How to Lose Weight for Summer Safely: Expert Advice

Transforming your body dramatically in a couple of weeks is unrealistic, but improving your fitness level is achievable for everyone.

Why Rapid Weight Loss Can Be Harmful

Metabolism is a complex system with many factors at play. The food you consume provides energy and essential building blocks for your body, which consists of trillions of cells. Sudden and drastic changes in your diet can lead to serious consequences.

Lada Stupakova

Therapist and Clinical Pharmacologist at Pharmacopayka Clinic

When the body faces a severe energy shortage, it first uses carbohydrate stores, not fat as many might hope, and then protein. This results in muscle tone loss. Energy deprivation triggers the body to conserve resources, altering metabolism and often causing even greater weight gain after dieting. Additionally, vitamin and mineral intake decreases, which are already deficient in many modern diets.

Potential consequences of abrupt dietary changes include:

1. Severe fat restriction can disrupt sex hormone levels, often causing menstrual cycle irregularities in women.
2. Sudden food limitations affect leptin and ghrelin hormones, which regulate satiety and appetite control.
3. Those switching to high-protein, low-fat, and low-carb diets may notice worsened skin, hair, and nail health since fats aid vitamin D absorption, vital for these tissues.
4. Carbohydrate-free diets can lead to low blood pressure, decreased energy, memory issues, and slower cognitive functions.
5. Reducing meat intake in favor of vegetables and dairy may cause protein deficiency and swelling.

Effective Strategies to Lose Excess Weight

1. Consult a Doctor and Get Tested

To avoid health complications, it’s crucial to understand your body’s current condition. Visit a healthcare professional, preferably a dietitian who may also be certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology, or endocrinology. They will recommend necessary tests and examinations.

Svetlana Nezvanova

Dietitian, Gastroenterologist, Founder of a Personalized Nutrition School

Focus not on the number on the scale but on body measurements and bioimpedance analysis. This advanced test reveals fat mass, muscle mass, active cell mass, metabolic rate, and hydration status, helping identify dehydration or swelling.

Post-assessment, your doctor might prescribe vitamins and minerals to aid weight loss, such as:

• Vitamin C and zinc to boost immunity;
• Vitamin D and calcium to overcome weight-loss plateaus and support endorphin production;
• Iodine and selenium to regulate thyroid function;
• B vitamins and magnesium to support the nervous system and reduce stress-related overeating;
• Chromium supplements to curb carbohydrate cravings.

2. Adjust Your Eating Habits

Recovering from indulgent meals and celebrations is easier than you think. Often, holiday weight gain results from water retention caused by high salt, fat, pickled foods, and excess carbohydrates.

Quick Tips to Help Your Body:

1. Eat 4–6 small meals daily.
2. Cut out sweets, baked goods, chocolates, sugary juices, sodas, and honey. Replace them with slow-digesting, nutritious carbs like whole-grain cereals.
3. Avoid trans fats found in margarine and palm oil, often present in baked products. During weight loss, your liver detoxifies harmful substances, but trans fats slow this process.
4. Eliminate alcohol. One gram of alcohol contains 7 calories—more than carbs or proteins—and it also stimulates appetite.
5. Limit salt intake to 5 grams per day by reducing cheeses, canned foods, smoked products, and similar items.
6. Include bran-rich foods. Fiber improves digestion and reduces hunger.
7. Consume more lean protein, vegetables, and fruits.
8. Drink plenty of water.

Ludmila Zhurba

Chief Physician at Alean Family Resort & Spa Riviera 4* Health and Beauty Center

Don’t force yourself to drink water if you’re not thirsty. Listen to your body. On average, water intake should be about 30 milliliters per kilogram of body weight.

Try tracking your daily calorie consumption. For those with sedentary lifestyles, such as office workers, 1,700–1,800 calories per day is typically sufficient.

Anna Ivashkevich

Nutritionist, Clinical Psychologist-Dietitian, Member of the National Association of Clinical Nutrition

Have your last light meal 1 to 1.5 hours before bedtime. If your dinner is heavy, eat 2 to 3 hours prior to sleep. Avoid sweets at night to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Preparing meals in advance can prevent impulsive snacking.

Sample Daily Menu:

• Breakfast: 60 grams of dry whole grains or rolled oats (not instant), one egg or 40 grams of cheese.
• Snack: a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts (no more than 10 if large).
• Lunch: 50 grams of cooked grains with 150 grams of meat, poultry, fish, or seafood, plus a vegetable salad.
• Snack: plain yogurt with 10–20 grams of dried fruits.
• Dinner: an omelet or scrambled eggs made from one whole egg and one or two egg whites with vegetables.

3. Try Detox Days

Detox days are suitable for those without contraindications such as digestive disorders or diabetes. Consult your doctor before starting detox days.

Irina Popova, Dietitian and Head of the Consultative-Diagnostic Department at the Austrian Verba Mayr Health Center, suggests these detox options:

1. Cook one cup of brown rice without salt, divide into six portions, and eat throughout the day. Drink at least 10 glasses of water.
2. Boil 450 grams of skinless chicken or 800 grams of cod fillet. Add vegetables if desired. Divide into four meals. Drink at least two liters of pure water daily.

You can also reduce daily calorie intake to 500–600 twice a week or eat only raw vegetables on detox days, always accompanied by plenty of water.

4. Manage Stress

Urban residents often cope with chronic stress by overeating. Addressing the root cause and finding harmony with yourself and your environment is essential.

Keep a food diary to record what and how much you eat, linking your diet to emotional states. This practice helps identify triggers and break unhealthy eating habits.

5. Increase Physical Activity

Healthy weight loss is gradual—about 3–5 pounds per month. Initially, weight loss comes from water and muscle mass rather than fat.

Boosting your physical activity will help you build a strong, toned body. Try home workouts, gym sessions, swimming, running, or simply walking more.

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