it relieves some guilt when I go on a carb binge with cereal. Some of you might turn your nose up at the thought of using almond milk, but give it a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. It's almost magical on cereal.
One of the most important realizations you can make about losing weight is that you have to have zero tolerance with guilt. Think about it. ZERO TOLERANCE.
That's mostly nonsense. Fats & proteins are building blocks of the body, so whatever calorie number label is put on them is already completely false. Additionally, fats & proteins do not metabolize instantly like carbohydrates, they require energy input to do so. Look up "starvation by rabbit diet". The whole calorie system created by USDA is vodoo science. There is no easy holy grail but there is a simple system of sticking to low carb and increasing energy output. You can lose weight very fast by sticking to a high protein & fat diet, while keeping carbs minimal with moderate exercise. And make sure to eat your veggies, even better juice as well. The premade shakes & supplement drinks help out, but you can replicate the results on your own.
Years ago, I went on a very successful diet where I lost weight by counting calories. I also made a chart of my total weight each day compared to the number of calories that I consumed per day. In the end, I determined that I required 1700 calories a day to maintain my ideal weight. Interestingly, because I am now less active and weight 5 more pounds than my idea weight, I still require no more than 1700 calories per day to maintain this weight.
Old school method still applies, exercise and reduce calorie intake. If you're not losing weight, you're not doing enough of both. There was a professor who ate nothing but Twinkees, Doritos, and other junk food, and he still lost weight because he kept his caloric intake in check and he didn't just sit around.