10 Tips for Shedding Weight Before Your Wedding Date
When it comes to weight loss there are all kinds of motivational tools that can cause people to stand up and take action. In the case of most women, there is nothing more motivational than an engagement ring. With that sparkling ring comes love, commitment, and the thought of hundreds of wedding guests staring at you for an entire day.
So, it really comes as no surprise to know that women often go to great lengths to shed unwanted weight before they walk down the aisle. If this motivation is the one that gets you going, great, everyone needs some kind of motivation after all. What better excuse is there to get into the best shape of your life than your upcoming wedding date?
But herein lies the problem. Too many brides-to-be will result to drastic, and dangerous, measures to lose the weight before their wedding date. While some of these tactics can prove to be successful to a small degree, even though they are not safe, for the most part this extreme method will fail in a big way. The truth is these fast diets and “magic” pills simply don’t work for lasting weight loss and can often do more harm than good. That can mean added weight gain, which is the last thing you want going into your big day.
Fortunately, there is a way in which you can lose weight for your wedding day, and beyond. This might sound a bit stressful, but in reality, you have it in you to do it…you just need a solid plan. Then it is simply a matter of sticking to it and taking each day leading up to your wedding as a personal challenge; one you know you will conquer.
Tips for Success
Even if this is the first time you’ve decided to institute proper diet and exercise into your life, you can do it. Use the following ten tips to get you going and above all else, remain strong and resolve in your goal to look stunning in your wedding gown on your special day.
Tip 1: Keep Track – Keep track of every single calorie you ingest. The samples you’ll enjoy planning your wedding, sips of various champagnes and wines that might be served at the reception. They all count! Keep a journal of all the calories you are taking in on a daily basis and look at it each night. This daily reminder will help keep you on track and ensure you are not subconsciously overeating.
Tip 2: Sample Within Your Limit – There is little doubt that you will taste many samples leading up to your wedding day, as alluded to in Tip 1. However, you will obviously know when you are going to have these sample tastings so you must therefore plan for these sample tastings so that you can stay within your daily calorie limit. For example, if your daily calorie limit is 2,000 then you have to plan the sample calories in for that day. Don’t eat your regular meals and then all the samples on top of that. Doing so can mean an additional 500 to 1000 calories, which will derail your wedding day weight loss goals. Cut back on your other meals if you know you will be sampling.
Tip 3: Start Eating Breakfast – Even if you’re not a breakfast eater, you’ll want to become one. Many studies show that eating breakfast can help you stave off cravings that come due to hunger pangs. Of course, the trick is to eat a healthy breakfast that won’t weigh you down and will instead help jump start your metabolism. This can lead to more calories burned throughout the day and might even motivate you enough to hit the gym when you are done with work.
Tip 4: Fitness is King – Working out goes hand in hand with a proper diet. Diet alone will not get you where you want to be with your weight loss, but when you add in daily exercise you not only lose weight, you add muscle tone as well. That means looking thinner, and more toned, in your wedding gown. No matter how busy your life is and no matter how badly you might want to give it a halfhearted effort, consistent and steady exercise must become part of your wedding day weight loss strategy.
Tip 5: Find Support – Don’t go at your wedding day weight loss alone. What you are setting out to do can, and will, be hard at times and you will make it through those hard times much easier when you have some support. This can be your fiancé, a relative, or even a friend. Your Maid of Honor is probably a safe bet, but nobody will support you if you don’t ask for it.
Tip 6: No Alcohol – Drinking alcohol can be a weight loss nightmare. First and foremost, alcohol is filled with calories, which is counterproductive to weight loss in the first place. However, even more harmful is the effect alcohol can have on your inhibitions. Even having a couple casual drinks can make you feel too relaxed and give you that, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” attitude. So, you’ll eat better tomorrow, or you’ll workout tomorrow. But, there are only so many tomorrows before your wedding day is here.
Tip 7: Don’t Fall for the Fads – You may be tempted along the way to try a fad diet or even some fad workout routine. Don’t! There are no shortcuts to weight loss success. If something sounds too good to be true with a diet or exercise program you might be considering, that’s probably because it is. Stick to doing the right thing with your nutrition and activity level and you will be far better off, especially in the long-term.
Tip 8: Don’t Starve – Don’t be fooled into thinking that you can starve your way to weight loss success. You should be eating a well balanced diet of meals and snacks, and as long as those snacks are healthy and low calorie you will be fine. In fact, you should try to eat at least every four hours so you don’t have the kind of cravings that can lead you to become a ravenous eating machine.
Tip 9: Drink Plenty of Water – Drinking plenty of water is wonderful when you are trying to lose weight. Studies have shown that those who drink their daily limits in water will actually eat less throughout the day, which means fewer calories ingested. Get used to having a bottle of water in your hands at all times and make it a habit to take a sip of water after ever bite of food you swallow.
Tip 10: Be True to Yourself – Remember what you are working so hard for; your wedding day. You must remain true to yourself in the face of food cravings and temptations to skip a gym session. Remind yourself how important it is to you to look stunning at your wedding. Remember, your wedding day will go down as one of the most important days in your entire life. You owe it to yourself to look the way you want to look so that you can feel as amazing as possible on your big day…not to mention look amazing!
