The first step is to cut sugar drinks out or your diet. A lot of people can lose ten lbs like this. The next thing to look at is alcohol consumption. Alcohol has calories, lots of calories, that is where most of the alcohol in some beers comes from. A shot of liquor with 0 carbs can have 70 calories.
Once you have done this, try to get the rest of your diet under control. The most important point to remember is that the biochemical processes your body uses to put fat on or burn it away are regulated by your blood sugar.
In response to high blood sugar the pancreas releases insulin, which promotes fat storage and inhibits fat burning. When your blood sugar is low, glucagon is released which promotes fat burning rather than storage. This is the theoretical basis for low carb diets, which are generally shown to be effective in the short term, i.e. a few months, maybe a year.
Ketosis will occur, and this is not bad; it is your body's natural response to such a diet, a diet our prehistoric ancestors may have had all winter long. A ketogenic diet was developed years ago by one of the big name medical schools (Johns Hopkins I think, but don't quote me on this) for the control of seizures (seizures are not related to weight loss, but I am trying to say that it is not a random fad that is foreign to medicine.)
You do not have to go low carb to lose weight, but keep your meals small. Spiking your blood sugar will cause your body to release excess insulin and pile on the pounds.
Building muscle will also help your body to burn more calories at rest. Running a mile each day may help some, but one study that monitored participants 24 hrs per day concluded that a little aerobic exercise once a day does not impact obesity that much; lifestyle does.
That being said, a little aerobic exercise may help with blood pressure and lipid profile, so don't not exercise, just don't count on it for weight loss, unless you are building muscle, which will cause your body to burn more calories 24 hrs / day, even in bed.
Caffeine will also help with weight loss. Glucagon, which I mentioned earlier works by adding phosphate groups to some enzymes that promote fat burning. There is another enzyme located in cells called phosphodiesterase that removes these phosphate groups. Caffeine inhibits phosphodiesterase, thereby enhancing the activity of glucagon. This will make little difference if your body does not release Glucagon, though.
One more important thing to do is get enough calcium. Calcium also promotes weight loss. I provide an interesting study about this at the bottom. The study is complicated, so read the whole thing.
Fiber also helps you feel full. Eat whole grain breads, which will not cause you blood sugar to spike as much and will privde fiber. Fiber also reduces absorption in the intestines a small amount, so you may crap out some extra calories.
Protein takes a lot of energy simply to digest and may help you fell more satisfied. Also eat slowly so that you have time to feel satisfied, especially if you have not eaten for a while. If you eat fast, you may feel unsatisfied, keep stuffing yourself and then feel like a beached whale.
Finally, like a previous poster said, sleep is also important. Your body releases growth hormone in sleep, which helps with weight loss. Also do not eat a big meal before bed, this will cause your body to release insulin instead of growth hormone.
To summarize:
- NO high sugar drinks, diet drinks instead
- Get Enough calcium
- Eat small meals, and give yourself some time to feel full. If you have to eat fast, that is fine, but remember it may take a little while for you to feel satisfied.
- Try to eat foods with low to moderate amounts of carbohydrates (i.e. it's ok to eat bread on your sandwich, but substitute somethin for the potato chips), and where possible substitute whole grain for simple carbs