Summer Weight Loss Secrets

By Terry Dunkle, Diet Power Editor-in-Chief

One secret to summer weight loss is berries. They're wonderfully low in calories and rich in vitamins and minerals.

In some ways it's easier to lose weight in summer than in winter; in other ways it's harder. If I had my pick, though, I'd choose summer. For one thing, the prospect of stripping to my bathing suit in front of other beachgoers is a powerful motivator. I never have to do that at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Other summer advantages are even stronger, though. Here's a roundup that can help you arrive at Labor Day without looking like you're ready to go into labor.

The Groundhog Effect

I've never read any good science on this ( if you have), but my conversations with thousands of dieters suggest that something in our neurochemical system triggers overeating each autumn in anticipation of winter. Because this "groundhog effect" (fattening ourselves for hibernation) usually begins in October, however, we don't have to contend with it in summer. As result, many of us find it easier to resist eating a second hotdog at a picnic than to shun a second piece of pie at Thanksgiving.

One reason we mammals tend to pork up for winter is that we're warm-blooded: a large fraction of the calories we eat goes toward keeping our body warmer than the air around us. In summer, when this temperature differential is only a few degrees, we naturally crave fewer calories. That's why people say, "Oh, it's too hot to eat."

Low-Calorie Drinks

Hot weather also brings thirst—and drinking copiously is a proven aid to weight loss. It can make you feel full even though you've ingested almost no calories. (There's now a science dedicated to this principle: "volumetrics.") "Quench your thirst with iced teas made with fresh mint and lemon verbena leaves from the garden," recommends Ann Coulston, of Diet Power's scientific advisory board. "Go light on the sweeteners, though. Another great quencher is seltzer mixed with fresh juices or simply lime or lemon wedges." At my house, we make a nonalcoholic lime rickey: pour a tall glass of club soda over ice; squeeze half a lime into it; then plop the lime in, too, to add color.

Fresh Food

"Another plus," says Coulston, "is the large variety of fresh fruits and vegetables that you can find in summer. Both are low-calorie choices. You need to avoid adding fats and oils, however. Try steaming vegetables with herbs such as thyme, dill, or oregano. Or eat vegetables raw—but watch out for fatty dips. Bean dips are generally better for weight control than those based on cheese or sour cream."

Food preserved for winter eating, by contrast, is often loaded with salt or fat, both of which retard spoilage but also foster weight gain.

Convenient Exercise

How many people do you know who exercise regularly in summer but rarely in winter? It's a common failing. And of course every minute you spend walking, running, playing tennis or badminton pitching horseshoes, swimming, or hiking burns calories that would otherwise be stored in your body as fat. (To see how many calories, download a free trial of Diet Power 4.4 and use its Exercise Log.) This is the main reason some people are 10 to 20 pounds lighter in late summer than on New Year's Eve.

Wait a Minute!

Doesn't living in air-conditioned homes, cars, offices, stores, and gyms negate some of the seasonal effects described above? To an extent, yes, but most people do spend a significant number of hours outdoors each week. And some thinkers suggest that seasonal effects depend on sunlight more than temperature. In Connecticut, where I live, summer daylight lasts up to six hours longer than winter.

More Secrets

Below are the best summer dieting tips we've learned over the years. (To contribute yours, .)

• Don't sit near the food. At a picnic, it's surprising how much you'll eat just because it's there. Take a seat far from the food and among the slimmest friends at the party.
• Drink light beer, not wine or liquor—or better yet, nothing alcoholic at all. You already know that booze weakens inhibitions, especially those against overeating.
• Use light mayonnaise. It's generally only 50 calories per tablespoon, versus 100 for traditional mayonnaise—and most people can't taste the difference. (I'm not exaggerating. Try it.) And while you're at it, cut the amount of mayo in your potato, egg, or macaroni salad in half. The recipe will probably still be delicious, but far more healthful.
• Eat watermelon, not ice cream or cake. Watermelon is one of the best weight-loss secrets I know. Details.
• Try swordfish instead of beefsteak. Swordfish is loaded with "good" fats and oils that protect your heart instead of clogging arteries like the saturated fats found in red meats.
• Trim the fat. A six-ounce sirloin steak with a quarter-inch of rim fat is 458 calories. A six-ouncer with no rim fat is only 372.
• Go extra-lean. A four-ounce medium-broiled burger made with extra-lean ground beef is 291 calories. A four-ouncer made with regular beef is 328.
• Eschew hotdogs. I consider them one of the 10 Worst Foods. Details.
• Don't fall for potato chips. They're not vegetables. They're fat and salt embedded in a vegetable substrate. Details.
• Decorate with berries. They contain almost no calories, yet they make almost any salad, cereal, or dessert more colorful and exciting. Most contain powerful antioxidants that help to protect you against cancer and aging. Think of them as edible confetti.
• Track your eating and exercise with Diet Power®, the world's most effective and easy-to-use weight-loss program for your PC. You can be using it just two minutes from now: download a free no-strings trial.