It's a simple mathematical formula, eat more calories than you burn in a day and you will have excess that your body will store as fat. Your body will divide the fat as it sees fit, which means that it will not only give you that larger chest that you've been dreaming of but will also add a little extra to those love handles. If you really want to outsmart weight gain you need to prepare yourself well.
Firstly and most importantly be honest with yourself by answering the following questions truthfully:
1) How much do you really want this? Losing weight takes dedication and perseverance so sitting on the couch eating crisps is not going to be a daily occurrence.
2) By how much are you over-eating on a daily basis? Many people believe that they are "not eating much" throughout the course of the day and wonder why they are piling on the weight. Think about the number of calories you are consuming and count everything, even that biscuit you had with your coffee this morning probably had 50-80 calories.
3) How much exercise are you doing? Just because you aren't in the gym for 4 hours a day doesn't mean that you are not exercising. Walking, climbing stairs, playing with your kids are all forms of activity.
4) Do you feel healthy? Feeling tired, lethargic, weak or unhappy can be directly linked to low levels of physical fitness and bad diet.
Now that you've got your answers, consider the big picture. You maybe more active on a day-to-day basis than you initially thought and your problem is the amount of calories you're consuming. Or perhaps you're not exercising enough even though you are eating within your daily allowed calorie intake (2000 = women, 2500 = men). Now that you know your strengths and weaknesses focus on them.
The first thing to note is that diets do not work! It is impossible to sustain long-term weight loss by crash dieting. Why? Because during a diet you allocate a time-limit and deprive yourself of every "bad" food you adore. Once this is up, your cravings take the better of you and you are guaranteed to regain the lost weight as well as a little extra for your trouble.
You need to consider why you are trying to lose weight. If it is in favour a healthier lifestyle then you need to see this as a complete life change. For this exact reason you should not swear off any foods. Even if it is high in fat or cholesterol you may be able to enjoy it if you introduce it to your diet wisely. Make sure that you don't exceed your calorie limit for the day so allow it to replace something else throughout the day. You needn't feel guilty about it. Enjoy it but consider a lighter meal for dinner or extra exercise. One of the biggest mistakes people make is denying themselves the foods they love when on a diet. It only makes them resent diets and less likely to stick to them. It also breeds a cycle of guilty wherein the dieter would falter by eating the "bad" foods, then feeling guilty about it and eating more "bad" foods to cheer themselves up. Or they write off their day with more bad food and gaining weight that they had worked hard on losing. So the moral is, if you want a slice of cake have it and enjoy it, but make sure you acknowledge it!
It's just as important to eat healthy foods that you enjoy. For example, find a type of fruit that you like, whether it's mangoes, apples, kiwis, etc. Don't be afraid to experiment. Remember that this is going to be the way you eat forever, so make sure it is something you can live with.
If you can get past the initial unique taste of green tea then it is a fantastic antioxidant and you will find that you will actually enjoy the taste in time. It's also a great way to stop those itchy fingers from reaching for the snacks. When you want to eat but don't need to eat just have a cup it is calorie free! Also remember that at times we read our bodies' signals incorrectly, where we might think we want to eat, are body is simply saying that it is dehydrated so drink plenty of water as well.
When it comes to exercise the small things you do throughout your day matter such as choosing to climb the stairs instead of taking the lift or walking to the grocery shop instead of driving to it. Exercise doesn't need to be a tedious trek to the gym to watch those super-fit, toned bodies showing off their high resistance. Consider taking long walks at a faster pace than usual, or walking across the office to ask your colleague that question instead of sending an email. Throughout your day make conscious choices to move because everything counts. Choose a sport that you enjoy, whatever it may be, the point is to keep active and away from the fridge. When you're having fun you're less likely to need those fatty foods to lift your spirits.
Lastly, make sure you notice your achievements. There is nothing more demoralising than pegging all your hopes on losing a number of kilos and not achieving them. The scale doesn't necessarily tell you if you are healthy or not, it is just a way to head you in the right direction. The point is surely to be healthier, so if every morning you wake up and feel a little brighter than the day before then that is more than enough reason to keep going.