Did you know that the best way to lose weight is to eat? If you are trying to get rid of a few extra pounds as quickly and easily as possible then fasting is not the answer. However, you can't just eat what you want and hope to lose weight. You need to eat certain foods, which if eaten on a regular basis will help you enormously.

Before telling you about such foods you first need to make a few general lifestyle changes such as:-

1. Drink plenty of water on a regular basis. Not only will water boost your metabolic rate flushes all the toxins from your body. This is the best thing you can do and will help you lose weight fast! Experts advise that you drink at least 5-8 glassfuls of water a day - if not more!

2. Get plenty of sleep. Those that tend to overeat are the people who don't get a minimum of 8 hours sleep a night. If you sleep well and give your body enough rest, your body will help you in shedding the extra pounds quickly and easily! It is for this reason that you should never neglect your sleep.

3. Exercise. I know, I know! - Some of you just hate hearing that word! There's no need to be afraid of exercise because exercises are the only things which can give you weight loss results within a short time. Cardio is the most popular exercise for weight loss but it takes time and not everyone has much time to spend on exercising. Therefore, it is recommended that you focus on intense workouts such as interval training. With interval training, you need to spend only 15-20 minutes per day to acquire a lean and slim body!

Now, here are the foods you can eat to shed pounds fast:-

The 4 main groups of foods that will help you shed the pounds fast are fiber; protein; unsaturated fats and vitamins and minerals.

1. Fiber: Foods that are rich in fiber will not only slow down your digestion process and will also burn fat at the same time. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables, in particular, apples, are examples of foods that are rich in fiber.

2. Protein: Foods that are rich in protein will build strong, lean muscles for you. Your metabolic rate will be higher the more lean muscles you have. This in turn means that you will burn fat faster! Chicken is the best source of protein, but you could also opt for turkey. Always use lean meat and discard the skin. Even though the skin is crispy and tasty from a freshly roasted chicken remember it is also very fattening, so do yourself a favor - bin it!

3. Unsaturated fats: Unsaturated fats will help you with weight loss, so forget all the myths you've heard about fat being bad for you or to avoid it in a diet. Foods that are rich in unsaturated fats are nuts such as almonds, oil e.g. olive oil and fish oil, and fish such as salmon, tuna, etc.!

4. Vitamins and minerals: These can be obtained from natural fruits and vegetables. While vegetables won't affect your body weight, too much fruit might end up putting on some extra pounds on you as they contain carbs!