Most all of us look for ways to lose a few extra pounds. The key to weight loss is to keep it simple. Here are 10 tips to help you lose those unwanted pounds.

1. Instead of using butter, try fruit purees. The next time you have mashed potatoes, leave off the butter. Try substituting a fruit puree instead. This will reduce the calories and give your mashed potatoes a nice flavor.

2. Take the fat out of the cheese. We all know that cheese contains lots of calcium and is very good for you. But it also has a lot of fat in it, making weight loss very difficult. An easy was to remove the fat is to put the cheese in your microwave oven for approximately 10-15 seconds. Remove it and immediately drain off the fat. Be sure you don't overcook it or you'll have a big mess on your hands. The other option is to simply buy a low fat cheese at the store.

3. Don't eat your meals in front of the TV. This tip may sound silly, but it's probably one of the biggest reasons for weight gain. It's so easy to overeat while watching the TV. You become so engrossed at the program you're watching that you just continue eating and eating. Weight loss and TV don't work well together.

4. Never try to exercise before eating a meal. When you go out and physically exercise before eating your meal you are going to make yourself even hungrier. You're burning fat and losing weight. But you're also making yourself hungrier. For better weight loss make sure you exercise after eating. Be sure you don't exercise right after eating though, or you will more than likely get sick. Give yourself an hour after eating before exercising.

5. Be sure to eat a good breakfast. The word breakfast means to break your fast. Since you most likely haven't eaten since dinner the night before, you are literally breaking your fast. It is a proven fact that eating breakfast, even if it's a piece of toast, will help you burn more calories and lose weight, then if you skip eating breakfast all together.

6. Use the right milk. Make sure you use skim milk rather than whole milk. Whole milk contains cream and of course, adds calories. Skim milk on the other hand contains no fat and helps contribute to weight loss. Skim milk will still give you all the benefits of milk and has very little taste difference.

7. Remove the trans fatty acids. All trans fatty acids are bad fats. A good example of a trans fat is margarine. Butter on the other hand is not. Be sure to never use margarine or butter when cooking. Use cooking oil instead, preferably olive oil. Always read the labels on food you buy at the store. Avoid hydrogenated oil at all cost, in order to lose weight. It contains loads of trans fatty acids.

8. Fructose is an appetite suppressant. Drink water or fruit juice with fructose and not glucose to help with weight loss. Did you know that drinking a glass of orange juice an hour before you eat a meal will help in suppressing your appetite?

9. Trim the fat from meats before cooking. Most of us love to eat meat and that's fine. But in order to help with weight loss, you need to trim off all the excess fat from meats prior to cooking. This will dramatically reduce your calorie intake from meat. Your other healthy option is to eat more fish and skinless chicken.

10. Four egg yokes or less each week. Eggs are full of the wrong kinds of fat. The whites of an egg is worse than the yolk. In order to help with weight loss, limit the number of eggs you eat to four or fewer every week.

While there are many other tips available to help you lose weight, these ten are a great start. Follow these tips and you'll be on your way to losing these unwanted pounds.