Here Comes The (Skinny) Bride

Spring or early summer is the most popular time for weddings.
But no matter when you’re planning your wedding, the stress can
be overwhelming! The average cost of a wedding in the United
States is over $22,000. About $7,630 of that is spent on the
wedding reception (source: American Wedding Study, 2002). From
increasing costs to angry relatives to the never-ending guest
list, a wedding brings stress and frustration for the bride.

Unfortunately, we often resort to binge eating and ‘comfort
foods’ during times of stress, which of course puts on the
pounds and creates even more stress! “I bought what size wedding
dress?!?!?”

Approximately 7 out of every 10 brides crash diet or starve
prior to their wedding date (source: fresnoweddings.net). Real
health and fitness experts will tell you that crash diets and
starvation diets are the worst thing we can do! “If you
crash-diet, you run the risk of comprising your health … so
that your hair, skin, nails don’t look good for your big day or
in the wedding pictures. If you want to lose weight before your
wedding, look for a balanced eating plan” (source: Suzanne
Henson, coordinator of the University of Alabama-Birmingham’s
EatRight Weight Management Program).

So what’s a blushing bride to do if she has only six weeks until
her wedding, and the stress is building up faster than the
potluck table at church? There is hope…..

First of all, start exercising now. It’s crunch time, and while
the old 30-minutes per day, 3 times per week may work for the
general public it’s probably not enough for the bride. Shoot for
30-minutes per day, six days per week. Be sure to include both
cardio and resistance training so you’ll get some muscle tone
while you’re burning fat.

Second, banish all high-fat junk food from the house. Be strong!
You can do this! No Twinkies, no bacon, no chocolate cream pie.
Eat plenty of lean protein (skinless chicken breast, fish, etc.)
and absolutely pig out on fresh vegetables! Drink plenty of
water, and in all cases avoid the empty calories found in soda,
alcohol and that sweet kids juice.

Finally, be wary of the weight-loss ‘tricks’ that you’ll hear
from your girlfriends. There is no magic pill that will make you
a size 6 by the wedding, so don’t experiment. Don’t starve
yourself because that will make you grumpy, make you retain fat,
eliminate muscle tone, and set you up for failure. Don’t listen
to the gossip about the newest ‘cabbage diet’ or ‘grapefruit
diet’ or ‘Hollywood diet’. Instead, stick with a balanced diet
and exercise…..this is the only proven way to lose fat and
look your best.

Two more bits of advice for the bride: Eat breakfast the morning
of your wedding day – 8 out of every 10 brides don’t eat
breakfast (source: fresnoweddings.net) which will only make you
miserable and weak during the reception! Most importantly,
remember that he knew exactly what you looked like when he
proposed to you, and he still proposed! He loves you the way you
are, and all these fears about size and weight are unfounded
anyway!

Relax, enjoy yourself, and make the lifestyle changes that will
bring results. Have a great wedding!

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