Eat your way into a Bikini!

You'd think that starving yourself is the best way to get into that teeny-weeny-bikini, right? Wrong! You need to eat. And going No-Carb will just make your breath stink and your attitude suck, so do it right this summer.

Don't start out by going from a 2000 calorie a day plan to a 1000 calorie plan. Yes, it sounds like the best way to do it, but beware. Cutting more calories than you can spare can derail your diet drastically. Most active women need 1500-1600 calories a day to keep hunger at bay, keep their metabolism fired up and prevent muscle loss. Start out by cutting just 100 calories a day. In 5 months you will lose 5 pounds and not even done any thing major. Ramp it up by cutting 200 calories a day and you can drop 10 pounds. Basically, eat your sandwich open-faced. Or skip mayonnaise. You can trim your diet in many ways, just don't cut it down to nothing.

Expand your servings to include more fiber, which will make you feel full. Whole grains, fiber ruch fruits and vegetables. An apple a day…right? The fiber in an apple will keep you much more satisfied than a candy bar. Try meals with brown rice, bananas, apples, red potatoes, and fill up on veggies. You can have exponentially more veggies than you can anything else. Chow down on these and you will see yourself in that bikini in no time.

Eat protein at each meal. Get it from lean sources like fish, chicken, lean red meat, yogurt and other low-fat dairy products, eggs, tofu and beans. Protein will keep you going because it takes a while to digest, and you will gain more lean muscle when you work out if you are ok in the protein department. I grab a yogurt and eat it in the car on the way to they gym, and we grill lots of fish, chicken and veggies for dinner.

Treat yourself once in a while. If you make a promise to NEVER eat chocolate again, odds are you are going to binge on it some day. Give yourself the leeway to give in to your cravings, in a small amount. Let yourself have a chunk of dark chocolate, or a few spoonfuls of sorbet. Just don't go overboard, or you will be wearing a Muu-Muu, not a bikini this summer.

Be eXcellent! - Ms. X