"How can I lose weight fast," I’ve heard this thousands of time. But with all the diet plans and diet gurus out there on the market, how on earth are you supposed to choose the right plan for you?

Many of the diet programs out there are just a bunch of hype; I wouldn’t even go close to any of them. Sorry to be the one to burst your bubble, but there are no shortcuts to weight loss. The best way to lose that stubborn belly and butt fat is by using a common sense approach that favors nutritious healthy eating over dieting.

Don’t Let Yourself Fall Into The ‘Fad Diet’ Trap

In today’s fast paced world everyone is looking for quick fixes, people want to lose weight fast. This is exactly the type of desperation fad diet marketers take advantage of and use the promise of lightning speed results to reel you in.

Quick fixes do not always last in the long run. When it comes to permanent weight loss, slow and steady always is the best way to go. Here are two of the main reasons faddy-type diets don’t work:

They mangle your immune system. Fad diet plans deprive you of some of the key nutrients you need for good health. This can cause zapped energy, malnutrition, hair loss, damaged organs, and loss of lean muscle tissue. Sounds like a cool way to drop a few pounds, huh.

The results caused by these fad diets don’t last long. Most fad diets need you to drastically reduce your daily caloric intake. This messes your metabolism by causing it to slow down. Once you revert back to your regular eating habits, you’ll start gaining the weight back just as fast as you lost it.

4 Easy Rules of Eating to Burn Fat Losing weight is definitely not a simple thing to do, but if you use the 4 easy rules, you’ll never have to get lured into the fad diet crap again. You can lose weight gradually (remember slow and steady) and stay in good shape for good.

1. Stay away from sugar. Sugar is loaded with calories. If you use it to sweeten beverages and foods every day, you can hinder your weight loss efforts by racking up too many calories.

2. Eat enough food. If you feel hungry all the time, you probably need to eat more food to fuel your body. By not eating enough, your body will hold on to stored fat instead of burning it off. When you’re trying to lose weight this is definitely not what you want.

3. Avoid processed foods. These foods are full of salt, high fructose corn syrup and chemical additives that can cause weight gain, hypertension, diabetes, cance and heart disease. Yep. This includes those frozen diet meals that some weight loss programs encourage you to buy.

4. Drink water. Keeping yourself hydrated is important when you’re trying to lose weight because it helps to metabolize fat and remove toxins and stored fat in the body. So drink up!

Where Does Exercise Fit In?

Even if you don’t workout, you will definitely lose weight, when you follow a healthy eating plan. However, unless you add exercise into the mix, your metabolism will eventually slow down and you won’t see the results you want.

Getting yourself in the habit of working out several days week can be tough, especially if you already have a lot on your plate. The best way, you’re more likely to stick with a program is by choosing exercises you enjoy.

Your workout routine should consist of both cardio and weight training. Relax ladies. Training with weights won’t turn you into the Terminator; it will just help you build muscle mass and shape a lean sculpted body.

Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts to permanent weight loss (believe me, I’ve looked). If you want to achieve long term results without risking your health, you have to do it with proper nutrition and exercise.

Making the decision to lose weight is the first step to looking good and feeling even better.