Losing weight can be easy if you reduce your intake of carbohydrates as these have the largest effect on your blood sugar levels. I'm not talking about an Atkins diet, I mean cut out refined carbs (sugar, white rice,white bread, white pasta) and cut down on high carb foods..have no more than 1 slice of wholemeal bread for example and no more than 2 small potatoes with your evening meal..never eat chips or crisps. Eat tons of veg (turnip, cabbage, peas, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflour) incl. salad veg and lots of berries. Don't eat a lot of fat, but do eat nuts and seeds and oily fish. Vitamin supplements have no effect (refs can be supplied to back this up), so don't even bother with them..no substitute for the vitamins in food..the more veg/fruit you eat fresh and raw the better! You don't have to go mental with exercise, just aim for about 1/2hr a day..even if that's just walking. But, if you build up a little muscle mass (wee light weights or even use tins of beans) this does help your metabolism. Another important thing you must do is try, try to cut out alcohol. If you can't completely, then cut down to a few units a week. The person who posted eating after a certain time is allowed ,is absolutely correct..in fact there is evidence that eating less during the day and more at night actually boosts weight loss! But, I'd suggest eat when hungry and don't eat just because it's lunch or dinner time.
A drastic cut down in calorific intake can have many effects on your body, which don't necessarily help prolonged weight loss, but the best thing to do is not count at all. Build a list of foods which are low/medium carbohydrates, protein and 'good' fats' (omega-3, monounsaturated fats) and stick to them.
If you do even light exercise (1/2 hour walking a day) you'll lose weight. As Ruth has already said, there are psychological factors related to the effects of dieting. There is also an addictive factor associated with dieting, so be careful not to overdo it.
Good luck...dieting in January sucks!
p.s. for those interested in the physiological effects of a low calorie intake (of 1000 or so) several research groups have shown increased longevity and reduced aging, especially if combined with a high intake of polyphenols (although this has yet to be fully explored in humans). Like everything else, swings and roundabouts ;-)
