Working toward and obtaining a smaller waist shows that you value your appearance. It also steers you away from your susceptibility to health conditions associated with excess fat.

The no concentrated sweets diet excludes all sources of simple carbohydrates and refined sugars, according to Springhill Medical Center. Because it has no other restrictions, this is considered medically as a regular diet. It may be beneficial for some health conditions and for weight loss.

Weight loss doesn’t have to be as complicated as it’s often made out to be -- dropping excess pounds is often as simple as getting active and eating right. Though cutting calories is an essential component of most successful weight-loss programs, the kind of food you choose to eat is also important.

With limitless access to burgers and fries and no parental supervision, it's no surprise that many college students struggle to maintain a healthy diet. Although you can enjoy an occasional treat at the cafeteria, constant splurging will lead to more than just weight gain.

Sweet and spicy, cinnamon sounds like a delicious way to speed up your metabolism and to lose weight. Although a small amount of evidence exists that cinnamon may help with weight loss, its mechanism of action is not known.

Salad is the quintessential diet food, but it’s so versatile that it’s hard to even pin it down to a single food group. Typical salad ingredients like fresh veggies and fruits are low in calories and ideal for steady weight loss, but rich dressings and other additions are less than light.

Going on a raw food diet can be a challenge if you enjoy cooking or eat a lot of processed, prepared and restaurant food. In most cases, raw foods are lower in fat and calories than cooked alternatives, so they can certainly help you lose weight.

When it comes to battling the bulge, even small adjustments to your calorie equation can make a difference in your weight, according to a 2012 review article in Chemical Senses. While spicy foods may not help you shed massive amounts of weight, it may help push you in a healthier direction.

Anytime you eat fewer calories than you take in you'll lose weight, barring any medical condition that inhibits weight loss. Eating too few calories in an effort to shed pounds isn't healthy, however, and it isn't the most effective way to weight loss.

Although you can include safflower oil -- in moderation -- in your diet and successfully shed pounds, consuming safflower oil regularly isn’t a guarantee you’ll lose weight. But safflower oil can provide you with some health benefits during your weight-loss journey and may affect your body fat.

In 2003, a 12-week Brazilian study divided dieting women into three groups, each one supplementing their daily diet with either three apples, three pears or three low-fat oat cookies.

Sandwiches are convenient options for any of the day's meals, but oversized sandwiches with calorie-rich meats and dressings can be bad for weight loss. If you make or order them right, however, sandwiches can also be nutritious and within your calorie budget.