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The summer is coming to an end you meant to start getting in shape sooner, like back in January when you made that New Year's resolution, but it didn't happen. So now you're wondering how to get started, getting the results — and fast.

Here is the good news. You can slim down and shape up in as little as four to twelve weeks but that depends on the level you're at now. If you're hoping to lose 40 pounds in four weeks, it's not going to happen, four or eight pounds is more like it.

Health experts say you can safely lose up to two pounds a week. So in eight weeks, you could lose as many as 16 pounds. But that's a fairly aggressive weight-loss goal. A more modest — and probably doable — approach is to lose a pound a week, experts say. And even that could significantly alter your beach body.

Bear in mind that losing too much weight too fast could actually undermine your goals, because if you shed more than 2 pounds a week, you're losing muscle along with fat and I certain You don't want to be thinner and flabbier at the same time.

Severely restricting your diet can lead to cravings, irritability and even a slower metabolism as your body fights to hang onto fuel and working out too intensely could put you at risk for injury.

To burn fat, and maximize your weight loss efforts, there are two cardio exercises that I highly recommend to do along with weight training - The treadmill

When you exercise on a treadmill, put the setting to incline. You will burn fat a lot more in less time than if you were on a normal setting on the treadmill. Your heart rate will also improve very well. Hey, no one said anything about it being easy.

The second highly recommended cardio workout is boxing or Tae Bo which give you an intense workout. Tae Bo involves martial arts and boxing, which develops strength, speed, balance, coordination and awareness.

If you have trouble sticking to a routine, make sure that each time you exercise you're doing so at the exact same time of day. Even on days when you're feeling lethargic, and the last thing you wish to do is slip into shorts and hit the gym or climb onto the treadmill, remind yourself of the summer ahead and what you want to look like in your swimwear when you hit the beach.

In addition to helping you maintain your summer body, regular exercise and healthy eating goes hand in hand. Rather than opting for a heaping portion of macaroni and cheese, choose a more healthful alternative, like a large salad or a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread.

With each meal try to consume lots of veggies and lean protein from chicken, turkey, or even kidney beans and chick peas. Though carbohydrates are important to a healthy diet and can quickly fill you, protein and roughage remain in your digestive track longer, allowing you to eat less in the long run. Plus, not getting enough protein and vegetables in a normal diet often causes one to overeat other types of less healthy foods.

For that sweet tooth, forget about those M&M's and chocolate, which may contain as many as 400 calories and 14 grams of fat, try some fruit or a bowl of whole grain cereal.

Finally, don't fall into the trap of late-night eating. It's this act that poses the greatest problem when it comes to weight lose. An occasional late-night snack won't affect your waistline too badly, but when eating late becomes a habit weight gain is sure to follow -- the body is less efficient at burning calories in the evening due to the sedentary nature of nighttime activities. One way to avoid late-night munching is to refrain from keeping food in your room. If you do choose to keep food, however, make sure it's something healthy, like baby carrots or fruit.

In addition to diet and regular exercise, there are a number of small ways in which you can burn extra calories while simply going about your daily activities.