In this age of internet and mass media there is so much information available on diet, fitness, and weight loss that it is difficult to know what is the truth. Everyday there is some new study available which contradicts our previous beliefs and understanding about losing weight. Every other day a new book is written propounding a new idea as the final breakthrough in weight loss. What people fail to understand is that obesity and weight gain is a complex process with multifactorial causes.
There is no single method or diet to lose weight. Any successful approach to weight loss and specifically fat loss involves a combined use of multiple principles and strategies. At the same time these efforts should not be so complicated that they consume all our time and cannot be followed for long.
Having said that, diet with calorie restriction is the cornerstone of weight loss. All other steps including, exercise, are additions only.
Everyone knows that they have to eat less and exercise more to lose weight, yet very few people are able to do it. The problem is more a psychological and behavioral one, with genetics and environment adding to it.
Dr. Abrar A. Khan '100 Rules of Fat Loss'