That time of year is just around the corner and many of you are asking – How to lose weight by the summer time.
You may be thinking – it’s already April and there is no way possible that I can lose weight in time for summer.
Well, you have to be realistic.
It is unlikely that you will lose 30 pounds in two months.
However, if you start today – I’m going to teach you a proven way to lose one pound per week in a sustainable, healthy manner.
That means if you start the day this article is published, April 2nd – you could lose 10 pounds just in time for the start of beach season on June 11th.
If you are willing to budget a little more time, you could lose 15 pounds by July 16th!
Trust me, a 15 pound reduction in your body weight will make a noticeable difference in the way you look and feel.
All this is my way of saying – It is NOT too late!
It’s just like saving money, if you start today – you will have more every single day.
The same applies to losing weight.
The sooner you start, the faster you will reap the benefits and confidence of being a healthier version of yourself!
The Key to Summer Weight Loss
The first thing you need to do is formalize a plan of action.
Your goal needs to be a S.M.A.R.T goal.
What does that mean?
Well, it is a mnemonic acronym used to guide you in the setting of your objectives.
These 5 letters will be the key to your summer weight loss.
S – Stands For Specific.
Let’s start with the first piece, a specific goal.
You want to lose weight by summer, that’s your goal right?
Not specific enough.
When do you want to lose weight by and by how much?
Let’s say you weigh 180 pounds and you want to lose weight.
Narrow it down to your ideal weight loss (within the parameter of 1lb loss a week. I’ll explain why that is important later on).
Okay, now – you are 180 pounds and you want to lose 15 pounds.
M – Stands for Measurable.
If you set our ideal weight loss at one pound per week, you can feasibly obtain a 15 pound reduction in 15 weeks.
If you start On April 2nd, that means you will target 15 pounds by July 16th.
A – Stands for Attainable.
Losing weight at a faster rate than one pound per week will be taxing for most individuals.
The deficit you need to accomplish will be uncomfortable and so I do not recommend it for most.
By sticking to the one pound per week rate, you will be able to lose weight without feeling much hunger or the negative side effects of weight loss.
Therefore, your goal is attainable within the aforementioned parameters.
R – Stands for Relevant.
In order to accomplish this 15lb of weight loss in 15 weeks, you need to apply a relevant strategy.
This will include both calorie reduction and more movement in the form of exercise.
T – Stands for Time Based.
You know that you want to be 15lb leaner by the end of the 15th week and so you officially have the time based element covered.
What Is the Best Way to Lose Weight Fast for a Summer Body?
Now comes the specifics.
You have your S.M.A.R.T goal written out.
Now you need the strategy.
I’m here to break it to you – it isn’t rocket science.
Despite what all the gurus will tell you about their fancy diet – it all comes down to thermodynamics.
Energy balance.
Food choice matters, but quantity matters more.
Calories are the basic unit of energy and each macro nutrient (protein, carbohydrates, and fats) each contain their respective energy quantity.
Carbohydrates and Protein contain 4kcal for every gram.
Fat on the other hand, contains 9kcal for every gram, making it the most energy packed macronutrient.
Alcohol is in its own category and has 7kcal for every gram, making it the second most energy packed macronutrient.
Reduce Body Fat
In order to lose weight, you need to be in a calorie deficit.
What does this mean?
Well, simply put: Burning more calories than you take in.
This will cause your body to burn its own fat stores.
It will come from a combination of eating less and moving more.
My recommendation to optimally reducing body fat is by tracking your calories every day and begin strength training on a regular basis.
Weight Loss Calculator
Here is a quick breakdown of how to lose weight with a calorie approach.
I talk about this method in my article, What Not to Eat When Losing Weight – 3 Diet Mistakes which you can check out here.
1.) Determine your Basal Metabolic Rate(BMR) – this is just the amount of calories it takes to run all of your bodily processes on a daily basis.
This calculator is super easy to use and gives your BMR.
Subtract 300-500 calories from this number and consume that quantity of food each day in order to lose 1lb per week.
Ex: For a 40 year old woman who weighs 150lb and is 5 foot 7 inches – her BMR would be approximately 2200kcal if she moderately exercised.
2.) Now subtract 300 from this number and that gives her 1900kcal to eat each day in order to lose 1lb per week.
Now that you know your caloric needs, it is time to put it to practice.
3.) Going off of the last example, think of that 1900kcal as your ‘budget’ for the day.
You have 1900kcal to eat and so you need to choose foods that will let you get to that number but not surpass it.
4.) Simply use a free calorie counting app like myfitnesspal or any of the other ones out there.
This will allow you to scan the labels of the food items you eat or search for the items if they do not have a label.
5.) Each time you eat, simply adjust the portions accordingly in the app and watch your budget!
Get as close to that 1900kcal as you can and don’t surpass it!
You will lose weight at a rate of approximately 1lb per week if you follow this!
Pro Tip:
If you don’t want to use multiple calculators and just want to have everything in one place, myfitnesspal will give you the calories you need to eat in order to lose 1lb per week after inputting your goals and personal information.
I gave you the other calculator so that you can see the whole break down of how the appropriate calorie deficit is found from scratch.
Just skip straight to myfitnesspal if it is too confusing.
Why This is The Best Way to Lose Weight For Summer
Simply put – because it is flexible!!
Everyone has different food preferences and instead of overhauling your entire life to fit a new diet plan, why not craft a diet around the foods you already love and enjoy?
Of course it is optimal to eat healthy for a variety of reasons.
I recommend people to choose foods that are less processed and are typically located on the outer isles of the supermarket – the fresh stuff.
But that being said, you can still have your cake and eat it too – no pun intended.
Within the guidelines of your caloric prescription you could feasibly eat anything you wanted and still lose weight.
From a health conscious perspective, I am certainly not recommending this.
However, the reality is that your food quantity will make a greater impact on your body composition than will your food choices.
Always make an effort to go the healthy route because it will make you feel WAY better!
Just understand that you don’t need to be perfect on a diet to lose weight by summer time.
What’s Next?
If you want to learn more about diet and weight loss to get you started on your summer diet – check out this article to make sure that you don’t make these very common diet mistakes!
Who is Jakob Roze?
Jakob Roze is a Strength and Conditioning Coach and founder of RozeFit. His practice centers around empathic communication and relationship building. With an emphasis on pain free, functional movement patterns and strength training, Jakob Roze assesses each individual’s needs and prescribes exercise modalities appropriately in order to facilitate long term gains in strength and health. He draws from evidence based approaches and applies the knowledge in a personalized fashion to facilitate body and lifestyle transformation amongst his clients.
