According to experts, there are five things you must consider before losing weight:

1) Wait for the right moment is the key to success. You must be really ready for the challenge. And even if you feel ready, there are times when you will be cheating. Do not worry, you can not be perfect all the way. To motivate you, think of the benefits you'll get your new habits such as having more energy and better health.

2) Get help. Even if you're the only one able to help you lose weight that does not mean that you must do everything yourself. Ask for the support of your relatives, who are available to listen to you and encourage you. The ideal candidate may be someone who also wants to lose weight.

You can also refer you to a dietitian, a personal trainer or a group such as Weight Watchers. If you participate actively in the group, you will receive more support, encouragement and the feeling that you're not alone in trying to lose weight.

3) Set a realistic goal. You better lose weight slowly and surely. Aim for 1 to 2 pounds per week. To get there, you must burn 500 to 1 000 calories a day with a low calorie diet and regular exercise. Start with realistic goals such as eating better and exercising regularly, rather than distant goals like losing 50 pounds. Make sure your goals are realistic and measurable such as walking for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Think of a way of gradually modifying your habits and why you've gained weight on previous occasions. Determine the date you begin. Plan periods of physical activity, prepare menus with lots of fruits and vegetables, do not forget to drink plenty of water. Identify potential obstacles and plan how you will deal with them. If you have a lot of weight to lose, ask your doctor before to avoid health risk.

4) Learn to enjoy healthy foods. The liquid diets, pills appetite suppressant and bars are not good health tools. Eat healthy instead. Reduce your daily calories intake with fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Cutting calories is easier if you limit the sources of fat and sugar. Diets very low in calories are not a healthy solution. Generally, you should take about 1 200 calories per day. Below, you may cause deficiencies.

5) Exercise regularly. A simple diet can help you lose weight. By cutting 250 calories daily, you can lose about ½ pound per week. But by adding 30 minutes of walking 4 days a week, you can double your weight loss. The purpose of the exercise is to burn more calories, but it offers other advantages. The number of calories you burn depends on the frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. Make physical activity and gradually increase the duration and intensity. Walking is a good choice, as well as swimming, cycling, running and dancing. Think of different ways to move throughout the day: Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far from entrances, walking, gardening, do the lawn. Even housework helps burn calories.

Here are the best exercises for losing weight:

Aerobic activity with several movements such as rollerblading, spinning, jogging, dancing, running and bicycle will do best. Also, muscular work with small weights or resistance is always more effective than hands-free movement.

Buy these photos from lose 20 pounds Dreamstime.com