#107 - Best Diet to Lose Weight in the Summer
Is your summer goal to lose weight? You’re not alone! Team up with Coach Tadris at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You to get the best diet for weight loss so you can look and feel like a million bucks!
The Mediterranean diet is the best diet to lose weight in the summer
If your tummy is rumbling when we’re talking about grilled pineapples and peppers and seasoned chicken and shrimp on shish kabobs, you’re going to love this meal plan! The Mediterranean Diet is the perfect balance for summertime because it allows for a variety of cookout-friendly foods like grilled seafood and meats, fresh fruits and vegetables. This diet even provides freedom to indulge, in moderation, with a modest dessert. Small portions of high-quality whole foods is what makes the Mediterranean diet effective - and it’s so delicious and easy to stick with!
Coach Tadris shares a number of tips about diets for runners on Keep Calm and Run To The Best You. If you decide to join the club with the Mediterranean diet, you’ll be eating hearty breads and meats and cheeses and in-season produce each day. Does that sound too good to be true? This delicious clean eating lifestyle works like a charm in southern European countries like Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, and Cyprus. If you stick to the plan and you’re disciplined about portion control, you will be losing weight in no time!
Paleo is better than Keto for summertime weight loss
If your body doesn’t respond well to grains and dairy, you may prefer an alternate diet. Both the paleo and keto diets have proven effective for weight loss and have a more cut-and-dry list of foods you can eat. There are many similarities between the two diets, but if you enjoy eating fresh cut fruits and garden salads in the summer, the paleo diet is definitely the better choice.
On the other hand, the paleo diet excludes dairy products and sugar-free sweeteners. If you'd rather enjoy an iced coffee than a fruit smoothie, keto will be a better fit. Remember: the key is to commit to a plan that you can stick with for the long haul. That’s how you lose weight and keep it off. Depending on which food group is more appealing to you, consider adopting one of these diets if the Mediterranean approach isn’t strict enough for your health needs.
Kickstart your diet overhaul with the Whole30
No matter which diet you choose to adopt, Coach Tadris recommends kick starting clean eating with a Whole30 Diet. This is an elimination diet that helps to cleanse your body and start with a clean slate. Phasing foods back in one at a time gives insight about how your body responds to food groups, especially grains/gluten, dairy, etc. This is an excellent way to determine if you have an intolerance or a food allergy. If your skin clears up and you lose weight while you’re doing a month of Whole30, you can pinpoint what’s causing the inflammation and rashes.
Another great perk to the Whole30 diet is that you’ll get the hard part out of the way right in the beginning! Once you get through a month without dairy, soy, sugar, grains, alcohol, or legumes, your palette and appetite will be prepared for a long term weight loss diet and you’ll be ready to do this for the summer and beyond. Elimination diets are hard to do, but you’ll prove to yourself that you can handle it and your next diet will feel like a breeze - whether you choose the Mediterranean diet, keto, paleo, or something else.
Methods for Intermittent Fasting
Coach Tadris walks the majority of his clients through intermittent fasting. It’s a proven method for weight loss but has other metabolic health benefits. He helps people to start small and eventually work up to a 16/8 intermittent fasting schedule. On this program, you’ll have an 8-hour window to eat 3-4 meals a day, then for 16 hours you’re strictly drinking water, black coffee, or unsweetened/unflavored tea. Intermittent fasting curbs poor eating habits, removing the tendency to munch on snacks at night. It also helps the body to naturally maintain proper insulin levels. Reports from Harvard Medical School claim that intermittent fasting can also prevent diabetes for those at risk.
Intermittent Fasting (IF) Methods and OMAD
There are several other ways to approach intermittent fasting. Some people fast for a few days each week by reducing their calorie intake by 500-600 calories on those days. Others close their eating window in the evening and wait until a certain time to break their fast (with breakfast- get it?) but some people go to the extreme with the OMAD method. One Meal A Day (OMAD) stretches the fasting window to 23 hours and reserves just one hour for eating. Women's Health Magazine warns against OMAD calling it a “starvation diet” and does not recommend this to anyone dealing with diabetes, a history of eating disorders, or medical issues. However, you may try the OMAD method for a short term weight loss goal, perhaps if you need to fit into a costume or gown for an upcoming event, for example.
Exercise Takes You So Much Further
If you’re serious about weight loss and willing to overhaul your diet, why not get more for your money? Investing in your health is no easy task but you will get surprisingly noticeable results within a month or two if you also exercise to support your healthy diet. Eating properly is the main thing but physical activity takes you further on your weight loss journey than dieting alone.
Be more active when dieting for weight loss
There’s a good article on the Fitbit Blog explaining why exercise cannot override an unhealthy diet. People typically overestimate how many calories they burn during a workout and then incorrectly justify eating foods that leave them heavier than they were before the workout. Avoid making this common mistake. Commit to a healthy diet for the summer and create a balanced exercise routine that follows the run, rest, and repeat pattern.
There are countless studies conducted to determine whether diet or exercise is more important for weight loss and what the most effective ratio looks like but a widely accepted formula is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Eating habits determine whether you lose weight or gain more pounds.
Do you like swimming, kayaking, or riding a bike? Summer is a great time to be more active! If you’re a runner, check out summer running tips to keep you going. If you don’t enjoy any types of exercise, you can still commit to walking more and tracking your daily steps. The default goal on most fitbits and fitness apps is set at 10,000 steps, whether you’re walking or running. That’s almost five miles, which may sound like a lot, but it’s a very achievable goal if you break it up into shorter walks throughout the day.
Let Us Help You Lose Weight This Summer!
Coach Tadris Parker has an adaptable weight loss program that is going to work for you (with no branded products!) Fill out this form and ask Tadris to help you lose weight this summer. He will work with you to adopt the best diet to lose weight and hold you accountable to an active fitness routine.
Join the team at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You to share stories and swap recipes, join track meets and community walks, and celebrate together as you reach your health goals. We are a family and we share in your vision for weight loss and fitness!