You look in the mirror and don’t have a problem with your appearance, except for slight chubbiness. Standing on the scale proves your guess: you’ve gained 10 extra pounds. Maybe you’ve heard stories about men and women who’ve lost many pounds in only a few days. While a few people may have quickly lost weight, they probably went through tough times. Most quick weight loss methods demand that you follow extreme diets, which you’ll end up hating and quitting. On the other hand, you can avoid quitting your diet by not going on a restrictive diet. Instead, change your eating habits for good. You may lose weight slower with this method, but you won’t suffer hardship. How can you put the slow weight loss method to work for you? First, you could write out all foods that you eat since they make weight gain possible. Don’t just jot down desserts, like sweet potato pie and ice cream sundaes. Instead, take note of everything, including the glazed donut that you grab on the way to work or late night snacking. By seeing your complete eating habits, you can make better choices and changes. Let’s say you record your eating habits and find that you snack too often: you actually have mini-meals before and after lunch. Ask yourself, “Am I really hungry at these times, or do I eat for the sake of eating?” Perhaps that bowl of sugary cereal in the morning leaves you empty on energy by 10 a.m. Since you can’t have lunch, you have a family size bag of corn chips. Here the solution can be to switch to a hearty, whole-grain, and sugar-free cereal so you get energy that lasts longer. Another aspect of the slower weight loss method concerns listening to cues from your body. Cues are signs that tell you that you need to eat more or that you should stop eating, but cues can be tricky. Most of us can’t interpret these cues without letting at least 15 minutes pass, since human bodies take this amount of time to absorb food. For instance, you’ve eaten two servings of meat loaf and a slice of chocolate cake. Now your stomach growls, asking for more food, yet you wait 15 minutes before putting another morsel in your mouth. While you wait, you read a novel- 15 minutes pass and you discover you’re full. One additional technique for the slower weight loss method involves enjoying every bite of food, from the moment the food enters your mouth. You taste the tangy lemon zest in the Romaine salad or the creaminess of cheddar cheese on your macaroni. By savoring what you eat, you learn to appreciate food. And you develop self-control by finding satisfaction in eating moderately. You can see why changing your eating habits makes losing 10 pounds easier— you don’t use any drastic measures. Instead, you focus on long-term choices that fit your lifestyle. By following these tips, you can change your eating habits to lose 10 pounds and keep the extra weight gone forever.