At some point in time almost everyone wants to lose a little weight. Whether you have five pounds to lose or a hundred pounds, losing weight can be very difficult and frustrating. Everyone is different but there are certain fundamentals which we must understand in order to lose weight and keep it off.

A good rule of thumb on how much weight you need to lose (if any) is the body mass index, or BMI. The BMI takes into account your height and give you a weight range in which you should fall into. Determining your BMI will give you a good idea of how much weight you can safely lose, or if you don't need to lose any.

With all the fad diets out there it can seem very confusing which way is the best way to lose weight. Everyone has heard the many diet myths and many of us jump from diet fad to fad in hopes of permanently losing our excess weight. When it comes down to it weight loss is no great mystery. If the calories you consume in a day exceed the calories you use, you will gain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight. If the calories consumed and used are approximately the same you will stay the same weight.

Many people loath the thought of calorie counting, but getting a good idea of how much calories are in your food is a great way to either lose or maintain weight. Start by figuring out approximately how many calories are in your daily meals, and soon it will actually become second nature. You don't need to be exact down to the calorie but a general idea should help you. It is also important that you know how many calories your body needs to function properly and ensure you never go below that number.

One of the biggest diet traps is portion sizes. In today's society our portion sizes are often double what they would have been only 30 years ago. Try taking smaller amounts of food and eating slowly, thus allowing the stomach to signal the brain that it is full. Eating smaller meals throughout the day is another great way to control portion size. Many people eat large meals because by the time their scheduled meal time rolls around they are starving. If you go out to eat, getting half your meal wrapped up for later is a great way to control your portions.

Diet and exercise go hand in hand when it comes to weight loss. Getting some sort of exercise everyday is important for our health. Even if you just go for a 30 minute walk everyday you are still contributing. Losing weight means a lifestyle change for most people that include healthy and nutritious food as well as getting your body on the move.