The science behind losing weight really isn't complicated: just make sure your intake of calories is less than you need to sustain your current weight. To lose

The science behind losing weight really isn't complicated: just make sure your intake of calories is less than you need to sustain your current weight. To lose 1 lb, you need to give up 3500 kcals. This can be accomplished by eating less, exercising more, or ideally, a combination of the two. Say, you're a programmer, you're 6' and you weigh 220 lb. Assuming you don't exercise, you need to consume 2700 kcals to sustain your curent weight. If you want to lose 2 lb a week, a doable and healthy method would be to cut your calorie intake down to 2000 and burn 300 calories through exercise. Ofcourse, the trick is to eat well, so that you don't feel hungry all the time. Foods that are rich in protein (like chicken, fish, beans and greek yogurt) will keep you from feeling hungry. Corn syrup, trans fat, and saturated fat are the stuff to stay away from (that's most processed foods), those will only make you more hungry. Also, timing is important to keep from eating too much. Start with a breakfast rich in fiber, and don't skip meals during the day. Drinking enough water is important too, at least 8 glasses a day. And for each cup of coffee, compensate it with a glass of water. Finally, knowing how many calories are in the foods you eat helps a lot. I use Livestrong.com's Daily Plate service to track my daily intake of calories, calorie goals, weight, and weight goals. Any math geek or stats addict looking to lose weight should use it. There's even a free DailyPlate iPhone app.