Everyone has some facet of his or her being that causes a bit of unhappiness. Whether it’s awkwardly long fingers, an unfortunately positioned mole, or a few extra pounds around the midsection, we all have one or two things about our own bodies that bug us or that we wish we could change. While some things are more difficult to change than others, our weight is something that can shift if we’re willing to put in the work to make it happen.

With summer just a few months away, we’re sure that plenty of you are fervently looking for ways to get your body ready for bathing suit season. There are plenty of fad diets and crash diets out there, which many people turn to in such times of body-weight-induced distress, but these methods are usually unhealthy and the results are often fleeting. In order to provide you with some of the best ways to lose weight for beach season, we’ve reached out to top doctors, each specializing in health fields as varied as cardiology, sleep medicine, plastic surgery, and hormone balancing, in order to get professional advice.

Dr. Michael S. Fenster, MD, FACC, FSCA&I, PEMBA, a faculty member at The University of Montana College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, has strong convictions when it comes to the consumption of seafood, sushi and otherwise. Specifically, he has a few fish bones to pick with one of the most widely available types of seafood in America today: tilapia.

He says, “There are trillions of bacteria in our intestines— some good and some bad. But when we eat the wrong foods or are exposed to toxins in the environment, the bad bacteria are allowed to proliferate and outnumber the good bacteria. These bad bacteria end up damaging the intestinal lining, creating holes that allow undigested food particles, toxins, and dangerous microbes… to pass through the gut wall and into the bloodstream. These foreign invaders then wreak havoc on the body — and the damage manifests differently in every person. Some develop diabetes or gallbladder issues, while others gain weight or develop dry, itchy skin.”

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Aim for Seven Hours of Sleep Per Night

“Get seven hours of sleep per night,” says Dr. Robert Ziltzer, MD FACP, FAAP, Obesity Medicine Certified. “Sleep deprivation increases hunger and fat-building hormones.”

“Lack of sleep leads to the over production of the hormone ghrelin,” says Dr. Robert S. Rosenberg, DO, FCCP, Board Certified Sleep Medicine Physician and author of The Doctor's Guide to Sleep Solutions for Stress & Anxiety. “This appetite-stimulating hormone is produced by the stomach. In fact, when chronically elevated, ghrelin causes an increased craving for carbohydrates, especially noncomplex carbs, which leads to a rapid rise in glucose followed by surges in insulin. This combination results in increased fat storage and nocturnal eating right at a time when we are the least likely to be able to burn calories.”

Avoid Foods With Bad Bacteria

“Avoid the foods that feed the bad bacteria, including sugar, gluten, and conventional dairy,” says Dr. Josh Axe, MD, a certified doctor of natural medicine, doctor of chiropractic, and a clinical nutritionist. This will help you lose weight while mending any damage caused by leaky gut.

Brush Your Teeth After Dinner

Dr. Robert Ziltzer suggests brushing your teeth after dinner instead of having a snack. We know that this is sometimes easier said than done, but it’s a quite effective (and hygienic) method. If you can’t resist eating after dinner, make sure your bedtime snack is packed with protein and slow-digesting healthy fats. And then brush your teeth.

Chew More Slowly

“Studies show that eating slower and enhancing chewing actually helps one achieve satiety faster,” says Dr. Scott Weiss, DPT, ATC, CSCS, FACSM, a licensed physical therapist, board-certified athletic trainer, registered exercise physiologist, strength and conditioning specialist and advanced personal trainer. “Training yourself to chew more slowly during a meal will make you feel as though your stomach is full sooner and therefore [you will] consume less calories.”

Click here to see The Rest of the Ways to Lose Weight for the Summer