Here’s A Peek At My Pre Summer Diet Plan Along With Some Diet Tips To Help Get Ready For The Beach
With summer approaching it’s hard not to think about dieting and working out. My plan this year is to lean out a bit more using this pre summer diet plan along with my pre summer workout plan. Since I’ve maintained my level of fitness fairly good this winter, I don’t have many more pounds to lose but shedding an extra 5 or so pounds is really going to help me look more defined and sharp.
My plan for this summer is to eat many meals that look just like this! I have to admit — this picture looked much better in color with all of the fresh fruit, veggies and perfectly grilled meats.
My Old Summer Diet Plan
Years ago, my plan of attack wasn’t much of a plan at all. I used to wait until June and then wake up every morning and do long rounds of cardio on my stationary bike… that was my plan! It didn’t do much good — some good maybe, but in comparison to my new plan of attack, it was basically a waste of time.
I think most of us have heard the saying “you can’t out train a bad diet” and that is exactly what I was trying to do. Since then, I have seen the light and am now approaching things differently. My diet is now starting in mid-April and will gradually become less strict as I go though the summer — what’s the point of working hard and getting ultra lean if you aren’t going to completely enjoy summer, right? I plan on gaining 5 pounds throughout the summer. 😀
My Pre-summer Dieting Plan
My plan this year is to go low (not no) carb and eat a diet consisting of mostly protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables. I will also incorporate Eat Stop Eat style intermittent fasting one to two times a week. What is important to remember is that on your fasting days you do not go all out once dinner rolls around. It can be tempting to eat more than you normally would for dinner since your calories are obviously going to be low for the day, but by eating a normal sized dinner you will see much better benefits.
5 Summer Diet Tips
1. Avoid snacking.
This will increase your caloric intake without you even realizing it. I usually try to eat a large enough meal at breakfast, lunch and dinner so that I’m not real snacky. It’s OK for your stomach to get a little hungry now and then — you aren’t being anorexic, you’re just dieting.
2. Don’t make it complicated.
In the end, it’s about total number of calories consumed versus used. Instead of trying to count every calorie, everyday think of it as total calories for the week instead of per day. By incorporating an intermittent fasting twice a week and then eating a normal size meal of 600-1,000 calories you will reduce your caloric intake by about 10-20%.
3. Drink plenty of water.
No worries, I’m not about to go off on a tangent about how much water you should drink throughout the day, but I do think it’s at least worth mentioning. Many times, I find that when I think I’m hungry, a tall glass of H20 does the trick.
4. Skip the foo-foo coffee drinks.
Whether it’s a Caramel Macchiato or a Green Tea Frappuccino, if you want to lose weight for the summer, these are not going to help. When it comes to carbs, it’s best to consume them with fiber, protein or healthy fats so as to keep your insulin levels from spiking. These types of drinks have none of that.
5. Don’t eat 3 hours before bed.
This isn’t the most crucial of the summer diet tips, but this will help. Generally if I’m hungry I will eat a small handful of almonds or pistachios along with an apple or some strawberries before bed, but since the focus of my summer diet plan is to drop stubborn fat, I will be limiting this to maybe once or twice a week.
A Calorie Deficit Is The Key To Any Effective Diet
To lose body fat you need to create a calorie deficit. Your biggest aid in doing so is diet. By taking in less than you burn you will start to lose weight. The reason I love the Eat Stop Eat diet is that you are allowed freedom and slack that most fad diets do not allow — plus it actually works!
You should not try to burn more than you consume by exercising around the clock. You need to create the initial deficit with your diet and add in exercise as icing on the cake — yes, that is a horrible cliché for a post about my summer diet plan!
As you can see, my dieting plan for summer is not anything special. I am simply going to clean up my diet and avoid a few pitfalls while incorporating intermittent fasting one to two times a week.
Dave - Not Your Average Fitness Tips
April 15, 2011 @ 9:42 am
Great tips for an effective summer diet plan. I’m pretty much at my target weight so I’m focused on burning fat while maintaining that weight. So far so good but there’s a long way to go. I’ve found Eat Stop Eat is the best around for enjoying summer BBQs and still staying in great shape. The only tip above that I wish I could do more was not eat 3 hours before bed. I try to do it a few days a week but usually the best time for me to exercise is at night and I refuse not to eat after exercising. I’ve seen significant muscle loss in the past with that strategy.
Kevin - Fitness B&W
April 19, 2011 @ 9:37 am
Good point Dave — It definitely isn’t worth not eating before bed if you just worked out.
Jordan - The Healthy Teacher
April 20, 2011 @ 8:05 pm
Hi Kevin,
I think this is a great plan for your goals this summer. I had great success with what you described. I was primarily low carb and gave up grains. I used this paleo style plan, and incorporated intermittent fasting, and lost 50lbs!
Cheers,
Jordan
p.s. Love the site!
Kevin - Fitness B&W
April 22, 2011 @ 9:28 am
Hi Jordan – Thanks for stopping by and for the compliment… 50lbs, good job!
ryan
March 8, 2013 @ 12:43 am
is it effective? anyone tried this before?