Lose Weight for Summer

Looking to shed pounds for summer without sacrificing your sanity or wallet? Here are some tips to maximize your summer diet plan for ultimate weight loss without excess pain.

1.Stay hydrated! Nothing is more important to your body (or diet success) than good old water. When it comes to dieting and weight loss water is worth it's own weight in gold! Water assists the body in many ways, by helping to lubricate joints, aid in cellular function and even to help maintain a healthy weight. How? Water not only helps in shedding those excess water weight pounds, but also helps to break down and metabolize fat.
2. Pass the bread~back. Carbs like white bread and pasta give you excess energy immediately, but if you are consuming too many of these for your activity level, all those extra calories just end up turning into extra fat.Turning away from carbs cold turkey can be a daunting task, at best~ and maybe not an altogether healthy solution for your summer time weight loss blues. For people trying to manage weight the best plan when it comes to carbs that you just can't resist is to concentrate on replacing complex carbs in your diet with high fiber content carbohydrates.Fiber makes you feel fuller and helps reduce the amount of food you consume. Some diet specialists also believe that fiber aids in removing excess fat from the colon.
3.Eat those fruits and veggies. What better way to diet than with lots of delicious fruits and vegetables? Fruits and vegetables have high water and fiber content without all those empty calories. Grabbing a quick snack of fruit can also help curb sweet cravings that would wreck your diet.
4.Get plenty of rest.Getting adequate sleep can help you stay leaner and lose weight more effectively in more ways than one. Sleep alters the body's chemical balance making it easier to drop pounds and lose weight. Also, don't underestimate the power of sleeplessness to drag you down and prevent activity that you otherwise would engage in~ or the power of fatigue to drive you straight to the candy bar aisle for a pick me up!
5. Dodge the diet soda trap. All too often people fall into the diet soda trap of allowing themselves to eat more than they normally would because they drink diet soda. The logic seems to be that if you cut down on your soda calories, you can splurge a little here and there on your food consumption. Also some folks get the idea that because they drank a diet soda they can skip the exercise routine. Don't destroy your summer weight loss this way.
6.Be aware of your tempting times. Most people have a diet ruining routine of temptation. An hour or so after lunch when the down time hits, or late night snacking in front of the TV are the worst times for giving into temptation and destroying all your diet success. Make a chart of when these times are the worst for you and create some diet friendly alternatives: have chopped carrots or celery on hand for late night snacking, purchase a vitamin c supplement drink like Emergen C to get that extra afternoon boost at work (please check with your physician before using any supplements), plan a walk or other activity to distract yourself, or pick up a hobby like knitting to keep your hands occupied in front of the TV, while losing that unwanted weight.
7. Go natural....Food processing destroys the dietary value of the foods we eat, and alters the way they are metabolized.In addition to that when foods are processed ,additives like MSG, high fructose corn syrup and processed sugar (all linked with obesity) are added to the final product. Some additives are considered addictive and are thought to cause overeating as well.
8.Eat lots of healthy snacks. Nothing will destroy your weight loss/diet plan like letting yourself get hungry. If you go hungry long enough the brain will decide that it can take no more and you will find yourself at the bottom of a box of donuts faster than you can say Weight Watchers! The trick to avoiding the diet hunger pitfall this summer is to maintain your blood sugar level and control your need to snack with frequent diet friendly snacks! Snacking is not the cause of weight gain~ it's what we snack on that causes the problem. Choose healthy low calorie snacks and be mindful when you have had enough. Break up big all out snacks into small all day snacks to maximize this trick.
9.Remember there are no miracles. Acai seems to be very helpful in dieting and weight loss, and it shows promising health benefits~ but there is nothing out there that is going to make you thin if you continue in behavior that has caused you to gain weight. Weight loss and dieting can be a lot of work~ there is no reason not to use whatever supplements work for you that you and your doctor agree upon. Just remember there is no miracle pill.
10.Enjoy some exercise.If you haven't been exercising regularly, or if you just hate exercise altogether, this is probably the hardest part of any diet plan. The problem is not usually that people who don't like to exercise are lazy~ let's just face it, exercising can be a real bore! The bad news is, if you want to lose weight you must exercise. The good news is~ exercise doesn't have to be boring. Trade in a 30 minute jaunt on the treadmill for 30 minutes playing ball with the kids or the dog. Get out and clear a flower bed. With a fun and productive goal in mind you might just forget you are exercising at all.
11. Go easy on yourself. Everyone slips up. It usually happens like this, you are doing so good on your diet, when your sister/friend/in-law decides to throw a barbecue. You go in with the best of intentions, but then the drinks and desserts are coming at you a mile a minute and before you know it you have eaten a weeks worth of calories in an afternoon. Don't let a scenario like that destroy all the hard work you put into your summer diet. The work you put in is not void because you overate one time, don't beat yourself up about, and just move on.