7 Ways to Drop Weight Fast for the Summer

by Helen March · April 21, 2017

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7 Ways to Drop Weight Fast for the Summer

“Summer is coming!”

And Lose Weight n Gain Muscle will help you to prepare for it. It’s no fun to hit the beach when all you can think about is what you look like. Everyone else is enjoying themselves while you’re tucking and arranging and covering everything you think is hanging out.

Stop torturing yourself and take control! There is still plenty of time to trim off a few inches and get that bikini bod you’ve always dreamed of, and it isn’t as hard as you might think. Here are seven practical yet crazily effective ways to melt away body fat and tone your muscles so you can soak up the sun and waves without anything else weighing on you.

Tip 1: Break a Sweat

You’ve heard it over and over: working out helps you lose weight. If you want the extra weight to disappear even faster, combine strength training and cardio in your workouts. According to WebMD (webmd.com), cardio burns calories while you’re working out, while weight training builds muscle that continues to burn calories even when you’re resting. If you aren’t used to working out, start out slowly. Take a long walk studded with bursts of fast walking for your cardio, followed by squats, modified push-ups and light weight lifting. The more you do, the more you’ll be able to do.

Tip 2: Stay Active

We aren’t advocating burning yourself out at the gym. Instead, make sure that your day isn’t one long sitting session interrupted by a single period of exercise. If you have a sedentary job, get up several times during the day. Walk around your office, take the stairs, grab a water from the break room, take a brisk walk around the building during break. Plan activities on your days off. Take the dog for a hike, cycle with friends, play basketball or tennis, or go to the mall and power walk from one end to the other before you allow yourself to shop. Make physical activity a priority in your life, and watch the weight evaporate.

Tip 3: Guzzle the H2O

Water is calorie-, sodium- and sugar-free. It hydrates your body and supports nearly every function, from muscle repair to digestion. Ditch the sodas, sweet tea and lemonade. Don’t even drink the ones with artificial sweeteners. According to a report published by the Harvard Medical School (health.harvard.edu), artificial sweeteners don’t support weight loss in the long-term and may actually intensify your cravings for sweet foods. Skip the fruit juices as well and just eat the fruit.

Tip 4: Beef Up on Protein

Protein helps you feel full and aids the body in repairing muscles that you’ve broken down during exercise. Great sources of protein include eggs, salmon, chicken, Greek yogurt and lean beef. Vegetarians and vegans can turn to soy, firm tofu, quinoa, beans, rice and flax seeds for meat-free sources of protein.

Tip 5: Be the Sober Ride

You don’t have to give up fun for the rest of your life, but if you want to shed pounds quickly, skip the bubbly. Alcohol bombards your body with sugar and empty calories. Empty calories are those that add up without ever doing anything useful for your body. Plus, according to Men’s Health (menshealth.com), your body treats alcohol like a toxin that must be eradicated immediately. It will literally store any calories you consume to concentrate on metabolizing the alcohol. Making this doubly dangerous is the fact that alcohol lowers our inhibitions and makes salty, sugary, fat-laden snacks look incredibly tempting.

Tip 6: Stop Eating After Seven P.M.

Food is fuel. We need it to get going throughout the day. What we don’t need is a heavy dinner followed by dessert late in the evening before we go to bed. All those calories will have nothing to do but find places to store themselves while we’re snoozing. Instead, have a light dinner early and stop the noshing after seven, when your body is winding down for the day.

Interesting to know: [FREE PDF Download] The 3 Week Diet System 2022. Detailed review

Tip 7: Eat Plenty of Fresh Veggies

Vegetables are abundant with vitamins, minerals, fiber and water. Most of them are so low in calories that you can eat as much as you want without hurting your diet. Eat a variety to ensure you’re getting a balanced blend of nutrition. Low-calorie vegetables include lettuce, mushrooms, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, peppers and onions. Slightly higher-calorie vegetables that should be eaten with more restraint include potatoes, corn, lima beans and sweet peas.