okay so here are the basics. Female. 5Ə". 205lbs. Very Athletic. (volleyball, and soccer) i need to lose 40 pounds by October 10, 2011. I'm a size 12/14 and want to be a 6/8. i have alot of muscle and there is a thick layer of fat over it! i don't want to build any more muscle than i already have except in my stomach and arms. my legs have massive muscle with a ton of fat over them. i need excersizes that will tone my legs and get rid of most of the fat on them. so basically i want to look very athletic with muscles showing, but i don't want to look skinny or scrawny, neither do i want to look like a body builder. what should i do? can you recommend any type of protein shakes, special foods or supplements.i want to look pretty in my dress! Long and thoughtful answers are appreciated! thanks! :)

We are on the same boat. I had lost 10 pounds just controlling my food, especially *no chocolate*
and I still go to exercise 5 times a week and since I started eating without attention
I havent gone to the bathroom as good as before and that means whatever I eat , it stays in my body. I believe it has to do with the portions and types of food: for 4 days I had 4 icecreams per day!
That must be the reason. Lets pay extra attention and no sweets at all! Good luck for U!

wow!! You must be incredibly muscular to be 205lbs and only a 12/14! Good for you!
Here are some suggestions off the top of my head... I'm not a big fan of the shakes or supplements so I couldn't recommend anything along those lines, but here's some suggestions from what I do have experience with.
October is close, so you will have to be determined and very disciplined. The first thing you're going to want to do is either walk or run at least 30 mins a day, if walking it should be more. Actually, here's a website that can help you track your calorie intake, calories burned. It will tell you how many calories you can eat a day and how many calories you have to burn a day in order to achieve your goal by Oct. 10. It's sparkpeople.com (don't worry, I'm not selling anything, lol! I've used it and found it an EXCELLENT tracking tool) Many times people just don't realize how many calories they're eating vs. how much they burn in a day.
My other biggest suggestion is to reverse the order of your meals (in regards to size that is). Eat your biggest meal for breakfast, a good sized meal for lunch, then for supper either skip it or eat very lightly - fruits and light grains (unbuttered popcorn, toast, cereal, etc). Your body is able to utilize the food you eat for breakfast better throughout the day and is less likely to store it as fat. If you eat a large meal in the evening, however, your body is much more likely to store the calories as it has less time to burn them before sleeping. I know quite a few people who eat breakfast at 7:30-8am and have a lunch between 2-3pm and then skip supper altogether. Of course, for someone who is used to eating in the evening you will be HUNGRY, lol, I know... BUT, if you push through it your body will adjust and you'll likely be just fine. I am NOT talking about starving yourself, you have to take in the calories you need in the other two meals, but your body will just be able to use the foods more efficiently.
On a metabolic level exercise actually affects how your body processes the food you digest. It's not just burning calories that is a benefit of exercise, but through exercise your body has what it needs to convert food into useable energy. Without exercise it doens't have as much of what it needs and more of the food is turned into fat. It's very interesting. I have a bunch of the details in my notes, but it would be VERY lengthy to explain, lol :-)
The obvious is also there - cut back on empty calories. Eat whole foods! Whole fruits and vegetables and LOTS of them (minus the sugar and the butter!), whole grains, potatoes, low fat meats (I'm a vegetarian so I got with tofu or beans - beans are EXCELLENT fillers with next to no fat). I actually lost almost 10lbs just by becoming vegetarian (and I didn't have much to lose). Bake instead of fry. Stop cooking with oil except for in recipes where it is essential.
AGain though, just by tracking your calories on that sparkpeople website, you'll realize just how much that extra tbsp of butter cost you!
I wish you the best of luck! It won't be easy, but if you're determined and refuse to quit (even when you fall off the wagon!!!) you can do it :-)