Very few people are 100% happy with their weight. If you stop ten people on the street, chances are that eight of them are trying to lose weight. It is a combination of human nature, more sedentary lifestyles, and the easy and relative cheapness of food that has brought our society to this point. Losing any weight is hard enough and requires a level of commitment on your part, but losing the last ten pounds can be hardest of all. There are a variety of reasons for this, and this article will help you lose the last ten pounds as painlessly as possible, but first you should stop and be brutally honest with yourself.

Make sure that you are being realistic about your weight. If you haven not been at your goal weight since you were in 11th grade, it may not be your goal weight. If you pick a number that is too low, then not only will you struggle to lose the weight, you are also setting yourself up for disappointment which may actually backfire and cause you to gain weight as you try to starve yourself and give up in disgust. If you are sure that you are realistic about your goal weight, take a few minutes to think about something else.

Why do you want to lose the weight? If you want to lose weight to make someone jealous, so that people will be amazed that you have three kids, or so that you can look great at the beach in two weeks, then you are not trying to lose the weight for the right reason. If you are doing it to lower your cholesterol, ease the pounding on your joints, or because you are eating too much junk food, you have a much better chance of success. Once you are sure that you are being realistic and have the right intentions, it is time to get started. There are three basic premises to losing any weight, and each is equally important. When you are trying to lose the last ten pounds, which are notoriously stubborn, each of these steps becomes even more important.

Lifestyle Changes. This is probably the most important factor when trying to lose weight. Exercise and meals make up a small portion of your day, but lifestyle changes follow you forever. There are a variety of lifestyle changes you can make, both in being more physically active, and in improving your diet.

• Increase your activity level. The difference in the calories that you burn when you are sedentary or you are even mildly active is substantial, up to 500 calories a day difference. The key is to increase your activity level. This is different than exercise. Exercise involves raise your heart rate and keeping it elevated for a period of time (aerobic exercise) or lifting weights with the goal of building muscle (weight training). Increasing your activity level simply keeps your metabolism stoked and ready to burn calories. Some ways to increase your activity level are by getting up from your desk or chair every hour and taking a brisk five-minute walk, using the stairs instead of the elevator, and parking at the far end of the parking lot and walking when you are running errands. The key is to intersperse activity throughout your day.

• Improve your diet. The quickest way to lose weight is to stop drinking any calories. Milk is not included in this category, although the switch to skim milk would be a smart one. Otherwise, if you are drinking it and it has calories, kick it out of your diet. Soft drinks, flavored coffees and alcohol all pack a substantial punch to your diet without filling you up. Numerous studies have shown that the calories that you drink do not fill you up the same way that calories that you eat do. The high sugar content as well as the large size of these drinks make it possible to consume 1000 calories a day in liquids. Cut these out and the weight will come off. If you have already taken this step, the next step is to become a conscious eater. So many times we eat mindlessly and before you know it we have consumed a handful of cookies, a half a bag of potato chips and the leftovers off of your kid’s plates without even thinking about it. Add to this your “normal” diet, and you can see why the weight does not want to leave.

• Consider adding an additional workout or two a week. If you normally do aerobic activities three days a week, go for four, and add a weight workout. If your already working out six days a week, add a second workout one day.

• Up the intensity. Chances are, if you have been exercising for a while, you have fallen into a bit of a fitness rut. For the next few weeks commit to pushing yourself in your workouts. Run the hill you have been walking, pump out that extra rep in the weight room, push yourself outside of your comfort zone.

• Change up your exercise routine. Always jog? Try bicycling. If you normally walk, try an exercise video. You do not have to quit doing your favorite workouts, but switch them out occasionally, and you will be surprised at the energy that you burn.

• Weigh and measure your food. Many of us start a diet with the best of intentions, but once we have some success we slack off. Quit eyeballing portions and start weighing and measuring again, just to make sure that your serving sizes are not growing.

• Write down everything you eat. This is the only accurate way to know exactly what is going into your mouth. Before you eat it write it down, enter it on the computer, however you want to log it is fine, but you must account for every morsel.

• Cut back on the starchy carbs. No one is saying that you have to low carb it, but if you have your choice between an extra serving of mashed potatoes and a green salad, the salad is going to be the better bet. Likewise, french fries, macaroni and cheese and pasta. There is nothing inherently bad about these foods, but compared with an equal amount of salad or green vegetables, and you can guess which would be the smarter choice.