Those Last Ten Pounds

Unless you are very lucky there is hardly anyone who hasn’t had to lose weight.  No matter how much weight you need to lose there is nothing harder then losing those last stubborn ten pounds.  They seem to attach themselves to our bodies, hanging on relentlessly, fighting every effort we make to get rid of them.
When we first start dieting the first few pounds seem to drop off effortlessly.  We are usually greatly rewarded for our sacrifices.  Not so with those last ten pounds.  No matter how little we eat or vigorously we exercise they just don’t want to go anywhere.
So what is the best way to drop those pounds?
The biggest factor is just plain old patience.  If you consume fewer calories then you burn you will lose weight.  The problem is that for many is the amount of calories you burn is a day may not be as much as you would like.  And the smaller you become, the less calories you need.
For many of use who have been on diets for most of our lives, our bodies have become adept at learning how to function on very little calories.  This is especially true if you have been dieting for a while.  Your body has learned how to function on very little food.  You might think the answer is to eat even less but ironically you may need to eat more.  The last thing you want is to have your body get used to living on a very low calories diet.  The best way to speed up your metabolism is to increase your activity and then give your body more fuel to burn, instead of less.  Several small meals a day will keep your metabolism going.
Also, it matters where those calories come from.  Not only will refined carbs often cause us to crave more but they are more likely to inhibit our weight loss.  Protein, complex carbs and healthy fats will give your body what it needs and promote our body to function better and more efficiently.  Drinking lots of fluids with also help.  Many times when we think we are hungry we are actually thirsty.  Having a glass of water before a meal will help us be satisfied with smaller amounts.