If you voted option three I might help motivate you. Here's my story: A few years ago I was in college and was working full time so I ate a lot of take out. There was a Popeye's Chicken on the way from school to work so I ate there almost everyday. So obviously I started getting chubby. I was 6"1' weighed 180 lbs with very little muscle mass. So I was kind of fat. I couldnt fit into a lot of my pants that I owned and actually bought new ones. I wasnt happy with the way I looked. So I made a change. I started looking into diets to see which ones worked the best. A lot of them are BS. [u]A lot.[/u] But I found one that worked, and it worked so well that I lost 27 lbs in 6 weeks! I didnt have to starve myself and I could have a cheat meal every week. It was very doable. I actually kept losing weight, and even kept losing weight without even trying hard anymore. I didnt even exercise that much either. I weighed 147 pounds at 6"1' which is obviously too skinny. So I changed my diet to start putting on muscle. Seven and a half months later I weigh 170 lbs, but now with very little body fat. Im not jacked by any means, but Im definitely cut. And Im continuing to make gains. I still eat junk food on a regular basis and stay lean. So long story short I got shredded in nine months after being semi-fat. Anyone can do it, even on a budget. Let me know if you have any questions related to nutrition, Ive done a lot of research in nutrition. I know of basically every fad diet there is and I know all the nutrition myths. Whether you want to put on muscle without putting on fat, or if you want to lose fat quickly while retaining your lean muscle mass, I can give you tips. Edit: Id like to add that i accomplished this goal mostly by working out at home. I had limited equipment, just a set of 15 and 20 lb dumbbells and a doorway pull up bar. So I used them and got creative with bodyweight exercises. I only went to the gym to workout my back. And I managed to go to work, workout, and still have free time with video games or whatever. What I'm saying is anyone can do this.