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Dieting? How to lose the LAST five pounds!

It can be the trickiest to get rid of, so here's a guide on how to shed that last stubborn bit of weight.

Losing those last five pounds or two-three kilos may be the last thing that separates you from either being totally satisfied with your body weight, or failing completely in your weightloss attempt. Without exaggeration, five pounds is not a big number, but for most people who are on the weightloss path, these pounds take on a lot of symbolic meaning, especially if you have been faithful and disciplined in your practice and made draining sacrifices.

Therefore, here are five strategies that can help you get rid of those five pounds for good!

1. Re-evaluate your calorie intake

According to Susan Moores, RD and spokesperson for The American Dietetic Association, with each pound (or 0.45 kg) you lose, you should subtract your calorie intake by roughly eight calories. Hence, the more body weight you lose, the less calorie intake you need, unless your training intensity is high or on the rise.

Eight calories doesn't seem that much, but it does add up. If you have lost 30 pounds (around 13.5 kg), then you should lessen your calorie intake by more than 240 calories to keep losing weight. When the body is lighter, it usually needs less calories burned to move around and carry the weight; hence the lighter you are, the less your calorific needs.

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2. Keep a diet journal

You may be surprised at some of your eating habits once you start taking notice of them. Using a diet journal on a regular basis will allow you to keep track of your daily calorie intake, have a clear sense of your eating habits and develop a more objective look at your current situation as to why those last five pounds are stubborn.

Most people are unconscious most of the time; this is one of the most famous statements from the field of hypnosis. And by keeping a diet journal you can bring a halt to your bad eating trances and increase your chances of losing those last five pounds quicker. Keep a keen eye on fatty and high-sugar calorie intake, since that could be the reason why you are not progressing toward your weightloss goals.

3. Change your training approach

One way you can ensure weightloss is to change your training approach and make your workout sessions more intense. After a certain amount of exercise, the human body adapts to the workload and thus burns off less calories than it used to. Therefore, you need to keep your body on the alert by changing your training approach and methods whenever you hit a plateau. Some fitness gurus call this muscle confusion.

For example, if you have been lifting weight as your main exercise, try to add in some running sessions or interval training workouts. This training diversity will not only help you lose weight, it will also make your training more enjoyable and less boring. Variety is the spice of life.

4. Alter your body clock

The human body has its own clock, which regulates all the necessary processes for its proper functioning. Factors such as appetite, sleeping time, metabolism and energy levels are all pre-programmed to run on specific timings. And by altering your body clock, your metabolic rate increases to cope up with the new timings -- hence, you lose more weight.

Therefore, if you usually have your dinner at 8:30 pm each night, try to change that and dine at 7:30 pm or earlier. You might also change your sleeping and workout schedules to produce similar results.

5. Keep motivated

Getting off track is another reason that could explain those last five pounds. At the beginning of the weightloss path, most people can be very enthusiastic and motivated to lose weight. However, as time progresses, the motivation start to fade away and the incentive is no longer as strong as it used to be.

As a result, you need to re-evaluate your motivation strategies and may even need to start from scratch. You could also change the way you look at weightloss; instead of tracking it by the scale, track your inches and other body measurements. And just don't give permission to those last five pounds to wreck the tough job you have done and progress you have made.