The Lazy Bride's Five Easy Ways To Lose Weight Before The Wedding

Photo from http://www.brillianteventplanning.com

I don't think I've ever talked to a bride who didn't want to lose weight before her wedding day! Some go to great lengths to lose weight, enrolling in Bridal Boot Camp (which is way too much pain and effort for me and some of you I'm sure).  So here a few ideas that can help you drop those pounds effortlessly.

1.  Weigh yourself.  (I know-I can hear the groans from around the world as I write this) But people who weigh themselves have a better handle on how much they are eating and tend to keep it under control.  No one wants to see those numbers creep up!  Worse (or would that be better yet?) are the scales that TALK to you! Not sure I'd want one mocking me first thing in the morning letting me know just how much that extra snacking yesterday or the day before did me in, so I'll keep my silent scale, at least it doesn't announce my weight gain to the world!

2.  Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast! There's a reason Kellogg's advertises 'the Special K breakfast'--it IS good for you to eat breakfast.  It doesn't have to be Special K but a healthy breakfast will not only help you lose weight, you're less likely to turn into a bridezilla.  Hungry brides-to-be tend to be demanding and impatient brides-to-be.  So grab a healthy breakfast, lose a few pounds.  Don't fall for those bran muffins--yeah, bran is good for you, those big bran muffins at Dunkin Donuts, not so much.

3.  Water.  Drink it.  Before you eat.  Simple, inexpensive, and effective.  There was a study in the journal Obesity that found that adults drinking two cups of water before they ate, ate less at the meal. Not only that, they lost more weight in 12 weeks than a group who didn't drink it.  My personal study says, buy the water by the case, don't wait till you're on your way to work and stop to pick some up at a convenience store or Dunkin' Donuts (in fact, much as it pains me to say this, don't walk through the door of DD.  Too much temptation--and just breathing in the smell in there is lethal to your diet!

4.  Have healthy snacks ready to eat.  I know, it's cheaper to buy vegetables that aren't ready to eat, but if you're a lazy bride, cutting up the veggies can be just one thing too much to add to your already busy life.  So buy those bags of baby carrots, precut veggies, and grab some bananas or apples.  No prep work required.  (OK, so you have to peel bananas, but even I am not that lazy, or if you'll only eat your apples cut up, that's on you.)

5.  Before you eat your entree, have some soup or a salad.  Like water, it's one more thing to aid you if feeling full.  Use lemon for dressing or a small amount of olive oil with lemon to avoid unhealthy fatty cream dressings.  If you're eating out and want to order salad, consider carrying a small bottle of your favorite low cal dressing with you in a ziplock in your purse.  Restaurants are notorious for putting too much dressing on salads or using very high calorie dressings.  (Face it, it does taste good, but we need to retrain our taste buds). 

Are you a lazy bride who wants to take off some weight before the wedding? Try these tips--also don't forget, if you're dieting, or even if you're not, you should be taking a decent multi-vitamin.  Some studies show that having the right amount of the right nutrients will help you feel less hungry.  Let me know how you make out.  And if you have any additional tips, feel free to add them to the comments.