Health: Get Your Body Summer Ready With 3 Diet Tips

As the weather begins to warm and you start to shed your bulky sweaters and coats, it’s time to start thinking about your summer body. It’s normal for most people to put on a few pounds over the winter and to lose muscle tone. After all, the cold winter weather serves as no motivation to get to the gym, especially since you can hide your body under thick winter garments. Fortunately, you can follow certain diet tips to get your body back into shape quickly for the warmer weather. Try these tips and you’ll be ready for sundresses and shorts.

Tip 1: Eat Your Fruits and Veggies

In order to lose weight, you need to focus on eating healthy and nutrient-filled low calorie foods. The easiest way to do this is to strive to eat your 3 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Swap out that bag of chips for a large apple or banana. You’ll save yourself a noticeable number of calories. Many types of fruit make the perfect snack on the go–you can easily grab a piece of fruit and throw it in your purse or backpack for later.

Concerning vegetables, you’re not confined to eating raw celery and carrots to meet your quota. Start adding vegetables to homemade sauces and pasta dishes. Eat a small side salad with your dinner or lunch.

Make an effort to fill up on good foods. Keep fruits and snack size vegetables (like baby carrots) on your desk at work so that you’ll reach for it instead of hitting up a vending machine.

Tip 2: Eat a Fibrous Lunch

Eating a filling, fibrous lunch is a definite way to help you progress faster in your dieting efforts. If you eat a meal with plenty of fiber during your lunch break, you’re much less likely to be hungry for a snack mid-afternoon. Fibrous meals hold you over until dinner. A great fiber-filled meal is chili with half a piece of pita bread. Not only is it low calorie (around 400 calories), the beans will keep your snacking at bay. You can easily make chili at home or swing through the drive through of a Wendy’s restaurant. For a fibrous lunch with little preparation, check out Kashi frozen dinners. They make tasty–and quick–fiber filled meals.

Tip 3: Eat Your Treats in Smaller Portions

Sure, cutting out carbs and sugar and only eating lean meat and vegetables will get your summer body faster than any other method, but it’s not going to last. Do you really want to spend your days denying yourself ice cream while munching on raw celery? You can totally keep sweets and treats in your diet even if you are trying to slim down quickly. The trick is to watch your portions. Opt for pre-portioned treats, like ice cream cups and pudding cups. In fact, only purchase things that come in individual servings. It’s harder to go overboard.

If you’re only dieting and not doing any kind of exercise (which you should), calorie counting will help you to be successful. Keep your daily calorie intake at around 1500 calories.