In a world obsessed with looking your best, many people have become increasingly concerned with their weight. With television shows documenting the struggles of both anorexia and obesity, it is clear that America’s relationship with healthy diet and exercise has become strained. Regardless of which end of the scale you currently fall on, there are healthy changes that can be made to improve your health and physical appearance.

For those who struggle with being overweight, the battle can seem an impossible one. Recent studies are showing that your metabolism may be decreased for years after losing weight, making the struggle to stay thin seemingly impossible. But don’t despair yet, there are plenty of options to utilize when trying to lose weight. Included here are a few routes to take when beginning your journey to a lighter, healthier you.

Diet

The word “diet” often conjures up images of celery sticks and dreams of cheeseburgers, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Your diet is simply the foods that you eat everyday, whether they be healthy or unhealthy. By assessing your diet, you can begin to make changes that encourage personal health and weight loss.

For many people, the easiest way to begin significant diet changes is not in taking things away, but in adding things. For example, if you begin by telling yourself you are not allowed to have chips, all you will want to do is eat chips. But if instead you begin by adding one granola bar per day, one cup of yogurt, an extra serving of fruits and vegetables, and so on, you will feel like you are benefitting from the diet changes, instead of being restricted.

Calorie-counting comes into play when you want to lose weight, but if counting calories has failed for you in the past, you may instead just focus on eating healthy. As your diet begins to fill up with healthy options, that make you feel good, you will have less room in your diet for processed foods and unhealthy snack choices.

Physical Activity

As much as exercise may sound like a chore, it doesn’t have to be that way. Having a body that is capable of getting you places is a blessing, and should be utilized as such. If you hate spending time at the gym, start exercising in a way that is enjoyable to you. Ride your bike to work, hike to your favorite picnic spot, kayak to an island for camping, snowshoe in the woods, or try downhill skiing for a real adrenaline rush.

Exercise and diet go hand-in-hand towards making you a healthier person; the key is in finding what appeals to you and sticking to it. If routine exercise bores the life out of you, try mixing it up every day of the week. Have breakfast and do yoga in the park on Saturdays, go for a neighborhood walk on Mondays, cycle to your favorite taco joint on Tuesdays and so on.

Surgery

If you have tried every natural option towards weight loss and find yourself stuck with those extra pounds, it may be time to bring in the big guns. Remember that all surgical options go hand-in-hand with diet and exercise and are not a “quick-fix.” However, doing a stomach reduction surgery may be your best route to becoming your healthiest self.