Is it realistic to dramatically lose weight before a wedding?

Most brides will admit to trying to lose a bit of weight before their wedding in order to feel confident on their special day.

I know I set myself a challenge of losing half a stone before marrying Mark, I managed it in the end but it took quite a lot of work I’ll be honest and naturally a few months later I’d piled it back on!

In the UK apparently one in ten women are aiming to lose a massive four stone or more before they wed, according to new research by XLS-Medical.

Wow, now that is a challenge!

However, as expected 57 per cent of women undo their hard slimming work by gaining weight on their honeymoon and the subsequent weeks after the wedding.

This yo-yo dieting is hardly healthy and Dr Matt Capehorn, clinical director at the National Obesity Forum claims that it is “not advisable for a number of reasons”.

“Rapid weight loss, especially if done without support, is likely to result in weight gain. Undertaking a healthy eating and exercise plan with a realistic goal in mind will ensure dieters are not only looking good but feeling great for their wedding day and beyond,” he explained.

After consulting with my friends who have been in similar situations it seems the best way to achieve pre-wedding weight loss is to set a realistic weight loss goal.

As well as this you’ll need to think carefully about when to start your diet or exercise plan as anything less than three months is probably going to be too difficult to manage and less healthy.

I found that making a lot of small changes was the best way to do it, so walking to work and keeping a food diary to show what I’m eating were probably my best methods.

How are you trying to lose weight before your wedding?

Posted by Elsa Pienaar