Losing up-to a stone in weight is doable, providing you adopt a restrictive diet and exercise more.

The numbers on the scale will continue to drop each week, providing you are strict and remain disciplined across the board.

If you’ve lost weight, you likely know the blissful exhilaration of feeling better in your clothes. Compliments from friends, family and loved ones then boosts your day, and you discover a newfound confidence.

But losing a larger amount of weight for example requires significant lifestyle changes.

Mindset and behaviours are two of the key drivers which need to be tweaked for the better.

Fat loss can become lasting though, and the right long-term strategies can bolster that success.

By adopting a solid game plan including the five key points below, you'll develop a bullet proof strategy, which will make long term weight loss achievable:

(1) DITCH QUICK FIXES - These type of fad diet are not sustainable. Yes you'll get instant results, but can you keep on top of whole food group restrictions over the long term? I'm not so sure. Chances are you'll crash and burn and resort to binge eating.

(2) PORTION CONTROL - A lack of portion control is one of the main reasons so many of us are overweight. Many of us eat way more than we should be at each meal. Increased portions = increased calories = surplus = weight gain.

(3) PLANT POWER - Eating more high-fibre, lower-glycemic vegetables such as broccoli and brussel sprouts is associated with weight loss. Lower-glycemic foods do not raise blood sugar levels as much as higher ones, plus the fibre is mega in terms of inflammation and satiety.

(4) ELIMINATE PROCESSED FOODS - Remove foods that provide little or not nutritional value. Foods that are high in simple sugars and saturated fat can spike blood sugar resulting in a blood glucose crash and a feeling of hunger within an hour of originally eating.

(5) FLAX APPEAL - Incorporate flaxseeds into your diet. Flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants which help people stay at a healthy maintainable weight.

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