Summer is approaching, meaning that it’s time to lose a few pounds and get yourself into swimsuit shape! While you may be able to accomplish this by yourself, using the correct exercise routine, diet and supplements can give you that extra push to get into shape in time for your first beach outing.

When you are trying to lose weight, you should make sure to weigh yourself regularly. This ensures that you stay on track and helps you to focus on the progress you’ve made. Most experts recommend weighing about once a week to get a good idea of your weight loss or gain.

Keeping track of the calories that you take in each day is an important part of weight loss. Determine how many calories is an appropriate daily goal for you and then create meals that will fit in with your plans. Write down everything you eat, and how many calories it “cost” you, so that you don’t become confused about what you need to do each day.

Treating yourself can actually be an important part of any weight loss diet. Making hard and fast rules about food, such as telling yourself that you’ll never eat chocolate cake ever again, can actually make you obsess about food. This leads to stress and overeating, both of which can ruin your weight loss plan. Try to give yourself a small treat everyday, or a slightly larger one at the end of the week for making your goals.

To remind yourself to stay motivated on your weight loss journey, ask someone to take a photo of you. Post it where it will be easy to see, or keep extra copies with you. Each time you start to overdo it with food, or you don’t want to exercise, look at the photo to remind yourself of what you want to change.

If your goal is to lose weight in general, you should avoid eating a diet that’s high in protein. Muscle growth is weight gain. Unless you actually want larger muscles, remember that protein is the fuel that builds them. High-protein diets are great for weight trainers, but people who need to lose overall weight shouldn’t ingest too much protein.

Set realistic weight loss goals so that you don’t get discouraged. If you plan on losing 5 pounds a week, every week, for the next 3 months you are setting yourself up for failure. Doctors recommend a pound to a pound and a half loss, per week. It is likely to be more on some weeks and less on other weeks.

One great weight loss tip is to avoid condiments that are high in fat, such as ranch dressing or bleu cheese. These can add hundreds of calories to your diet on a daily basis. Instead, try to use a vegetarian bean dip, such as hummus, that is much lower in calories and is actually good for you.

A lot of people mistakenly hide the fact they are on the path to weight loss. People who care about you will encourage and motivate you if they are aware of your goals. They may also be more watchful of what they give you to eat or drink.

To help one lose weight it can be useful to substitute low fat foods for the regular version of the same foods. With this switch one can can still enjoy the foods they like to eat. However the food they are eating will have less fats and other ingredients that work against weight gain.

Keep track of everything you eat in a food journal or online. Counting calories is easier if you have everything recorded in one place. It may keep you from going against your diet plan if you know you’ll have to write everything down. Additionally, if you notice you aren’t making progress, you can look back at what you’ve been eating and identify problems.

To boost your overall health, try adding more fiber to your diet. Fiber provides a number of health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Not only that, but it can also promote weight loss. Some of the best sources of fiber include fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains.

When eating meat, you are supposed to have a portion that is the size of an average deck of playing cards. If that does not seem like it will be enough you can try pounding it out. While it is the same amount of meat, the fact that it is visually larger will make a difference.

You must stay positive and start setting small goals every week. Improving your diet, increasing your physical activity and being patient will lead to better health and weight loss. Then you can continue on your program in order to help you to maintain your weight loss.