Diets aren't the way to go when it comes to losing weight. That's because they create temporary eating patterns — and, therefore, temporary results. Most dieters gain back any lost weight when they go back to their old eating habits. So what's the best way to drop excess weight? Create a new normal!

Weight loss is most likely to be successful when people change their habits, replacing old, unhealthy ones with new, healthy behaviors. Here are 5 ways to make that happen:

Exercise. Regular physical activity burns calories and builds muscle — both of which help you look and feel good and keep weight off. Walking the family dog, cycling to school, and doing other things that increase your daily level of activity can all make a difference. If you want to burn more calories, increase the intensity of your workout and add some strength exercises to build muscle. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even when you aren't exercising.

Reduce screen time. One reason people get less exercise these days is because of an increase in "screen time" — the amount of time spent watching TV, looking at the computer, or playing video games. Limit recreational screen time to less than 2 hours per day. If you're with friends at the mall, you're getting more exercise than if you're IMing them from your room.

Watch out for portion distortion. Serving sizes have increased over the past 10 years, and these extra calories contribute to obesity. Another key factor in weight gain is that more people drink sugary beverages, such as sodas, juice drinks, and sports drinks. So choose smaller portions (or share restaurant portions) and go for water or low-fat milk instead of soda.

Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day. Fruits and veggies are about more than just vitamins and minerals. They're also packed with fiber, which means they fill you up. And when you fill up on fruits and veggies, you're less likely to overeat when it comes to high-calorie foods like chips or cookies.

Don't skip breakfast. Breakfast kick-starts your metabolism, burning calories from the get-go and giving you energy to do more during the day. People who skip breakfast often feel so hungry that they eat more later on. So they get more calories than they would have if they ate breakfast. In fact, people who skip breakfast tend to have higher BMIs than people who eat breakfast.

減肥的方法可不是專指節食。因為節食只是臨時改變了飲食結構，從而產生的也只是臨時的效果。許多通過節食減肥成功者一旦恢復到過去的飲食結果結構，他們的體重就會出現反彈。那么減去多余體重的最佳方法是什么呢？是建立新的正常的飲食結構！

當人們以新的健康的飲食習慣代替舊的、不健康飲食習慣的時候，減肥最有可能成功。以下是五條具體的方法：

1. 運動。規律的身體活動可以消耗能量、鍛煉肌肉。遛狗、騎自行車上學，和做其他能增加你的日常活動量的事情，這些對減肥都有作用。如果你想消耗更多的能量，可以加大運動強度，并且做一些力量聯系以鍛煉肌肉。即使在不運動的情況下，肌肉比例越大的人消耗的能量越多。

2. 縮短“屏幕時間”。現代人運動量偏少的一個原因便是“屏幕時間”——人們坐在電視機、電腦或是錄像游戲上的時間的增加。把這樣的消遣時間控制在兩個小時以內。你與朋友一起逛商場比起坐在家里的活動量要大得多。

3. 警惕食物分量變化。在過去的十年中，食品的分量已經不斷增加。這一部分多余的能量直接導致肥胖。增重的另一個重要原因是人們飲用了更多的含糖飲料，諸如汽水、果汁和運動飲料等。選擇更小分的食物（或是與人分食餐館菜肴），喝清水或低脂牛奶而不是汽水。

4. 每天食用 5 次水果。水果蔬菜含有更多的維生素和礦物質。同時富含能讓你有飽腹感的纖維素。當你主意食用水果蔬菜的時候，你過多的食用如薯條和餅干之類的高能量食物的可能性大大減小。

5. 要吃早餐。早餐能夠刺激新陳代謝，消耗能量，讓你的一天都更有活力。不吃早餐的人會感到更加饑餓，從而吃得更多。從而他們攝取了比不吃早餐更多的能量。不吃早餐的人往往比吃早餐的人有著更高的身體質量指數（BMI）。