There are a million different ways to lose weight, and while some of these plans promise fast results, they’re not always the safest routes to go. The most effective way to lose weight, that also happens to be the safest, involves a plan that incorporates healthy eating with regular physical activity. Whatever eating plan you adopt as your own, it must promote healthy eating habits. That’s the only way you can truly lose weight and keep it off.  Here are tips for selecting a weight loss that’ll be sure you lose weight safely:

When choosing a weight loss plan, be sure that it doesn’t leave out entire food groups or completely eliminate certain foods. Foods should be included from every part of the food pyramid. We all need healthy fats and carbohydrates in our diet. The key is to limiting your intake of them. A plan that cuts out food groups entirely is not a safe plan for the long-term. Your body will suffer from these deficiencies.

Your weight loss plan must incorporate exercise that’s regular, but doesn’t keep you in a gym for hours a day, several times a day, each day of the week. A healthy workout plan includes anywhere from 30-60 minutes of cardio activity 6 days a week. You must take a rest day to give your body time to recover.

Any sort of weight loss plan that incorporates a very low calorie diet or focuses mainly liquid diet must be supervised regularly by a doctor. Before even committing to a diet like this, check with your doctor to make sure this kind of a diet is even right for you. These sorts of diets can be safe, but must be approved by a medical professional.

A key element to safe weight loss is changing the behaviors that made you overweight in the first place. Start identifying the triggers for what makes you eat. Perhaps you’re an emotional eater, or a “bored eater.” Seek a therapist who specializes in weight loss for help finding these, and devising a plan for overcoming these.

Your weight loss plan shouldn’t promise that you lose any more than 2 pounds a week, per week. Anything faster than this, on a regular basis, can take a toll on your body systems.

Be sure your weight loss plan has an outline for what happens once you reach your weight loss goal. This maintenance plan, as they’re often called, is crucial to a safe weight loss plan as it helps you transition from losing weight to maintaining it.