These days, it's easy to get sucked up into the latest trending fad diet. Whether you fall prey to the keto diet, the Mediterranean diet, or your own self-imposed diet of no sugary snacks, diets often lead to disappointment and unsustainable habits. I think the most important point here is this: I hate diets. And I'm no nutritionist, but I'll tell you why you should, too.

One problem with mainstream diets is that they are almost always adopted with the understanding that they're a temporary lifestyle change, not a lasting one. Another is that they often require you to swear off foods and beverages that you genuinely enjoy, and that can make life seem a little less livable every day. If you regularly look forward to a bagel at breakfast (hey, I know I do), going on a low-carb diet is going to be incredibly difficult to maintain.

So what happens when your two-month diet comes to an end? If you've sworn off high-carb foods for a couple of months and then suddenly have the freedom to gulp down pasta again, you might very well put back on all the weight that you've managed to lose during your period of carb-deficient suffering. This isn't just limited to low-carb diets either—low-fat diets can have the same detrimental effects both mentally and physically. Not to mention, there are healthy fats that your body needs, so depriving your body of all fats is essentially counter-intuitive if you're attempting to become a healthier person.

Now, the good news: You do not have to go on one of those mainstream, restrictive diets to lose weight in a healthy way.

When I graduated from high school, my number one goal moving forward was to lead a healthier life. Part of that meant losing weight—not just because I didn't like the way I looked, but because my weight was having a negative impact on my physical health. Now, two years and a few months later, I'm 76 pounds down and feeling fantastic.

How did I do it? Certainly not by dieting.

My first order of business was to see a nutritionist, and I cannot stress this enough: if you're unhappy with your food intake, see a nutritionist. They are life-savers. Nutritionists are able to advise you based on your medical history and current goals, so if you're on the fence about seeing one, GO.

My nutritionist helped me lay out a plan over a period of several months that built the foundations for a lasting lifestyle change. Losing weight in a healthy manner means paying attention not only to your nutrition, but also to your physical activity, and she was able to help me work on healthy habits in both avenues. One of her most crucial pieces of advice? Don't cut out foods that you really enjoy.

For me, cutting out my favorite foods was an automatic no-go. I knew that my self-control would only persevere for so long before one look at a cake in a bakery window would be my downfall. So we come to the key to all of my weight loss: eating the foods I love in moderation.

I lost 76 pounds, and the entire time I still ate pizza, fettuccine, brownies, and ice cream—in moderation.

The great thing about moderation is that it can mean different things for different people. Moderation can mean only allowing yourself one can of soda a day or only one can of soda a week, depending on your individual goals. It can mean having dessert twice a week or having one small dessert every day. It caters to what will best help you avoid overconsumption.

Finding a good balance for you can be difficult, which is why I've recommended seeing a nutritionist if at all possible. However, there are other ways to figure out what the best strategies for you are.

First, I recommend investigating how any health problems you may have been affected by your diet (which here refers to your typical eating habits, not some fad). Then, see what lifestyle changes would benefit you the most, and start implementing them in small ways.

Try to eat balanced meals to promote fullness—fruits and vegetables are our friends. There are as many calories in one pack of regular M&Ms as there are in five and one-third cucumbers. Which option do you think will leave you feeling fuller for longer? Probably not the candy-coated chocolate. However, the beauty of moderating your intake of junk food means you can still eat your favorite snacks.

Personally, I managed to successfully moderate my junk food intake by tracking what I ate each day. This method doesn't work for everyone, but it's worth a try if you're having difficulty eating balanced meals and limiting your snacking throughout the day. I use MyFitnessPal because it helps track both food intake and exercise, and can help me get an idea of how many calories I'm eating on a typical day. Just remember: if one method of tracking/moderation doesn't work for you, there are always tons of others you can try!

So that's my secret as to how I lost 76 pounds without ever restricting myself with some mainstream diet: simply moderating my consumption of less healthy foods. What I've learned during this journey is that healthy, sustainable lifestyle changes are much more effective than placing unfeasible, inevitably temporary restrictions on yourself. You can be healthy and still enjoy the occasional pizza or ice cream sundae—and honestly, would you want to find your healthy balance doing anything else?