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Lose 10 Pounds by Changing Your Eating Habits

Whether you would like to lose weight after gaining a few pounds over the holidays, for a special occasion like a wedding or just to feel and look healthier, it is rarely a bad idea to try to lose weight. A reasonable goal for most people is to lose 10 pounds. This goal is easier than you might think. It is realistic and attainable for most people.

When looking to lose weight, most people immediately think to go on a diet. Your diet is, of course, important but going 'on a diet' is not necessarily the best or easiest way to achieve long term weight loss. Long term, healthy weight loss is best achieved by looking at your eating habits as a whole to see what simple changes can be made without feeling like you are making a huge sacrifice to lose weight; changes which can easily be made permanent.

Some people go on a strict diet to lose 10 pounds 2 weeks. The problem with this approach is that it is very restrictive and most people are unable to maintain this kind of diet in the long term. After a few weeks, or sometimes only days, people return to their old habits and gain any pounds they lost and possibly a couple of extra pounds. This is not a suitable solution to lose weight and keep it off in the long term.

A healthier, safer way to lose ten pounds is to make changes to your overall eating habits. While this will lead to fairly slow weight lose of perhaps 1 pound per week, it is more likely to be permanent. To lose with this method, look closely at your eating habits to see where possible changes can be made. For example, are you eating between meals and if so why? Are you eating out of hunger or habit or perhaps boredom? If you must eat between meals try to stick to fruit, vegetables or a small handful of nuts. Do you eat while watching TV or a movie? Again, are you eating at this time out of hunger or habit? A simple change you can make to your diet is to only eat when you feel hungry. Think before you eat something, are you really hungry or do you want to eat because that's what you normally do at that time of day?

To lose weight and reach your goal, you need to listen to what your body is telling you. Don't eat until you get hunger pains. If you are feeling hungry between meals, drink a large glass of water as people often mistake thirst for hunger. Don't have a second helping of food at meal times. It can take up to 20 minutes to register as feeling full so that second helping will just leave you feeling stuffed. Take your time to eat one plate of food and after 20 minutes or so you should feel fine. Also, don't feel like you have to eat everything on your plate. If you're feeling full leave the rest. You can always put it in the fridge and eat it the next day.

Making simple changes to your habits like only eating when you are really hungry is a simple yet effective way to lose 5 or 10 pounds without really trying. This works because you are reducing your food, and thus calorie, intake without starving or restricting yourself. You can permanently change your eating habits and lose weight just by following these 3 points; only eat when you are hungry, do not eat out of habit, and do not eat out of boredom. Listen to your body and you will easily lose 10 pounds.