As a personal trainer and fitness coach I am usually presented with the question 'How can I lose weight as quickly as possible?' on a semi-daily basis. Normally this comes from ladies looking to shed some unwanted weight around the waistline before a special occasion, such as getting married. If you have ever known anyone trying to lose weight quickly you'll know that they are often their own worst enemy, constantly searching for expensive and unproven miracle solutions rather than the basic facts which simply work.

So today we're going to focus on what DOES work. What actually helps you to cut your body fat sufficiently so that you can fit into that dress or outfit comfortably and, just as importantly, what takes very little time to achieve these results. Our five tips will help you below.

* The first thing to do is figure out your daily calories and work at a slight deficit from now on.

* Protein is great for weight loss, that's a fact. If you snack throughout your day time then you need to stock up on protein rich foods. These come in the shape of fish, chicken, protein shakes and a whole ton of other options. The fact is when you eat protein you store way less fat than when you consume carbohydrates or fatty foods. Use that to your, and your hunger's, advantage.

* Losing weight takes willpower. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't help yourself out whenever you can with a little unfair trick or two. You are easily more vulnerable to a fatty snack when you are halfway through a monster shift at your job and do not have any convenient tasty healthy food at hand. Take three-to-four small snack tubs in your back pack with you to work each day. Pack them with a protein rich snack. The calories won't be very high given the size of the actual tub, but the protein will fend off all hunger and have far less impact on your body's fat storage systems than a chocolate bar. Plus you'll actually feel better.

* Fourth comes the tried and tested carb deficit. The basic rule when cutting down on bad carbs and bad fats is to also increase your protein intake. If you fail to do this you will hit a wall and find it impossible to lose any more weight after a couple of weeks.

* Taking a day off at the end of each week, or two weeks if you are particularly focused, is a massive plus for anyone in their quest to diet effectively for the long-term. Remember these tips are not about a ridiculous quick fix but will actually help you to change your life, so anything which helps you to prolong the effort is a great thing.

First of all your body will react well to suddenly having a completely different day in its schedule. You will also end the risk that if you ever need to eat junk food your body won't start reacting negatively because you have avoided it for years.

The fact is that day off gives you something to aim for during a tough week, too. If you are new to weight loss and are struggling to get through a difficult, testing week sometimes just having that light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to is more than enough to help you stay on track to reach your goals.

No matter whether you just want to drop a dress size or if you want to change your life completely, these simple facts are the basis of any successful long-term diet. Not only will you lose weight, but you will lose it quickly because the changes you are making are scientifically backed up without any need for gimmicks or miracle products. Better still, once gone the weight will actually stay off this time.