As you lose weight, your body needs fewer calories to maintain the new you. This reduced need for calories makes losing the last 10 pounds especially hard. Try these tips to push through a plateau and reach your goal weight.

Move more throughout the day.

The calories burned by adding small bouts of movement to your day add up. Do everything you can to keep moving. Take a quick break from the computer, and walk a flight of stairs at the office. When watching television, do some push-ups or crunches during the commercials.

Cut out alcohol.

A glass of wine can halt weight loss, even if it fits into your calorie budget. When acetate from alcohol is available for energy, it becomes much more difficult for the body to burn fat. Try eliminating alcohol from your diet until you reach your goal weight.

Add a workout.

Consider adding an extra workout to your week to burn extra calories. If you can't squeeze in another walk or fitness class in the afternoon, wake up early and do a 15-minute circuit workout. Pick several exercises, such as jumping jacks, squat jumps, planks, front kicks, and bicycle crunches, and do each exercise for 30 seconds. Repeat the circuit until you have completed 15 minutes.

Change your exercise intensity.

A small change in your typical exercise intensity will boost calorie burn. If you walk for 30 minutes per day, add speed intervals. Walk very fast (like you are late for a flight) for 1 minute, and then recover by walking at your normal pace for 3 minutes. Continue this pattern for the entire workout. The same can be done with cardio machines, biking, or running. Adding a new route that includes hills is another way to increase intensity.

Challenge your strength.

Getting into a rut with strength training is easy, but muscles must be challenged with increased weight and new movement to strengthen and grow. You can increase the repetitions, add weight, or try new moves. Trade in weights and machines for challenging bodyweight exercises, such as side planks, plank push-ups, wall-sits, reverse lunges, and jump squats.

Alter your pattern.

Do you exercise in the mornings? Morning workouts are effective because you are less likely to skip out later in the day, but it's not the best time to exercise for everyone. Maybe you wake up sleepy and don’t push as hard as you would if you exercised in the afternoon or evening. Regardless of when you regularly work out, try switching to a different time of day to see how your body responds.

Refresh your snacks.

Limit your snacks to 200 calories or less, and ensure they balance protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fat. Add more fresh fruits and vegetables to your snacks. The water they contain will hydrate you, and the fiber will help you feel full longer.

Eat more fresh foods.

Does your diet consist of many packaged and pre-made foods? Even "diet" varieties can contain hidden salt and preservatives that make you retain water and feel bloated. Add more fresh foods to your meal plan. Changing your diet to include more fresh foods and fewer foods from a package may be the nutritional boost you need to get past those last 10 pounds.

Eat more often.

Have you given up on snacking between meals to cut calories? It might be time to add them back in. A well-balanced snack gives you energy and reduces hunger. That extra energy will help you push through tough workouts, and you will be less likely to overeat at meals.

Re-evaluate and recommit.

Weight loss can be a long journey, and minor distractions can easily knock you off track. Take time to assess your current situation. Maybe you are already within your healthy weight range and losing ten more pounds unneeded. If you decide you're exactly where you need to be, recommit to your new healthy habits, and focus on the important next step of maintaining your healthy weight.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.