To lose weight, you have to change your energy balance. There are just two ways to do this: Either consume less energy (calories) or expend more energy (via exercise and/or increased metabolic rate). The easiest way to reduce your consumption is simply to cut back on the size of your meals and/or the amount of high-calorie foods you consume. This doesn't mean that you have to give up any particular food: In fact, completely avoiding a food can lead to strong cravings that derail your diet. A smarter approach is to just eat less of those high-calorie foods.

To get a realistic idea of how many calories you consume, consider keeping a food diary. You don't have to keep your diary forever, but do track your daily intake for at least one week. The Running Total function of Nutrition Data's Pantry makes this calorie-counting exercise especially easy and provides you with totals of nutrients as well.

Also beware of foods containing "hidden" calories. For example:

* Watch what you drink.
* What you drink during the day can have a major impact on your calorie intake. In most cases, calorie-free drinks such as water or tea are just as filling (and more refreshing) as high-calorie drinks like soda, so this is one of the easiest places to improve your diet. Water is almost always your best choice, but coffee, tea, and diet drinks can also help cut calories.
* Be smart about condiments and toppings.
* Butter, mayonnaise, and a lot of the "special sauces" used by restaurants are very concentrated sources of calories. If you want to add flavor to your food, try using lemon juice, soy sauce, salsa, or spices instead.