Are you in shape for San Diego Pride? July 25-27 is right around the corner. For those of you who want to look your absolute best, here are a few tips to help you get rid of those last five pounds, look a little leaner, and feel your best for one of the most outrageous events of the year!

1. For you guys out there spending your workouts twisting and crunching those abs, desperately trying to melt away those love handles, try a different approach. Yes, do some abdominal work but add some cardiovascular exercise to your routine. You’ll burn more fat off your mid-section adding a half-hour cardio session each day than you ever would doing abdominal exercises. If you aren’t exercising at all, taking a brisk walk every day for half an hour will help you lose approximately a half pound per week (250 calories). If you create a calorie deficit of 500 calories each day, you will lose one pound of fat by the end of the week.

2. To get that weight down, for the next month try eating a light dinner and going to bed with your food fully digested. Many of us eat way too much before bedtime and don’t work it off (bummer)! Try a moderate meal of protein (fish, chicken breast, lean steak) with a plate full of veggies. Vegetables are full of fiber, which doesn’t ever convert to body fat.

3. Begin each day with a healthy breakfast, even if you aren’t used to eating breakfast. By going to bed a little hungrier than usual, you will begin to sense hunger in the morning. If not, start with a four-ounce glass of orange juice or half a ripe banana, then build your meal up from there. Having a breakfast at approximately the same time every day will set your body’s clock to “ring” for food more regularly, instead of setting you up for over-eating later in the day.

4. In an ideal world, cut out alcohol completely. In the fitness industry, we call alcohol “liquid fat” because it is almost as high in calories as dietary fat! If you feel that going alcohol-free for a month is not going to happen in your lifetime, at least cut back your consumption by half for the five weeks leading up to San Diego Pride. If you feel pressured by friends, drink one alcoholic beverage while out socializing and alternate that with a non-alcoholic, low-cal beverage. After a while, who’s even noticing what you have in your glass?

5. Find an activity that you and your partner enjoy together. I see a lot of guys training together at our gym. They spot and encourage each other to push out that extra rep! If lifting weights is not your thing, find something else — just move your body more than you usually do! Some of my clients that don’t particularly like to exercise will at least go out dancing a few times a week! The bottom line is this: it is better to move your body to burn stored calories (body fat) than to remove nutrition from your diet.

Below is a suggested diet for the next four weeks:

Starch or grain: oatmeal, bran flakes, cream of rice cereal, Grapenuts, Kashi, or corn tortillas.

Protein: Whey protein powder (mix in hot cereal or make a shake), egg whites or egg substitute, skim or one percent milk, non-fat yogurt or non-fat cottage cheese

Fruit or vegetable: frozen fruit for a protein shake or as a cereal topping, mixed veggies for an egg white omelet.

Banana and 1-2 tbs. of salt-free natural peanut butter

Apple or pineapple with non-fat cottage cheese

Applesauce and salt-free almonds (approx. 12)

A low-fat bran muffin

Non-fat yogurt with non-fat granola sprinkled on top

Rye Krisp crackers or melba toast with an ounce of low-fat cheese

Starch or grain: rice, any legume (corn, peas, black beans, kidney beans, lentils), yam, potato, sweet potato, whole-wheat pasta (minimize servings of processed/ refined foods).

Protein: Chicken or (real) turkey breast, all fish and seafood, tofu and other low-fat meat. Grill or bake using fat-free condiments only.

Vegetables: Salad (with non-fat dressing only), or grilled or steamed veggies.

Snack

(choose one from above that you didn’t eat)

Starches or grains: none

Protein: a larger portion than at lunch. An occasional lean steak is fine.

Vegetables: fill 2/3 of your plate with a variety of mixed veggies (salad, steamed or grilled).

In a world of crazy, fad diets, be sensible. If you crash diet, you’ll only gain it back and, quite possibly, more weight than you started with!

Remember, food is the highest form of self-care and movement is a gift!

See you at Pride!