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As you line up on the starting blocks here ready to get going, the first thing to realize is that your diet plays a key role. There's no point in working out hard and building stronger muscles if you aren't prepared to eat healthier and shed the layers of fat which cover them up. Are you ready to get started?

1. Lower your daily calorie intake.

2. Get your protein, carbohydrate and fat intake in check.

3. Use food as a reward.

4. Don't forget to drink enough water each day.

5. Take advantage of the fat loss benefits offered by high intensity interval training.

So the first thing to do is get you working to a lower total calorie count than you might be right now. In order to do that you need to know how much you eat at the moment. Most people don't know a calorific figure, so the easiest way around this is to simply write down your diet over the next 3-4 days. By eating less you will lose weight, particularly when you combine this with rule number 2.

To work out the correct amount of macro nutrients you can use the 4-4-2 system. This means 40% of your calories should come from protein, 40% should come from carbohydrates and 20% should come from fats. In order to do this you'll need to establish your new calorie target first, of course.

Stage three is where things get tricky for most folks. If you go down the road of cutting out all of your favorite junk foods and unhealthy meals then you will more than likely fail to reach long-term success. This is because you'll not enjoy your diet. Remember, this is not something you're going to do for a couple of months before switching back to an unhealthy lifestyle. No, this is a lifestyle change. Use your favorite unhealthy foods as rewards for sticking to your new diet. By treating yourself every few days you will stick to your plan for much longer.

Next we look at how much water you drink. Or should we say, how much water you don't drink? Most people get nowhere near enough. Tea, coffee and juice doesn't count. Aim for 6-8 glasses per day. []

The fifth rule is one which needs a little bit more explaining. How many people do you know who go to the gym but never seem to get any results? Too many! Usually, those people jog on a treadmill aimlessly for an hour or cycle an exercise bike while watching TV. If you want to get great results in a short space of time you need to up the intensity level of your workouts.

Here is a quick session to attempt right now:

* Full Leg Raises.

* Crunches.

* Side Plank.

Try doing all three exercises for 45 seconds and aim for no rest in between, other than the short time it takes you to transition between each move. Once you finish a round take 30 seconds rest and go again. Three rounds would only take seven minutes, but the results would far outweigh the time investment.

If your trying to figure out how to lose weight in the quickest possible time, a good start would be applying the five basic principles shown in today's post. While you may not be able to learn how to get a six pack in 3 minutes or less, you won't be far behind!