Have you tried every fad diet to come along only to regain the weight soon after? Many popular fad diets lack basic nutrition which your body needs to maintain health and energy. For Permanent, healthy weight loss try these simple lifestyle changes which include smaller portions, more nutritious choices and more exercise. Follow these tips-the weight will come off and you will be healthier and happier as a result.

Start by thinking of just where you are "spending" your calories. Calories do count for weigh loss and, while literally counting calories every day isn’t necessary, you must begin with an honest look at your current diet. In America’s "super size it" mentality, you may be eating more than your body needs to maintain a healthy weight.

Keep a food journal for a few days. Many websites help you figure correctly the totals of what you are eating. Check labels also. You may think you aren’t eating much but once you total the calories for a few days you may find you are eating more than you think.

Now that you know what you are eating- where can you make healthier, low-calorie choices? Fruits and veggies are low cal, contain lots of vitamins and minerals, plus fiber to help you stay fuller, longer. If you satisfy your body’s nutritional needs you may find cravings for chips and candy fade. Try foods from the Superfood list for optimal nutrition.

Try substitutions to save calories – Order a healthy salad but ask for low calorie, low fat dressing on the side. Remember though, fat free isn’t necessarily sugar free or calorie free. Again, check labels.

Try this healthy weight loss tip. Use a smaller plate for your meals. Did you know the Japanese typically maintain a healthy weight by eating smaller meals than Americans? They have their meals in three small bowls-one for meat, one for veggies and one for rice. If you use a large plate and heap it high, you will tend to eat everything on the plate.

Restaurants have succumbed to the demand of the eating public to provide high calorie, large portion meals. If you ‘d like to eat out without guilt, ask for a to-go box with your meal, put half your dinner in it to take home before you even begin eating.

Try dishes from the weight-watchers side of the menu. You may discover these dishes are tasty and you don’t feel deprived at all. A serving of fries can add up to 600 calories of fat with few nutrients. A 3.5 ounce serving of asparagus is 20 calories, zucchini is 18 calories, plus valuable nutrients and fiber. You get the picture.

Consider toppings-butter is 100 calories per tablespoon, sour cream is 26 calories, cheese is 100 calories per ounce. With several tablespoons of these low-nutrition fats on your baked potato, the empty calories are adding up.

Lastly, if you truly want to lose weight and be healthy, exercise is a must. You just can’t escape it. Try parking your car as far away from your office as you can or, better yet, if possible, walk to work or ride your bike. Take the stairs, not the elevator. Get a dog and take it for a walk every day. Believe me, after you walk your dog one day, it will bug you daily and force you to get out and walk. Dogs make great walking companions and pets are also known to have a good effect on high blood pressure.

Remember a pound of fat is made up of 3,500 calories. If you regularly consume an extra 3,500 calories per month, you will gain a pound a month. If you cut back your calories by, say 2,000 per month and exercise away another 1,500, you will lose a pound every month.. This may not sound like much, but at the end of a year you will be 12 pounds lighter instead of 12 pounds heavier and you will also be healthier and less prone to diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.