Hi, I'm new to the forum. In my case I lost weight without looking for it. Let me explain how.
I'm 23 and I live with my family, and my Mom's makes food for all of us both lunch and dinner. So I have to eat what she makes (or buy/make my own food which I don't think it's worth). We eat normal... a few salads 2/3/4 times a week (lettuce, tomatoes, carrots) and fruit on every meal after it (the common ones), and maybe 2/3/4 not-good-for-losing-weight foods per week (pasta, pizza, etc.).
So this year I started to understand that my body and my mind are way better If I eat natural foods (real food), so I replaced bread, cheese, ham, etc. (sandwiches on breakfast) and also replaced sugar-foods and sandwiches in the meal you eat after lunch and before dinner... WITH almonds, walnuts, and more dry fruits and also bananas, apples, oranges, (all sort of fruits).
And I also started going for 30-45 mins walks (which I used for relaxing and think about things in general) more often.
So I changed a bit my food habits and suddenly one day I realised that I lost at least 13-20 pounds.
I mean it's more about stop eating fake food (mostly processed foods) and eating real natural foods. And "think about eating like a way to obtain nutrients that serves as energy for your body and mind, don't think of it as a way to please your taste" (that's a phrase that I red somewhere on the internet and stuck in my brain so hard ).
If you take this path it'll take you months until you realise you lost weight, and if you don't think too much about it one day you'll realise you're on better shape. It is obviously faster if you work-out at the gym or go running.
ALSO, and MOST important. Don't eat until you're full. Eat until you're 70% full. This will not only help you reduce weight, it will also make you feel more lucid and lighter which will be good for any activity you do (exercising, studying, working, etc.).
This is literally what I did to lose weight and I feel more comfortable overall besides having a bit less weight.
Good luck buddy!.
