Most people who are looking for a quick way to reduce weight fast really do want a diet that works and is healthy in the first place. A quick weight loss diet program is not basically based on starvation in order to get rid of weight. Starving yourself to lose weight is unhealthy. The best way to achieve successful weight loss results is to know what types of foods to keep out of your diet. These 4 features make up a good lose weight diet plan, so make sure you look out for these features when choosing a diet plan to lose weight gradually and stay in good shape for good.

1. Stay away from sugar.

Sugar is loaded with calories. If you use it to sweeten beverages and foods every day, you can hinder your weight loss efforts by racking up too many calories. Sugar contains nothing but empty calories. When you eat this stuff, a large portion of it gets stored in the body as fat. If your goal is to slim down, being heavy-handed with the sugar isn't going to help. Sugar also hinders the body's immune system and predisposes people to allergies and infections. The number, shape and activity of white cells are adversely affected by excessive sugar consumption.

Many people struggling with serious health conditions and weight loss make an attempt to reduce sugar in their diets. This is more easily done in theory than in practice. They may feel that they are doing the right things such as not adding sugar in their coffee, but may continue consuming sugar without even knowing it. This is why it's essential that we become more aware of the hidden sources of sugar in our food.

Here is just some of the health conditions associated with the over-consumption of sugar: obesity, eating disorders, eczema, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones and many others.

2. Eliminate artificial sweeteners.

Artificial sweeteners will not only NOT help you to lose weight, they will actually make you fat! They stimulate your appetite and make you eat more food. Artificial sweeteners are lab-created. Two common artificial sweeteners are saccharin and aspartame.

Saccharin is just one of the poisons placed in our foods today in an attempt to get the sweet taste of sugar without the calories. But what a price to pay! People are willing to sacrifice their health and sometimes their lives in the name of vanity.

Aspartame is probably the most popular and, by far, the most dangerous substance added to our food on the market today. Aspartame can be found in instant breakfasts, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, tabletop sweeteners and countless others. Aspartame will also help you to gain unwanted weight instead of losing weight and also causes many ailments and chronic diseases such as cancer, birth defects, epilepsy/seizures and emotional disorders.

3. Avoid processed foods.

Chemicals found in processed foods and commercially grown fruits, vegetables and meat can have a detrimental effect on our health. We cannot process chemical additives into nutrients that the body can utilize, so they aren't able to pass through our system "as is". Only water and cellulose can do that. Therefore, these chemicals get absorbed for an indefinite period of time, delaying digestion and adding extra toxins to our blood, tissues and organs and extra pounds to our weight. No scientific study exists which has been able to determine the length of time it takes for the human body to eliminate the pounds of chemicals it is carrying around. It is interesting to note that preservatives such as sodium nitrate (found in hot dogs, bacon, ham, and other processed foods) are stored in our fat cells.

Processed foods are cheap, convenient and easy to prepare. These foods are full of salt and chemical additives, and include those frozen diet meals that some weight loss programs encourage you to buy.

4. Drink water.

Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possible the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fats deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Thus an overweight person should actually need more water than someone of average weight.

Drinking plenty of water is the best defense against edema (fluid retention), can helps to rid the body of waste and relieve constipation. Your diet plan should contain plenty of fluids to keep you hydrated. The body will not function properly without enough water and cannot metabolize stored fat efficiently. Retained water show up as excess weight. To get rid of excess water the person must drink more water. Drinking water is essential to weight loss.

Does Exercise Fit In?

Even if you don't work out, you will definitely lose weight, when you follow a healthy eating plan. However, unless you add a little exercise into your daily routine, your metabolism will slow down eventually and you won't see the results you want. Exercise boost up your metabolism, flush your system, keep your liver functioning well etc. You don't need to do extensive physical exercises that most people think today. Getting yourself in the habit of working out several days week can be tough, especially if you have a tight schedule. The best way, you're more likely is to stick with a program is by choosing exercises you enjoy. You can work out by just doing simple things like walking, jogging or swimming. You just need to do enough to burn those extra calories.

Losing weight is a very complex issue and there is no magic bullet that will work for everyone. Finding the cause of obesity is always a good starting point, but often it's simply that people take in a lot more calories than they burn off.