While planning for your big day can be a great motivator to help you slim down and shape up, it’s also a resort to drastic measures, fad programs, and quick fixes. Such tactics may initially help brides-to-be to lose weight, but at the end, they usually result in miserable failure. So to help you reach your goals, we’ve listed 13 tips to shed the unwanted pounds and get you in shape for your wedding day.
1) Calculate your BMR to reveal how many calories your body burns at rest (i.e. while sleeping and dreaming about your wedding day).
2) Using such a formula as the Harris Benedict Equation, calculate how many calories your body needs daily based on your activity level.
3) Next, calculate how many calories your body is actually taking in. I know…tracking calories is no fun. But with a wedding around the corner and all the food samples you’ll taste, it does require a little extra effort. Mental tracking doesn’t count. Write down everything you’re eating and drinking. Not only will you find out how much your eating daily, but you’ll unveil all your hidden and unnecessary calories (usually found in drinks, sauces, dressings, etc…).
4) After calculating how many calories your body needs daily and discovering how many calories you’re actually taking in, establish which number is larger. If you’re consuming more than your body needs, then you’re on a path towards weight gain. If it’s less, then you’re on your way towards weight loss.
5) The magic number is 3500! 3500 calories equals 1 pound. So for each deficit of 3500 calories you create…either via diet, exercise, or a combination of the two, you’ll lose one pound. Now, I’m not saying go out and lose 3500 calories a day! In fact, I wouldn’t even recommend losing more than 1 to 2 pounds a week. However, if you create a daily deficit of let’s say 500 calories a day by diet (assuring you don’t drop below a daily consumption of 1200 calories) and exercise, you’ll lose 1lb a week.
6) There’s something special about sitting down and having a meal with someone. It’s a time to reflect, share, and listen. So, as you’re about to start a life with someone else…hopefully one full of shared meals, use this time to discover what one another enjoy to eat. Then, since I’m not one for fad diets or eliminating any foods, search online for healthy recipes of these dishes…recipes comprised of whole grains and unprocessed as well as low-caloric ingredients.
7) As you’re probably experiencing, planning a wedding requires a lot of work. Nonetheless, so does beginning a new life with someone. To help keep control of what you’re eating, try preparing meals in bulk and freezing uneaten portions for easy and quick meals later (without having to resort to packaged meals or take-out). And if time is real tight, try finding crockpot recipes. All you need to mainly do is dump your ingredients into the slow-cooker, close the lid, and viola! By the time it’s time to eat, your meal is all done.
8) Finding vendors, meeting with vendors, sampling foods, running around, meeting with family and friends…all can take a toll on you. To keep your energy levels and metabolism up, make sure you have healthy snacks available with you at all times (i.e. almonds, fruits, etc…). In fact, it’s been said to eat 5 to 6 smaller meals a day to keep your metabolism up. For instance, eat breakfast, followed by a snack 3 hours later, then lunch another 3 hours later, then a snack, then dinner, and maybe an after dinner snack/dessert (again, about 3 hours apart per eating).
9) If you’re planning your own wedding, be ready to run around a lot. But note, running wedding errands is not the same as running. Yes, you do burn some calories (just like you do while sleeping), but you should incorporate exercise 3 to 5 days to maximize your weight loss potential. You’ll need both cardio (to burn the calories) and toning (to speed up your metabolism and strengthen your muscles).
10) Many brides start strong on a workout program but then quickly lose motivation and stop. To stay motivated, schedule your workouts in just like you would any other appointment.
11) Likewise, working out doesn’t have to be running on a treadmill. Find out what activities you enjoy. Perhaps for cardio, take a sexy dance class…maybe learn a few sexy, new moves to use on your honey moon…wink, wink. Maybe hit the gym with your future spouse to help spot you when toning. Or maybe, gather your bridesmaids together for a group workout. Their support will come in handy.
12) One reason we’re great advocates of hiring wedding planners is that planning a wedding can be a full time and stressful job. Good wedding planners, as us, have the connections, expertise, and resources to create your dream wedding within your budget. We do the hard and dirty work while focusing on creating a worry-free and smooth wedding for you and your guests. But, if you are planning your own wedding, don’t allow the stress to get you. Stress raises your cortisol level, a hormone known to create belly bulge. If you’re trying to lose weight, keep stress levels low and make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep.
13) As two lives become one…so does yours and your future spouse’s clutter. Research has shown that clutter can cause weight gain. How you ask? Well, a cluttered environment as well as a cluttered life and mind have shown to create stress. And once again, stress increases cortisol, which increases weight. What’s the solution, as you’re planning for your big day, also use this time to declutter your guys’ life and create a low-stress environment.
So there you go…13 tips to help you slim down and shape-up for your wedding day. On a final thought, remember not to allow your weight loss goal overwhelm you. Don’t focus on the big picture of let’s say losing 20lbs. Rather, create baby goals. Focus on losing 2lbs. Once you’ve accomplished that, then focus on another 2lbs. And before you know it, you’ll be flowing down the aisle to your love with the body you love.
