Swimsuit Season...eeek!!!

Summer is quickly approaching here in Texas, which means one thing...the "S" words are upon us!  Sun, shorts, sandals, and eeeeek...swimsuits!  For some, that's not scary.  I may or may not want to be friends with you.  For others, it's dreadful.  My mailbox has a VS Swimsuit catalog in it almost daily.  STOP!!! I GET IT, VICTORIA'S SECRET!!  But seriously, stop.  My face when checking my mailbox these days looks a lot like poor little Ariana Grande, pictured here getting smacked in the head with one of those VS Angel wings.--->

Last year, I was coming off comp season and eating like I'd never had a bite of cake in my life.  I wasn't the shape I wanted to be by the end of summer.  My motivation wasn't what it had been for the 4 months prior.  That's not saying I'd completely lost hope, just enjoyed more carbs that I should.  This year, I'm pretty determined to rock one of the cute high-waisted bikinis that I've seen in all the magazines.  My trouble spot is my tummy.  Always has been.  I know what I need to do and I'm going to divulge my not-so-top-secret plan.  It'll work for almost anyone, not just the six-pack impaired.  

Food: I've long been a proponent of carbs, just in moderation...and really only certain ones.  I'm cutting them out at about 3p, so dinner will have veggies as my carb.  (vegetables are carbs, just good ones!)  My protein will go back up to 1.25g/lb bodyweight.  Some people do better with a little more, some a little less.  1-2g/lb is pretty normal.  Remember The Zone Diet craze? (see pie chart)  Well, it wasn't so crazy.  I've played around with the percentages and my happy place is with a little more carbs and almost equal protein and fat.  To LOSE fat, I'm sticking to 45% carbs, 30% protein, and 25% fat.  The fat will help keep me satisfied and the carbs will help fuel my 3x/week workouts.  My overall calories will fluctuate a little as I build muscle and as summer gets closer, I'll be flipping my ratios around to lean out even more.  We'll see how it goes!

Exercise:  I love to lift.  Do I want to go back to 6x/week?  Not really...it's not as realistic for me right now.  Maybe again someday, but for now, I'm doing what I can.  So, Tues/Thurs/Sun will be my lift days.  I'll be doing all sorts of combos, but making sure to hit legs a little each time.  They're the biggest muscles, therefore help burn fat!  Have you ever tried Danceton??  It's super fun if you're someone who loves music and shakin' your booty.  You don't have to be coordinated, the dances repeat quite a bit throughout the songs and even week to week.  Just move!  

What things do you do to get your body ready for summer?  I'd love to hear it!