When you wan to lose weight and keep it off for good, you must realize you need to make a lifelong commitment to a healthy new lifestyle and diet plan. You must give up your bad habits and embrace a healthy lifestyle to get the results you are hoping for.

Going on a crash diet and exercising like crazy for a few days is not going to do a whole lot for you. You might lose weight initially but as soon as you go back to your old ways, the weight will pile right back on. That will only leave you feeling frustrated and disheartened.

The better and healthier way to lose weight is to choose a sensible lifelong diet plan that will have you losing weight and maintaining your ideal weight without fuss and struggle. Here are the five components of a successful weight loss plan.

1. Understand your energy and weight balance. The calories in food act as fuel that is burned off in energy. This energy is needed for basic survival and for bursts of exercise. If you are overweight, then you have been taking in more fuel, or calories, than you are burning off. Therefore, the most basic rule of losing weight is that you must decrease your calories and increase your physical activity.

2. Make changes gradually. If you make big changes overnight, chances are, they will fall by the wayside quickly. You will have better luck if you aim to make small and gradual changes and incorporate them into a new and permanent diet plan that you will adopt for the rest of your life.

3. Burn off more calories everyday. Exercise is most effective when you do it daily. Choose a form of exercise that is fun for you or vary it up to keep from getting bored. The type of exercise you do is not as important as the fact that you get your heart rate up and exercise for at least thirty minutes every day. Regular exercise is important for good physical and mental health and will make it much easier for you to reach you weight loss goals.

4. Eat less. You must consume fewer calories than you are used to if you want to lose weight. Eat foods that are lower in calories and reduce your portion sizes. Eat several small meals during the day rather than three large ones. That will help keep you full and prevent binging and will also keep your metabolism running.

5. Keep a journal. Write down your diet plan so you see it every day and know what your goal for the day is. Write down your exercise goals and chart your progress. When you see your diet plan in front of you in black and white it helps solidify it in your mind. When you see your progress it will spur you on to greater achievements.