by Jade Balle

Created on: November 21, 2008   Last Updated: December 02, 2008

Discouraged about losing that extra weight? Is it because you dread the thought of getting up at 5am and running a mile at the crack of dawn as some weight loss gurus suggest? Maybe it's because the thought of eating a carrot while your co-worker is chomping down on french fries makes you cry inside. Understandable. But that's not what losing weight is all about.

Mark my words. Losing weight is all about three things: 1) eating the right foods, 2) eating those foods in moderation, and 3) saying goodbye to your sedentary lifestyle. Here are a few ways to lose 10% or more of your body fat quickly.

Eat the Right Foods
- Reduce Carbs, BUT Carbs like breads, pasta, and cake will sit on your waistline like a built-in championship belt. It's the main cause of unwanted belly fat. But this is very important: When you cut the carbs, don't pile your plate high with all the other foods on the pyramid!
- Lean Proteins. Buy meats, preferably fish and lean chicken, that are low in fat. Protein is obviously the central part of most meals, and it's good for you so you definitely don't want to cut it out of your diet. Thus, this is the primary place where you should be looking to reduce fat content.
- Use Olive Oil instead of Vegetable Oil. A quick way to lose a few pounds quickly is to replace your vegetable oil, butter, lard, and other unhealthy oils with olive oil. Unlike other types of oils that contain harmful trans fats and saturated fats that cause you to pack on the pounds, olive oil is high in monounsaturated fat.
- Bake Your Food instead of Frying it. Instead of dropping your otherwise healthy foods into a vat of cooking oil, put a few droplets of oil on a baking sheet or casserole dish and bake your food! In most cases, a baked Flounder fish will taste just as good as a fried filet, and you'll push away your plate feeling more satisfied. You'll also feel happier knowing that you just ate a healthy meal.

Eat in Moderation and Only When Hungry
Be honest with yourself. Have you ever gone to a friend's house and eaten a meal, even though you weren't really hungry for it? Just because it smelled or looked good? Or maybe you continued to eat a meal, even after you were full, just because you didn't want to waste the food?

When looking to lose 10% of your body weight, it's important that you eat in moderation and learn how to push that plate away when you're not really hungry. Whenever you eat more than your body wants, keeping everything else constant, you can count on gaining some weight.

Get Off Your Patooty
A mile run at the crack of dawn isn't really necessary. All that's necessary is that you understand the importance of being active throughout your day. Get up and change the channels on the television rather than using the clicker at every turn. Park farther from the mall so that you will have to walk a few extra steps to get where you're going. Small changes like these can make a world of difference for your metabolism.

You'll find that your health will significantly improve when you lose 10% of your body fat. Take these basic initial steps for changing your diet to reach that first goal. Stay committed and you may find that the pounds will start to melt away.

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