Summer is a great time to focus on making healthy lifestyle changes. With warm weather comes more opportunity for outdoor activities, exercise, and gatherings. Losing weight doesn’t have to be hard; it’s about putting together a lot of small changes to see big results. This guide provides tips for maintaining your summertime weight loss and avoiding weight gain during the cooler months.
The Summer Shift: Why Weight Loss Can Feel Easier
Summer in Long Island feels special. The warmer weather tends to influence people’s dining habits by eating out and attending celebrations and events more frequently. Summer's long days are usually full of fun activities and events. This keeps you moving and active throughout the warm months. With all the movement and the hotter temperatures, you are probably sweating more too.
Balancing Summer Indulgences with Healthy Choices
Healthy eating does not imply cutting out all of your favorite foods, but it doesn’t mean you can eat whatever you want. Whether you are attending a graduation party or eating at the cabin, make a healthy plate. Balance your plate with fruits, vegetables, protein, and whole grains. Even when you are dining out, remember the plate guidelines noted above. While french fries technically may be a vegetable, they aren’t considered to be healthy.
When grilling, choose lean, unprocessed meats. And, when cooking, choose unsaturated fats and use less sodium.
Understanding Calories and Nutrition
Be sure to read the nutrition facts label on food packages, or read the nutritional information on the menu carefully, noting how many total calories are in your serving. On average, one meal should range between 500-700 calories for a healthy adult.
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Smart Snacking for Weight Loss
Those morning pastries, afternoon cookies, and evening desserts add up. Choose fruit, low-fat yogurt, whole-grain items, or veggies and dip when looking for a snack. You can snack and still lose weight - you just have to choose healthy snacks. When you feel hungry and you need a quick pick-me-up, you’ll grab whatever is handy.
The Importance of Hydration
Hydration is key in the summertime, but also to any weight loss regimen. Aside from staying hydrated, drinking plenty of water can help you feel satiated. Many people tend to snack when they’re bored which can result in junk food cravings. Instead of reaching for chips or sweets, try to keep plenty of fruits and vegetables around to satisfy those crunchy and sweet cravings.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. While it’s important to stay hydrated year-round, summer activities can mean increased water loss through sweat and evaporation. Pay attention to staying hydrated and what you’re drinking. Because calories from beverages can add up quickly, be sure to choose zero-calorie or low-calorie beverages.
Hot days mean more sweat and more chances of getting dehydrated. Try keeping a big water bottle with you and actually drink from it, not just carry it around. Throw in some lemons or berries to make it more fun. It is possible to confuse thirst for hunger, especially when we’re moving and sweating more. Try this: The next time you feel a grumbling in your stomach, drink a full glass of water and wait a few minutes to see if the feeling subsides.
Summer Parties and Social Events: Navigating Temptations
Summer parties are everywhere, and there is always so much food. If you want to have dessert or a special drink, that’s okay. You don’t have to be perfect every time. Check yourself on daytime drinking during summer gatherings and barbecues to avoid the extra calories and sugar.
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Travel Tips for Staying on Track
Trips can throw your routine off, but they don’t have to mess everything up. Try to bring healthy snacks and think about adding some active things to your plans, such as a long walk or swimming at the hotel pool.
Focus on Overall Well-being, Not Just the Scale
Your weight might go up or down a bit more in summer because of travel, salty food, or just water changes from the heat. Focus on how strong you feel or how your clothes fit instead.
Embrace Summer Activities
Summer in Long Island is perfect for being active. A quick walk in the morning, a swim at the beach, or even gardening in the evening all count. Summer is a great time to get active and enjoy the outdoors by hiking, biking, swimming, or trying a new activity. Keeping a routine exercise plan is a crucial step to a weight loss journey, but it can be beneficial to mix up your routine once and a while. Take advantage of the warm weather and longer daylight hours and log some extra steps each day.
Prioritize Sleep
We all get busy, but sleep is still important. It helps control hunger and keeps your energy up. Try for at least seven hours and watch out for late-night snacking. Sticking to a regular sleep schedule helps your body’s weight-regulating hormones to function normally. Start skimping on sleep and you’re more likely to make poor food choices. When you’re tired, you’re more likely to reach for simple carbs for a quick boost. Not getting enough sleep has been linked with weight gain and obesity.
Medical Weight Loss Support
It is easy to skip appointments in summer, but you need to stay in touch with your provider when you’re on weight loss medication. You don’t have to give up summer fun to stay healthy. With a few small changes, you can enjoy everything Long Island has to offer while still feeling great about your weight loss medication. If you are curious about starting or need extra support with weight loss medication in Long Island, North Shore Med Spa is here to help.
Read also: Is Summer Sausage Healthy?
Additional Tips for Effective Weight Loss
- Reduce Added Sugar: Reducing sugar in your diet can help your body operate more efficiently and help you achieve your weight goals. Be mindful of artificial and added sugars in products like sodas and processed foods. Eat fresh foods as often as possible, rather than canned or frozen foods. Cut out sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, juices, and energy drinks.
- Pay Attention to Stress: Stress increases cortisol, a hormone that can create a metabolic response that makes it harder to lose weight. If you find yourself feeling anxious, try a few self-care tips. Also incorporate these simplify-your-life tools to put you more at ease.
- Eat Regularly: Eating the body smaller amounts of food every three to four hours seems to be best for many individuals. Track foods to see how often you eat and how you feel afterwards. Too much or too few daily calories can prevent you from reaching your goals.
- Address Food Sensitivities: If you have food allergies or sensitivities, eating those foods could keep your body from losing weight. If you’re trying to eat right and the scale won’t budge, consider food sensitivity testing. Some food allergies and sensitivities can cause weight gain and other problems.
- Exercise Smarter, Not Harder: You don’t have to log hour-long cardio sessions to see results. You’re busy, so try exercising smarter. It’s important to incorporate movement throughout the day. Do some pushups or lunges while you watch your favorite TV show. At the pool? Rather than lounging on a raft, tread water for a few minutes.
- Don’t Shy Away from Strength Training.
- Be Mindful of Extras: Sometimes it’s the small extras that are sabotaging your weight loss. Peanut butter, mayonnaise, and other condiments can add big calories.
- Eat a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables: Eating right shouldn’t be boring. Aim to eat fruits and veggies of all colors. So many delicious fruits and vegetables are in season right now, so feel free to indulge!
- Allow Yourself Treats: You’re working hard to lose weight, but you need to allow yourself a treat from time to time. If you never let yourself indulge, it’ll be tougher to stick with your healthy eating plan. Enjoy a treat, but don’t overdo it.
- Savor Your Food: Start savoring your food and eating slowly. You’ll quickly find that you eat less at meals. Pay attention to feelings of fullness too. When you feel full, stop eating.
- Drink Plenty of Water: You probably know that you need to skip the sugary sodas and coffee drinks that are packed with calories and sugar. However, it’s also about what you are drinking. It’s important to drink plenty of water every day. Drinking plenty of water keeps you hydrated and helps keep you feeling full. It’s also important for flushing out fat.
- Choose Protein-Based Snacks: It’s easy to overdo it when snacking, especially if you’re reaching for carb-heavy foods. So, if you’re hungry between meals, choose a protein-based snack that will both nourish and keep you full for longer.
Maintaining Your Summer Body Through Cooler Months
As summer winds down and cooler weather is arriving, it can be easy to gain a few pounds. Many people’s bodies tend to lose weight during the warm summer months and gain weight during the cold winter months. So how can you keep your summer body all year round? Avoiding weight gain during the cool months of the year can be tough but it is possible.
- Stay Active: One of the most difficult things during the winter is that the amount of daylight is limited. By the time you get home from work, it may be dark outside already. It is tempting to have dinner and curl up in front of the TV every night. To stay active, you need to fight this urge and instead get moving. If it’s just too cold or too dark to be outside, go to the gym or exercise in the house. There are plenty of ways to get exercise in your own home. Even if you don’t have any exercise equipment you can walk in place while watching your favorite TV show.
- Avoid Excess Calories: Some people tend to eat more during the cold months. This could be due to being indoors more or the holiday treats. Whatever the reason, try to keep your caloric intake in check. It may be tempting to eat those cookies now but you’ll feel better later if you don’t eat them.
- Don’t Drink Too Much Alcohol: Along with eating more, some people tend to drink more alcohol during the cold months. This is another reason your caloric intake could greatly increase. Make sure to limit your alcoholic beverages or try a lower-calorie drink option.
The Long-Term Approach to Weight Loss
Plenty of diets promise results that sound too good to be true - and they probably are. Our weight loss approach focuses on long-term changes, rather than a “quick fix” diet that starves the body. Many weight loss programs fail because these programs focus only on instant results, rather than helping patients make the permanent lifestyle changes necessary to maintain their weight loss for years to come.
There is no perfect diet or lifestyle when it comes to weight loss. Find what works for you. Seek knowledge and resources from your doctor. If you need additional support from a medical weight-loss program, make an appointment at the Baptist Weight-Loss Center.