How to lose weight and slim down?

Probably the biggest tip I can give you is to cut out sugary drinks from your diet completely. Often the weight just comes right off when people begin to do this. When you think about it, hundreds sometimes even thousands of empty calories each day come just from what we drink. My dad has given this advice to a ton of people who wanted to lose weight and it has worked without fail. Being conscious of the amount you are eating can help a lot too. Whenever I feel like I'm gaining weight, I just eat a little bit less at each meal which will ensure you are not consuming more calories you are using, especially if you don't work out.

Sugar is thy enemy! Sugar in all of its forms, including simple carbs, sugary drinks, snacks, candy, etc. I'm not talking about the Atkinson diet, I am talking about watching what goes into your body, as salamander5 noted.

You say that you only like natural things, so drink filtered water all day, no soda, no sugary drinks. Eat whole, fresh veggies and fruits several times a day, lean meats, and cut out things like pizza and fried foods and giant sandwiches with huge buns and rolls.

Simply walking for 15 to 30 minutes a day could help as well. Walk with a bottle of water.

Well, I can tell you that the most effective way to burn calories is to combine cardio and strength training. You may build some muscle, but you're not going to get super bulky unless you're actually consuming more calories than you are burning. Don't be afraid to build a few muscles... lean muscle is what will boost your metabolism.

With that being said, I would focus on circuit training as your main workout. You'll be rotating strength and cardio into one workout. For a good introduction, try Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout DVD which is 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs...repeated 3 times for a total of 20 minutes. Short workout, so it's great if you're super busy, but very effective. Trust me on that!

I also agree with the statements above about sugar. Be careful not to "drink" your calories. You could be eating all the right foods, but then drinking sugary drinks, which some people tend to forget about and not count in their diet. Liquid calories count just as much as those you have to chew. Even diet sodas are terrible for you!

Hope some of this helps. Let me know if you need me to clarify anything.