I address this answer to those who need to lose lots of weight and not to those who just want to shed couple of kilos and definitely not to those who crash diet.

Before I answer this question let me give a little background on who I am and what are my eating habits.

I am a software engineer working in Bangalore, India.

My life revolves around food :) I love food, I crave food, I imagine the taste of food which is in front of me or in television (weird!) and absolutely adore this whole concept of "Food". I am someone who enjoys the simplest to rich food. Right from a fresh slice of bread to a sophisticated serving of five star restaurant. I am one of those rare people who loves her hostel food :P so you get the idea.

So as a result of all these I was always overweight. I grew up as a obese kid till the age of 23. In addition I had a problem on my right knee ( My right leg was bent outwards below the knee). I had lot of pain to deal with and the weight actually adding to the problem. I could never walk a large distance let alone play a sport.

At the age of 23 the leg problem got severe and I was asked to undergo an operation. This was at the year of 2012 and I weighed 85 kg. So obviously I had to lose weight. Over the next two years I lost about 20 Kg.

I underwent the operation in November, 2014 and was at home till May 2015. These 6 months I could only with the help of a walking stick. I moved only when necessary. In spite of following a diet I gained 7 kg back. And now have gained another 5 kg.

Now let me tell you the diet I followed:

I had consulted a dietitian and the diet he prescribed was as follows:

Eliminate the obvious :

The obvious category of food which are fattening in nature. And you are well aware of.

Example: Anything made of All purpose flour (Maida), All the junk food (Burgers, Pizzas, packed goods such as chips, fried foods, pastries, cakes, biscuits etc), All sort of Sodas and sugary fruit juices. You get the idea. No hidden fats here. Its obvious and staring right at you. Do not touch them and go cold turkey.

Eliminate or at least Reduce the not so obvious (Or that's what we want to think):

The category of food which do not help in weight loss and will add to to the weight in the long run. However, these could be had in moderation (But i was asked to go cold turkey)

Ex: White rice and everything that's cooked using white rice like idly, dosa, flavoured rice etc. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, yam etc. Obvious fats such as Ghee, Butter, Cheese.

Eliminate these as well (Well this is surprising)

Any form of carbohydrate !. Now that includes Rice, Wheat, Barley, Raagi, Oats and all the fruits. Yes! you read right :) Not one fruit was allowed.

And finally Milk. Correct! I was asked to leave Milk and all its by products such and as curd, butter milk. And of course Tea coffee (if made with milk).

What I ate:

All vegetables and Leafy vegetables (Cooked in less oil but flavor it with any masalas or spices or Roast them)

All legumes and beans (Which ever could be sprouted, I made sure I consumed only after I got them sprouted. Cooked or raw.)

Egg whites (Boiled or scrambled).

Any meat (Roasted/ Cooked in a curry but had only the meat and didn't touch the gravy/ Grilled/ Pan fried with very less oil)

Walnuts and Almonds (In moderation. Hardly 5-6 a day).

How Did I execute it:

Starting from May, 2012 to January 2013, I followed the diet described above to the point. I rarely cheated. Even if I did, I would stop in a teaspoon or so. I couldn't exercise even a single day due to my leg problem. So only diet.

At the end of 8 months, I was down to 72 from 85. I looked much better and I felt great. I had lost weight evenly. I didn't look weak or starved. My skin glowed more than ever.

From January 2013 to November 2014 I lost the rest of 7 kg (I know pretty long). I cheated often but I had started exercising a bit. But there was no discipline and thus the slow progress.

During this time I started including fruits and milk to diet. Also had wheat chapatis almost daily and rice pretty often.