Eating at a deficit
The one most certain way to loose weight is to take in less than you burn, forcing your body to burn excess stores for energy. How do you know if you are eating at a deficit? You can figure out roughly what your daily caloric needs are and eat less than this buy counting calories and manipulating your meals and meal timing to achieve your goals. This is by far the most effective way to maintain a deficit and learn about how your body responds to dieting while loosing weight but it is overkill for some folks.
If you are just looking to drop a couple of pounds to get into your favorite pair of jeans or just look better naked and not too concerned about the intricacies of the whole matter just eat less. Use hunger as your guide. Hunger should not be an alarm that you need to eat it should be a telltale sign that you are doing something right. Make hunger your friend. Extreme weakness or dizziness should be your alarm bells. When you are too tired to stand up quickly, that is a bad sign, go ahead and eat.
First you will realize that hunger will pass. Hunger seems to be a product of our over gluttonous society. Our psychology tells us that we should be hungry so we develop hunger pains that trigger an alarm that tells us to gorge. Exercise a little self control and this extreme psychological hunger will pass and you will develop an understanding of true hunger.
Our bodies are designed to weather extended periods of time without food but not carry the excess weight that so many people carry today. Our evolution has not yet caught up with our new habits.
I like to call it riding hunger. While eating in a deficit you should not ever feel full and you will start to recognize how different foods are processed by your body. You will feel energy surges from some foods and strength from others. You will learn to time your meals around heavy period of exertion.
While eating in a deficit I enjoy the feeling of lightness associated with being fairly empty. I feel sharp and cut, I feel more in touch with my body and my senses, more animalistic and alive in some senses. It is a very satisfying state but it can also be easily shattered by overeating and the craving that overeating causes.
Food is addictive, ride hunger carefully and enjoy your results.