Although some people find themselves dealing with more serious weight problems, most people who want to lose a little weight are relatively healthy. If you want to lose 10 pounds, there's a good chance that those pounds were gained very slowly of the course of many months - the weight doesn't represent a problem as much as a few times during the past year where you overindulged (usually the holidays) and failed to make up for it. Here are some tips to lose those 10 pounds:
Pick Your Time
Weight loss involves very personal issues for most people, and is closely related to their self esteem. It is crucial that you attempt to lose 10 pounds at the appropriate time - at a time where you otherwise feel good and satisfied with your life. If you try and lose 10 pounds during a period of time in your life where you have a lot of stress or other distracting things going on, you drastically increase your chances of failure, which will only make things worse.
Change Your Diet
Try as much as possible to balance your diet. This doesn't mean that you have to starve yourself -- rather make a point of getting no more the 30% of your calories from fat. Eat more fruits and vegetables and try to add as much variety to your diet as possible. Try new things, and new meal ideas.
Keep Track Of Your Progress
The problem with dieting for many people, especially in the early stages, is that even if the diet is working they can't see any results. It's hard to really notice if you lose 1 pound. For this reason it's important that your track your progress, so you can have a good sense of the accomplishments you've made. By calculating how many calories you've eaten and how much you've burned through exercise each and every day, you can track how many calories (and ultimately how much weight) you are losing.
Do It With Friends
A great and fun way to help you stick with your plan is to undertake your project of losing 10 pounds with a friend. Not only will you be able to provide support for each other and track each other's progress, but you'll be able to engage in fun exercise activities together.
Make Your Plan Realistic
It's important that you set achievable goals for yourself. For example, with just some basic changes in your lifestyle and eating habits, you can lose 1 pound a week. There's no need to be in a huge rush to lose weight, and trying to lose weight quickly often requires a regimen that is difficult to keep up. For most people, it is healthier to lose weight slowly than with drastic dietary changes.
Many people would like to lose 10 pounds, and almost anyone can if they follow the advice above. By avoiding a "quick fix" and sticking with long term healthy choices, you'll find your project to lose 10 pounds will leave you not only thinner, but healthier and feeling better about yourself.