5 Easy Tips For Summer Weight Loss (The Easy Way)

Bring on summer!

The school year has almost ended and that brings a more relaxed environment around my house.  Woohoo!  No more making lunches, doing homework or fighting about bedtime.  Chill the drinks, light the bbq and grab the loungers.  Bring on summer!

How come my jeans are too tight?

Nothing, and I mean nothing, feels better than summer!  Sunshine, late evenings outdoors and yummy food.  Until September, when you realize the hotdogs, ice cream and cold ones have caught up to you (don’t get me started on the hotdogs, not a whole food but the Naturals are acceptable).  Nobody wants to be consumed with dieting during the summer months.  Didn’t we just spend all spring trying to lose those comfort food pounds we gained over the long winter?  It’s time to relax, right?  Well, yes the sunshine and warm weather do promote a lazy and carefree spirit and some days it’s just too darn hot to cook and a quick burger or dog on the bbq is about all we can muster.  Keep in mind that come September,  those  jeans may just be too tight and you may wish you had walked right past that potato salad.  Alas, that doesn’t have to happen, summer and all it’s fun can still be relaxing and you won’t have to buy new jeans in the fall.

Follow these eat clean tips to keep those unwanted pounds off this summer:

–   Keep eating breakfast:  summer is lazy, yes, but don’t forego a healthy breakfast to laze around drinking high calorie drinks such as lattes or cappuccinos.  Tasty yes, but not much nutrition in them and all those calories sure add up. If you’re not into a big breakfast during the summer months grab some fruit, oatmeal and yogurt.

–  Skip the ice-cream:  you don’t have to give up eating ice-cream, on occasion, but it shouldn’t be your dessert of choice all summer long.  Replace your end of the meal sweets with a bowl of ripe berries (strawberries are so delicious and sweet right now) or a cold juicy slice of watermelon (dab a spoonful of real whip cream on the berries if you have too).

–   Fruit and veggies:  include at least one serving of fruit or vegetables with EVERY meal or snack.  Filling up on fibre and nutrient rich whole foods  will keep you full and energized this summer.  It’s easy to forget these super important foods during the bbq season but making them apart of each meal will keep those pounds off.  Throw a cookie sheet of raw veggies onto the bbq and serve them as a side with your chicken or burger.

–   Stay clear of the salads:  yes, that’s right, try to keep away from those salads loaded with mayonnaise (potato, pasta) cheeses and other fatty foods.  Replace them with a nice crispy garden salad and you just cleaned up your dinner and saved a ton of calories.  Again, once in a while is ok, but usually these salads are everywhere during the summer months.

–   Keep moving:  it may be hard to get those work outs or walks done now that the kids are home for the summer but there are a lot of ways to do some activity each day.  Just get 30 minutes of some kind of activity in everyday (mat exercises, a walk, swim, running around outside with the kids).  It doesn’t have to be at the gym or a work out, just move for a half hour each day.

Nothing says you can’t enjoy a cold beverage or the odd ice cream cone with the kids or even live it up and eat the potato salad, just be mindful that keeping it clean has more health benefits and less cost around the waist  (try a 80/20 rule).

Do you struggle with eating clean during the summer months?  How do you deal with it?

Have a happy and safe summer!  Eat clean!