8 weight-loss tips you can incorporate into your diet that actually work

• Weight loss requires adopting healthy eating habits that leave you feeling satisfied.
• Carbs and fat are not the enemy. Both have their place in a healthy weight loss plan.
• If you want to make weight loss easier, you need to move your body. Exercise is key.

Losing weight is no easy feat. With thousands of diets and fitness trends to choose from, it's no wonder many Americans struggle to drop the pounds and keep them off.

In order to get the real scoop on the weight loss tips that actually work, I spoke with two nutrition experts to see what they had to say about the best ways to transform your body and your health.

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Overcome carb confusion

Confusion about carbs is common when it comes to discussing weight loss.

"We often forget that fruits and vegetables are carbs too, but they are healthy complex carbs," Dr. Taz Bhatia, author of "Super Woman RX," told Business Insider. She recommends limiting your consumption of bread, pasta, and rice to one serving per day and increasing your complex carb consumption with foods like vegetables, oats, quinoa, lentils, or beans.

She also stressed the importance of paying attention to all sources of sugar. "Don't just think about added sugar, but fruit sugar, sugar in alcohol, and hidden sugars in sauces and dressings," Dr. Taz said. She said your total sugar budget should be under 40 grams per day.

Salt cravings

That bag of chips you polished off last night is not just full of empty calories (six chips can have over 100 calories) — it's also a salt trap. Dr. Taz said that salt, like sugar, can affect insulin resistance and cause weight gain, high blood pressure, migraines, and more.

Up your fat

Fat is not the enemy — rather, it's certain types of fat that causes problems. Research shows how the right balance of fat can actually prevent us from overeating, as Dr Taz points out. That's why you should drop the trans fat, go light on the saturated fats, and instead, opt for monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Good sources of monounsaturated fat include olive oil and avocados, and sources of polyunsaturated fats (omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids) include salmon and flaxseeds.