7 Steps to Successful Weight Loss!

If you are looking to lose some flab, here are some simple tips to do that:

1. Eat slowly: Check your watch. Start eating. When you're done, check your watch again. How long did it take you? We bet it did not take you very long to finish your food. Your goal should be to take at least 15 to 20 minutes per meal. You need that long in order to taste your food properly and to let your body tell your brain that you're full. Put your utensils down between bites. Chew properly. Savour what you're eating. Enjoy it. Spend time with it. You'll enjoy food more, and get leaner.

2. Eat until you're '80% full': Instead of eating till you are 'stuffed' or 'full', you should rather stop eating the moment you feel satisfied. Don't get hung up on exactly what '80% full' is, or whether you're getting to '75%' or '88%'. Shoot for the general idea. Remember: eat s-l-o-w-l-y. Be patient with '80% full'. It takes practice. But once you get the hang of learning your physical (rather than your social or psychological) hunger cues, fat loss will be a cakewalk.

3. Get your 5 hours of training: Make them count. Sure, you could drill yourself into the ground with long, gut-busting workouts. But why? As we've proven, you can get great results with about 5 hours of exercise per week. The trick? Make those hours count. Here are a few suggestions:

• 3 days a week, weight training for about 45 minutes.
• 2 days a week any cardiovascular activity.
• Do about 10 minutes of warm up and mobility work every day.
• Fill in the rest of the time with 'active recovery' - gentle, moderate movement such as walking, swimming, yoga, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, and just plain old 'stay moving'.

4. Sleep: Sleep changes your hormone balance and your recovery ability. This changes how your body responds to nutrients, exercise, and stress. The more sleep you get, the leaner you are. The less sleep you get, the fatter, weaker, and sicker you're eventually likely to be. At least 1-2 hours before bed, turn off the TV, computer, and cell phone. Darken the room. And get ready to sleep yourself lean.

5. Pay attention: If you're struggling to change bad habits, start by becoming aware of what you're doing, thinking, and feeling (both physically and emotionally). We call this noticing and naming. You can't change something if you're clueless. So tune in. Paying attention also makes your performance better. For example:

• If you eat slowly and mindfully, conscious of every bite, you'll probably eat less but enjoy your food more.
• If you train your brain, with a plan, you'll probably do your exercises correctly, with a clear focus, and you will likely to stay uninjured.
• If you notice what 'triggers' you into unwanted behaviours, you can 'break the chain' and choose a different path.

6. Forget 'willpower': Change your environment and your systems. And get social support. Willpower is a very limited and unreliable bank account. Never count on it. Instead, built an environment, a system, and a support network that helps you get to your goals.

• If food is in your house, you'll eat it. So don't have that food in your house.
• If your gym is horribly inconvenient, you won't go. So make it convenient, or buy some weights for home.
• If you wait till you feel full of energy to work out, you'll never do it. So schedule it like an appointment.

7. Take action: But do ONE small thing at a time. Sure, we all love for the moment to 'change everything'. But it is not a reality. Stop 'thinking' about change. Stop 'reading' about change. 'Do' change. Act now. The only way to succeed at anything is to take action now - ONE small step at a time. Today, what is that ONE very small step you can do to move towards the change you want? What could you do in the next three minutes? Today? Do that ONE small thing. Check in each day and make sure you're doing it. Then, next week, do another very small thing - only ONE. It's just that simple!

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!