To really reduce the fat on your stomach, you need to get motivated and set some goals. If you lose hope and give up, you will never achieve anything and won't be able to burn off that fat that's hanging around on your body. This is something you have to really want, not just think it would be nice to have.

If you're determined to succeed and you have some weight loss goals laid out, then it's time to get serious and start eating healthier as well as starting an exercise program. If you do one of these without the other, you may see little to no results, so be sure to do both of these together. They compliment each other well, and once you start doing it right, you'll see results rather quickly.

That said, I want to share some common mistakes that people make when trying to reduce their stomach fat.

#1. The Wrong Cardio Routine

Many people think that jogging lightly a few times a week is enough exercise to burn off their stomach fat. The truth is that this rarely works. Think about the people at the gym that you see week after week, jogging on the treadmill that never look any different.

When you go for a long jog, your body starts out by burning the available carbs for energy. Once it burns through those, it will start to burn fat. This sounds good, but you are actually telling your body that it needs fat for these exercises you'll be doing. So as soon as you start eating again, your body starts to store up fat so it will have enough energy to make it through the next long jog.

Plus, doing slow cardio routines like this will break down your muscle mass, in turn lowering your metabolism. The lower your metabolism goes, the less calories your body will burn while you're not exercising. This will NOT help you reduce your stomach fat!

#2. Doing Only Ab Exercises

Some people are convinced that it is possible to "spot reduce fat." This means that if you work a muscle, you will burn the fat that covers it. Because of this, many people will do 500 situps a day in an attempt to burn off the fat that is covering their stomach.

The truth is that you cannot reduce stomach fat by doing ab exercises. You also can't reduce your arm fat by doing arm exercises. Our bodies will distribute the fat on our bodies depending on genetics. Some people get more on their arms, thighs, butt, stomach, it seems to vary for everyone.

If you are set on reducing the fat on your stomach, you need to focus on full body exercises that will build lean muscle and raise your metabolism. Lifting weights is one of the best ways to do this. Doing intense cardio like sprints or hill climbs can help greatly as well. You need to burn all the fat off your body if you want to really reduce the fat on your stomach.

#3. Buying Into The Fad Diets

Lots of people have been sold the idea that you can lose weight by following some diet "guru" and his program, have you? Atkins, the cabbage soup diet, South Beach diet, etc, are all fads that exist only to make someone money in my humble opinion.

Fad diets usually tell you that if you completely cut out a part of your diet (like carbs, fat, or protein) that you'll lose weight quickly and painlessly. The truth is that your body needs all 3 macro nutrients (fat, carbs, protein) to function properly. When you cut out one of these, you may see short term results, but usually at a cost (like a lack of energy). Plus, once you start eating normally again, your body will right itself and you'll usually gain back all the weight you lost or more.

The real way to reduce stomach fat and get healthy are to eat a balanced diet of natural, whole foods. Try to buy only food that is unprocessed and comes straight from the ground. Shop at farmer's markets instead of the grocery store. Food there is usually much fresher and isn't pumped full of dangerous hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics.

If you have fallen for any of these three mistakes, it's time to get back on the right track and back to the basics. Reducing your stomach fat is actually quite simple. It's not easy, but if you follow some basic principles and work hard at them, you will see solid results in a short period of time. You can learn my #1 secret that will melt belly fat off your body in a hurry. This short fat burning video will teach you how.