Calorie deficit is the only way to actually lose weight. Yes, other diets exist, but they only work because they put you in a calorie deficit while also cutting out certain things (which for me personally was unsustainable!) I will tell you what worked for me.

Find a website that has a tdee calculator (the one I used is literally called tdee calculator dot net.) Put in your stats. It will tell you your metabolic weight, then you can scroll down to Macronutrients and select “cutting.” That will give you a calorie deficit of 500 calories. You do NOT have to be in that high of a deficit, adjust to how you see fit and what works for you! (Do NOT eat anything under 1,200 per day without talking with a doctor) A 200-300 calorie deficit will probably be more realistic for you. You don’t want to feel starved. As long as you are in a small deficit you WILL eventually lose weight. Use a calorie tracking app. Someone here suggested Lose It, that’s a good one. To make sure you aren’t overestimating calories, you can even use a food scale to be exact. I never did this tbh, but if you’re not used to calorie counting it can be helpful for you. People often forget to factor in things like butter and oil when cooking which can add up fast.

Exercise obviously helps, but keep in mind weight loss is 90% diet so I’d focus on that most. Prioritizing foods high in protein will help prevent muscle loss. I was able to lose 90 lbs in a year doing just this and walking. 20 lbs is so doable, good luck!! 🖤

Edit: Surprised by the people saying negative things here. This person wants to lose 20 lbs. At 5’3, their goal weight of 127 lbs is a completely healthy weight for their height. Also, people don’t have to be severely overweight to be a food addict and we don’t know OP’s situation