While I did write about a magic weight loss pill that is coming soon, these Holistic approaches to weight loss may seem simple, but they have been proven over time to be very effective.

I am not a doctor or holistic practitioner, and to protect my rear-end from any lawsuit, I must advise everyone to consult their physician of choice before undergoing any weight loss program. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the easy time proven holistic weight loss remedies:

1) Visualization. Hold an image of yourself in your mind for 3 – 5 minutes, where you look the way you want to look. Feel the body changes in your body. If you cannot visualize yourself at your ideal weight, you will be undermining your weight loss efforts. You simply can not get thin if you feel fat all the time. At the bare minimum do this when you first wake up and right before you go to sleep. Preferably do it as often each day as you remember. Why not? It’s free, it feels good and you can do it at work and no one will have a clue. Don’t stress it, just let it come natural.

I found a great website if you need help to visualize yourself: My Virtual Model

2) Drink Water I know everyone is going to say you need 8 glasses of water each day, but that formula may be way off. Stick with this plan: If your urine is coming out pale yellow you are drinking enough water. If it is coming out dark yellow, you need to drink more water. If it looks like coffee, you need to drink a LOT more water. If it looks clear as water, you may want to cut back on the water you are drinking.

3) Drink Hot Water Drinking hot water is an Ayurvedic technique that cleanses your lymphatic system and hastens fat loss. Traditionally, you are not supposed to put anything in the water, even lemon, as you want clean water molecules flushing your system. With that said, I like to put some Cayenne Pepper in the water to get all the benfits of cayenne, including a boost to my metabolism. Sipping hot water is also supposed to help you combat food cravings and snack attacks.

4) Eat Greens Eat greens, greens, and more greens with every meal. Spinach is my favorite green, and lucky for me it’s also hosts the most vitamins and minerals of any green. Be sure to mix it up and have some romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, kale, watercress, and bok choy. Greens are the most missing ingredient in American meals and we as a nation are suffering for it.

Have you ever heard a study that says any green vegetable is not good for you? No, and you never will. The reason you have all those fairly flat teeth in the rear of your mouth is to chew fibrous materials, like green vegetables. That fiber will flush the system of fat and toxins—while making you feel full.

You simply cannot consider yourself nourished if you don’t regularly absorb the vitamins and phytochemicals in greens–and when you are malnourished, you have food cravings.

Lastly, they increase your energy and this burns calories. Try greens with garlic and a splash of oil, with lemon, in sauces, or in smoothies. All traditional menus included lots of greens—testament to this healing and slimming food.

5) Exercise for 30 minutes I know, it’s a hard thing to do for most people, but exercise for 30-60 minutes a day is proven to shed the pounds. Nothing can promote weight loss, especially fat loss, like daily exercise.

Ayurvedic principles dating back thousands of years teach us that our bodies are primed for exercise primarily in the mornings. Modern science now knows that exercising in the morning, before breakfast, burns fat extremely well, as you fuel your exercise from fat stores and not from the morning meal.

If you have anything to ad to this top 5 list, leave your comment below.