All you hear is how great it is, how it works, where you find it, etc. - but nothing about the steps you should be taking in order to lose weight with Hoodia. This article will give you 3 easy steps to help you lose weight with Hoodia and get optimum results.

First of all, what is it? Hoodia Gordonii is a natural appetite suppressant that is grown in the desert of South Africa. It has been proven to help people shave off up to 1000 calories per day. People also report that it helps turn off the desire to overeat.

Because it is an appetite suppressant, it is assumed that people will automatically lose weight if they take it. Not so.

From my personal experience, I can tell you that Hoodia doesn't just magically help you lose weight by taking it. Some conditions do apply. In order to get the full weight loss benefits, try following these 3 steps:

1) Make Sure You're Getting REAL Hoodia Gordonii

Because of the unexpected sudden surge in demand for Hoodia starting a few years back there really wasn't enough supply. (The plant itself takes 3-7 years to reach maturity). As a result the market has been flooded with 'Hoodia' pills that are not as effective as the real stuff.

There have been reports of companies not putting the stated amount in their pills, using a 'plant substitute' (not the real thing) or even filling their pills with silica, leaves, sawdust and other filler products that have none of the appetite suppressing Hoodia ingredients in them.

Several counterfeit products jumping onto the market are actually made with other plant varieties (not gordonii) or coming from Mexico and China.

In order to make sure you're getting the real stuff, make sure you look for South African Hoodia Gordonii with proper certification like the CITES certificate and lab reports/analysis.

2) Take It as Instructed

While this seems like the obvious thing to do, many people don't follow the instructions on the bottle. Most Hoodia comes with instructions to take it about half hour before meals 3 times a day. This will help it to be absorbed at the right time to lessen your appetite.

Also, make sure you're taking enough Hoodia to get the appetite suppressing effects. For example, some people start with around 400 mg x 3 times a day before meals. After a couple of days they work up to 500 mg x 3 times a day before meals and after a couple of days they might even go up to 750 mg x 3 times a day before meals.

Remember that it usually takes some time for the full appetite-suppressing effects to kick in so give it several days at each dose and monitor how you feel.

3) Listen To Your Body

Hoodia does help to suppress your appetite - and that can cause you to eat less and lose weight. But only if you listen to your body as your cue to eat. Many people eat not out of hunger but out of external cues.

For example, they eat because it's dinner time or because they are with clients at a restaurant or because eating sweets is a treat they give themselves for a job well done. If you eat mostly from external cues, then Hoodia won't be as helpful to you.

Try to eat the majority of the time only when you are physically hungry (even without pills, that will help most of us cut a lot of calories!). If you do this, then you'll find it's much easier to lose weight with Hoodia.

So those are 3 tips to help you lose weight with Hoodia and get optimum weight loss results. Remember to be patient with yourself, listen to your body and try to incorporate other healthy habits along the way.

As always, be sure to monitor how you feel and speak to your doctor before making any changes to your diet and/or lifestyle.