This method worked for me. Thirty pounds and counting. Every person is unique, with their own goals and aspirations. The trick to this method is to record everything and make sure that the calories you consume are greater than the the calories used to live. It is a simple method based on mathematics and how the body uses food as energy.
We are surrounded with food, wine, deserts to-die-for and succulent snacks that smell and taste good. The portions are huge, we get our money’s worth. Food is cheap, abundant and available anywhere, at anytime, in any quantity. The television has lots of food advertisements, two channels dedicated to food and how to prepare it. Celebrity chefs everywhere telling us to eat and revel in the abundant food.
We are bombarded by advertisements for weight loss programs, books on how to lose weight and the latest fad diet with lots of mumbo jumbo about no carbs, drink grapefruit juice, eat our prepared meals (Jenny Craig is one of many), buy our specially formulated food, drink juices, cleanse, and the list goes on and on. What the purveyors of these products and services do not tell you is that the basic premise underlying all their programs is; reduce your calorie intake, expend more calories than you consume. What they are trying to do is the same thing you can do on your own without spending a small fortune on special foods, counseling and whatever else they offer in services.
Every diet and fad to loose weight goes back to; the calories eaten must be less than the calories used. That is all, nothing else. It is not hard to do and there is no diet, just informed choices.
This is the method I used. It works. Between January 23rd and May 12th I have lost 30 pounds. I went form 200 to 170. It works. The method is a food diary where you record everything you eat.
I found a site called Lose It. http://loseit.com/. It is a is a food diary. I use it to record everything I ate. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and all tastes. Why? Everything you put in your mouth has calories. Some items have so little they are listed with zero calories, but most have some calories. Would you believe that a quarter cup of chopped onions has 16 calories. Every calorie counts.
I recorded everything. I looked at food labels and made some buying decision based on the calorie information printed. An example, bacon, I stopped buying regular bacon, 80 calories for two slices. I started buying Canadian bacon, 3 slices, 60 calories. That is 20 calories not eaten. When buying bread I got whole wheat. Whole wheat is supposed to take longer to digest than white bread and should you feel full longer. Also, watch the calorie count per slice. Stay away from the 100 or more calorie per slice whole grain breads. The higher calorie count means the slices are bigger than normal. I also checked the sugar content of foods. The lower the better, no added sugar is best and definitely NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, corn sugar or artificial sweeteners. Who needs the extra chemicals. Refined flour and white sugar should be avoided if you can. (It is not really necessary.) These are easily digested, leaving you feeling hungry in a much short period of time compared to whole grains. I noticed this when I had cereal for breakfast, I was hungry and ready for a snack by 10:30 am. When had eggs, Canadian bacon and whole wheat toast, I did not feel hungry until about 12:30 pm. Just in time for lunch.
Drink water. Many people mistake thirst for hunger. Also do not snack when you are bored. Go do something, take a walk clean the house, just do something to take your mind off of snacking. Hunger gets worse, it does not go away. Cravings and the munchies fade away when you are active.
When you are limiting your calories, keep in mind the recommendations on nutrition. The web sites where you log your meals will provide the nutritional breakdown for everything you eat. If you have to create a custom food, make sure to record all the information and not just the calories. This will help when you have to analyze what you are eating when you hit a plateau and the weight loss stops.
You will hit the plateau, some sooner than others and some more than once. A plateau may be the result of your body thinking that it is starving or facing a food shortage. At this point it will hold on to every bit of fat until it is convinced otherwise. Increase your calorie intake for a few days. Go over the recommended daily calorie intake, then go back to it. The pounds should start to disappear.
Weight loss does not happen overnight. It takes time, usually months. Lean about a balanced diet that provided the nutrition your body needs. Cook, this way you know how many calories are in the meals you prepare instead of guessing what the restaurant does. When you eat out, look for places that publish the calories in their dishes, or look up the estimated calories on what you plan to order before you go to the restaurant. This takes a little planning but it can be done. Most restaurants pack extra unnecessary calories into their food. The dishes have too much oil, some have cheese, sauces thickened with flour, corn starch, cream, butter and who knows what other high calories additions.
Also, there will be days where you have no control over what you have available to eat and as a result you go over the recommended calories for the day. Treat it as a necessary over day and enjoy yourself. Live is just for living and not suffering just to loose weight. So the weight loss takes a little longer, so what, live, have fun.
Recommended nutrition parameters lifted from the Livestrong web site.
A healthy diet should get 45 to 65 percent of its calories from carbohydrates, and contain 21 to 38 grams of fiber.
For heart health, limit your intake of dietary cholesterol to less than 300 milligrams a day.
Your daily protein needs vary, depending on your gender, age, weight and activity level. In general, most healthy adults need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For example, an adult weighing 150 pounds needs about 55 grams of protein a day.
A high-sodium diet may increase your risk of developing high blood pressure. To reduce your risk, daily sodium intake should range from 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day.
My goal is to get my BMI down to between 18 and 20,which according to some, is the ideal for someone my height. I have read about another method of measuring recommended weight. It is a ratio; waist measurement should be less than 1/2 your height. It is not finalized and still under discussion according an article I read and can no longer find to reference.
This method has worked for me. I am no longer fat and all the indicators the doctors look at have returned to the extremely normal range. I feel great and the long term goal is, never return to an overweight state. A side effect of my weight loss is, many people in my office have noticed and some of them have started using a food diary. Many asked what was my diet and my answer; none, no diet, just eat less calories than you burn and you will loose weight. No conditions, exceptions, no mumbo jumbo or special conditions.
The end result for me. I have to go out and replace my wardrobe with clothes that fit. I just love shopping.
My "Not Daily" Journal 
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