Losing weight and getting in shape doesn’t happen overnight - it takes effort, focus and determination. Once you understand the basics on losing the body fat and about what it really takes to build a better body, you’ll never fall prey to fads, gimmicks or scams ever again.

And to do this, you must have some clear directions and a set plan in mind. Here are 6 tips to get you started on the right path of success and reduce body fat for good

1. Getting Bored - If you’re having a hard time getting excited about your routine - learn to have fun at the gym. To do that, change things up and try some other options - rowing, biking, sprinting - whatever it takes to work out again.

2. Sweat It Out - When you train, it’s not about chatting about your weekend, or taking it easy on a treadmill- it’s all about training hard (with very little rest between moves). Fact is, if you want to shed more pounds, high intensity workouts burn more calories than easy, chat on the treadmill routines.

3. Eat More Fiber - Fruits, vegetables, water based soups and whole-grains are high in fiber, and contains no calories. Fiber contains bulk, so when people consume it, they consume fewer calories. People on a high fiber diet are half as likely to become obese as those who eat less fiber.

4. Keep Your Body Guessing - You have to “keep your body guessing”. This is the main principle of a good fat loss program - Variety in strength training and cardio exercise.Even with the best strength and interval programs, you have to vary the routine on a regular basis. If you don’t mix it up, your body will not change, adapt, or improve in order to handle the different workouts.

5. Never Stop Challenging Your Body - Every week, mix it up - create new routine by varying the moves, the intensity, the number of reps and sets. For your body to keep changing, your workouts have to keep changing too.

12. Stop Weighing, Start Measuring - Get out the measuring tape, a belt or an old pair of jeans instead of the scales. Why? Because the scales can be misleading. Muscle is heavier than fat. You might lose fat and not lose weight if you build some muscle at the same time. If you’re leaner, the tape measure might tell you so.

Final word - SKIP THE SCALES AND START MEASURING YOUR BODY COMPOSITION! By measuring your body fat, you take the guesswork out of your health and fitness plan - that way you will get a more accurate picture of your progress with your diet and exercise program. And if you’re not too sure if you are losing or gaining muscle, or even losing fat, just measure yourself and know for sure. Based on the results, you will KNOW for sure whether your program is working.