Hammer Nutrition has been a well respected and well known name throughout the athletic world for some time now.  Below they offer 17 Simple Steps for Effective Weight Loss. 

Though the most wonderful time of the year is now over, its time to take stock or find out what's left of it...and determine if the '09 season may need a kick start with some of these simple steps:

1. Reduce current refined carbohydrate intake by 50%.
2. Increase raw vegetable and fruit intake by 25%.
3. Drink a minimum of ten, 8-ounce glasses of water per day [choose either steam distilled or
bottled water that is “chlorine and fluoride free”].
4. Cease eating after 7:00 PM.
5. Reduce or omit meats [excluding salt-water cold water fish] and dairy byproducts.
6. Exercise activity is conducted at or below 75% VO2 Max Heart Rate.
7. PERIODIC Short-term weight loss of 2-5 pounds weight loss in 20 consecutive days, followed by
seven days NO calorie restriction before repeating a 2nd 20-day protocol.
8. Recommend no more than 1 pound weight loss each week.
9. Do not go below 1,500 calories per day.
10. Refer to the Food Guide Asian or Mediterranean Pyramid and Dietary Guidelines.
11. Focus on limiting fat and processed food intake rather than calories.
12. Encourage 30 minutes minimum exercise per day.
13. Include a variety of nutritionally balanced foods.
14. Minimize hunger, no-starve periods.
15. Encourage setting realistic weight loss goals and making slow, moderate changes.
16. Precedes an established lifelong “Lifestyle” protocol, balancing caloric intake with expense.
17. Remove man-made fats [TFA-Trans Fatty Acids-also know as partially or completely
hydrogenated vegetable fats]; found in almost all processed baked goods.