There's no doubt that many people need to lose a few pounds. Look around where people gather, you'll notice the fat. Don't laugh. Unfortunately you're likely to see it in the mirror too. If your goal is fast weight loss, keep a few simple things in mind to lose the pounds quickly and safely.

Skipping meals is one of the first things people often try when they want to lose weight. It makes sense, right, cut out the calories by eating one fewer meal. Doesn't weight loss come with eating less calories? That's correct but skipping meals isn't the right way to reduce calories. When you skip meals your body goes into starvation mode. It starts to retain fat to counteract what it perceives as a food shortage. Another problem with skipping meals is that when you finally eat you'll be a lot more hungry. The result is binge eating. Skipping a meal plus binge eating, then, will likely result in eating more calories and the body gaining even more weight from those calories than normally. It's the worst of both worlds. Don't do it.

Have a plan on how much to eat. Portion control is just as important as eating the right food. Too much of even a healthy food will still result in weight gain. It's hard to do when large portions are so common. Restaurants and even most people in home cooking serve portions far larger than needed. Sources such as the FDA list recommended daily allowances. If you must eat out, keep portion size in mind. Don't eat the full portion served at the restaurant, or order less than a full meal, such as soup and a salad.

Eat more whole grain foods, skip the white grains such as white bread, sugar and white rice. Whole grains are lower in fat and higher in nutrients. The fiber in whole grains will make you feel fuller faster and longer. Also whole grains contain many nutrients that are often lacking in people's diets.

Consume more water. Drink it instead of juices and sodas which add about 90,000 calories to the average person's diet each year. Drink water between meals too. In fact, the goal is 8 glasses of water each day. It seems like a lot, but it's not. Drinking water also promotes health in general by keeping you well hydrated and cool.

In order to maintain proper blood sugar eat healthy snacks between meals since the body needs food every three to four hours. Healthy snacks also help control eating at meal times.

Fast weight loss isn't impossible with a little knowledge and planning. It won't be long before you're slimmer and trimmer.