If you look in the mirror and do not physically recognize the person looking back, or if you find yourself making fat jokes, it's time to make a change. It's virtually impossible to lose weight from one specific area of the body, but there are a few strategies to reduce your gut in a relatively short amount of time.

Water water everywhere

Start drinking water. Drink a glass of water when you get up in the morning. Drink a glass before every meal. Drink until you can't drink anymore, then have another glass. Being dehydrated just 1 percent makes it extremely difficult to lose weight, so staying hydrated is crucial to dropping weight. Drinking 64 ounces of water a day will reduce your overall weight.

A Rocky-style training montage

Increasing your cardiovascular workouts to get your heart pumping, helps increase your metabolism and quite simply burns fat away. A good rule of thumb is to participate in an aerobic exercise like walking or using an elliptical machine for 30 minutes four times a week. If you can supplement that with weight training or physical activities, all the better. The great news is that people tend to lose weight in their upper body and belly area first, so you will see results from the work you put in quickly.

Dieting

Cutting down your caloric intake is a simple mathematical formula that will help your weight loss goals. Focus on low fat, lower carbohydrate foods, and the more vegetables you eat, the better. Eating eggs, lean cuts of meat and vegetables like beans while cutting out junk food and eating less overall will make your body run more efficiently and burn more calories, which will reduce your gut.

When all else fails

In the 1920s, the New York Yankees wore white home uniforms, and only added the fabled pinstripes when it became obvious that Babe Ruth was not losing weight. Follow the Babe's wardrobe addition and wear vertical stripes, which will not make you thinner, but will make you look it.

Source:

Cnn.com: Can drinking water help you lose weight?

Webmd.com: The truth about belly fat

Foods that burn fat

More Information:

The flat belly diet

Stomach toning exercises

Drinking water to lose weight

Eat less crap.