The best way to lose weight fast is to reduce calorie intake and increase exercise. That's something we hear all the time but for some reason it's just not that easy to do. As they say, easier said than done.

So sometimes we need a little help or a boost to keep us going along the weight loss path. Could milk actually be that boost we need? Imagine the excellent benefits. A food that speeds the loss of fat, even stubborn fat around the belly which is known to be linked with heart disease, and at the same time builds up muscle (which in turn burns more fat). That would be great, and studies show this is actually the case with milk. It has a double whammy effect of fat loss and muscle building which creates a chain reaction of fat loss.

Now that is not to say that all you need do is sit and drink milk all day. In this case expect to put on pounds and not lose them. But combined with a sensible eating plan and some exercise, the addition of milk to your diet on a daily basis will speed up your weight loss.

In a random study of overweight people, drinking milk had the effect of targeting the fat around the midsection of the body. This is the fat that is sometimes the hardest to lose and the last to melt away.

Now, just how does this work? Milk contains whey, which is rich in the amino acid, leucine. Whey stimulates muscle building which in turn acts as a fat-burning furnace. The more fat that you replace with muscle the easier it gets to add more muscle and get rid of more fat. It's a continuous circle that helps you drop pounds.

I should add here that I am not an advocate of pasteurized milk and I would recommend you find a small local farm and purchase raw milk. If this is not possible, buy organic from grass-fed cows and avoid ultra pasteurized milk like the plague.

So if you have been looking for the best way to lose weight, try adding milk to your daily regimen. You'll get some extra calcium and also some extra help in burning off some of that stubborn fat that keeps lingering.