Am I on the right track?

I have a question. I've been counting calories and working out for a little over a week. I joined this site because I HATE diets and cannot stand the thought of depriving myself. As long as I stay within my calorie allowance (no more than 1500 cals for workout days and no more than 1250 for sedentary days)- will I still lose weight eating what I want? For example, eating a cup of white rice with my chicken for dinner while staying under 1500 calories for that day. Or do I still have to find a healthier choice?

A calorie is a Calorie, it doesn't matter how much fat or carbs is in the food so you can absolutely eat the foods you want, as long as you do it in moderation... :)

technically, you could drink 1250 calories of coke and still lose. but it wouldn't be healthy, and you'd be pretty hungry. so can you have the white rice? if it fits into your calories. i tihkn you'll find though, that replacing it with brown rice will becrease your hunger and make you feel better in the longrun, making it more likely that you will stick to your healthier lifestyle. Its a personal choice, but i say go for more healthy whereever possible:)

Music to my ears, sftbalgirl!

And you're absolutely right hockeygirl. This weekend I'm going to restock to include some whole grain products from the grocery store. I'm going to totally switch from white starches to whole grains.