Figuring out the ways to lose weight for summer or the best way to get that summer bod might not be easy, but it will be worth it once you squeeze into that new bikini. Just imagine yourself looking your best, with a margarita in hand, and the waves crashing on to the beach.
This is pure bliss.
10 Weight Loss Tips to Lose Weight for Summer & Achieve a Summer Bod & Beyond
Following a summer body diet is more about feeling good and looking your best. If done right, this summer transformation can get you fit for the season and be a lifestyle change if you desire. These changes can help you slim down, get a flat stomach, and be happy with your body for summer and beyond.
1. Hydrate or Die-Drate
Drinking enough water is a great way to lose weight before summer and flush out any lingering toxins. In addition, waters benefit can help with:
- Normalizing blood pressure
- Transporting nutrients
- Flushing bacteria
- Helping digestion
- Reducing constipation
- Stabilizing heart rate
- Protecting internal tissues
- Maintaining sodium balance1
- Fighting cravings
Water gives us life and understanding your body’s signals can help you avoid illnesses down the line, as well as get in the best shape of your life.
Since Americans only eat around 20.7% of their food from food water, eating water heavy fruits like watermelon can be good for weight loss.2 So try including more water-heavy fruits and vegetables into your diet as much as possible, even if they’re just snacks.
2. Snack Less ― Or Healthier
For those who snack, eating healthier snacks more often can cut down on excess hunger and overeating at meal times.3. Choosing nutrient dense foods, like fruits and vegetables, is an effective way to listen to your body’s hunger signals without eating empty calories.
While other people may be better suited avoiding snacks entirely if they can’t opt for healthier choices.
3. Avoid Sugar Until Mid-Summer
Excess sugar can be harmful to your summer shredding diet — whether it is through cookies, soda drinks, or processed foods. It’s not surprising that the most common snack food choices in the US are cookies, ice cream, candy, popcorn, soft drinks, and crackers.4
Don’t be like the rest of the crowd though — learn how to lose belly fat in 3 days or before summertime to start your weight loss journey on the right foot.
If you’re addicted to sugar, it’s important to replace high-sugar foods with nutritious whole food alternatives like chopped fresh fruit, raw vegetable sticks, nuts, cottage cheese, or cubes of cheese.5
4. Get Enough Sleep & Minimize Stress
A vital factor to losing weight for summer is getting enough sleep and using stress-reducing techniques to keep your hormones in check. Stress is one of the main reasons why it is hard to get skinny for summer, whereas a lack of sleep ― or persistent sleep disorders ― can cause lethargy, personality issues, and weight gain.6
5. Sun Bathe on Occasion
Getting enough sunlight is essential for overall health and to achieve a flat stomach. Fat cells can sense sunlight ― and not getting enough increases metabolic syndrome risk.7 Getting real sunlight not only supplies you with Vitamin D, but it can help elevate your mood. Try going for a daily walk to get your daily dose of healthy sunshine!
6. Build Healthy Habits
Creating healthy habits such as eating better, moving more, or getting into a routine is essential for long lasting results. Going to the gym once a month or week is a great start, but consistently going 3-5x per week will make all the difference in squeezing into that bikini.
7. Cut Back On Alcohol ― Save it For Summertime
When asked to party, keep that summer body in mind by only drinking a few times per week or month. Alcohol is empty calories, carbs, and sugars that can make it hard to slim down or see results.
If you are trying to slim down for summer, save celebratory drinks for special occasions like summertime, or do your best to drink just a little less.
8. Set a Goal & Stick to It
“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.” ― Greg Reid
No matter what tips you try, setting a goal and sticking to it is crucial to make progress in nearly every aspect of life.
To solidify your goals, break them down into steps to figure out when you can workout during the week, some healthy breakfast ideas, and the best frozen pizza alternatives.
If you don’t know where to start, use this helpful Body Weight Planner to create a game plan.8 Input specific info (i.e. weight, sex, age, height, and physical activity level, how much weight you want to lose, and when you want to lose it by.
9. Assess & Address Activity Levels
The age-old adage of move more, eat less applies to achieving your ideal summer body all-year-round. You sit at a desk all day from 9am to 5pm and have a manual labor job that requires you to lift heavy objects and be on your feet.
Since weight loss is directly related to energy intake (eating and drinking) vs. energy output, identifying and improving your daily activity level is one of the main components of reaching your body goals.9
Not only does your daily activity level influence the amount of calories you burn per day, but the types of workouts you do can impact how your body responds and your total energy expenditure.
You might prefer intense HIIT classes, or perhaps you enjoy taking daily walks to bask in the sun. The type of exercise you choose to do ― and the variety of exercise you do during the week/month ― can determine if you will meet your long-term body goals.
10. Assess & Address Eating Habits
You might eat more at night, struggle with snacking, be addicted to sugar, or find that a fad diet isn’t working for you. Along with trying various weight loss solutions, figuring out weight loss solutions can then help you identify what you need to change in your life.
Identifying your eating habits and food preferences is imperative to finding long-term changes that will help you slim down for summer. Don’t just focus on short-term fixes that will help you feel good for a month or two ― instead, find a balance between a short-term caloric deficit to lose weight and a long-term healthy meal plan filled with wholesome foods.
Creating a personalized meal plan may seem like a lot of work, but you can always follow other weight loss diets found online for free and with minimal effort. If you tried one method and it didn’t work, don’t give up just yet.
Instead, find diets that are appealing to you and see how your body responds because it will take some experimenting to find what’s right for you.
Some individuals want to try keto, whereas others may want to experiment with a whole-food, vegan, fasting, or Mediterranean diet. Experimenting with healthy meal plans is one of the best methods of improving your eating habits.10 Making small changes can help you slim down for summer ― and feel good all-year-round.
References
1How much water should you drink? (2020). Harvard Health Publishing, Retrieved from <https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink>
2Popkin, B. M., D’Anci, K. E., & Rosenberg, I. H. (2010). Water, hydration, and health. Nutrition reviews, 68(8), 439–458. <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x>
3Njike, V. Y., Smith, T. M., Shuval, O., Shuval, K., Edshteyn, I., Kalantari, V., & Yaroch, A. L. (2016). Snack Food, Satiety, and Weight. Advances in nutrition, 7(5), 866–878. <https://doi.org/10.3945/an.115.009340>
4Hess J. & Slavin J. (2018). The benefits of defining “snacks”. Physiology & behavior, 193, 284-7. Retrieved from <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938418301951?via%3Dihub>
5The Science of Snacking. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Retrieved from <https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/snacking/>
6Chaput, J. P., & Tremblay, A. (2012). Adequate sleep to improve the treatment of obesity. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association médicale canadienne, 184(18), 1975–1976. <https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.120876>
7Nayak, G, et. al. (2020). Adaptive Thermogenesis in Mice is Enhanced by Opsin 3-Dependent Adipocyte Light Sensing. Cell Reports, 30(3), 672-86. <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.043>
8Body Weight Planner. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved from <https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp>
9Cox C. E. (2017). Role of Physical Activity for Weight Loss and Weight Maintenance. Diabetes spectrum : a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 30(3), 157–160. <https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0013>
10Improving Your Eating Habits. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from <https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/losing_weight/eating_habits.html>