At the beginning of last summer, 52-year-old fast-food addict Paula Moan was dreading the upcoming season and its promise of skimpier clothing and increased outdoor activities.
The 5-foot-10 financier tipped the scales at 280 pounds, had Type 2 diabetes, and was morbidly obese.
“I was not comfortable in my own skin,” says Moan, who was a fit three-sport athlete in college. “I needed to make a change.”
The summer months ended up being an ideal period to make that change. Moan followed a low-carb diet outlined by her friend Mike Berland, co-author of “Become a Fat-Burning Machine,” and by November she’d lost 50 pounds.
“It was definitely the best time of year to shed weight,” says Moan, who lives in Indianapolis and has two grown daughters.
Famed TV doctor Mehmet Oz agrees.
“This is the time of year when it’s so much easier to do the right thing for your body,” he tells The Post. “In January, when you go on a diet, you do it out of guilt, which is never a good motivation. But in the summer, it’s because you have aspirations, [and] people are quickly going to see how great you look. You can go outside and be more active, and fresh food is constantly in front of you.”
Research backs up Oz’s assertions. A January 2016 study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that people automatically take in fewer calories in the summer, when fruits and vegetables are more readily available. In 2012, Gallup research concluded that summer is the peak time for exercising due to the warmer weather.
And there are less quantifiable reasons that slimming down this time of year can be easier.
“Dieters feel more successful in summer compared to winter [because of] the mood,” says Oz. “People with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) have depressed mood and increased craving for carbs during the cold, darker months, and this contributes to weight gain. These symptoms go away when the light and warmth of spring and summer return.”
Berland’s research also has shown it’s easier to get healthy during the warmer months. In a recent survey conducted by his company, nearly two-thirds of Americans polled said summer is the easiest time of year to diet and the most promising for success.
Moan, who followed the basic principles of Berland’s “Become a Fat-Burning Machine” diet — eating three low-carbohydrate meals and two healthy snacks per day, cutting out sugar, and doing interval aerobic training — is a believer.
“Healthy food was so abundant, and I naturally craved things which have a higher water content [such as grapefruit, cantaloupe, tomatoes and beets],” she says.
Her go-to meal was broiled salmon with fresh vegetables, and she shrank from a size 22 to a size 16 by eating such foods. She also landed a new job and was reclassified as nondiabetic. This summer she’s looking forward to boating and water-skiing with her husband, Brad, at their weekend home.
‘In January, when you go on a diet, you do it out of guilt, which is never a good motivation. But in the summer, it’s because you have aspirations, [and] people are quickly going to see how great you look.’
- Dr. Mehmet Oz
For Peter Davis, 57, being able to spend more time outdoors walking and golfing was key to successful weight loss. Between April and September last year, he shed 30 pounds on the “Fat-Burning Machine” diet.
“I was incredibly motivated and diligent about it,” says the managing director of a large multifamily housing complex in Manhattan.
Like Moan, he’s looking forward to enjoying the coming months with his trimmer physique.
“Now that I’ve kept at it and lost the weight, my energy level is through the roof,” he says.
Looking to lose your winter pudge?
Oz and Berland have teamed up to offer tips, tricks and recipes for summer dieting.
Says Oz: “People should grasp the opportunity with both hands.”
Dr. Oz and Mike Berland’s summer slim-down plan
BREAKFAST: Start your day with half an avocado mixed with protein. “[It] will keep you satiated and boost your metabolism,” says Oz.
Avocado smoothie: In a blender combine ½ avocado, ½ tablespoon maple syrup, ½ a frozen banana, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk and ½ cup spinach.
SNACKS: Eat up to 2 ounces of nuts per day. They “help prevent visceral fat from forming around your organs,” says Dr. Oz.
LUNCH: “Fat-Burning Machine” Health Salad
Top 2 cups of chopped greens with ½ yellow bell pepper, chopped; ½ cup of cauliflower florets; ½ cup of chopped sweet pea pods; ½ to 1 cup of English cucumber slices; and ½ cup of halved cherry tomatoes. Serve with a dressing made from 1 tablespoon of olive oil with 1 to 2 tablespoons of a vinegar of your choice. PLUS: fiber-packed fruit such as raspberries for dessert.
DINNER: Pick ½ cup of a whole grain + 3 ounces lean meat + unlimited non-starchy veggies or ½ cup of beans. Only eat ancient grains, like quinoa, spelt, farro or millet — no white starches like white rice or simple carbohydrates like potatoes.“Your body will break down and absorb ancient grains more slowly than white flours, which are rapidly converted to sugar,” says Dr. Oz.
TIPS
Ditch processed foods, sugar, booze and diet soda
“Diet soda may have zero calories, but when you drink it, your taste buds continue to crave sweets, and that can lead to overeating,” says Dr. Oz. “Best to wean your taste buds off overly sweet things.”
Fast for 12 hours a day
Have a 12-hour fast window between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. “When you give your body a block of time to calm down from the food you put in it — 12 hours is probably enough — it allows you to reset to your fat-burning baseline,” says the doctor. “If you don’t continually resuscitate sugar levels in your body, it will begin to burn off fat stores.”
Go for a veggie flush
Dr. Oz recommends sipping a green smoothie all day long to stay full. To make: Combine 2 cups spinach, 2 cups water, 1 cucumber, 2 celery stalks, 1 whole pear and the juice of 1 lemon in a blender at high speed.
Here are a few more lip-smacking summer recipes featured in Mike Berland and Gale Bernhardt’s book “Fat-Burning Machine” to get you on the right road to losing weight:
SECRET YOGURT SAUCE
This yummy secret sauce can be used as a spicy salad dressing, a veggie dip or on sandwiches. It’s best with homemade salsa or pico de gallo. If you use store-bought salsa or pico, be sure to look for one that does not have added sugars.
³/₄ cup Greek yogurt
¼ cup *Salsa or Pico
Mix yogurt with salsa or pico and use as a salad dressing or sauce on sandwiches.
*SALSA or PICO
3 medium-size tomatoes
1 jalapeño (discard seeds)
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ onion, minced
¼ cup cilantro
½ lime, juiced
Place all ingredients except onion and cilantro in blender. Pulse until blended. Don’t leave on blend or it will become frothy. After incorporated, stir in onion and cilantro. PICO: Use same ingredients but slice tomatoes, jalapeño and onion very small. Stir in remaining ingredients.
GREEN GAZPACHO SOUP
Most people don’t think of soup as a good summer food. They haven’t tried this refreshing summer soup.
2 pieces of celery
2 cucumbers (remove skin & seeds)
½ jalapeño (discard seeds)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups spinach
½ cup parsley
³/₄ cup Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh basil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
¹/₃ cup water
Pour water into high-power blender. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Garnish with sprig of mint, tomato and ½ cup chopped cucumbers.
Recipes from the book “Fat-Burning Machine” by Mike Berland and Gale Bernhardt created by Gale Bernhardt and Danielle Polansky.