If you're here, I imagine you've tried the fad diets and like many before you, found they don't work. Even the Atkin's diet has a failing in that if you ever stop, you're likely to gain all the weight back in rapid order. You've seen the slim and svelte proclaim that with the right diet, you don't need to give up the desserts you so love. We all sit there with the same question running through our skulls:

But how...?

The answer is both simple and infuriatingly difficult: eat less, move more. Every fad diet always includes – if only in the fine print – a notation that it'll work with proper exercise. Most of us don't pick up on or purposefully avoid that part. We want a diet that will do the work for us, especially those of us that feel far too busy to go to a gym on a regular basis, or too poor to hire a personal trainer.

Moving more can include simple things, too. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator if you're only going a floor or two. Take that parking space far from the mall entrance rather than driving in circles until a close one opens up (this might save you a little on gas money, too!). In fact, go to the mall and window shop more often. Most malls even have morning walking programs so you can get that mile or two in without having to be outdoors. Another plus: you wouldn't be alone.

Many cities and towns are beginning to rediscover their parks and recreations departments. Check out your area's website and see what kind of events they have. A lot of places are doing Shakespeare in the Park type shows, musical events, even movies. While you'd be seated for the event yourself, you could always go early and walk around or even play with friends and family. Frisbees and kites can be a lot of fun forgotten in the echelons of childhood.

Perhaps take up bowling or golf. These are activities that are low impact, fun, can include your friends (because it's easier to get a friend to bowl than to commit to a gym membership), and you can drink during your game (though I recommend to not overdo it!). Friends are often the key, especially if they're committing to weight loss along with you. If both you and a friend want to commit to going to the gym once a week, excellent and good on you. However, if all you can do is commit to making sure the other is keeping up with their chosen form of exercise, that works also. Let peer pressure work to your advantage (just like TweeterDiet!).

As for eating less, that one can be infinitely more difficult. Portion control is the key and most of us lost ours. I highly recommend avoiding any “all you can eat” style buffets. If you're anything like me, you'll eat more just to make it worth your while (and wallet). Also avoid fast food. I know a lot of them are advertising healthier foods (has anyone else seen, and been terrified by the Taco Bell diet?), but it's usually still far unhealthier than what you could find in your own pantry or the deli section of the grocery store.

One recommendation that many articles, dieting books, and similar don't tell you is to eat slower. So many people rush through their meals; a habit borne of our fast paced society. The problem with this is that you don't give your body time to process the food and tell you if it's full or not. When you eat slower, not only do you get to enjoy and savour your meal, but your body is able to let you know when it's done.

Portion control is something we hear a lot about, but not many specifics. The reasoning is to lead you to the same results as what I mentioned above. If you eat slower, you don't have to worry about what portions are a good size for you. Many diets recommend standard portions, but if you're 6'4” and male, your ideal portion is going to be different than a female who is 5'2”. Everyone needs different portions. You may want to check with a nutritionist and find out what your calorie intake should be. From there, you should be able to figure out your portions.

Many restaurants, especially American ones, serve larger portions than we need. Many of us grew up being told to clear our plates by our parents (“Starving children in Africa would love those brussel sprouts!”). These two facets of our society combine to hurt us more than help us. It's not the junk food or processed sugar (though they certainly don't help) as much as it is our mentality. We get served a large meal and our mother's voice echoes in our heads. We feel bad if we don't finish the meal. Let me share a secret with you: it's OK. Take it home. Share a meal with a friend or spouse. Or order a couple of side dishes rather than a full entree.

The other trick is to eat more frequently. Yes, it may sound counter productive, but it works. Part of why we become fat is we eat only 2-3 meals a day and we make them large. We also often don't eat at the same times every day. Our metabolism gets confused and since it doesn't know when the next meal will come, it slows down and doesn't process the food like it should- it keeps fats in fear of needing them later on.

What is most often recommended is to eat the three primary meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner – with a snack in between breakfast and lunch, as well as lunch and dinner. You should also make breakfast your largest meal, rather than dinner, especially if you eat dinner late in the day (as more and more people do nowadays). When you eat smaller meals, with snacks (raisins are a great option for a person that's on the move and has no option for prep or refrigeration) in between, your body learns that it will get what it needs and starts metabolizing faster... which means weight loss for you.

These two “tricks” (eating less, moving more) combined lead to one of the most tried and true “dieting techniques” out there. It comes from a basic logic that many of us have lost thanks to the turns society has taken in the past few decades. It's easier than you think to adjust your lifestyle to and doesn't stop you from enjoying the foods you enjoy.