Ewwww, since my accident I've gained 20+ pounds.
I lost a few this fall but have been steadily putting it back on, especially after my holiday hiatus!
I don't prescribe to any book, just healthy tips and smart choices. So far I've lost 5 again, I have to get thin for a wedding come April! (Watch DR. Oz, great tips and ingredients you can explore.)
My tips:
Eat tons of food with fiber. Cabbage, broccoli, celery, kale, etc. Fiber keeps you feeling full, you can eat bucket loads of it because they have very few calories, and are a great source of vit C. Add those fiber packets to water if you really really hate veggies.
Instead of bread, eat crackers. Not Ritz like ones, but saltines. That little bit of carbs will keep you from going insane. I also add a small handful of uncooked ramen noodles to my salads for that extra crunch. Better than bacon, or corn, or croutons.
Make a HUGE bucket of vegetable stew. I've been making homemade soups, do not eat out of a can! Those canned soups are LOADED with sugar, salt, etc. Take it to work in a thermos.
Eat at Wendy's for lunch/dinner when on the go. Not that it's great, but their chicken nuggets (4 piece) only have 180 calories and 11 grams of fat. Pair that with a side caesar salad, minus dressing, and you are only eating 320 calories. Way better than a bacon cheeseburger and fries.
Drink water. Try drinking 9 ounces every hour. I pee a lot! Too much is bad so don't over do it, I always have tea (very little caffeine) and water with me.
Do NOT juice, juice and fruit are NOT your friends (even though they are "simple" sugars) they will add calories. Wanna fatten a hog or cow, feed it apples or pears, ya see?
Go through your pantry and THROW AWAY condiments with high amounts of fat and sugar. (Or go on a major binge and eat them all up!) Like Wares said, sugar is your enemy! It's in everything!
I am addicted to mayo and ranch, kills me! So I make a homemade vinaigrette that's pretty tasty, I douse everything with it.
Do yoga. Even 20 minuets a day will strengthen and lengthen your muscles. I hate cardio, so I do chores. Today I scooped out the coop for 20 minuets, tomorrow I'm picking up sticks out of the yard, stacked wood the other day, I stand when folding clothes and put the pile across the room from where I stack them. Get a step monitor. You really need to take 15,000 steps a day to maintain your weight. Look at the monitor and then go vacuums the house, it adds up!
Take a fatterday! Save one day a week where you allow yourself to indulge. Pretty soon you will find that what you used to eat tastes gross and you can feel it impact your body, last sunday I had bloody marys (bad bad sodium!) and gourmet pizza! It was amazing, then it set in and I wanted to be sick. That's only after two weeks back on a healthy eating habit.
Eat a bit of chocolate, or whatever you love in the evenings. Don't deprive yourself, that's where you will fail and fall off the "wagon". I buy really expensive chocolate, that way I force myself to savor it and make it last. Cheap stuff? I inhale it.
It's not a diet, it's just reducing the foods that are harmful or those that should only be eaten in moderation. Good Luck!