After a lot of research, I put this plan into action for myself. Diet: Lots of plants, ~15% of total kcals from meat (very little red meat, more chicken + fish

After a lot of research, I put this plan into action for myself. Diet: Lots of plants, ~15% of total kcals from meat (very little red meat, more chicken + fish), ~15% kcals from dairy. I'm not exact about it. Eating a diverse group of foods, getting good amounts of fiber, yogurt, and complex carbohydrates helped shed some pounds. Exercise: 30-45 minutes 3 to 5 times a week of time spent running at 60-80% of max heart rate. body weight exercises focusing on core strength (a good resource for those here http://www.combatfitness.co.uk/ http://www.combatfitness.co.uk/ ). Stretching, yoga, whatever, stretching is exercise too. I also go sprinting and lift weights via dumbbells to get some more in. Meditation: Lots of different ways to do this. I picked one that worked for me and moved on to other things. I started doing muscle relaxation techniques, since I'm sitting so often. More on those here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR00007 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR0000... I lost 50 pounds over the past year and a half--feels great. :)