Losing weight does not have to involve fad, crash diets. In fact, these particular diets can be very dangerous. Instead, you just need to make some small changes in your diet that you can maintain for the long haul. Read the below article to learn how you can follow a diet that will put you on the right track for weight-loss success.

First, change your eating schedule. Rather than consuming three larger meals, consume five or six smaller meals. This means you need to eat about every three to four hours. This will help keep your blood sugar levels steady. When your blood sugar levels get too high or too low, your metabolism will slow down, and weight gain will occur. Having steady blood sugar will help ensure your metabolism is running efficiently at all times. In addition, consuming frequent smaller meals will help prevent you from overeating during any particular meal.

Be sure you keep track of all the calories you consume every day in a journal. This means you will have to count the calories of everything that goes into your meals. Although this sounds like it is a hindrance, studies show that people who write down their daily caloric intake into a journal are twice as likely to lose weight and keep it off than those who don’t. Therefore, it is an important tool in your weight-loss plan. Once you get used to counting calories, it will get easier. In fact, it will eventually become natural and you won’t think twice about doing it.

Whenever you go to work, bring your lunch with you rather than going out. When you go out, you are much more likely to make unhealthy choices. Nowadays, virtually every location has a McDonald’s, Burger King, Hardees, Sonic, Wendy’s, etc. However, you need to avoid them because finding healthy food items is almost impossible to do. Although there are healthier alternatives, such as Subway, packing your own lunch is really the best way to ensure you don’t sabotage your diet.

Don’t forget to pack some snacks with you when going to work or elsewhere for at least several hours. This does not mean packing Reese’s peanut butter cups, Hershey chocolate bars, etc. Instead, pack fruit, healthy whole-grain bars, and nuts. This will help keep your hunger at bay without packing on excess calories.

If you really enjoy certain types of unhealthy food, you do not have to completely eliminate them. In fact, you can still enjoy them sometimes. The key is to use moderation. For instance, if you love chocolate, it is actually okay to include a little chocolate every day. Aim to consume dark chocolate because this type of chocolate actually provides your body with antioxidants to keep you healthy. If you enjoy ice cream, it’s okay to have a little bit every now and then. Just don’t consume the entire carton in a matter of a couple of days. Moderation is key.

As this article demonstrates, it is possible to make small diet changes and produce large weight-loss numbers. Understand that you should not make radical changes, and crash diets never work out. Instead, you just need to change your mindset. Once this is done, weight loss is certain to occur.