Famous Weight Loss Programs To Get That Bikini-Ready Body This Summer

Time passes by really fast and just like that, it’s the middle part of the year. But not only that, you’re also just a few weeks away from the bikini season! If at this point you feel that time has sneaked up on you, no need to panic–it isn’t too late to get that bikini-ready body this summer especially with an effective weight loss program to follow.

Don’t fret if your summer schedule is starting to look like a long beach getaway that you can’t say no to. While establishing a summer skincare sets you off to a good start, your vacation will be a lot more fun if you’re confident that you’re in the best shape–literally!

Discipline coupled with a healthy lifestyle should help you shed the extra pounds faster than you expected. Don’t know where to start? Read on to know the most famous weight loss programs, plus the top fitness apps that should help you achieve your summer bod goals.

8 Diet Plans to Help You Lose Weight–Fast!

1. INTERMITTENT FASTING

This diet plan basically focuses on calorie restriction. Instead of restricting your food choices–which is basically a common struggle among those who want to lose weight, intermittent fasting establishes cycles of fasting and eating patterns to guide you on when to eat the foods you want. However, if you’re the type of person who has a strict eating pattern and cannot skip the basic meals, this isn’t for you.

Here are the different types of intermittent fasting diet plans to show you the options that may work for you.

• The 16/8 Method: If you’re the type of person who doesn’t mind skipping breakfast, this is for you. This weight loss method restricts your daily eating period to 8 hours, leaving the rest of the day (16 hrs) for fasting.
• The 5:2 Method: This diet plan restricts your food intake to 500-
  600 calories on two non-consecutive days of the week while allowing you to eat normally on the five remaining days.
• The Eat-Stop-Eat Method: This cycle consists of 24-hour fasting one to two times on your preferred days of the week.  
• The Warrior Method: Instead of periods of fasting, intake of small amounts of raw fruits and vegetables is allowed during the day, followed by one huge meal at night within a 4-hour window.

According to a study conducted by Harvard Medical School, intermittent fasting can contribute to a longer lifespan. Other benefits of this weight loss diet include improvement in the total level of cholesterol and triglyceride and effectiveness in achieving optimal body composition. The diet plan can also contribute to reducing inflammation, cancer risk, slow down the process of ageing, and improve immunity.

EXPECTED WEIGHT LOSS:

Around 3-8% reduction in body weight for a period of 3-24 weeks.

2. DASH DIET

Named as the best diet plan for eight consecutive years, DASH is a science-backed diet that stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It was primarily developed to ensure optimum heart health as it helps lower high blood pressure levels, improves cholesterol, and reduces the risk of heart disease.

What made this diet even more popular is the fact that it is very simple to follow and the main focus is to stick to a diet that is filled with wholesome and nutritious foods. What does that mean?

It means lowering your intake of foods that are rich in sodium and saturated fat. Food and beverages with a high sugar content are also restricted. Aside from those, the DASH diet mainly suggests the consumption of whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and vegetable oils. You will not only lose weight, you can also be sure that your overall wellness will be put in check.

3. DUKAN DIET

This weight loss plan is said to be the diet followed by no other than Kate Middleton when she was preparing for her royal wedding with Prince William. A popular diet in Europe, it follows a high-protein plan that is in accordance with a list of 100 foods that can be taken without being conscious of your caloric intake.

It allows the consumption of foods that are high in protein, low in fat, and low in carbohydrates, with protein and veggies making up a majority of the 100 foods that you can consume as much as you want. In summary, the Dukan Diet is composed of 4 phases which include:

• The ‘Attack’ Phase: Main focus is on protein consumption
• The ‘Cruise’ Phase: Unlimited consumption of non-starchy vegetables is allowed
• The ‘Consolidation’ Phase: Addition of fruit and whole-grain, as well as starchy food, is allowed.
• The ‘Stabilization’ Phase: This is the final and ongoing stage where you can consume whatever it is that suits you. However, once a week, you’ll have to return to the ‘attack phase’, while adding more fiber coupled with exercise.

4. KETO DIET

One of the most popular diets that have been talked about lately is the keto diet. Described as a high-fat and low-carb diet, the main foods to take in this type of diet are those that contain healthy fat. This means splurging mainly on fish particularly salmon, seafood, eggs, nuts, avocados, and dairy products with high-fat content.

To be specific, food intake must be composed of 80% fat, 15% moderate protein, and 5% low-carbohydrates–resulting to a state of ketosis wherein fat is burned for energy instead of carbs. In the process, ketones are produced by fat metabolism which is then used for fuel.

The benefits?

• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Can be therapeutic for cancer patients and those with neurological conditions

One important consideration when sticking to the keto diet is to ensure that in consuming fat, healthy options are chosen. This means getting fat from good sources that won’t compromise your health.

Did you know?

Low-carb diets like the keto diet and paleo diet help in reducing the risk for diseases associated with blood triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. It also targets belly fat, also regarded as the most dangerous form of fat.

5. MEDITERRANEAN DIET

This weight loss diet is based on the traditional foods that people in the Mediterranean consume during the 1960s. According to studies, as compared to Americans, these people are at lower risk for dreaded diseases and much of this can be associated with the food they eat.

Aside from weight loss, the Mediterranean diet also has a role in preventing a range of health conditions, particularly some of the lifestyle diseases that can lead to untimely death, such as heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Other benefits associated with the Mediterranean diet include reduced risk of depression, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, as well as a reduction in inflammation.

MEDITERRANEAN DIET FOOD GUIDE

6. PALEO DIET

This diet restricts food intake to those that were eaten by the first inhabitants of the planet, million years ago. The main goal of the paleo diet is to eliminate the consumption of foods with no or very little nutritional value such as high-fat and processed foods. Instead, intake is focused on healthy foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Not only will it facilitate wellness, the inclusion of fibre-rich foods in your diet will make you feel full faster, making you eat less and therefore helping you curb weight gain.

WHAT TO EAT?

• Grass-fed meats
• Seafood
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Eggs
• Nuts and seeds
• Healthy oils

WHAT TO AVOID?

• Cereals
• Refined sugar
• Potatoes
• Legumes
• Dairy products
• Processed foods
• Foods with high salt content
• Refined vegetable oils

Did you know?

According to researchers, paleo diet offers short-term improvements for certain risk factors of chronic diseases, particularly for waist circumference and fasting blood sugar, as compared to other weight loss diets.

7. ATKINS DIET

The Atkins Diet also known as low-carb weight loss diet has gained greater popularity because of its claim of rapid weight loss. If you’re worried about not getting your bikini-ready body this summer, this diet must be the answer to your prayers–especially with its promise to shed as much as 15 pounds for 2 weeks!

Basically, the diet works by avoiding carbohydrates while allowing you to consume proteins and fats as much as you want. Aside from its diuretic effect which will make you lose water initially, Atkins diet, as a low-carb diet, facilitates weight loss as it reduces your appetite–meaning your caloric intake will be limited without any difficulty.

To gain a better understanding of how it works, here’s an overview of the diet as classified according to the phases it involves.

Phase 1 (Induction Phase):

During this phase, you are only allowed to consumer not more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day for a period of 2 weeks and your diet should basically be limited to high fat, high protein, low-carb and leafy vegetables.

Phase 2 (Balancing Phase):

This is the part when your diet is slowly modified as consumption of minimal amounts of nuts, low carb vegetables, and fruits is already allowed.

Phase 3 (Fine-tuning Phase):

At this point, you should be already very close to your ideal weight. Weight loss can already be slowed down, therefore inclusion of more carbs in your diet is already allowed.

Phase 4 (Maintenance Phase):

This is the part of the Atkins diet when you have already achieved your desired weight. It is also during this phase when you can already consume as many carbs as you want as long as they’re healthy because this is the stage your body can already tolerate food intake without gaining weight.

WHAT IS THE ECO-ATKINS DIET?

Based on the Atkins Diet, the eco-Atkins diet is designed for vegetarians and vegans and promises significant weight loss on the 1st year. The daily caloric intake of people on this diet is divided into the following:

• 31% from plant proteins
• 43% from plant fats
• 26% from carbohydrates

8. RAW FOOD DIET

Also known as ‘raw foodism’, the raw food diet is basically a lifestyle forming habit that is focused in the consumption of foods in their natural state–or foods that are unprocessed or uncooked. By doing so, you are able to get the nutrients minus the additives.

Aside from the nutritional benefits offered in this diet, it is also said to cut your caloric intake in half, thereby allowing you to lose weight by simply restricting your diet.

While it may seem like this diet is just restricted to fresh products, it actually allows consumption of fish, fermented foods, sprouted grains, nuts, and eggs. It also allows the addition of meat and raw dairy products to your diet.

Did you know?

Raw foods are actually easier to digest than raw foods. Apart from that, the nutrients from the foods you cook are usually destabilized and destroyed along with the enzymes, antioxidants, and vitamins they contain.

BONUS: FREE WEIGHT LOSS APPS TO HELP YOU EAT RIGHT

FOODUCATE

Lose weight by eating the right foods. This weight loss app is free for iPhone and Android users. It provides nutritional information about your favorite foods by simply scanning the barcode on the packaging!

Find this weight loss app in iTunes and Google Play

CALORIFIC

Are you the type who wants to make sure that you’ll skip the unnecessary calories without having to count them? This app is for you. It categorizes food into portion sizes and provides charts to show the healthy-to-unhealthy ratio of what you’ve been eating.

Available for Free at 

LOSE IT!

Don’t have a personal health coach? Lose it! got you covered! Find the assistance you need in performing exercise challenges, cooking up healthy recipes, and charting your progress until you reach your fitness goals.

Available for Free at iTunes and Google Play

MY FITNESS PAL

This weight loss app will only require your basic info including your current weight, height, age, and goal weight to develop a customized weekly plan to help you achieve your goals. My Fitness Pal also comes with a food database that offers more than two million items.

Get this weight loss app for Free at itunes.apple.com and play.google.com

WELLCOIN

Familiar with cryptocurrencies? This weight loss app works similarly, but rather than getting money for reaching your goals, you get wellcoins in return. Aside from keeping a record of your food intake, you can use this app to purchase supplies from different stores, including Skechers, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Whole Foods, and more.

Available for Android Users at 

HEALTHY OUT

Want to stick to a healthy diet even when eating out? The HealthyOut app takes the difficulty of finding the best place to eat for health-conscious individuals. It works by filtering by cuisine or type of dish to find nearby restaurants, including the detailed nutritional information that you want to know for any dish.

Free for iPhone and Android users at  and 

Just as there is no one-size-fits-all beauty product, there also is no such thing as the ‘best’ weight loss diet. Keep in mind that weight loss or diet plans have different results for different people. And for best results, is to find a diet plan that you can stick to for long without getting in the way of your lifestyle choices or taste preferences.

Ready for summer? It’s not just about getting in shape. Know the summer skincare tips that should leave you with nothing to worry about.