What did you see the last time you looked in the mirror? Were you completely happy with what you saw? Did you wonder what it might be like if you took off just a few kilos? Why not do it? Why not take some advice from these tips ahead and get the kind of response you want from yourself, since you are your harshest critic.

Put an end to your junk food habit. This is, of course, easier said than done for all of us. Your efforts at any type of new eating plan will be foiled if you can't find a way to resist the bad stuff. This means fries, pizza, burgers, potato chips and ice cream. These foods offer very little in terms of nutrition, and are very unbalanced -- they have way too much of something, typically fat or carbs or both.

It is extremely important to get enough sleep if you want to lose weight. Not getting enough sleep can cause you to gain weight because it can cause your metabolism to slow down and simply make you tired! It is easier to eat foods with more calories when you are tired in an attempt to give yourself more energy to get through the day. Get an adequate amount of sleep each night and your energy will skyrocket.

While you are eating, slow down and take time to savor your food. The first three bites you take, you should pay special attention to. Savor the flavor of the food, pay attention to how it feels to swallow the food. This will help give you a sense of satisfaction and help you to eat less.

You need to be in the right mind set when you are trying to lose weight. Many people are not properly motivated to lose weight when they start a routine and that is often why they fail. Like everything else in life, it is important for your heart to be in it if you are really going to succeed and lose the weight.

A great way to help you lose weight is to stop eating potato or tortilla chips and start eating pretzels or pita chips instead. Pita chips are made with all natural ingredients and pretzels are very healthy, as well. Making a small switch like this can lead to great results.

If you are trying to lose weight, you should make sure that you do not confuse thirst with hunger. When you think that you are feeling hungry, drink a glass of water to see if that is what your body is truly craving. Make sure you know your body and its needs.

If you are having pasta as your meal, try to refrain from adding too much sauce. Even though sauce tastes great, it is packed with the carbs and sugars that you are trying to avoid to lose weight. Instead, use lemon to top off your pasta for a rich and tasty alternative.

When exercising to lose weight, listen to music. Studies have shown that people tend to match their pace with the tempo of the song they are listening to. Alternate fast tempo songs with slightly slower songs to give yourself a little relief. Add some slower tempo songs to listen to while you're cooling down so that your body can restore its natural functioning.

Set a realistic weight loss goal. Most physicians and weight loss experts recommend not attempting to lose more than one to two kilos per week. More than that, and you risk burning yourself out on dieting, losing lean body mass as well as fat, and leaving yourself with large amounts of unwanted loose skin.

A great way to help you lose weight is to stop eating regular cottage cheese and start eating non-fat or low-fat cottage cheese. Regular cottage cheese has a pretty high fat content. Low-fat cottage cheese is much healthier and actually promotes lean body mass when eaten at night.

That wasn't so bad was it. You learned a little, you thought a little and maybe, just maybe you felt that spark inside that said you were going to get it done. Why not now? Knowledge is wasted if it is not applied. Make the changes you need to make and get back in front of that mirror with a smile.