Okay, you’ve made the decision to lose weight… You know you need to change your diet. You know you need to exercise more. But you don’t know where to start?

Don’t worry…

Losing weight successfully doesn’t have to feel like a maze. In fact, incorporate any one of the following tips into your weight loss plan, and it is possible to improve your lifestyle.

Tip One: Modify your diet

No food has to be a sin when you eat in moderation – yes even chocolate. The trick to losing weight is to make sure you do not over indulge or have foods in excess.

Nutritionists recommend splitting your meals between 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat. But this is not all… you need to monitor how many calories you are consuming.

You’ll be surprised by how easy it is for you to go over you’ll daily recommended amounts. A glass of wine here, a biscuit there… the calories soon mount up.

For this reason, try the following when modifying your diet:

• Keep a food diary - food diaries are incredibly useful for helping you spot your food weaknesses and calorie intake. Simply write down everything you eat and drink over the course of the day, as well as their calorie content. At the end of the day, add them up. Using your food diary as a guide you will be able to see where your diet is going wrong, and take the right steps to modifying your diet.

• Change one food at a time - do not try to change your diet overnight. Remove all your favourite foods in one go and you’ll leave yourself open to cravings. Instead gradually decrease how often you have chips over the course of a few weeks, until you can remove them completely. Do this for each and you’ll soon naturally be eating healthier.

Tip Two: Exercise more

To lose just 1lb of fat you need to burn 3,500 calories on top your current calorie burn. This means excluding your day to day activities you need to burn an additional 3,500 calories.

Now before you picture yourself spending hours at the gym, there are simpler ways to increase your physical activity and burn calories.

• Go for a walk on your lunch break – simply going for a walk for 40 minutes a day can help you to burn over 60 extra calories a day.

• Do your chores - you’ll be surprised by how much hovering, mowing the lawn and washing your car can burn calories. Washing your car alone burns over 204 calories per hour, so get active around the house.

• Join a class - combining cardio with strength training can help your body to burn more fat and build muscle. In fact exercise classes are a great way to keep yourself motivated plus have fun whilst you are exercising.

Tip Three: Drink plenty of water

Often what we mistake for hunger is our body’s way of telling us we are thirsty. So before you reach for a snack, why not drink half a glass of water instead. If after 15 minutes you still feel hungry, only then offer yourself a healthy snack (a cracker, piece of fruit etc).

More often than not though, you’ll find you are no longer hungry.

Tip Four: Try a weight loss supplement

Weight loss supplements are ideal if you are struggling to change an aspect of your diet. Whether you are finding it hard to resist high calorie foods or reduce your meal portions, quality weight loss supplements can help you to stay on track and keep you feeling supported.

One in particular has been clinically tested and found to eliminate up to 27.4% of the fat you ingest, as well as suppress your appetite and boost your metabolism.

It is formulated from the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica and contains 2 fibers – 1 soluble and 1 insoluble.

As its soluble fiber binds with bile acids in your stomach, they form a viscous solution which is hard for your body to digest. Helping to slow down digestion and glucose absorption, you are left feeling fuller for longer in turn suppressing your appetite.

On the other end of the scale the insoluble fiber encounters fat molecules they bind forming a fluid gel around the molecule which is too large and complex to be absorbed by the body. Instead it makes up to 28% of your dietary fats indigestible, forcing them to pass out of your body naturally.

As you can see, invest in the right weight loss supplement and you can give your diet a helping hand. Just remember to pick a weight loss supplement that best meets your dietary needs.