To Diet, or not to Diet: That is the Question

So I never had an issue with my weight or my figure until a couple of months ago when my doctor told me to watch out a little bit. And being here in Paris, where everyone seems to be skinny and skinnier, I figured it was time for a change. But I've never watched my weight before, let alone gone to the gym on a regular basis, so how do you lose weight? What is a healthy diet? How much am I supposed to work out? What machines and what muscles am I supposed to work? How do I track, other than on the scale, if I'm getting somewhere? And how do I measure my bodyfat correctly? Is there a way to diet without really dieting? Is it enough to just eat healthy? And s what I'm doing right now really that unhealthy? Plus, there's a luring bakery or patisserie at every corner... Do I need to ignore it every day?? So many questions and temptations, and not really one person that could give me the break down for dummies, because as I said; if I ever felt like chocolate double fudge cake with whipped cream and vanilla sauce, I never thought about eating it twice. Everyone I talk to is telling me something different so how do I know who to listen to? I could get a book, but which one is the one that'll work for me? I mean have you ever been to the "health" section in Barnes &Nobles? Hello?! How does one not get overwhelmed and confused???!! So I started some sort of a diet, but I still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. So the other night I stumbled upon this first article which I found to be quite interesting, and throught that article on this book page. Would this be worth trying out? Or is it a waste of money? Title sounds promising. Description sounds promising. But who knows if it's not just marketing and good advertising/manipulation? Fascinating. Oh, how I wish I just had some guru who knows exactly what I have to do to get in shape again without muffin tops, love handles so that I may fit into my pants again properly...you be damned delicious french food!

The Article:

5 No-brainer ways to motivate your metabolism - Healthy Living on Shine

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-...

Losing weight isn’t about eating less, it’s about eating more—more nutrition-dense food, to crowd out the empty calories and keep you full all day. That’s important, because restricting food will kill your metabolism. It sends a signal to your body that says, “I’m starving here!” And your body responds by slowing your metabolic rate in order to hold onto existing energy stores. What’s worse, if the food shortage (meaning, your crash diet) continues, you’ll begin burning muscle tissue, which just gives your enemy, visceral fat, a greater advantage. Your metabolism drops even more, and fat goes on to claim even more territory. Here are some no-brainer ways to motivate your metabolism to burn more fat.

[…]

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/5-no-brainer-ways-to-motivate-your-metabolism-2476711/

And the Trap:

https://secure.rodale.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/OaeEntryPage?storeId=10057&mktOfferId=WMH33834&TLTSID=BD668BF87C12107C0050F5E61FB91BF8&TLTUID=BD668BF87C12107C0050F5E61FB91BF8&keycode=126410&cm_mmc=Yahoo_Blog-_-Product-_-Footer_Text_Link-_-LBN-Book-126410&cmTPSet=Y&cmRS=&t1=1305148077523&t2=1305148078835&t3=1305148158369&lti=1305148158369&ln=&hr=/uof/lookbetternakedbook/orderform.jsp&fti=&fn=&ac=&fd=&uer=&fu=&pi=OAE-WMH-33834-Index&ho=diet.rodale.com/cm%3F&ci=90096841&

P.S.:Ironically I'm stuffing my face with cornflakes while writing this post....just thougth I should point that out.