First of all, you need to shift your mindset. Forget about "dieting for a week or a month so I can look good for summer". Instead, you need to adopt a LIFESTYLE CHANGE and stick to good nutrition habits...
Dieting, at least the way it's perceived by most people, is horrible. You feel hungry, weak and deprived. How long will you be able to stay on a program that makes you feel like that? Not long.
Here are some tips so that YOU WILL NEVER FEEL HUNGRY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.
1) Eat several small meals throughout the day rather than 3 big ones. Eat at predetermined intervals and don't wait for you to feel "starved" before you eat. Because, if you do, you will eat a lot more than necessary AND you will tend to make poor food choices (chocolate, donuts, double serving of pasta etc...). Eat a small feeding every few hours (3-4 for example) BEFORE the hunger pangs arrive. I honestly can't remember the last time I even felt the sense of hunger.
2) Don't eat foods that people say "are good for you", if you don't like them. I can tell you that egg whites are an excellent source of protein with high biological value until I'm blue in the face. But I know you won't eat them if you don't like the way they taste. The same goes for me. If I don't like something, I won't eat it. You need to find foods that are healthy and with taste that you like. That way, you will be able to eat foods you enjoy while losing weight (or maintaining a healthy weight).
3) Discover the real good taste in food. People seem to think that "junk food tastes good" and "healthy food sucks". I'm not quite sure where that comes from. You can eat healthily without sacrificing taste. You can use spices to make the food more palatable. Many people want to add tons of salt to their food before they eat it. Salt masks the real taste of food. If you start eating food without adding salt, initially the food may taste "boring" - but before long, you will be able to eat the foods and actually enjoy them (not pretend that you enjoy them, REALLY enjoy them).
4) Eating "off-limits" foods may not be so off-limits after all. Here's an example: Let's say that in order to lose weight, you need to consume 1800 calories a day. If 1500 of these calories have come from tuna, chicken breast, rice and vegetables, do you think it will be a disaster if the rest of the 300 calories come from cheesecake? Chances are that NO.
Why? Because overall, you will still be within acceptable fat limits for the day. So, if you want to have a "really bad" food EVERY DAY, you can do it, if the rest of your meals are flawless. The body doesn't respond well to long-term diets with zero fat. So, if 5 of your meals only contain lean protein and carbs, the 6th meal (not necessarily the last in the day) can be a food that contains fat and there will be no problem eating that food. And the chances that this food will turn to fat in the body are diminished if eaten in the morning (after an overnight fast) or after a workout.
5) If you blow your diet unwillingly, it's not the end of the world. Think about it: If you drive on the highway and suddenly you get a flat tire, would you get out of the car and start putting holes in the rest of the tires? I hope not. If you eat something that had more fat and calories than it should, don't stop your entire diet because "all is lost and doomsday is here". Instead, just try to be even more disciplined for the rest of the day (and disciplined does NOT mean not to eat)...
Why Almost Everyone Is Dead Wrong About Weight Loss - Including How To Lose Up To 28 Pounds in 4 Weeks And Keep it off - Without Diet Pills or Aerobics and Without Feeling Hungry. Lose weight with this simple weight loss program