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Getting a Summer Body: How to Balance Nutrition and Dieting
Summer is on its way, which means people are thinking about vacations and plenty of quality outdoor time. For many, this also means stress about achieving the perfect summer body. This can lead to a few days of not eating, or even an entire summer spent eating the grapefruit or cabbage diet. The problem is that such extreme measures don’t work in the long-run—in fact, they can even damage your health.
However, this doesn’t mean you can’t achieve a slim body in time for summer. Read on to learn how you can diet the right way without sacrificing nutrition.
Why Summer Diets are Harmful
Fad diets can certainly make you lose weight fast. The bad news is you’ll likely put on the weight, if not more. A fad diet itself is another term for extreme dieting. Such diets are characterized by avoiding specific foods, or “detoxing” with select foods for fast weight loss.
Most of us certainly look for the quickest ways to lose weight. However, research continues to show that strict diets are harmful to the body long-term.
Some of the most common nutrient deficiencies include:
- calcium
- fiber
- iron
- magnesium
- potassium
- vitamins A, C, D, and E
Overtime, nutritional deficiencies can affect your health and even everyday energy. For example, both calcium and vitamin D deficiencies can increase the risk of osteoporosis, while iron deficiencies are linked to anemia. Also, fiber—a plant-based substance—is not only good for heart health, but eating these types of foods also keeps you full. This means you will actually eat less overall.
Eating too few calories is also a bad plan. When you don’t eat enough, your metabolism malfunction. Thus, your body actually stores calories out of starvation and you could end up with more fat. The key is to eat just enough calories for your everyday activities.
Tips to Keep Your Health and Summer Figure in Check
Fad diets ultimately don’t work when it comes to maintaining your figure and your health. This fact can be disheartening when you’re getting ready for bikini season.
The upside is by following a healthier lifestyle, you can have a healthy figure all year-round. Below are some tips to make sure neither one falls by the wayside this summer.
Avoid liquid calories. Sweet tea, lemonade, and soda are often summertime staples, but these can derail your weight loss efforts. Stay hydrated (and slim) with water instead. Add fresh lemon juice for some flavor, if desired.
Limit summertime cocktails. Frozen daiquiris, margaritas, and mimosas can also pose weight loss problems. If you don’t avoid alcohol altogether at summer parties, make sure you at least keep the quantity to one drink.
Stay active. You may not have time to do an hour-long workout every day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t regularly increase your activity level. The more active you are, the more waist-trimming calories you burn. Summer is a perfect opportunity to stay active in ways you can’t during the cold weather months. Take a brisk walk outside, work in the garden, or swim some a few laps in the pool for a metabolic boost.
Don’t skip breakfast. Summer vacations are often spent sleeping in and then hitting the beach right away. But you should never start your day without breakfast. Doing so puts your body in starvation mode, and you’re likely to eat more at your next meal. Even if you eat a late breakfast, this is better than skipping it altogether.
Don’t stress about it. While it may seem an oxymoron, the more you think about getting the perfect body, the more likely your plan might fail. (Plus, stress can increase cortisol, thereby putting on more belly fat.) By keeping the focus on a healthy lifestyle instead, a slim body will follow.
Resources
- Adequate nutrients within calorie needs. (2008, July 9). Retrieved from http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter2.htm
- Corderoy, Amy. (2010, December 30). ‘Healthy’ girls risk permanent damage from dieting fads. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/healthy-girls-risk-permanent-damage-from-dieting-fads-20101229-19a9w.html
- Nutrition for weight loss: What you need to know about fad diets. (2010, December). Retrieved from http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/food-nutrition/weight-loss/nutrition-for-weight-loss-what-you-need-to-know-about-fad-diets.html
Author Bio: Kristeen Cherney is a freelance health and lifestyle writer whose work has been published on numerous health-related websites. Previously, she worked as a communications and marketing professional. Kristeen holds a BA in Communication from Florida Gulf Coast University, and is currently pursuing an MA in English. When she’s not writing or studying, she enjoys walking, kick-boxing, yoga, and traveling.
