8 Weight Loss Secrets Recommended By Nutritionists

Everywhere you turn, there's a different diet book or plan promising you'll lose weight. But what actually works? Here, we asked nutritionists to share what they believe are the most critical secrets to really losing weight and keeping it off.

1. DON'T FOCUS JUST ON CARBS.

"Cutting carbs can lead to weight loss, but only if it results in an overall calorie deficit," says Georgie Fear, R.D., nutrition coach and author of Lean Habits for Lifelong Weight Loss. "If you cut out all carbs but add lots of oil and nuts in their place, you might not lose weight because you aren't reducing overall calories. You can even gain weight, as I have seen many people do." Instead of demonizing or glorifying one single nutrient, try to reduce the overall number of calories you take in.

5 Morning Habits Making You Gain Weight.

We’ve all been there—you commit to shedding a few pounds, but they seem just as committed to sticking to you. You’ve done away with the obvious culprits—out-of-control portion sizes, fast food, happy hour—so what’s the problem?

"The biggest mistake people make when they’re trying to lose weight is getting their day off on the wrong foot," says Susan Peirce Thompson, PhD, president of the Institute for Sustainable Weight Loss. Those first waking moments lay the foundation for the choices you will make the rest of the day—and every day after—so it’s vital to establish good habits that you can fall back on when you’re still foggy-headed and bleary-eyed.

Here, we've got the common mistakes that can ruin more than just your morning, and how to adjust them.