The 10 Fastest Fat Burners

AT THE GYM

1. Catch the running bug. You'll continue to burn fat after you jog. People who run for at least four hours a week melt more calories than non-runners, even when they're not running, a Yale University School of Medicine study reports.

2. Crank it up early. Working out harder during the first half of your workout and taking it easier in the second burns up to 23 percent more fat than doing the opposite, according to a study from The College of New Jersey.

3. Speed up, slow down. Alternating bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity cardio has been shown to torch pounds.

4. Download Rihanna, not Brahms. Listening to up-tempo songs actually makes you run faster and harder than listening to slower-paced music, British scientists say.

IN THE KITCHEN

5. Get more protein. Eating a protein-packed breakfast and lunch helps you burn more post-meal fat than if you eat lower-protein meals, according to Australian research.

6. Stay above 1,200 calories. "The average person's body goes into starvation mode if she eats fewer than 1,200 calories a day," says Eric Berg, author of "The 7 Principles of Fat Burning." "That's stress, and stress creates more belly fat."

7. Graze. Women who go without eating for long periods are more likely to have higher body-fat percentages than women who nosh more regularly, one study notes.

IN YOUR LIFE

8. Get Vitamin C and D. Vitamin C can help you burn more fat, and Vitamin D may help you lose fat. Aim for 400 to 500 mg of Vitamin C, and 800 mg of Vitamin D a day.

9. Eat a smaller dinner. Your body may not digest food (and burn fat) as efficiently if you down a huge meal right before bedtime, especially because your metabolism is slower while you sleep.

10. Jump-start your morning. Wake up your metabolism (and get fat-burning started) by doing some sort of exercise within the first few hours of being awake.