I'm 35 and I'm not much bigger now than I was when I was 21. I used to be very skinny, now I'm kinda average but certainly not fat or even a little overweight. I've never played sport or exercised a great deal and I play computer games all day. My advice:Akai Shizuku said:
Firstly, don't diet. Waste of time, ignore all diets you see. Instead, change your eating habits, permanently.
Don't drink any soft/fizzy drinks if you can help it. Especially that energy drink crap. Once per week maximum. Keep any other drinks that are not soft drink besides water down to one glass per day. Raw fruit is better than fruit juice. If you drink coffee black is best but not more than three times per week or you'll get addicted to caffeine and become an irritable bastard. Green tea is the best tea there is and super cheap from any asian grocer. Swap out full cream milk for either light milk or soy milk. Soy milks very wildly, some taste crap and some are amazing.
Don't eat fast foods more than once a week, less is better.
Learn to cook. Cook vegetarian and lean meats. Learn to cook asian food, tastes brilliant and totally good for you.
If you smoke, quit. If you drink, drink less. Beer dehyradtes you and makes you thirsty, making you drink more beer, if you're drinking alternate between beer and water.
Don't eat sugary stuff more than three times per week. Dark chocolate is better than milk.
Eat as much carbs as you want but don't eat more than one high-carbohydrate food PER MEAL. Pasta is okay. Rice is okay. Potatoes is okay. Bread is okay. Pasta + potatoes = no. Rice + potatoes = no. Pasta + bread = no. You get the idea. If you love the garlic bread, eat it a couple hours either side of the pasta.
Eat as much protien as you want but don't eat more than on high protien source per meal (no more than two if both protien sources are not meat).
Eat something green and vaguely vegetable-ish at least once per day.
Try not to eat anything at all 3 hours before you go to sleep.
Better to eat small meals several times per day than one or two huge meals.
Read the ingredient list of everything you buy. Get natural food where possible.
Do not EVER starve yourself, when your body starves it stores fat. If you are hungry, eat. Unsalted nuts are the best snack food to kill hunger cravings just before bed or between bigger meals, I keep raw almonds and cashews in the house always.
Exercise. Walking is the most effective exercise to help you lose weight and/or maintain a low weight level - better than running, riding a bike, aerobics or lifting weights/working out - those other exercises are better for FITNESS and STRENGTH, but we're talking only about LOSING WEIGHT here, important not to confuse the issue. By all means work out too if it takes your fancy because muscles do burn fat, but if you must choose only one exercise make it walking. Walking is also the easiest exercise you'll ever do. Walk 20 mins per day minimum, but the more the better. Get into the habit of walking small distances instead of jumping in the car if you want to go and get something from the shops or go to a friend's place or whatever.
Good luck.
