Getting Cut for Summer: Food & Fitness Tips for Fast Results

Want to get cut for summer quickly? We hear you! Ideally, fitness should be a year-round pursuit, but sometimes summer approaches before we’re beach-ready! Whether it’s a fitness competition, a team tryout, or a wedding, events can pop up with minimal time to prepare. So here are Sweat440’s helpful tips for getting cut in a hurry. When time is of the essence, use these guidelines to shred for your big day. Follow these tips throughout the year to make getting cut for summer easy when the beach is calling. For our friends in Florida, that’s 365 days a year!

Create a Proper Caloric Deficit

You’ve probably heard people say that losing weight starts in the kitchen. This is particularly true when you’re getting cut for summer. To get cut, you want to maintain sufficient caloric intake to preserve muscle, but you also want to create a proper caloric deficit, so that you lose unwanted fat. This is where the right foods will make all the difference. A properly executed caloric deficit will enable your body to burn through fat stores once it’s burned through the energy (calories) you consume. If you aren’t careful, though, your body can start using muscle stores, rather than fat stores, so you need to choose calories wisely.

All Protein is Not Equal for Fat Loss and Muscle Mass

You probably guessed that protein is a key component of cutting. But some protein, like a marbled ribeye, is going to pack on fat in addition to muscle. Other protein sources like sugary protein bars and shakes will add excess calories your body can’t use- increasing the odds they’ll be stored as fat. Choose protein sources that are clean and lean, like white fish, chicken breast, egg whites, and almonds. While nuts are an excellent source of protein and healthier fats, they should be consumed in proper portions to prevent excessive fat intake. Check myfitnesspal.com or your favorite calorie app before choosing protein. Here’s an example of how 2 foods with similar protein content can expedite or inhibit getting cut for summer.

8 oz. Atlantic Cod Filet: 189 calories, 1 gram of fat, 41 grams of protein

8 oz. Ribeye Steak: 590 calories, 47 grams of fat, 42 grams of protein

Carbs= Protein? Sometimes!

Do you have to cut carbs completely? No. Your body needs some carbs to use as energy, so that you don’t burn through muscle mass instead. But choose whole grain carbs with fibrous content to provide lasting energy and a dose of glycogen to help your muscles pop. You might be surprised to learn that many carbs also provide protein!

1 Cup of Whole Grain Oatmeal: provides 6 grams of protein

1 Cup of Quinoa: provides 8 grams of protein

Cook oatmeal with skim milk or unsweetened almond milk, or stir in clean protein powder to pack an even bigger punch. Add quinoa to a leafy green salad with lemon juice and herbs, topped with grilled chicken or fish to increase muscle mass while maintaining a caloric deficit.

Amount & Type of Calories Per Day Aren’t Universal

Want to know the quickest way to fall off the fat-cutting wagon? Eating something you hate. Your workout buddy might swear by 12 hard-boiled egg whites every morning, or eating salmon 3 times a day. But that doesn’t mean you should. There is no universal diet for getting cut. Each person needs to create a caloric deficit, but that’s determined by your current weight, current calorie consumption, body fat percentage, and amount of fat loss you hope to achieve.

In addition, being too monotonous or restrictive with food will make you bored of the meal plan, increasing odds of those cheat meals turning into cheat weeks! It’s fine to limit your food choices to simplify calorie counting, but if you restrict yourself to 3 or 4 foods, you’re likely to burn out and also deplete yourself of essential nutrients.

If you simply copy what someone else is doing, you’ll wind up frustrated, particularly if their diet plan is inadequate or unappetizing for you. If this is your first time getting cut for summer, consult an expert and listen to your body’s cues. Significantly undereating is detrimental, since it will slow your metabolism and have the undesired effects of exercise burnout and decreased muscle mass. The qualified trainers at Sweat440 can create a customized plan for you to get cut quickly.   

HIIT Gets You Cut Quickly for Summer

Whether you live in Florida or Texas where summer is always looming, or you live in Montréal or New York where summer sneaks up after winter hibernation, sometimes you need to get cut in a hurry! Experts agree, there’s simply no better way to get ripped quickly than high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

HIIT is superior for several reasons, including a greater calorie burn in a shorter amount of time than other workouts. But when you’re getting cut for summer, the best part about HIIT is its ability to shred body fat and increase muscle mass simultaneously. Sweat440’s compound cardio HIIT classes fuse cardio with weight training so you get ripped in half the time. Our dynamic machines and intervals of intensity allow you to hit your VO2 Max, which means you’ll keep burning calories, long after your workout. Combined with the right diet, HIIT enables you to increase and preserve muscle mass while burning the maximum calories in each workout.

Best of all, our classes are just 40 minutes, so you optimize fat loss and muscle gain in half the time! Our personal trainers circulate through every class, perfecting your form, and giving you tips for the best outcome. Try Sweat440’s incomparable HIIT classes for free to expedite getting cut for summer!

Getting Cut for Summer: 5 Tips for Diet & Exercise