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

When people want to lose weight one of the most common things they do is to skip meals. Hey, if eating fewer calories is the goal then why not skip breakfast or lunch. Doesn’t weight loss come with eating less calories? Yes, but skipping meals is a mistake, not 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. This could lead to 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 skip meals.

Have a plan on how much to eat. It’s called portion control and it’s as important as eating the right foods. Too much of even a healthy food will still result in weight gain. Portion control isn’t easy when large portions are so common. Restaurants serve over large portions, as do most people at home.

The FDA and other sources list recommended daily allowances. If you must eat out, keep portion size in mind. You’ll likely have to cut down on what a restaurant serves.

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. Finally, whole grains add nutrients that many people lack in their diet.

Drink more water. Drink it instead of juices and sodas which add about 90,000 calories to the average person’s diet each year. Drink it between meals too. In fact, the goal is 8 glasses of water each day. It’s easily possible. 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.

With some knowledge and planning, fast weight loss is easily possible. Keep these things in mind and pretty soon you’ll see a slimmer you when you look into a mirror.