Hundreds of fad diets, weight-loss programs and outright scams promise quick and easy weight loss. However, the foundation of successful weight loss remains a healthy, calorie-controlled diet combined with increased physical activity. For successful, long-term weight loss, you must make permanent changes in your lifestyle and health habits.
How do you make those permanent changes? Consider following these six strategies for weight-loss success.
Stay Hydrated Throughout the Day
You've probably heard this one a lot, but it's only because of how really important it is. The key to getting your hands on the perfect summer body is to keep yourself adequately hydrated throughout the day.
Why? Well, for one, water helps you burn more calories and, at the same time, suppresses your appetite. So, by keeping your hunger at bay and boosting your metabolism, the end result is ultimately weight loss.
We know that staying hydrated isn’t the easiest thing to do and that sometimes drinking water is the last thing we do, so we highly recommend that you start by switching sugary drinks for water. In doing so, you’ll be consuming less saturated fat (which happens to be the most significant contributor to belly fat), and you’ll reduce your calorie intake.
Plus, other than the fact that it’ll get you in shape, drinking a lot of water will also make you feel more energetic and alert – forget about all the headaches and fatigue!
So, give these a try:
- Get an infuser water bottle
- Make your own flavored water by blending it with fruits
How Much Water Are We Talking?
Drinking 3 liters of water per day is a safe amount to aim for. That’s a quantity that meets most people’s needs, both males and females. Yet, if you’re a very active person who frequently exercises, you could increase your water intake to 4 liters a day. You could also use this water intake calculator for a precise number depending on your circumstances and lifestyle.
Follow a Summer Body Diet
Now, this is the challenging part, but it’s also the most important and influential part of achieving your goal. If you follow the below diet, you’ll be sure to be proud of yourself at the end! After all, dieting counts for 80% of a health plan. And we promise there’s no starvation involved.
To begin with, you'll have an option to either eat three meals a day or 5-6 smaller meals a day. Ideally, we'd recommend the three meals option (with snacks) since they're usually larger and more filling rather than being scattered, which can leave you feeling hungry.
Either way, though, just make sure to keep track of your calories (MyFitnessPal is great for that purpose), macros, and portions, keeping them aligned with your height, weight, and of course, fitness goals.
Portions and What to Eat:
If you choose the three meals per day option, each full meal will entail a cup's worth portion of protein, vegetables, and healthy carbs/fats/wholegrain. You're free to play around with the food choices as much as you'd like, as long as the quantity doesn't ever exceed a cup serving.
For breakfast, in particular, try always to include some sort of fruit. Bananas, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, apples, oranges, grapes, kiwi, raspberries, and cherries can all be your best friend when it comes to mixing them in with breakfast. There are countless ways to eat them, and they tremendously boost metabolism!
In contrast, with the five meals per day approach, you'd do the same as the three meals day approach, but decreasing each meal by a third of its size. Also, you'd add 2-3 palm-sized snacks, like small boiled eggs, spinach, carrot sticks, celery, nuts, or similar.
When we say vegetables, we’re thinking carrots, kale, broccoli, spinach, green peas, sweet potatoes, asparagus, beans, sprouts, and more green vegetables. These are the most nutritional in vitamin and mineral content and are also filling.
What about healthy fats? These include nuts, legumes (lentils, peas, beans, chickpeas), avocados, cheese (in moderation), eggs, oils, and dark chocolate (one piece a day).
In contrast, chocolate, sweets, cakes, bars, and granola are also a no-no – similar to all sugar and saturated fat. The same goes for coffee with sugar, hot chocolate, energy drinks, fizzy drinks, milkshakes, alcohol (especially beer), and other fatty beverages.
Also, you’d want to avoid refined carbohydrates, like crips, fries, white bread, white pasta, white rice, pastry, fast food, and you know the rest.
Last but not least, when it comes to protein, always remember that protein is vital for muscle building and fat burning. So, peanut butter, oatmeal, cottage cheese, lentils, salmon, sardines, beefsteak, pumpkin seeds, chicken, and flaxseed are all excellent sources of protein that you'll want to consume regularly to improve your progress.
On that note, here's how to calculate how much protein you need depending on your activity level, current weight, goals, and more. Generally, those with a higher activity level would require more protein consumption than those with a sedentary lifestyle.
Since it can certainly be tempting to eat more quantities than specified, these tips could help you stay on track:
- Use smaller plates than those you usually eat in
- Always have a cup during meal preparation to measure your portions
- Share a meal when you’re eating out, or avoid the larger portioned meals
So, you’ll be eating food in moderation for the whole week to maintain a healthy lifestyle to get to keep your summer body forever, but won’t it be hard to keep that consistent?
It will, and that’s where cheat days come in. To keep yourself motivated, you must treat yourself to at least one weekly cheat day. On that day, you'll be allowed to break the rules and eat a meal you’ve been craving and even have a drink. While, yes, it’s called a cheat day, remember that it’s actually one cheat meal, not 3 or 5.
With the help of a cheat day, you won't ever feel like you're missing out. Of course, you could also keep it for the weekend so that you wouldn't miss out on a friends' night out!
Get a Good Night's Rest
When you're trying to get your body in shape or lose weight, having an irregular sleep schedule significantly hinders your progress and slows down the process altogether. In fact, you may end up with weight gain! That's because two of the hunger hormones in your body, ghrelin and leptin, are affected when you don't get enough sleep, spiking your appetite.
So, you need to get 7-9 hours of sleep daily to achieve your summer body faster. That should be easy to do if you’re exercising or training, since the more you workout, the more tired you'll be, and the better you’ll sleep overall.
Record Your Progress & Sustain It!
Lastly, while you nail your summer body diet, it's essential to record your progress and celebrate it! Some people choose to record it every week; others choose to do so every month. This is especially important during the first part of your journey, where the progress isn't always physically visible but is certainly there.
To keep yourself motivated, you could weigh yourself on the same day of each week (first thing once you wake up), measure your body dimensions (waist, legs, arms, etc.), or head to a gym where you could track your body fat percentage.
Also, a general favorite is to keep trying on an outfit that doesn't fit every week! You'll be impressed with what happens, and every time, the results will be different. And when you can tangibly feel the benefits of your hard work, you'll stop craving bad food and keep going.
Before you head out, we’d just like to offer you one piece of advice: to sustain your summer body diet, you need to plan ahead to avoid falling into the trap of an enormous binge and ruining your progress. That’s usually the trickiest part!
Don't give yourself a chance to reach for alternatives, and always have a detailed plan of what you'll eat for each meal. When you have a plan, you're much more likely to commit to it, and meal prep could also come in super handy. You'll thank yourself later!
Now, you have everything you need to achieve your fitness goals! But, of course, if you could push in some working out alongside the diet, you'll see the results much faster. You'll burn more fat, build muscle fast, and have a toned body in no time!
But, in all cases, as long as you're working on your nutrition, you'll be well on your way to those glorious beach days, and you'll be looking your best.
Here are some supplements for you
Qi Supplements are a great way to boost weight loss, and Zoiben is one of the best. This supplement consists of six essential oils and berberine. All of the essential oils as well as the berberine are known for their impact on parasites as well as weight loss.
There are a few different ways this supplement can help you on your journey. First, regular use can help eliminate candida (yeast), biofilm, and parasites, all of which can negatively impact not only your health, but your everyday mood. Zoiben can also be used as a detox stimulant and digestive aid to help stem your appetite and encourage your body to rid itself of toxins as quickly as possible. All of these benefits can have the end result of improved energy as overall health improves, making it easier to focus on weight loss.
If you’re hoping to lose weight and would like a bit of help or simply want the health benefits the peptide offers, it’s a good option for your health needs.
Start today!
Stage 1 Intense Detox Program (1 Month) – Qi Supplements
Stage 2 Intense Detox Program (1 Month) – Qi Supplements
