JUST RELEASED: View the Franchise Ranking. Wish you could shed a few pounds? You're not the only one. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half of all American adults surveyed said that they were trying to lose weight.

Emphasis on "trying" rather than "succeeding. It seems so simple to just eat less and exercise more, right?

But as all too many of us know, it ain't that easy. We get busy, we're exhausted, so we shove bad things in our mouths to save time, to get a quick energy boost, or, let's face it, because a lot of bad things taste great!

The planning and willpower it takes to radically change our lives in order to fit into last year's jeans usually last as long as that Häagen-Dazs bar in our hands.

But here's the thing: you don't actually have to do anything radical to lose weight, says Jonathan Dugas, Ph. Dugas says that we all can reap huge health benefits by making a couple of small changes in our lifestyles. Here are nine tips he offers to help you lose weight without being miserable.

While being active does mean you burn calories, being overweight or obesity is strictly a function of diet and not activity levels. As such, we try to help everyone be active for the health benefits, but eat healthily for the weight benefits.

It is important to remember that weight loss really is a marathon and not a sprint. Individuals who are more overweight or obese can experience more rapid weight loss, but that is because they have more weight to lose.

Managing expectations is key to staying the course and achieving one's goals. So, if one adopts a diet and follows it, then they are almost certain to lose weight , although the amount of weight they lose, and whether they lose more fat than muscle mass, will vary widely. Do not be afraid to abandon a diet and try a new one if it is not working for you.

Expect to do some trial and error before you find one that you feel like is a good fit for your lifestyle. Related: Exercise Is One Thing Most Successful People Do Everyday. The tendency, however, is to be too ambitious and try to fix everything at once.

This can be problematic. If weight loss is your goal, focus on weight loss. That means changing your dietary habits to achieve that daily and weekly calorie deficit, but it also means you do not increase your physical activity.

Not only does adding more workouts just soak up bandwidth, but the increase in energy expenditure will actually drive appetite up. For most of us, we feel justified indulging after a workout because we feel like we earned it.

However, a 16 oz. sports drink ~ calories and an energy bar calories is all it takes to match the calories you just burned at the gym. And forget about the post-workout smoothie, those babies can run you in excess of calories easy. In some situations, these make sense, for example having to catch an early flight and eating breakfast at the airport.

However, preparing your own food, even if you do not choose the healthiest ingredients percent of the time, will almost always result in lower intake. Eat a good breakfast.

Studies show that skipping breakfast detracts from scholastic achievement. Most of these items can be easily stored in your residence hall room.

If you must eat fast foods, choose wisely. Choose pizza with half the cheese, a regular size roast beef sandwich, baked potato or green salad with reduced calorie dressing.

Limit high fat offerings like French fries, fried chicken or fish sandwiches. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Possibilities include fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, unbuttered popcorn, rice cakes or whole wheat crackers.

If you have a refrigerator, consider raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese dip. Eat plenty of foods rich in calcium. People in their early twenties need to be building up stores of calcium in their bodies to prevent osteoporosis later in life. If you need to lose weight, do it sensibly.

There is no truth to the theories that suggest eating foods in any particular combination will promote weight loss. The only safe way to lose weight, feel good while doing it, and keep it off, is to eat a balanced diet and exercise. Maybe you're stuck working regular hour days.

Or maybe your manager did away with your real lunch break, and it's now a lunch pause. Or you're up all hours taking care of a newborn. We get it—life these days is crazy-hectic.

And when you're stressed and time-pressed, one of the first things to go out the window is your weight-loss plan.

Who has time to cook healthy food or make it to the gym when there's just so much to take care of every day? Take a deep breath, relax, and read these brilliantly easy ways to stick to your diet. Yep, it'll be painful, but go through your cabinets and fridge and trash or give away all your sugary snacks, processed chips and crackers, frozen treats, and any other junk-food items.

After you've un-junked your kitchen, stock healthy foods and snacks, and put them right in your line of sight so you see them—and reach for them—first, suggests Rumsey. Busy people are always putting their appointments in a datebook or on their smartphone planner—and doing the same for your p.

cardio class can help you stick to your diet goals. Seriously, even the busiest CEO or new mom can carve out a few hours on Sunday afternoon or evening and put together a large healthy meal in advance that can serve as lunch or dinner through the week.

All of these keep well for days in the fridge, and they can be repurposed into a variety of meals for days in the time it takes to hit the drive thru. MORE: 7 Foods I Prep Each Week to Make Sure to Eat as Healthy as Possible.