... Dont ever go on a "diet." All those fab diets out there do not work. They might give you short term results but, in the long run, you will probably gain the weight back. Many diets also do a number on your body. Like the Atkins diet, or ones alike, cutting out all carbs is harmful. Carbs are the first things to be burned when you need energy. And a diet too high in protein can damage your heart and liver. Low carb diets, high protein diets, low fat diets, no fab diet can work and keep you healthy and guarantee long- term weight loss at the same time. Also, in many diets you are depriving yourself of food that you want. Since you are saying no to all kinds of food, eventually you just cave and let yourself binge on whatever. And there goes the "diet."The only way to effectively lose weight is by eating healthy and exercising. By eating healthy, i dont mean cut out all junk and only eat celery and carrots. I mean eat more fruits and veggies and less junk food. Junk food is ok, but only a little at a time, and in moderation.Now to the topic of exercise. If you are just starting out, try and do about 20 mins of cardio three times a week. Cardio is anything that gets you heart rate up like jogging, jumping rope, swimming, etc. Pilates and Yoga are good forms of exercise, but you wont see any direct weight loss from them. Same goes for strengh and weight training. They tone muscles, not burn fat. And i dont know why everyone is afraid of muscle. Muscle burns 30x more fat.. Would you rather have a flabby arm or a nice muscular one? Dont be afraid of muscle. You wont look like a bodybuilder. It takes a lot more time and effort than just 3-5 times a week for 20-30 mins to look like a bodybuilder.Another thing about weight loss: you cannot spot reduce. THis meaning that you cannot say "ok my legs are too fat so im gona exercise and eat less so that my legs will be skinny." You cant tell your body where to lose weight. Only overall weight loss will help in losing fat.Eat in moderation. THis means that you can eat everything you want to eat, just in reasonable amounts. Ive used this example before, but say you want some chips. If you say "no im on a diet i cant eat them," it wont work. The chips will keep calling your name until you eventually binge on them. So instead, let yourself have a handful of chips, to get over your craving for them, and let that be that. It wont kill you to say yes to junk food once in a while, just dont overdo it. THe same goes for healthy foods. If you tell yourself "mmmmm carrots are low in calories and their healthy so i can have as many as i want," that is only true to a certain extent. Yeah you you can eat a lot more carrots that pieces of chocolate, but if you sit there and eat a whole bag of carrots then you'll be full but you wont have eaten all of the nutrients you need. Skateordie once said that you cannot get a day's supply of nutrients in under 1000 calories. So eat a variety of foods, and you wont go craving for anything and you'll get all of your nutrients. The average person needs from 1,300 - 2,000 calories a day, depending on your activeness. People who are more active need more calories a day than people who are less active. Breakfast is a very important meal. I know your probably shrugging it off saying that you dont have time or are not hungry in the morning or whatever. Well heres the facts. From the time you stop eating (for most people around 8 at night) to the time you go to bed (around 10 or 11) to the time you wake up in the morning (around 6 or 7) you havent eaten for about 11 hours. So even if you dont feel hungry, your body is. During the night, your blood sugar level drops and your metabolism slows. So if you have a healthy breakfast, it jump starts your metabolism for the day and gives you energy for the day. It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and eat your breakfast. For me thats about 5 minutes toasting my bread and pouring my orange juice, etc. and eating it while i put on make-up and wait for my straightener to heat up. Breakfast may seem so unimportant, but it is arguably the most important meal of the day.Try to incorporate 1 serving of vegetables in every meal. And have fruit as a snack. Pay attention to the food pyramid. A multivitamin is a good way to ensure that you are getting most of your required nutrients for the day.The slower you lose weight, the longer it will stay off.