The best laid plans of losing weight are often followed by frustration when your goals aren't met as quickly as you'd like. If this happens, your goals may be unrealistic, so you need to reevaluate your plan. View healthy food and a fitness program as essential to accomplishing your summer weight loss goals. Take advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables that are in abundant supply during the warmer months. Avoid fad diets and follow a healthy diet program that you can stick with, even after summer.
Exercise
If you don't have an exercise routine, start one that you can stick to long-term. Start slowly and build on your program to avoid instant burnout. One of the best exercises that doesn't cost anything is walking. If you currently have a passive lifestyle, begin by walking around the block and work up to at least two miles per day. Afterward, stretch your muscles to prevent tightness and injury.
If you currently have an active lifestyle, but your weight isn't budging, change your routine. Sometimes this is all you need to start dropping the pounds you want to lose for summer. Find a friend with similar fitness goals to work out with. Working out with someone else will make it more interesting and give you some accountability.
Exercise for at least a few minutes first thing in the morning to jump start your metabolism. You'll also be more aware of what you eat during the day, according to Jeannie Kim in "Skinny Summer Tips from Bethenny Frankel," her article on Health.com.
Food
Eat enough food to keep your body in healthy shape while you lose weight. Instead of cutting out a food group, cut your portions. Serve meals on smaller plates if you have them. If you don't, measure a one-inch rim that will be free from food on the dinner plates you have. For oversized plates, make this a two-inch food-free rim.
Avoid making the mistake of eating too little because doing so may send your body into starvation mode, according to "Summer Weight Loss," an article on Dietspotlight.com. Because it thinks it's in starvation mode, your body will hold onto fat if you are on a severely restricted calorie diet. Each person's calorie needs are different, but most women need about 1,200 calories to prevent their bodies from going into starvation mode. Men need 1,500 to 1,800 calories.
Protein is essential to healthy muscles, so you need to focus on getting enough protein each day. Look for protein in lean meats, beans, dairy and eggs.
To prevent boredom with a diet, an article on Shapefit.com recommends switching up some of your meals. Diets that severely restrict the variety of foods you can eat are difficult and sometimes impossible to stick with long-term. You may choose a protein drink for one meal and a salad or sandwich made with whole wheat bread for the next meal.
Keep a Diary
If you've cut back your daily calorie intake, but you still aren't losing weight, keep a diary of everything that goes into your mouth. At the end of each day, look for hidden foods that are sabotaging your weight loss.
Change Habits
Snacking can become a habit that is difficult to break. Find other activities to replace snacking. Take advantage of the warmer days and take a walk or find an outdoor activity when you're tempted to snack only out of habit.
Television and wasting time on the computer are habits you can change to help your weight loss program. Give yourself a limit on both and set a timer. Once it dings, get up and move around.
Clothes
Overweight people are often tempted to wear loose, baggy clothing to disguise unwanted bulge. Fight this urge and wear clothes that fit. You'll have a better idea of how you look and how far you have progressed with your summer weight loss program. As you lose weight, have your clothing tailored to fit you rather than wearing "fat clothes." When you've tailored them down as much as they'll go, and they become too big for you, reward yourself with some new clothes.
Visual Reminders
Your summer weight goal may be to look great in a bikini or to feel comfortable in shorts. To motivate yourself, post pictures of what you want to wear on your refrigerator and bathroom mirror to remind yourself of why you want to lose weight.
Member Comments