The countdown to summer has began: glowing skin, healthy hair and a fantastic beach body are on the agenda. To get that overall gorgeous glow this summer, it begins first by clearing up your diet, hydrating your body with special body oils and balancing your hormones through nutrition. The 5 steps below are proven ways to lose weight for summer, have silky skin and boost your energy in time for the summer.

1) Keep a healthy thyroid function by increasing your intake of green vegetables and low glycaemic fruits. Avoid vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, which slow down your production of thyroid hormones. Opt for foods rich in vtamins and minerals to boost the conversion of T4 to T3, giving you more energy and weight loss. T3 is the active molecule in the thyroid - it burns all the accumulated, hard-to-shift weight around undesired parts of the body such as, the waist, thighs and hips.

2) Cut out processed, greasy, fried, salty edibles and anything sugary. These foods are devoid of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, which clog up your liver, kidneys and intestine, causing low energy and unhealthy looking skin.

3) Forget about celebrity diets because a majority of them are absent of essential fats, vitamins and minerals that your body requires, especially when you're losing weight or undergoing stress of any kind. The oldest diet in the world, the Palaeolithic diet, involves eating what our ancestors ate: low carbohydrate, high protein and vegetables. Eating this way results in weight loss, significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and aids digestion. And you don't have to count calories or worry about what you've eaten.

4) Hydrate your body, both internally and externally, with borage oil. This oil (available in capsules and toical form) is the secret to beautiful skin. Add good quality fish oils and your skin will become silkier.

5) Topical hormones are the final touch for high energy levels and enviable skin. The cocktail of hormones such as estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, melatonin and human growth hormone, stimulate the fibroblasts (the cells responsible for making collagen) What follows is: thick, clear, flawless skin that looks biologically younger.