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Zest: Conclusions - The Lowdown on the Skinny
This entire 'Zest' section contains a lot of information and no doubt some of it has been a little overwhelming so to make things real easy I'm going to put all of this info into dummy-proof terms that even a simple chump could understand.

Comfort Zone
For those of you that have put on excess weight it is probably due to the fact that you've been living for too long inside your 'comfort zone'. Inside your comfort zone you've been consuming more calories than your body requires and as a result you've built up a long lasting calorie surplus which has led to you putting on weight.
(Remember, any calories that you eat, that aren't immediately required by your body get stored as fat deposits - hence the growth in your love handles or the bulge in your stomach!)

To lose this excess weight or fat deposits you must step out of your 'comfort zone', to do this you're going to have to 'shock' your system to get your metabolism up to speed and begin the process of burning fat.
Unfortunately this means you're going to have to exercise and go on a controlled diet (Exercise increases your body's demand for calories while going on a diet restricts your calorie intake; the result is a calorie deficit which is the prime prerequisite for losing weight.)

How to Diet
A weight loss diet involves the strict control of your calorie intake. For the actual process of fat loss to occur you need to consume 200 to 500 calories less than your daily calorie requirement.
Check the 'Dieting' section to learn the means to calculate your daily calorie requirements.

To diet sensibly and healthily you need to maintain a balanced diet which includes portions from each of the 5 major food groups. (Protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals,) cutting out on just one of these essential groups can not only have long lasting consequences on your health but can also throw your diet off track (so ensure you consume meals that contain a little of each.)
The ratio of which you consume these groups should be controlled; for the means of weight loss I would recommend a consumption of protein 40% carbohydrates 40% and fats 20%. So long as your food intake is balanced and comes from a widespread range of different sources you should reap your share of vitamins and minerals. (But if you're not too confident or feel perhaps that you might be missing out on certain food types due to your diet then taking mineral and vitamin supplements could well be a worthwhile option.)

Whilst dieting, foods that you should avoid are: alcohol and saturated fats which contain almost twice as many calories compared to other food groups. (Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram while fat contains 9 calories per gram compared to the 4 calories per gram found in protein and carbohydrates.)
Polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats whilst also being high in calorie content are nevertheless essential for good health and should be included in your diet but because they both contain 9 calories per gram be sure to limit their intake to no more than 20% of your daily dietary intake.
The proteins you consume should always be lean (low in animal fat!) and your carbohydrate in take should be as natural a state as possible, (non-processed / nor-refined e.g. brown rice, wholemeal bread etc.)

Avoid snacking! Munching on foods, especially those high in fat or sugars, can completely ruin your diet .
Snacking on 3 chocolate chip cookies per day gives you approx 255 calories. For an average female looking to lose weight this is the equivalent of 15% of her daily requirement - if she was to consume 25 of these cookies and nothing else in just one day, she would exceed her requirements and begin to put on weight!
The same applies to alcohol, 1 pint of beer can contain 240 calories. For an average male to drink 2 pints of beer in one day he would have consumed nearly 20% of his calorie requirements.
All of which goes to show just how easy it is to throw your diet off balance. Stick to your diet as closely as possible and if you absolutely must have a cheat day try to limit it to one day out of seven. (Cheat days, provided you don't go on a massive binge, can be helpful and even healthy. Take the opportunity to satisfy cravings by eating, in controlled amounts, the foods that you desire. Cravings can be your body's natural indicator for food groups that it requires i.e. if you've been skipping foods high in calcium an urge for ice cream can be your body's way of urging you to stock up on this precious mineral.)

How to Exercise
Again exercise is a means of stepping out of your 'comfort zone'. In order to increase your body's demand for calories and to set your metabolism to 'burn', the name of the game is 'intensity'.

Whatever exercise you do always be determined to put as much into it as possible, the more intensity and focus you give the greater the results. 20 minutes of intense workout will do a whole lot more for you than 60 minutes of mediocre exercise.

If you can aim to exercise 5 times a week (or a minimum of 3 times,) be sure to mix your exercise between aerobic and anaerobic for best results. (Aerobic exercise uses oxygen as an energy source e.g. running, swimming, boxing. Anaerobic exercise uses energy found in the muscles e.g. weight training, gymnastics.)
If however you wish to do both types of exercise on the same day do the anaerobic first, aerobic second. (Use the limited energy in your muscles first, then switch to oxygen sourced energy which is more readily available.)

If weight loss is your main goal exercise on an empty or near-empty stomach to increase your metabolic speed. (Preferably exercise before breakfast which will set your metabolic rate for the rest of the day.)

Daily Diet and Exercise Examples
(These are only examples, you must set your exercise regime according to your abilities and balance your diet against your own daily calorie requirements.)
The meals suggested below are either inherently healthy or are easy to adjust so that they can become healthier. You will of course have to portion the dish sizes for your own particular requirements. Check the Healthy Eating section and the Dieting section to learn more.