I had to loose a couple of stone a few years ago and followed the Rosemary Connely diet (a friend had loaned me a copy of the book) which basically cut down on fatty foods (I think the most you are advised to eat was around 5 g fat per meal) but allowed unlimited fruit and veg. I didn't even do the accompanying exercises but managed to loose the 2 stone in around 3 months, without even cutting calories.
I know it's not as easy as saying "don't give into your cravings, don't eat junk" but I found it helped to not have junk food in the house to begin with. But at the same time, don't completely deny yourself treats. If you want a treat, perhaps make yourself work for it. E.g. walk out to the shop and buy a chocolate bar when you feel like it, rather than being able to simply reach into the cupboard and grab one from a multi-pack! And don't avoid going out for a meal occasionally.
I don't believe that dieting in the traditional sense really works. Firstly, cutting down to say 1000 calories sends your body into starvation mode and your metabolism plummets - so then when you actually do eat, the weight comes back rapidly! Plus, cutting back on calories and banning all the foods you like only serves to make you feel deprived, which leads to cravings and ultimately the end of your diet.
In a nutshell, the only way to loose weight and keep it off healthily is to make healthy eating a part of your lifestyle. This way the weight will come off slowly but it will stay off. Fad diets are perhaps good for quick results in the short-term, but won't work in the long-term.
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