1. Diet 

Dieting doesn't mean starving yourself and eating salads for every meal. Dieting means eating the right foods. Go online and look up food pyramids and food charts. Look at how much of each food you need in a day and start from there. You want to make sure you are getting a balance of nutrients from a variety of food, which means plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and lean proteins.

If you're looking for a good infographic that shows nutritional balance, skip the government guidelines and check out Harvard's Healthy Eating Plate instead.

2. Mind the quality, not the calories! 

Start to watch the quality of food you are eating, rather than the calories. Do you notice that you eat a lot of junk or sugar-filled foods? If you do, you should switch out some of your sweet snack cravings with a healthy alternative. The next time you crave empty-carbs, try fresh fruit, crackers, Greek yogurt, or a granola bar instead.

Missy from Pretty Sweet says, "Consider that an avocado has the same number of calories as a doughnut. You know which one is better, so stop pretending that calories are a good way to measure the value of food! Counting calories is like choosing a book based on how many pages it has — it just doesn't make sense!"

3. Exercise matters 

Devote at least 30 minutes a day to exercising. This doesn't have to be hardcore strenuous exercises like lifting weights and running 5 miles every day. Start by jogging for 30 minutes or biking for 30 minutes and work from there, or even taking a brisk walk once a day.

Just because you see men and women with six-packs in the gym and on weight loss commercials, doesn't mean that you have to look like that.

Start slowly and gradually increase the amount of exercise you do each day. You'll probably notice you start to enjoy it, and according to the Mayo Clinic, you'll increase your energy, your mood and lose weight.

4. OK, now stop counting calories

If you are looking to lose weight, stay fit, and/or stay healthy, do not give in to the temptation of counting calories. It may seem like you are doing the right thing by paying attention to what you eat. However, you are paying attention to the wrong detail.

It's about quality, not quantity!

Look at the rest of the nutritional label! If you are looking at two snacks with 200 calories each and one has more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than the other, go with the nutritional-dense food (not the processed, refined and nutritionally depleted one).

There are some well-known apps out there that cost under $1 per day that will help you log everything you eat and keep you on track. Just don't obsess on finding a free app, because it's usually worth the investment to pay for a higher-quality product!

Choose to eat healthy by paying attention to what and how much you eat. Please don't count calories though, because it just doesn't work.