#4 – Get Enough Sleep
Sleep really is the unsung hero of fat loss and not a factor that immediately springs to mind. Both insufficient and poor quality sleep can lead to elevated levels of the hormone cortisol which is responsible for breaking down body tissues, including muscle. This can lower metabolism, the rate at which the body burns energy, leading to weight gain. Also, a lack of sleep that leads to fatigue can lead the body to think that energy supply is low, increasing the desire to eat which is not going to help fat loss. No short cuts here: get 7-8 hours of quality sleep per night.