You have worked so hard towards a weight loss, but those last 10 pounds can be tricky! Making some minor changes in your diet or your workout plan can help shed those last pounds and bring you closer to your goal!

Before making any changes, make sure that your goal is realistic. Sometimes people set their goals too high, and get frustrated when those last few pounds do not come off. The reality is, it might be dangerous to lose those extra 10 pounds and the body is resisting. Your family doctor will be able to help you pinpoint an ideal goal weight.

Diet

- Start a food diary. Writing down what you eat will allow you to see where you may be able to make some changes.

- Increase water intake. Sometimes adding one more glass of water a day can improve your bodily functions and kick your metabolism up a notch. Once the metabolism is kicked up, your body will burn more calories.

- Eat breakfast! It is the most important meal of the day! Eating breakfast gives you something to burn throughout the day. This also keeps your metabolism constant throughout the day; if your metabolism slows down, your body goes into storage mode.

- Focus on eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are great for you and take longer to digest, which keeps your body working long after you've finished eating!

- Eat more fiber! Fiber helps you feel fuller and also helps to stabilize your blood sugar. A dip in your blood sugar makes you hungry and by keeping it stabilized, you prevent yourself from feeling hungry when you're not.

Exercise

- Add one more mile (2,000 steps) to your day! Buy a pedometer and carry it with you everywhere you go. Averaging 5 miles (10,000 steps) a day is great for you, and will help you knock off a little more weight!

- Add one more workout to your week. If you work out 3 days a week, add a fourth. If you already workout 7 days a week, then:

- Increase the intensity of your workouts! If you usually bike for 30 minutes, then try biking for 20 and work a lot harder during the 20 minutes. If you usually set the treadmill at 3 miles per hour, bump it up to 4 and run for less time. This will increase the fat burn and allow you to burn more after your workout.

- Lift weights. Adding a strength training program to your workout can be extremely beneficial. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does, so increasing the amount of muscle on your body means increasing the number of calories your body burns per day.

One thing to note, muscle weighs more than fat does, so you may see the scale increase a bit when you add strength training. However, although the numbers on the scale will go up, your inches will decrease because muscle takes up less room than fat does. This is just something to keep in mind for people who watch the scale to see results.