The hot weather is fast approaching, probably too fast for those of us who need to lose a few pounds. But don't panic because there may be a way to get bikini ready in time. You just have to figure out how to burn extra calories

The answer lies in how quickly you can get your body to burn those excess calories. It's difficult to lose weight quickly just by cutting back on how many calories you consume. After all, to lose a single pound you need to eliminate 3500 calories. That's more than the average person consumes or uses in a day. So cutting back alone won't do the trick.

Burning extra calories through an exercise program certainly helps because it will tone your muscles. Do it long enough and you will look better in that bikini. But in the short term, exercising won't help you to drop much excess weight. In fact because muscle weighs more than fat, if you weigh yourself you may be disappointed to see the scale barely moving.

So what is the answer? Well, in order to lose that excess weight and get bikini ready, you will have to get your metabolism on your side.

What usually happens when a person diets is that the metabolism slows down to accommodate the fewer calories that the body is taking in. As it slows down it operates more efficiently, needing fewer calories to keep the body going.

Of course this is just the opposite of what you want it to do. After all, you are eating less to lose weight. There is nothing as frustrating as stepping on the scale after dutifully counting calories and seeing no change.

But it is possible to get your metabolism working for you. You just need to frequently adjust the types and quantities of food that you eat in order to keep your metabolism off balance. An off balance metabolism actually turns into a lean, mean fat-fighting machine. And that's the secret in how to burn extra calories and get bikini ready.