Article: To create a caloric deficit, you’ll need to keep track of everything that crosses your lips. Using an app or food diary is the best way to do this. Record everything you eat in your app or food diary. Aim for a goal of 1,200 calories per day if you’re a woman or 1,500 calories per day if you’re a man.  Try to track what you eat or drink right after you eat it so that you won’t forget about it. Or, if you know what you’re going to be eating in advance, put it in your tracker ahead of time. This can also help you to budget your calories and spread them evenly among your meals and snacks. Keep in mind that it doesn’t matter if you follow a low-fat diet or a low-carb diet. Both approaches to weight loss are equally effective, so choose the option that works best for you. Fruits and vegetables are lower in calories than most other foods, and they’re filling because they’re high in fiber. By eating more fruits and vegetables with every meal, you’ll be cutting calories and satisfying your hunger in a healthy way. Aim to fill half of your plate with fruits or vegetables at each meal. For example, you could have 2 cups of melon with your morning toast and eggs, a green salad with a bowl of minestrone soup at lunch, and 2 cups of mixed steamed vegetables with skinless chicken breast and brown rice for dinner. Eating low-fat dairy products as part of a reduced calorie diet has been shown to promote weight loss. Include 2 to 3 servings of low-fat milk, yogurt, or cheese in your daily diet. For example, you could have 8  fl oz (240 mL) of 1% milk with your morning bowl of cereal, have a slice of low-fat cheese on a turkey sandwich at lunch, or enjoy ½ cup (120 g) of low-fat cottage cheese with your pasta and marinara sauce for dinner. The capsaicin in spicy foods helps to rev up your metabolism, which might help you to lose weight and keep it off. Include hot peppers, salsa, and spices made from chilies to incorporate more capsaicin in your diet. For example, you could sauté a couple of jalapenos with onions as a starter for chili, add a couple of tablespoons of hot salsa to a burrito, or add a dash of cayenne pepper to season baked chicken. Making small changes can add up in your total daily caloric intake. If you find that many of your extra calories come from beverages, switch to water or another lower calorie option. If you often snack on junk food throughout the day, trade chips and candy for fresh fruit and veggie slices. Beverages are a major culprit of excess calories. Consider how many glasses of juice, soda, and other sweetened drinks you consume during the day. If you’re drinking 24  fl oz (710 mL) in juice and soda each day, this is about 400 extra calories that you could eliminate if you switched to water. to increase weight loss. Intermittent fasting has been shown to increase weight loss. To do an intermittent fast, schedule your meals so that they will fall within the same 8 or 10 hour window each day. Then, don’t eat between the end of the window on one day and the start of the window on the next day. For example, if you make your window 7:00 am to 3:00 pm each day, you might eat breakfast at 7:00 am, lunch at 11:00 am, and dinner at 3:00 pm. Then, you wouldn’t eat again until 7:00 am the following day.

What is a summary?
Track what you eat with a food diary or app. Eat 2 to 3 servings of fruits and vegetables at every meal. Include 2 to 3 daily servings of low-fat dairy. Eat spicy foods for increased metabolism. Swap high-calorie foods for lower calorie options. Try intermittent fasting