I am on a mission to lose 20lbs by April 1...going to vegas and the muffin top has got the best of me....

right now, avoiding carbs and upping my cardio...wish me luck!

When you truly consider the weight-loss process, the battle waged is mostly in your mind. "Should I eat the corn muffin with butter or would it be better for me to have margarine or better yet, have jelly? What am I doing eating this muffin anyway? It's so caloric and filled with saturated fat. I'm such a pig. I have absolutely zero willpower." It's no wonder you'll eat that muffin with the butter and slather jelly on top to quiet that negative self-talk.

What you need more than a diet is a way to shift those negative self-defeating thoughts to more adaptive, positive self-statements. As with most things worth doing, this requires a bit of practice. First, become aware when you're using a negative statement, then determine what about that thought is faulty and finally, replace it with a self-defense response or coping thought.
In the corn muffin example, instead of listening to "I'm such a pig" which clearly mislabels who you are, respond with "Pigs are animals and I am human. I don't have to be perfect."

Don't deny it, you love it, and if you say you don't your fibbin'. So how do I stay away from the fried food, easy... I don't.

You just watch how much you eat during the day and know "hey I wan't a fatboy dinner tonight" and plan accordingly.

A few fat facts:
1200-1500 calories a day will guarantee you loose weight. Don't worry if you go over its not the end of the world just do better tomorrow.

1 pound = 9.74351079 × 10^15 calories or (about 3,500)

Soda's are empty calories, don't drink your precious calories.

Exercise when you can, try to burn at least 400 calories per session, but don't kill yourself if you can't do it everyday don't feel guilty.