You probably know that hundreds of different fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. But the foundation of every successful weight-loss program still remains a healthy, low-calorie diet combined with exercise. You must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits to lose significant weight and keep it off.

    How do you make those permanent changes? Follow these six strategies.

    1. Make a commitment

    Permanent weight loss takes time and effort. It requires focus and a lifelong commitment. Make sure that you're ready to make permanent changes and that you do so for the right reasons.

    No one else can make you lose weight. In fact, external pressure - often from people closest to you - may make matters worse. You must undertake diet and exercise changes to please yourself.

    As you're planning new weight-related lifestyle changes, try to resolve any other problems in your life. It takes a lot of mental and physical energy to change your habits. So make sure you aren't distracted by other major life issues, such as marital or financial problems. Timing is key to success. Ask yourself if you're ready to take on the challenges of serious weight loss.

    2. Get emotional support

    Only you can help yourself lose weight by taking responsibility for your own behavior. But that doesn't mean that you have to do everything alone. Seek support when needed from your partner, family and friends.

    Pick people who you know want only the best for you and who will encourage you. Ideally, find people who will listen to your concerns and feelings, spend time exercising with you, and share the priority you've placed on developing a healthier lifestyle.

    3. Set a realistic goal

    When you're considering what to expect from your new eating and exercise plan, be realistic. Healthy weight loss occurs slowly and steadily. Aim to lose 1 to 2 pounds （0.5 to 1 kilogram） a week. To do this, you need to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day, through a low-calorie diet and regular exercise.

    Make your goals "process goals," such as exercising regularly, rather than "outcome goals," such as losing 50 pounds （23 kilograms）. Changing your process - your habits - is the key to weight loss. Make sure that your process goals are realistic, specific and measurable, for example, you'll walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week.

    4. Enjoy healthier foods

    Adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. But decreasing calories need not mean giving up taste, satisfaction or even ease of meal preparation. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods - fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Strive for variety to help you achieve your goals without giving up taste or nutrition.

    5. Get active, stay active

    Dieting alone can help you lose weight. Cutting 500 calories from your daily diet can help you lose about a pound a week: 3,500 calories equals 1 pound （0.5 kilogram） of fat. But add a 45- to 60-minute brisk walk four days a week, and you can double your rate of weight loss.

    The goal of exercise for weight loss is to burn more calories, although exercise offers many other benefits as well. How many calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. One of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise - such as walking - for more than 30 minutes most days of the week.

    Even though regularly scheduled aerobic exercise is best for losing fat, any extra movement helps burn calories. Lifestyle activities may be easier to fit into your day. Think about ways you can increase your physical activity throughout the day. For example, make several trips up and down stairs instead of using the elevator, or park at the far end of the lot.

    6. Change your lifestyle

    It's not enough to eat healthy foods and exercise for only a few weeks or even several months. You have to include these behaviors in your lifestyle. To do that, you have to change the behaviors that helped make you overweight in the first place. Lifestyle changes start with taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.

    After assessing your personal challenges to weight loss, try working out a strategy to gradually change habits and attitudes that have sabotaged your past efforts. Simply admitting your own challenges won't get you past them entirely. But it helps in planning how you'll deal with them and whether you're going to succeed in losing weight once and for all.

    You likely will have an occasional setback. But instead of giving up entirely, simply start fresh the next day. Remember that you're planning to change your life. It won't happen all at once, but stick to your healthy lifestyle and the results will be worth it.

    你也許知道幾百種不同的流行的節食法，各種各樣的減肥計劃或者一看就知道是騙人的所謂能夠快速且簡單減肥的承諾。但是每一個成功減肥的例子的基礎都是健康，低卡路里的飲食和運動相結合。為減掉看得到的重量且保持下去，你必須對你的生活方式和飲食習慣做出永久的改變。

    你需要如何做出這些改變呢？請遵循以下六個方法。

    1.做一個承諾

    永久的減肥需要時間和努力，這要求你必須投入且做出一生的承諾。現在，確定你已經準備好要做出這樣永久的改變而且你是為了一個正確的原因才這樣做的。

    別人不能幫你減肥，事實上，外部壓力--常常來自與你親近的人--可能會把事情弄得更糟。你必須自己來開始對飲食和鍛煉做出改變。

    因為你正在計劃對生活方式進行改變，試著先解決你生活中的其他問題。因為你需要很多的精力來改變你的生活習慣，所以要確保你不被其他的重要生活問題打擾，比如婚姻或者經濟問題。時機是成功的關鍵，問問你自己是否已經做好準備要抓住這個重要的減肥時機。

    2.尋求情感上的支持

    只有對自己的行為負責你才能幫助自己減肥，但是這并不意味著你什么事都要自己一個人來做，在你需要地時候可以向你的伙伴，家人和朋友尋求支持。

    選擇那些最合適你和會鼓勵你的人。最好是，會傾聽你的焦慮和感受，會花時間與你一起鍛煉，能與你一同分享那些在重塑你健康生活方式的過程中最重要的事情的人。

    3.設定一個實際可行的目標

    在你想象你依照你新的飲食方式和鍛煉計劃所能達到的效果時，請實際一點，健康的減肥是緩慢且穩定的發生的。要達到一周減掉1到2磅（0.5到1公斤）的效果，你需要通過低卡路里的飲食和規律的鍛煉，除去你每天的正常消耗外，再燃燒掉500到1000卡路里。

    把你的目標定為過程目標，比如經常運動，而不是結果目標，例如減去50磅（23公斤）.改變你的過程--你的生活習慣--就是你減肥的關鍵。確保你的過程目標是實際可行的，具體的和可測的，舉個例子，每周五天，每天三十分鐘的步行。

    4 .享受健康食物

    采用一種新的，有助減肥的飲食方式必須包括降低你的卡路里總攝入量。但是減少卡路里并不意味著要放棄美味，滿意度或者簡單的烹調方法。一種可以降低你卡路里攝入量的方法是吃更多的種植出的植物--水果，蔬菜和所有的谷物。努力嘗試更多的食物種類來幫你在達到你的目標的同時，又不用放棄美味或者營養。

    5.積極主動，保持活力

    單靠節食可以幫你減肥。從你每日的飲食中減少500卡路里可以幫助你每周減掉一磅的體重：3500卡路里等于1磅（0.5公斤）的肥肉。但是配合一周四天，每天45到60分鐘的散步可以使你的減肥咨詢翻倍。

    運動減肥的目地是燃料掉更多的卡路里，盡管運動給你的好處比這多得多。燃燒掉的卡路里的多少取決于你運動的頻率，持續時間和劇烈程度。一個最好的減去身上肥肉的方法是穩定的有氧運動--比如走路--一周內大多數天數都要超過30分鐘。

    雖然規律的有計劃的有氧運動對于減肥來說是最好的，但是任何額外的運動也可以幫助燃燒卡路里。生活中的運動可以更容易融入你的日常生活，仔細想想每一天中有那些方法是可以增加你的身體動力的。比如說，在樓梯上上上下下，而不是使用電梯，或者把車停得離目的地遠一點。

    6.改變你的生活方式

    吃健康的食物和鍛煉僅僅幾周或甚至幾個月是不夠的，你必須在你的生活方式中包括這些。為了達到目的，你首先必須改變那些會使你變胖的行為。生活方式的改變首先是正視你的飲食習慣和日常工作。

    在審視完你對自己減肥目標的挑戰后，試著想出一個方法來逐漸改變那些破壞你過去努力減肥的習慣或觀念。僅僅是簡單的承認來自你自身的挑戰是不會幫你全部戰勝它們的。但是它可以幫助你計劃你要如何解決它們和你是否正在走向永久減肥成功之路。

    你可以會是時不時經歷一些挫折，相比于完全放棄，不妨從每二天起重新來過。記住你在嘗試著改變自己的生活。它不會馬上就盡如人意，但堅持你健康的生活方式，結果會證明這些努力是完全值得的。