It's pretty safe to assume that most people in the western world have been on a diet of some sort at some stage of their lives. Majority of people want to lose some weight from somewhere on their bodies, though the most common complaints are from women around their buttocks, hips, and thighs. Based on this, the question of how to lose weight fast and easy is widespread.

The problem with most diets though, is that they take so long. Who wants to be deprived of their favourite junk food, alcohol, and takeaway for months at a time? Who wants to be locked into regular exercise? The answer is easy: nobody.

So, for the couch potatoes of you who want to know how to lose weight fast and easy, here are seven tips to help make things faster and easier:

1. Drink lots of water. Water fills you up and cleans you out. In fact, the Chinese and Japanese swear by it. They even have a "water diet" which begins the day with drinking half a litre of water before you've even cleaned your teeth! If you get sick of water, you can always eat ice, which can take the edge off hunger for a while, and numbs your mouth so you don't want to eat any real food anyway!

2. Halve your portions. It stands to reason that if you don't consume as many calories, you won't need as much effort to burn them off. Most fad diets or short-term diets are based on a low consumption of calories, around 1300 a day, but who wants to count calories? Pile on your plate the way you normally would, but only eat half. You'll be surprised at how easy it is. You may even discover that you didn't 'need' such a big plate to fill you up in the first place.

3. Eat slowly. It has been proven that chewing your food more times and eating slowly results in you eating less, therefore consuming fewer calories. Most people, particularly if they're hungry, eat relatively quickly not giving their stomach a chance to feel full when it really is and ending up "over-eating" without intending to. By slowing down your eating habits, you can lose weight without even changing what you eat.

4. No fizzy drinks. Soft drinks are renowned for their high sugar content, which definitely means more calories to get rid of later. In addition, they don't actually quench your thirst, so you need to keep drinking them when you're thirsty. Replace each time you would normally have a fizzy drink, with water and see the difference!

5. Sleep early. When you are sleeping, you are not eating. When you sleep early, it means you eat earlier, which gives your body a good chance to digest the food properly.

6. Move more. It's not necessary to spend hours at the gym working out, however you do have to do is more exercise than you do now. It doesn't have to be set exercises though. It could just be walking from the parking lot to the supermarket, but parking further away or it could be walking up the stairs instead of taking the escalator. Small things which, done on a regular basis, make a big change.

7. Eat more often. This is probably the best tip of the "7 ways how to lose weight fast and easy". By eating little and often during the day, you will naturally speed up your metabolism, meaning you will burn calories more effectively. Of course, it doesn't mean eat a 3-course meal, 6 times a day?snacks such as raisins, an apple, celery or carrot sticks are good options and because you are eating continuously, you are less likely to stray towards foods you should be limiting.

So there you have it. These tips can show you how to lose weight fast and easy. All you have to do now is put them into action!