Well.. In my experience, most people get so frustrated and annoyed with cutting out foods completely, that they relapse and ruin their "diet". People have an emotional, nostalgic, and psychological attachment to foods they love. Would you tell a smoker to go cold turkey? Sure, it works for some, but most need to gradually move themselves off of it over time. That's the most comfortable (albeit slower) way to create a truly permanent change, because you're not shocking your body or upsetting yourself. Baby steps are perfectly fine to lose weight and get healthy - it's no quick-fix miracle workout plan, but it'll still get you healthy, as long as you stick to it and gradually continue making progress. Although, as a personal thing I don't believe you have to cut out foods entirely, ever, unless you're trying to be in peak physical condition, which is for a very small percent of the population. To just lose some pounds, I say slow and steady wins the race. And frankly, most foods just aren't all that bad for you unless you have huge portions of them. You can indulge in a donut every so often without packing on extra pounds, as long as you have the restraint to enjoy that one, and not have any more for a while. Besides. You should never expect to lose weight while eating "all the trash you normally eat" because that means you're not changing the amounts you eat of it, or replacing any of it. Of course that won't work, because your diet is exactly the same, more or less. I'm not saying you can keep eating candy 20 times a week - I'm saying you can have a piece once a week, every two weeks, whatever (depending on just how healthy you wanna be), without ruining your body or your (still very much) healthier lifestyle.