It can be challenging to shed those extra pounds no matter how much you diet and exercise. An essential part of a healthy diet and body are vitamins and minerals, and many times they are forgotten about when dieting. Making sure your body gets the right vitamins for fast weight loss will help burn fat easier and help you keep that weight off.

There is no one vitamin that will magically help you shed the weight, but a combination of the right vitamins can. The best thing you can do is start with a good multivitamin and mineral supplement. That way you are sure to get a bit of everything you need, even on those days when you don't have time to eat all the vitamins you should, and this can help you lose weight.

The B vitamins are very important and are known as the "stress" vitamins. Vitamins B2, B3, and B6 all play roles in the thyroid hormones and your metabolism. You can get these vitamins through milk, hard cheese, oats, nuts and green vegetables, as well as your meats like beef, chicken, tuna, and turkey.

The other Vitamin B, B5, helps the body to produce energy. By assisting the adrenal function, it helps the body utilize fat in the right capacity, generating energy. Foods rich in this vitamin are nuts, wheat bran, beans, wheat flakes, whole grain breads as well as the same foods that are rich in the other Vitamin Bs.

Choline is a member of the Vitamin B complex, and although it is not a real vitamin, it is made in the liver. It is needed to ensure efficient fat metabolism, and if there is a deficiency fat may get blocked in the liver. Good foods for this are beef liver and heart, egg yolks, peanuts, cucumber, and wheat germ.

Another member of the Vitamin B complex is Inositol. This works with Choline to metabolize fat. It is also made in the body and it helps to make sure that fat metabolizing goes smoothly. Foods with Choline usually also have this in them, as well as citrus fruits and soy.

One of the easiest to acquire and most talked about vitamin is Vitamin C. This not only helps with a healthy body but in weight loss as well. This vitamin converts glucose into energy, preventing it from being stored in the body somewhere else. Orange juice is always rich in Vitamin C but so are green peppers, broccoli, strawberries, lemons, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Although not a vitamin, Chromium is a mineral and research has showed that this helps in losing weight. It processes carbohydrates and reduces hunger pains. It is needed for the metabolism of sugars and controlling blood sugar levels. Studies have shown that this mineral supplement increases fat loss when dieting.