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The basic fact is that the only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn. But the calculations of how much you burn, and how much you consume are much more complicated than just looking at tables in books, and adding things up roughly.
Here are some factors that are known to have some effect, some more effect than others.
Increasing muscle mass increases your metabolism, therefore increasing calorie consumption, even when the muscles aren't in use. This is an excellent reason to exercise, even small amounts. It helps build or maintain muscle mass thus keeping metabolism up.
If you eat the same number of calories over 24 hours, you use up more in the digesting process, if you eat those calories in several small meals as opposed to two or three large meals. This has to do with the absorptive state vs. the post-absorptive state. The reason most diet plans used to recommend not snacking is that most people would increase their consumption overall, when they snacked. But if you can truly keep your calorie consumption constant, it's better to spread out the eating over a longer period of time.\
Fasting is generally not the best way to lose weight since it does put your body into a starvation, low-metabolism mode, and it also can cause muscle degradation. The body will begin to burn fat, yes, but it will also begin to break down muscle into fat (before it changes it into glucose for use), so you're maintaining fat, and losing muscle. NOt a good thing to do.
Fat itself puts out hormones that trigger eating impulses, including cravings and hunger. Fat seems to be self-maintaining in some ways. For this reason, it's best NOT to rely on feelings of hunger to determine the amounts you eat. The best way to lose weight is to establish a plan and stick to it. If you find the plan isn't working, modify the plan, but don't veer from it.
Also, the hi-protein, lo-carb diets work for many people in the short run, and that with care the loss can be maintained, but ketosis over the long haul is NOT a healthy way to live. If you do go onto a plan that puts your body into ketosis, you need to eventually go back to eating a little more carbohydrate every day ( I'd say, every couple of hours). Just a few bites of brown rice, or that sticky gooey sprouted wheat bread can be very, very good for you.
To maintain a healthy weight, exercise to the point of panting and sweating at least 3 or 4 times a week, splurge occasionally to satisfy the cravings, and stick to a moderate, well-planned eating pattern.
And by the way, OS, eating is not a bad habit that can be given up for life. Alcohol you could live without, but food is not a drug, that can be dispensed with. Food is necessary to survive, and to live. Most people can go about six weeks without eating anything, but those six weeks won't necessarily be very pleasant, and while a person will lose weight, they sure won't be able to ref, work, or even think much. OVER-eating is a bad habit, but it should be modified, not just abandoned. Proper eating is a GOOD habit, that must be worked at.
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