Tips

• Eat to live, not live to eat. Food is about sustenance to feed your body, not a substance to heal your soul. If you feel that you eat not to fulfill a physical need, but an emotional one, try to look within yourself to figure it out. If you can't do it on your own, seek professional help or counseling. It's expensive, but so is spending--and wasting--money on trying to lose weight on ineffective methods. Besides, if you can eat less, you save money on food.
• On the other hand, don't hate food. Don't deprive yourself with the intention of losing weight.Again, food is about feeding your body. It should not be producing feelings of shame or guilt.Although I said not to live to eat, you should be able to enjoy eating. Your goal should be to eat healthy. Being thin should be the side effect, not the goal. Think of two people: one wants to make a lot of money, and the other works really hard. Let's say the first person works hard in order to achieve the goal of lots of money. The second person works hard, and maybe the hard work will pay off financially. Even if it didn't, the person would feel personally satisfied for a job well done. It's a win-win situation. The first person, if faced with financial mediocrity, would be thoroughly disappointed.
• "Losing weight" is only a temporary, often ineffective goal. If you managed to lose the weight you wanted, you would have to be able to maintain it.
• People need to get over the idea that being overweight versus thin is just about appearance. It is about health. Being obese and carrying around excess weight stresses the body's heart, bones and lungs. It also increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. That's what is disturbing about the "Big & Beautiful" movement. People can be big and beautiful, and should love--not hate--themselves. However, being overweight is not something to be proud about. It is like an alcoholic being proud of his alcoholism.
• Obesity is a symptom of an overdependence on food, for whatever reason. People cannot gain weight without consuming more calories than they burn. It's like money... there needs to be a proper balance between income and spending or else you end up in terrible debt. If your bank account can't support that Porsche, you're not likely to buy it. So, if your metabolism won't support that slab of steak, don't eat it. If you want that Porsche, increase your income; if you want that steak, increase your metabolism by exercising.
• Consider the adage about "no pain, no gain." Well, for me, pain makes me want to stop doing something. So don't push yourself with an activity that is unpleasant. "Pain" could be caused by emotional trauma of food deprivation or muscle cramps of overexercising. In any case, don't overdo either, or it would just be harder to maintain. Once you break the pattern, the body will rebound and gain whatever weight it lost, and then some extra for insurance against future shortages. Remember, you need to do something that you can stick to for the rest of your life, which will be longer if you are at a healthier weight.
• Your body is smart enough to adapt to a decrease in calories by lowering metabolism. Don't starve yourself. Your body is designed to survive famine, not excess, so it will hold on to any calorie that it has if you maintain a restrictive diet. Once you get off that diet, or cheat just a little bit, the weight/fat stays on you.
• Avoid extreme diets that tell you to focus on certain types of food and avoid others. Different parts of your body need different nutrients. Your muscles need protein; your brain needs glucose from sugar and carbohydrates.
• An animal's mouth reveals a lot about its diet. Cows' teeth show that they are herbivores who cannot chew meat. Wolves eat meat with their canine teeth. Humans have a variety of teeth that make us omnivores who could and should eat a variety of food. We are not just meat eaters or vegetarians.
• Asian cuisine tends to be healthier and leaner than American cuisine. However, Americanized Asian cuisine isn't all that healthy either. The problem with American cuisine is that the portions are too big and the food is unbalanced. Big slab of steak? Bland steamed vegetables? No wonder Americans don't like veggies.
• Your body senses when it has had enough by the amount of fat it detects, in addition to how much your stomach stretches out. With low/non-fat food, your body has a harder time gauging when it has had enough, and thus, you have a harder time knowing when to stop.
• Among the suggestions, there are things that I do consistently, and some I do occassionally. The trick is to know how often to do things.
• If I had to pick one word to describe this strategy, it would be "moderation." Too much of anything is bad, no matter how good it seems. Even water could be bad for you if you drink too much of it.
• Pick activities and food that you like and can do or eat for the long term. If you don't like something in particular, that's fine; eat or do something else. Basically, don't follow every single one of my suggestions if it doesn't agree with your tastes. If you don't like OJ, drink some other healthy drink you like. Figure out alternatives that work for YOU, because you're the one who has to live with the consequences. If exercising until you cry from pain works for you, by all means, do it, if you can stick to it.
• As you can see, it's not just one thing that you can do. Any diet or exercise program that promises you that there is one food type you need to eat or one exercise you need to do, is messing with your mind and body (not to mention your wallet).