Wedding Wonders: The Perfect Wedding Diet!

The perfect wedding diet isn’t just about cutting calories – it’s about attitude!

Brides, naturally, want to look fabulous on their wedding day – and who wouldn’t? A stunning dress and beautiful accessories are key but can only take you so far to look and feel amazing in those all-important photos.

Forgive me for saying but if you want to lose weight and tone up, a perfect wedding fad diet is not the answer. This sounds crazy, right? But crash dieting through extreme caloric deprivation is dangerous and more likely to set you up for failure since it is impossible to maintain. In fact, abandon the notion of dieting altogether.

Instead, incorporating simple changes into your daily routine will gradually improve the health and look of your body. Choosing to adopt these new habits as a lifestyle will keep up your energy levels, maintain nutrient intake and ensure a safer, permanent weight loss. Following are 7 of my 20 top tips I advise my bridal clients:

1. Give your body ample time for reshaping. Plan to lose a maximum of 2lbs a week, therefore taking 7 weeks to lose 14lbs. If you want to lose a lot of weight, give yourself 6 months. Don’t wait, start today!

2. Don’t stop eating or excessively starve yourself of calories. This will slow your metabolism and make it harder to lose weight. Eat five or six small meals throughout the day to boost your metabolism and burn fat.

3. Looking good starts with lots of water. Healthy skin is derived through proper hydration from water and herbal teas. Add a slice of lemon, orange or mint for taste if you find water boring.

4. Eat protein at each meal – meat, fish, dairy, eggs, tofu, pulses, legumes, nuts – to feel fuller for longer and drive up metabolism to make weight loss easier.

5. High fibre foods also promote satiety making you less likely to overeat. Found in whole grain breads, pasta, rice, beans, fruits and vegetables these complex carbohydrates are positive and against the notion that all carbohydrates are evil.

6. Give fat a chance. A small daily amount of unsaturated fat promotes shiny hair, clear skin and strong nails. Add nuts to a salad, avocado instead of butter in a sandwich or olive oil in a stir fry.

7. Smart snacking on fruits and vegetables increases your fibre intake that boosts energy levels. These alkaline foods make it easier to lose weight rather than acidic, processed crisps, crackers and baked goods. Graze on baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and sugar snaps.

Exercise, of course, will help tone your body and give you the ‘feel good factor’ to keep you on your nutritional track. Intermittent exercise is the most effective at burning calories; for example 3 minutes walk/2 minutes walk, etc.

Achieve your wedding ambitions by embracing a positive attitude to nutrition and fitness that focuses on inclusion rather than deprivation. Then this new way of eating will become your normal routine and keep the weight off after the big day. In private consultations, I tailor nutritional plans according to personal requirements and setting realistic goals. I also treat holistically by investigating potential physiological reasons that may prevent weight loss and may include stress relief strategies like Reiki, Bach flower remedies and ear acupuncture.