Trying to lose fat, what should I eat?

Less, generally speaking. If your intake falls below the amount needed to sustain your mass and bodily functions, then your body will convert extra mass to power those functions. All that remains is to determine where you are.

Lack of sleep might be the cause of your weight problem(slow metabolism).
Try changing your life style…

Eat small portions of a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. Avoid meat, snacks and soda.

@Nullo I’m 175 pounds 5 foot 7. Are you saying if I don’t eat, my body will use its mass to make up for energy and this will be healthy?

@lovetosharethis Ahh that looks like I’ll have to be doing rocket science (aka taking my time to cook) with that book. I’m looking for a proven diet that’s pretty organic and that can have me quick on the go as well. Maybe a proven fruit diet, or fruit shakes etc.

Fat is stored energy. Burn your energy and it will not become stored. Calories, coincidentally, are energy . . . So burn more energy (-calories), and limit your intake of energy (limit your calories), and you will have a deficit in calories, and you will burn the energy you are currently storing.

You can eat whatever you want, just eat less than you burn. Of course, eating fruits, veggies, proteins, and whole grains, helps the process along a whole lot quicker. And eating them will make you alot more satisfied than eating fattie foods (an 800 calorie muffin might taste better, but 800 calories of chicken, fruits, and veggies will definitely be alot more food to eat and get you through the day feeling fuller and more satiated).

This is a question that is asked over, and over, and over, but people don’t want to accept the ONE TRUE ANSWER, consume less than you burn! That’s quite simply it!!!

Sigh. This thread could easily degenerate into a flame war because many people have conflicting beliefs about the answer here. Yes portion control is important too, but you asked about diet.

The standard answer to your question is: follow a low-fat diet. Lean meats, oily cold water fish, vegetables and legumes, whole grains, low-fat dairy and certain oils (sunflower and olive, I believe?).

The less-standard but becoming-more-popular answer is: the low-fat diet is terrible and it is responsible for the obesity epidemic. To lose fat and be healthy, eat low-carbohydrate and high fat, while trying to avoid eating huge amounts of saturated fat. Eat lots of vegetables, too.

Regarding fruits, they contain nutrients but they also have high levels of natural sugar (bad) and they contain fructose, which apparently even in its natural form can screw you up. So fruit diet…not so much.

A wise person once said: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” ...and I think that’s great advice. The best thing you can do for yourself is to try to choose water, coffee or tea (with very little sugar) instead of any other drink. At the same time, drastically reduce the processed food you eat, like TV dinners, and cook from scratch without eating much pasta. Throw in a small amount of moderate exercise (30 mins a day, say) and you will be set.