If you're into losing weight and transforming your body -- but you don't want to give up your favorite habits and lifestyle, there may be hope yet.

Well, according to Lyssie Lakatos, RD, LD, CDN, anyway. Instead of reaching for impossible goals and crashing & burning on all those fad diets, how about incorporating small changes into your daily life and keeping them permanent?

Instead of limiting calories to insanely low levels (which triggers starvation mode), try upping your metabolism instead, says Lakatos. Getting your metabolism to burn calories in the most efficient way is the answer. Determine those needs, get those small meals going throughout the day (instead of a few large ones) and keep moving -- don't remain sedentary all day.