Kind of a joke about the other post i saw here but also serious. Gained like 10-13 pounds at my college dining hall this semester and would like to lose it in healthy way and just stay generally fit. I personally find it hard to look this stuff up due to the overwhelming amount of video and articles which seem to always contradict each other. Would like some sort of suggestions for exercises or eating habit if ya'll have any ideas, thx \o/

switched soda/energy drinks with unsweetened ice tea (earl grey - cold)
in principle it's simple. just consume less calories and increase amount of energy expended per day.
things like cold showers, walks, actual exercise, etc. help with the later. and the former can be done by simply eating less, or eating things with lower calorie density. highly fibrous foods (brown rice rather than white, oatmeal, vegies, boiled potato without butter or oil)
fruit is better than a doughnut but they are still generally not terribly filling, and are high in sugar content (better than refined sugar ofc, but why settle with shooting yourself in the foot rather than the head. how about just not being shot. )
coffees with lots of syrups and cream is terrible. generally you should aim to have your liquids contain 0 calories per day.

in practice, it's hard to change a lifetime of habits.

>>1
In one way, there is no trick, you just have to eat less. In another way, the trick is figuring out the best way to actually get yourself to eat less. For me, the main thing that helped me drop a few kilos is just simple portion control. Aiming for portions that make you feel 70-80% full rather than 100% full.

Another trick is to try and make half of your plate vegetables, because they are less calorie dense. You won't stick to it if it doesn't taste nice, so learn how to cook vegetables properly. Grilled or sauteed is almost always tastier than steamed or boiled. Season liberally, including making good use of MSG.

Finally, supplement with caffeine (from a calorie free source) and nicotine wherever possible, as those are appetite suppressants. Avoid alcohol, it has a lot of calories, and being drunk lowers your impulse control making you more likely to binge eat.

It's going to be really hard to maintain a calorie deficit and simultaneously increase your level of physical activity. If you don't already have really good self control, you should focus on diet first and work in exercise once you're at your goal weight and want to maintain it. Eating 500 calories is easy, but you would have to run 5 miles to burn that off.

Please note, everyone's body and brain is different, so you should experiment and see what works for you. There is no rush.

lost over 50 pounds last year, its literally just eating less. get one of those weight / calorie tracker apps and log everything you eat. usually they can tell you how many calories you need to eat to lose / maintain what you currently have. when you first start dieting, youll lose the first ~15 pounds pretty quick, then i would say shoot for losing 1/2 a pound a week or maintaining your weight (depending on your goals). also only buy foods that you can fit into your diet, dont buy a bag of chips and then not count on eating them

previous replies have nailed down the dietary part of weight loss. regarding staying fit, calisthenics and cardio are your best options. no need for equipment, no need to go to a gym. if you live in a building with stairs, you can use those. up down up down up down... until you're sick of it. if you have a floor, you have lots of options. push-ups, sit-ups, leg-ups, squats, planking, among others. if you have a bunk bed, that doubles as a pull-up bar. start small. high rep > high intensity. consistency is key. it's easy to get lazy and miss a day. or two. or five. count your active days with tally marks. rest days are important. perform full-body stretches at least once every day. if you're looking for a fun way to train your forearms and wrists, look into purchasing/crafting/finding a sword or sword-analogue (if you're broke and live near a body of water, a nice piece of driftwood will do, it's what i use most days), and read manuals related to your weapon of choice. if you have a preferred type, go for that one. if not, a longsword would be the best for the sake of symmetry and availability of free training manuals on the internet. personally, i prefer the rapier and main gauche pairing, because it's stylish and fun.