LOSE WEIGHT IN TIME FOR SUMMER

Summer is coming and it is not too late to lose weight, fast. Most of you reading this will need a beach body ready for that summer holiday or be in need of a quick weight loss fix, and while I don't recommend fast weight loss in the majority of cases it is necessary in some.

You can lose weight fast in a safe and effective way, but realise that this is a short term fix and should not be looked at as a long term solution. The following three steps will help you hit your weight loss goals ready for summer!

1. Use a large calorie deficit. This one is the hardest but most necessary. You will need to be very strict with your eating for a short period of time but the rewards will be worth it. You will need great willpower and determination. Now normal weight loss nutrition plans usually call for around a 500 calorie deficit. For this one we're going to shoot more for a 1,000-1,250 deficit. It is really important to be very aware of what you can stick to for a short period of 2-4 weeks. It will be tough, but there are a couple of tips I can give you to make this more bearable. Firstly make sure you load up on veg and salad; these are super low in calories and will keep you full while staying low in calories. Eat a very high amount of protein; this macro-nutrient is very satiating and will help you to keep full for longer.

2. Use HIIT cardio to burn fat. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and involves serious hard work for short periods of time. So many studies have shown this method of cardio to burn insane amounts of calories not just during your workout but for 24 hours after while your body recovers. You can do this anywhere too and don't need to be in a gym to do it. Use exercises such as running, cycling and rowing where you'll be using your whole body and the demands placed on it will be much higher. The protocol to follow here, using running as an example, will be to use short maximal working sets followed by longer resting sets. Try to run at your maximum speed for 20-25 seconds and follow it with 45-90 seconds of walking, then repeat this for 10-15 rounds. Do this 3-5 times per week and watch your body change right before your eyes.

3. Drink a LOT of water. Water has absolutely no calories and helps so much to suppress your appetite. Most advice will point you to drinking 2-3 litres per day of water. I would advise more than this, pushing more towards 4-6 litres a day. Drinking this amount of water will flush everything out and help your body to release all the water you're holding, meaning you will not appear watery at all and will slim right down in no time.

Use these tips for the short term and let me know how you get on. It may seem tough to begin with but keep in mind it is not for the long term at all. It is a large calorie deficit and will place a big demand on your body to complete the HIIT training each week but in 3 weeks' time you will look back and see how much it was worth it.