Weight-loss tips abound on the internet. Anywhere you turn there are plenty of pills, crazy diets, and a plethera of cardboard-tasting frozen and prepared meals to make for a million years of trial-and-error testing. All for the sake of losing those extra pounds that have been holding you back.

There are some that go gluten-free for health reasons and some that do Paleo because it makes sense. I get that.

However, after decades of fad diets, dangerous pills, and gag-inducing shakes, many are turning back to a simple plan of eating better and getting more exercise. In other words, for real weight-loss, just burn more calories than you take in and try to make most of those calories count.

You know the drill. Eat whole grains, lots of vegetables and fruit, and go for lean meats and fish. These classic methods will work for natural weight-loss!

If you burn 500 more calories than you take in, that will result in a healthy weight-loss of 1-2 pounds per week. These are changes that will become habit and actually last, unlike a crash or fad diet. Of course you don’t want to severely limit the calories you take in. That can be very dangerous and won’t even give you the energy you need to implement the exercise part of the plan!

Reducing sodium and starchy foods is also a good way to boost weight-loss.

“When you reduce sodium and cut starches, you reduce fluids and fluid retention, which can result in up to 5 pounds of fluid loss when you get started.” says Michael Dansinger, MD, of NBC’s The Biggest Loser.

He also tells clients looking to boost weight-loss to eat a diet that minimizes added sugars and animal fat from meat and dairy.

Keeping a weight-loss or diet journal could also be a great way to keep track of what you’re eating, says Bonnie Taub Dix, MA, RD, author of Read It Before You Eat It.

“Even if you write it down on a napkin and end up throwing it away, the act of writing it down is about being accountable to yourself and is a very effective tool for weight loss.”

So forget the weird fads and the harmful crash diets. For real lasting weight-loss, use your common sense.

Image via YouTube