By Jason Kozma

The holidays are long gone. New Year’s resolutions are long forgotten. And we are once again lamenting that those “extra ten pounds” just won’t go away. Personal trainers and nutritionists across the country say they get more questions on how to lose the final 10 pounds than on any other fitness-related subject. They say that most people want a quick fix or a crash diet and don’t want to hear that it takes a combination of diet and exercise to get rid that extra fat.
Fitness experts say that working out in the gym won’t do the trick. In other words, you won’t fit into that magical number jean size you’ve always wanted or minimize a ‘problem’ area by spending an hour a day on a treadmill. Losing weight and getting a toned body is a process and a proper diet and exercise is the key to getting into that hot little black dress.

Here are ten tips experts offer on how to get there faster.

1. Don’t skip your meals and especially breakfast. You have to jump-start your metabolism, so your fat burns faster.

2. Log your food. That will make you aware your eating habits. You will surprised how much more you actually consume once you look at your logs.

3. Look through your logs and see where you could make different choices. Small changes can go a long way to losing the last ten pounds and those small changes will add up quickly.

4. Eat every 3 hours.

5. Eating 5-6 times a day will maximize your energy and stabilize your blood sugar so you won’t be hungry.

6. Eat foods that will optimize your metabolism like high fiber foods, low fat foods, and lean proteins.

7. Eat your carbs early in the day so your body gets a chance to burn them.

8. Make working out a priority.

9. Take a “before” picture of yourself and put it in a visible place. Having that ‘before’ photo is a huge motivation to stick to your plan.

10. Just do it!

Unless you are a super motivated individual, you will want to hire a personal trainer to guide you through your weight loss process and help monitor the progress. Make sure your trainer creates a nutriton plan that optimizes high quality, natural foods, not pre-packaged or frozen meals.

Having an expert to navigate the diet and exercise landscape can make the difference between baring your shoulders at your high school reunion or not making it, and faking a cold.