Almost everyone wants to find quick ways to lose weight. Diet pills don’t work and come with harmful side effects, and there seems to be a new weight loss book on the market every week. Worse still, almost every weight loss book recommends different things! A lot of confusion surrounds people who are struggling to get smart and lose some weight.

Figuring out which advice to follow is frustrating at best, but there are a few tricks you can use to lose weight fast.

1.) Check your blood sugar level

Even people who don’t have diabetes can benefit from practicing tight blood sugar control. Get a glucose monitor and test yourself before and after each meal. By adjusting your portion sizes and carbohydrate intake, you can keep your blood sugar between 70 and 130 mg/dL.

Many people report losing up to twenty pounds in a single month simply by keeping their blood sugar within this range, making blood sugar control one of the best quick ways to lose weight without pills.

2.) Pick up a bowl of soup

If you hate lifting weights and running, try a soup diet. Any type of soup will work, but ones that are high in fiber and low in sodium will work best. Soups fill you up without a lot of calories, and the extra fluid in your diet will help flush toxins out of your system.

Soup diets have been popular for decades because they’re easy, they taste good, and they can shed up to ten pounds in a single week. It is a great way to lose weight without exercising.

Soup diets can be used for long periods of time, but care must be taken to ensure that soup menus include enough calories. Extremely low calorie diets will cause rapid weight loss, but the side effects of very low calorie diets can sometimes be dangerous. Try to consume a minimum of 1,200 calories per day, regardless of the type of diet you decide to follow.

3.) Go vegetarian

At least try to become a part-time vegetarian. A well-planned vegetarian diet is usually low in fat, high in fiber, and contains all the vitamins and minerals your body needs without a lot of calories. A vegetarian diet from Monday to Friday is the best way to lose weight for those who do not have much time to cook and those who really like vegetables.

4.) Be a carnivore

Very low-carb diets based on lean meats, nuts, seeds, and green vegetables will shed excess weight within weeks. As for crash diets, low-carb diets are one of the most effective ways to lose weight. However, they may not be healthy for everyone, and many people can’t stick to a very low-carb diet for long. Still, if you only need to lose ten or fifteen pounds and you like meat, being a meat eater might be your ideal short-term diet.

People with kidney disease should avoid low-carbohydrate diets. Also, people with serious heart conditions should ask their doctor if a low-carb diet is safe for them. Although low-carbohydrate diets are safe for most people, people with certain health conditions should avoid diets with excess protein.

5.) Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating means that you don’t just plan every bite that goes into your mouth, but you make an effort to truly enjoy it. Eat slowly and serve small amounts of several different foods at each meal instead of the standard main course and two or three side dishes. This way of eating allows you to experience the full flavor and aroma of your food without tiring your taste buds or accidentally clogging it up. Conscious eaters consume an average of twenty percent less food per day, which can add up to significant weight loss over the course of just a few weeks.

6.) Be a little fruity

Fruit-based diets are an incredible tool for weight loss. Not only will you lose weight fast, but you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of delicious fruits that you probably wouldn’t normally buy. Fruit diets can focus on smoothies and juices, or they can be based on whole raw fruit. Either way, dieters who build their menus around fruit report losing eight to twelve pounds a week for the first two weeks.

Fruit diets should not be used by people with diabetes, kidney disease, or certain digestive disorders. Those who have had gallstones should also avoid fruit diets, due to the potential to cause another gallbladder attack from rapid weight loss. However, for healthy people, a fruit-based diet is fine for a couple of weeks.

7.) Don’t be a vacuum cleaner

Dieting doesn’t mean you can’t eat the things you like, but most people tend to eat too much. This is especially true when it comes to eating out. Most restaurants create their dishes to hit the taste buds. They are usually high in sodium and high in fat. Learn to isolate yourself instead of trying to finish every last bite. A meal can typically contain more than 1,000 calories. For many, that’s half a day’s calorie intake.

Whether you’re at home or at a restaurant, start training yourself to eat smaller portions. Aim to eat only half of the meal and save the rest for later. And be sure to pass out the bread before your meal. Instead, drink a couple of glasses of water to help fill you up before you eat.

No matter what type of weight loss plan you choose, remember that losing weight fast should be a short-term goal. For best results, lose ten to fifteen pounds on a crash diet and then try to lose no more than two pounds a week after that. When it comes to losing weight, consistency is key and perseverance is key!