Like a slap on the face, the idea strikes you— you need to lose 10 pounds. Perhaps Grandma’s comfort food has left you bulging around the waist, or watching too much television hasn’t given you enough time to exercise. You decide to lose weight, now. Here’s the sad truth about losing weight: you can’t shed the pounds as easily as you gained them. For one thing, drastic diets can force you to give up meat, chocolate and other favorite foods. Or, the diets want you to jog, not drive, to every destination even if you need to go 59 miles. You don’t have to take these extreme measures unless you want to lose 10 pounds in a few days. In a few cases, quick weight-loss may work, yet most people need more time to reach their weight loss goal. In this approach, you add healthy habits into your life so you transition smoothly into weight-loss mode. In fact, you don’t even notice the diet and exercise changes since they blend in with your life. While you still need to put effort into losing weight, with this technique, losing 10 pounds doesn’t take over your life. You might find that the slower method not only helps you to lose 10 pounds, but also keeps the pounds off forever. Your slow method of weight loss turns into your new lifestyle, a lifestyle that gives you satisfaction. You can start changing your lifestyle by looking at your daily activities. For example, what can you do differently to get more exercise? You might walk the children to school or bike to work- if you need to travel only a short distance that is. Finding active alternatives to driving is good exercise and will conserve gasoline, whose prices are skyrocketing. You also help the environment by not adding to pollution. Other ways to incorporate exercise into your life involve walking around the block during lunch and using the stairs instead of escalators. Taking in exercise, whenever you have the opportunity, moves you towards your goal of losing 10 pounds. You can also participate in strenuous hobbies or sports. For instance, you might join a volleyball team or start your own. Or, go on scavenger hunts or camp out in the woods. You get the idea: find activities that you enjoy doing so that the exercise turns into entertainment. As you can see, changing your life to lose 10 pounds doesn’t have to be drastic. Use our tips to develop a healthy lifestyle that works for you.