Everyone wants to look the best that they can for the summer. It is a great feeling to notice the attention that you receive when walking on the beach or the compliments that your friends give you for having a great body. Unfortunately, when we hibernate for the winter indoors, extra weight builds up. Fortunately, there ways to counteract the flat tire that is developing and show off your figure in time for summer. Here are some tips to get you started on your way to looking and feeling great for summer.

1. Take out the fast food and replace it with home cooking. Even if you are on the go and think that fast food is the easiest way to eat quickly, you simply cannot do that if you expect to look good for the summer. Fix yourself a sandwich with turkey breast and take it with you to work. Their foods are loaded with tons of calories, most of which don't even leave you satisfied. For an 800 calorie burger, you would have to eat the equivalent of at least 7 apples. I don't know about you, but I cannot even eat 2 apples without feeling overly stuffed. Don't put these useless calories in your body unless you want to see the weight added.
2. Add protein to your diet. This is perhaps one of the best things that you can do to lose weight, especially when combined with weight training. Substitute some of your carbohydrate consumption with protein. Protein serves as an essential nutrient for building muscle and helps to leave you feeling satisfied. Not only that, but your body burns 10% of the calories that you take in from protein to digest protein. So make sure to eat lots of chicken breast, fish, steak and nuts to aid your summer weight loss goals.
3. Keep your carbs under control. Carbohydrates are the easiest form of energy for your body to digest. Your body is lazy; it would rather go ahead and burn carbs before it will attack your fat. Not only that, but carbohydrates are easily converted to fat - especially if you consume them before a period of inactivity such as bedtime. Don't drop your carbs completely, but make sure that the sources that you your carbohydrates from is quality, such as fruits and vegetables instead of sweets.
4. Drink lots of water. Do not drink any soda, ever! Their high fructose corn syrup is the carb most likely to turn into fat, the phosphoric acid is acidic enough to clean your toilet bowl, and the diet sodas make you even thirstier! Drinking more water will tell your body that you have an abundant supply of water therefore it can stop holding so much around your midsection. Drink at least three fourths of your bodyweight in ounces of water a day. If you want something instead of water, drink some tea.
5. Do some weight training. Weight training (let me take a breath): increases your strength, endurance, metabolism, relieves stress, promotes bone health, prevents injury, improves balance and coordination, strengthens immune system, enhances performance, improves posture, improves body image, lowers blood pressure, lowers your resting heart rate, improves your mood, and burns fat. Need I say more? So go to the gym 2-3 days a week with a weight training program and reap the benefits.

There are many other ways that you can get in shape for summer, but these are just a few to get you started. Now go out there and look sexy, I'm ordering you.