As a swimwear model turned designer, Angela Martini has to be in tip top shape at any given time. Angela believes you can determine your own future and that all women have the ability to be the best that they can be. Angela’s tricks and tips from being a swimwear and lingerie model will help you shed some last minute pounds before heading to the beach.

Here’s her tips:

After a crazy weekend of lots of brunching and enjoying good food with friends (which is my favorite past time) I want to feel good about myself again, I start doing a juice cleanse for one day because the stomach has nothing to digest. Have as many juices as you feel, It will flush you out, gives all the vitamins you need and will keep you full of energy. Do this for one day, the next day I have dark chocolate for breakfast and have a full lunch. it gets me back on to normal. This is my secret and it really works for me.

Flushing out her system isn’t her only secret, Angela likes to not feel bloated either, and quite frankly…who does!

I stay away from salads the day of shoots, salad is so light that it tends bloats my stomach more and I have less energy. I usually have a little plate of pasta with a simple tomato sauce; it gives me constant energy throughout the day and keeps me full. Also, I really do not suggest snacking. Stay away from crackers and nuts – nuts bloat you – it’s the worse thing for you. Have proper meals if you are hungry – but don’t snack in between, it will stay in the stomach and the stomach needs time to digest the meals you already have have and want to be hungry in order to have a flat stomach. I don’t believe in eating every 2 hours, it’s about eating 3x a day.

And when that sweet tooth craving kicks in…

“If I am craving something sweet, I eat dark chocolate because they have anti-oxidants. I always carry dark chocolate with me – especially when I am traveling (I LOVE CHOCOLATE). I have 70% dark chocolate, it acts as a diuretic and absorbs the water in my body. I find that I am in my best shape when I am eating dark chocolate.”

But feeling skinny isn’t everything.

“I know when you wake up in the morning, when my stomach feels flat and I feel great about myself, I want to skip breakfast, because I am thinking ‘I look so skinny’ but I remind myself to not skip breakfast, because in the evening I will eat double and it will be worse for my body. In the morning the metabolism is much faster than at night, and the energy will be higher if I eat in the morning. “