Are you one of the millions of people to whom the idea of weight loss is synonymous with starving yourself, learning to live without the foods you like the most or exercising until you collapse? Exercising and dieting can lean to weight loss, but if you want to lose weight and keep that weight off you need to find a sustainable way to do that. It could be time for a "lifestyle change" - but don't panic! This can be pretty easy if done correctly.

I know - you've heard that before. A "change in lifestyle" doesn't sound much more pleasant than "losing weight" but it can be. In the past you've probably been told that "moderation is key", and it is usually said in a negative context: "stop drinking so much", or "stop eating so much junk food". In this way moderation is usually meant to say that you should stop doing the things you enjoy so much.

When applied in a positive way moderation can hold the key to a lifestyle transformation that you find easy to commit to, and one which will comfortably bring about the weight loss that you are searching for.

"Moderation" in the negative habits in your life feels just like "denial", but moderation can be applied to the positive habits that you wish to form too. If you do this you will find that you can often achieve goals that would be impossible to attain if you were to attempt to implement drastic change. If you train to run a marathon you will lose weight, but for many that is impractical - for some it is dangerous!

Despite all of the current marketing hype surrounding miracle diets, it's a pretty well-established truth that your ability to lose weight depends upon balancing your caloric intake with expenditures - it boils down to diet and exercise. Dramatic changes in either can produce weight loss, but those changes are difficult or impossible to maintain.

The key is to implement positive change in your lifestyle and to do it very slowly - so slowly that it is easy. You can make little changes and then gradually increase them as you become more comfortable in a new routine. Here are a few changes that you can make that can be implemented gradually and that will help you lose weight and feel better:

1) Drink more water. Easy enough - most people can keep a bottle of water close at hand while at work or at home. Keep a sixteen or twenty ounce bottle of water with you during the day and count how many times you can empty it and refill it. Ideally you should consume about a half-ounce of water per day for every pound of body weight. That's a lot of water, but you don't have to start out with that much or get to that amount all at once. It's a well-known axiom that those things that are monitored tend to improve all by themselves, and if you just notice how much water you drink in the course of a day that amount will increase. Water is a natural appetite suppressant, and your body needs water and proper hydration to function efficiently.

2) Increase your physical activity. No-brainer, right? But this is the most important step to moderate. Many people focus so much on their weight loss goal that they over-reach when setting goals for exercise or activity. Set goals that are difficult and you don't stand a chance of reaching or maintaining the levels that you can achieve by setting small and simple goals and then gradually increasing. Start by taking stairs when you can rather than an elevator. Walking is one of the most relaxing and beneficial habits that you can implement in your life and build upon to lose weight. When you're at work - walk. Have time in the morning before work? Go for a walk! You get home from work and you can sit down in front of the television or - go for a walk! Start short and slow, and then make it grow. If implemented correctly - start with a very short distance goal and an easy pace - walking can become one of the best parts of your day, and it will lead to weight loss.

3) Close your eyes. It turns out there is a close correlation between sleep and weight loss. People who are sleep deprived tend to choose higher calorie foods to eat, and the hormones that regulate when you feel full and when you feel hungry begin to work against you when you haven't had enough rest. Sleep eight hours per night - or as close as you can come to that number. This is the time your body needs to maintain a healthy balance, and it'll help keep your appetite in check.

4) Moderate your diet. This, of course, is one of the more difficult steps for many, but there are tools that you can use to ease this process and again - you don't have to do this all at once. You've already begun to drink more water, which will help suppress your appetite. Over-the-counter appetite suppressants can also help you to curb eating between meals as you adjust (over a course of weeks) your diet to include healthier foods. Choose a mild appetite suppressant and use it to supplement the steps above. As for particular foods, nutritionists agree that the more natural your food base is, the greater the positive influence in your diet will be. Choose natural foods when you can, don't try to change your diet overnight, and gradually moderate your caloric intake to match your level of activity.

If you implement the steps outlined above ever-so-slowly but consistently in your day-to-day activities you will bend your lifestyle in a sustainable way to a pattern that will help you lose weight and keep it off. Done correctly, it should take you the rest of your life to implement these steps, as they represent a journey rather than a destination. Go slowly - moderation is key and you will find that you not only lose weight but you feel better as well for years to come.