Losing fat is one of the most talked about and highly promoted topics in the world. Seemingly everyone wants to lose fat (not weight, necessarily). And because of this, there are so many dieting methods out there. The one that most people agree is not a great idea is the crash diet. This is not going to give you sustainable results, and it is also not a healthy method to proceed with. Not only will crash dieting rarely provide you with good results (you might end up losing too much muscle) it can also cause bad results such as metabolic slowdown. This is terrible as it will make it even harder to lose weight in the future. So, forget the crash dieting and instead opt for this.

Operate At A Modest Caloric Deficit

The first thing you want to do is figure out what your daily caloric needs are, or in more precise terms, how many calories you need to eat every day in order to maintain your current weight. There are websites where you can figure this out. All you need to do is input your age, height, gender, and activity level. It will give you a good estimate as to how many calories you need each day. From that number, you should subtract no more than 500 calories and set this as your goal. This will allow you to lose a pound a week, which is a safe number. Any lower, and you risk being hungry, losing muscle, or simply feeling too tired.

Eat Clean, But Eat Smart

Eat clean is a phrase that pops up over and over in the dieting and fitness world. Basically, it means you should avoid junk food and processed foods. However, just because something is "clean," it doesn't mean it's low in calories. If you eat fresh guacamole and pour olive oil over your salad, you are really going to go overboard on the calories. So, it's important that you focus your energy on picking foods that are not caloric dense even if they are "healthy."

Take A Fitness Class

Once you have your diet in check, it's time to focus on some exercise. You can lose fat without exercise simply by limiting your calories, but if you want to speed up the process and also maintain muscle, it is important that you take fitness classes that incorporate both cardio and resistance training. These classes are fantastic because you will be in a group and there will be social pressure to continue to go, so it's not like going to the gym by yourself and then never going again.