Healthy diet outdoors.

Is it a good idea to diet in summer?

Starting a diet in the summer can be beneficial if done with balance. In this article, we review the pros and cons.

BY Sílvia Cardona | 03 July 2025

The concept of diet is instantly linked to weight loss and, in most cases, it conjures up the idea of low caloric diets (based on calorie restriction). However, following this type of diet causes different reactions in the body, which has mechanisms to protect itself against the lack of food using a homeostatic system that seeks to maintain the body weight, such as a slowing down of the metabolism and an increase in the feeling of hunger. 

So, what should be done to effectively lose weight in a sustained way? The first thing is to reduce or eliminate highly processed foods (snacks, soft drinks, industrial confectionery, commercial sauces, etc.). On the other hand, it is recommended to include dishes based on vegetables, legumes, fruit or wholemeal grains, which induce a feeling of satiety. To increase the lean mass and to prevent the metabolism from slowing down, it is crucial to carry out strength-based physical exercise and to be physically active. 

Running away from miracle diets 

With the arrival of the good weather, an avalanche of messages, diets and products aimed at the ‘bikini challenge’ appear. It is very difficult to stick to miracle or fashionable diets and they do not promote long-term result, rather the opposite, but they are very popular, particularly on social media. Scientific evidence affirms that many of these diets can create dysfunctional patterns related to food, as well as nutritional deficiencies. According to the Spanish Foundation of Dieticians-Nutritionists (FEDN), some of the main characteristics of fraudulent weight-loss diets are: 

  • They guarantee and promise fast results. 
  • They give affirmations that contradict highly reputable healthcare professionals. 
  • They include stories or testimonies that bring credibility. 
  • They contain lists of good and bad ingredients. 
  • They exaggerate or distort the scientific reality of a nutrient or food. 
  • They include or are based on the consumption of preparations that are sold by those promoting the diet. 
  • The preparations to be eaten have a very high cost in comparison to the economic value of obtaining the same results eating common foods. 
  • They usually disassociate themselves with any possible adverse effects related to their use with sentences such as: “The author or the manufacturer is not responsible for…” 
  • They use recommendations based on a single study. 

Dieting in the summer? Pros and contras 

When starting a diet in the summer, there are aspects that can either make it easier or more difficult to stick to your diet. 

Main advantages:

  • More free time. There is usually more time available to organise yourself, do the shopping, plan weekly menus, cook, etc. All of this encourages the implementation of healthy eating habits. 
  • A wide variety of fresh seasonal foods. With the heat, it is very common for you to feel like lighter (low in calories), refreshing dishes. There are many fresh, seasonal ingredients such as fruit and vegetables, in addition to recipes such as salads, gazpacho soup and other cold soups and creams, fruit smoothies, etc.  
  • Outdoor exercise. We have already seen the importance of accompanying your diet with physical activity. In the summer, it is easier to be able to carry out activities in the open air (walking, running, skating, cycling, swimming, hiking, etc.) At the same time, we are exposed to sunlight, which is essential for synthesising vitamin D. 

Main disadvantages: 

  • Adaptation of meals outside the home. In the summer, it is normal to snack more between meals, eat ice creams, fast-food, as well as increasing the consumption of alcohol and sugary drinks. Additionally, going to restaurants often involves eating larger dishes and sweet desserts. Fried dishes may be prepared with reused vegetable oils; therefore they end up being more pro-inflammatory and difficult to digest.  
  • Less routine. This time of year is characterised by having more hours of sunlight, which has an impact on our schedules. For example, there is a tendency to delay meals. The lack of routine also may make it difficult to implement new habits, as an element that helps a great deal to achieve them is to establish links between an action that we do unconsciously (an established habit) with the one that we want to acquire. 
  • More social plans that revolve around meals. This usually causes great problems when following a specific diet. The excesses and temptations of aperitifs, beach bars or different festivals and celebrations can be very difficult to avoid. 

 

Starting a diet in the summer can be an opportunity to become used to eating fresh foods and preparing light recipes, rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals. But it is essential to avoid following very restrictive diets which, in the long run, will have a counterproductive effect on losing weight and maintaining this weight loss.  

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