Wedding Weight Loss Tips

Wedding weight loss tips from real-life experience

Mrs. Octopus tells of her interesting personal experience with losing weight on WeddingBee.com. There is a lot to be learned from her experiences, so it is worth taking a closer look.

To start, she is not a person that tends to be overweight. So why the need for weight loss?

I bought my wedding dress the summer before my master’s degree program began, and then, over the course of that master’s degree program, gained maybe…six pounds? Seven?

Then, in July, I made a trip to Pittsburgh, and I tried on my wedding dress for the first time since I’d bought it. And—yikes—it barely fit.

It was so tight that she couldn't sit and really couldn't even breath comfortably while wearing it.

If you've had trouble with your weight you might have had similar experiences. You know the kind -- like lying on your back on the bed and sucking in your stomach to get your pants buttoned. No fun.

So what did she do?

Tip #1 -- Make reasonable goals

After that, I knew that if I didn’t focus a bit more closely on my diet & exercise regimen, I’d be almost unbearably uncomfortable on my wedding day.

Now, that makes sense. She didn't make some unrealistic and unreasonable goals. She just wanted to be comfortable.

Tip # 2 -- Analyze the problem

She made a little analysis to see what could have caused the problem. To her credit she was willing to look at the factors that led to her gaining weight. This is not always easy to do.

Part of the problem was her diet, namely...

... huge breakfasts... a huge sucker for a bagel slathered with cream cheese... I eat a lot of dessert... eating chocolate in some way, shape, or form every single day, no exaggeration... no idea what an appropriate portion size is...

Tip #3 -- Break the sugar habit

It's one thing to have a treat on occasion. If you otherwise are eating fairly well and doing the things you need to do to stay healthy, you should be able to have reasonable amounts of desserts.

But "a lot of desserts" and chocolate "every single day" is pretty tough for any body of any size to overcome.

Tip # 4 -- Eat reasonable portions

Portion sizes are another matter entirely. Mrs. Octopus isn't the only one that doesn't know what reasonable portions are. She is in a society which has completely taken leave of its senses regarding portions.

If you use restaurant portions for your guide you are sunk. With "supersized" portions and platters heaped with food it's hard to recognize what a reasonable portion size is.

Where to start? If you're overweight and struggling to control your weight, you should think about cutting your usual portions in half. And not just when you eat in restaurants. Cut them in half at home too.

So what did she find when she took a look at her portion sizes?

When I started measuring, counting, and weighing my portions carefully I was straight-up stunned by how much I had been overeating.

Tip # 5 -- Keep track of what you are eating

This is a very common reaction when people really take a look at what they are eating. They are stunned.

This is the first vital step in weight loss. Many people never get to the stage of being stunned, because they never really stop and take a look at what they are eating.

For the most part people don't like to measure and count their food. But if you don't do this, how do you ever really figure out what you are eating? You don't.

So if you've never done this step -- and done it thoroughly enough to really understand food and portion sizes -- it's likely that you'll always have weight trouble.

Now, how did Mrs. Octopus get back into her dress?

I also weighed/measured/counted my portion sizes religiously, which was a crucial step. I was seriously shocked... I never thought portions were a big deal. I mean, what’s the problem with eating too much hummus, or almonds, or organic yogurt, or bananas, right? Yeah, no. Wrong.

Tip # 6 -- Drink enough water

Drank tons and tons of water. I have heard that people often think they’re hungry when they’re actually thirsty...

Tip # 7 -- Eat enough vegetables

Ate lots of vegetables... I noticed that on days when I skimped on vegetables, I ended up feeling a lot hungrier all day.

Quit desserts cold turkey... I think cutting anything completely out of your diet, even dessert, is not a sustainable long-term choice...

So as you can see, she did a lot with her diet. Measuring her food was a real eye opener. And then she shifted her diet from excessive junk food snacks to healthier foods.

Tip # 8 -- Increase your exercise intensity

What about exercise?

Exercised four times a week. I also did my best to really push myself during workouts, and took a lot of fitness classes. I am often guilty of bopping around on the elliptical for twenty minutes–just enough to work up a light glow and a slightly elevated heart rate–and then calling it quits, but I wanted to do better than that.

She exercised regularly and increased the intensity. The 20 minute "light workouts" are never going to get you to your goal weight.

All of this effort worked for Mrs. Octopus. She lost 10 pounds and looked gorgeous in her dress.

But she didn't just look great, she felt great.

Before the wedding, physically, I felt great. I was energized, limber, and just felt really, really healthy.

Tip # 9 -- Plan ahead to avoid the "After-Wedding Crash"

So, everything was perfect, and she lived happily ever after, right? Well, not quite. In fact, she was...

... DYING, dyiiiiiiing, to go feral on some French fries, or a cupcake, or a big sloppy bacon and egg sandwich.

After the wedding? I will go ahead and tell you that I’ve totally been binging.

And what about her exercise routine that she got such great results with? She dropped that out too.

You know what I did stop, though? Exercising... I just totally quit. Haven’t exercised since the Wednesday before my wedding.

Here's the sad part of it all:

And you know what? I feel like crap. There is a big, noticeable difference between the way I felt before the wedding and how I feel now. I feel sluggish and tired and heavy. My posture sucks and my shoulders hurt. It’s almost hard to explain, but I just feel different, bad different. I have already gained back five of the ten pounds I lost (in the eighteen days since my wedding!!) and I am not exactly pleased about that.

Tip # 10 -- Work toward long-term results

Is there a take-home message from all of this? Mrs. Octopus finally decided...

So, I think I’ve learned a valuable lesson in moderation.

There is a middle ground with weight loss. On the one hand there are the oversized meals, greasy foods, excessive sugary treats and couch-potato lifestyle.

On the other hand is the iron-fisted rigid discipline that doesn't allow you some of life's pleasures that you'll really miss.

And in the middle there is a workable program, with rich, nutritious foods in reasonable amounts and healthy activities that you enjoy.

Wedding Weight Loss Tips