How did you motivate yourself to lose weight before getting married?

[Anonymous]

I have struggled with my weight ever since I was in junior high. Except, back then, I was underweight. Now... I'm not necessarily overweight, just bigger than I would like to be. I have tried to lose the weight a few times, and for a the first month of whatever diet and exercise plan I try, I do great. Then, it goes downhill.

My boyfriend and I have started seriously talking about marriage. I don't want to be the bride that spends her whole engagement trying to take the weight off to fit into a dress. I would rather lose the weight now, and then work to maintain it so that I don't have that added stress while planning a wedding.

Does anyone have any advice on how they lost the weight before they got married? I would like to lose 20-25 pounds by Christmas.

Thank you!

[Catie101]

I am not married (not even close) lol but I do have some ideas. By keeping track of my sugar intake in grams and cutting it back to 30g or less a day I lost 7 pounds in a month (I was quite small already- was 120lbs and went down to 113 and I'm 5'6). I also replaced any simple carbs with complex carbs because that's also cutting down the sugar in your bloodstream e.g. white pasta to whole wheat pasta, white bread to whole wheat bread, white rice to brown etc etc. if you have an iphone or android or something similar with apps you can download this free app called "my fitness pal" and you log the things you eat each day and it charts its nutritional facts and tells you how many calories you have left in the day to eat, taking into consideration your current weight, height and weight loss goal. it is simple, quick and easy and really helps you become self aware and really know what's going into your body. I know most of the time it is hard to keep to a workout routine because theyre strenuous and lonely (unless you have someone working out with you-unlikely) so I suggest taking a class of some sort that you are interested in (yoga, pilates, kick boxing, pole dancing, any kind of dance is good, etc). you'll be around others and it feels less like a workout so you'll stick to it. a lot of classes start sept-oct so it'd be a good time to look into that kind of thing. good luck!

[Catie101]

also check out some workouts on YouTube body rock TV has some good ones and the tone it up girls do too! maybe track your workouts on a calendar and add up how much you do each week. also take your measurements (bust, waist, hips) and weight once a week and track it!

[Asker]

Thank you! I had downloaded an app today, but I hadn't thought about YouTube! I was a ballerina until I turned 21, so I am hoping to get back into classes soon... should help!

[Catie101]

sounds like your headed for a successful weightloss! :)

[Ingrid422]

Healthy eating. NO KIDDING. And relatively frequent exercice. I lose 20 pounds in maybe a year and I definitely keep it off. Working out is important - 2-3 times a week is good, but it'd be more effective 5-6 times a week. That being said, you must start off slow in order to be able to workout that much, or else you'll burn yourself and stop exercising alotogether.

Eating? Here's what I do and it's the best change I've ever made in my diet. I eat 3 good meals a day and I only eat when I'm hungry and until I'm full. Between meals, I only eat when I'm hungry. What I eat? Lots of fruit, lots of vegetables, whole grain, not much pasta, not much meat, no processed foods apart from granola bars and nearly no dessert at all. You gonna start off slow though, because if you cut down everything from your diet, you won't be likely to resist your cravings. As I said, it took me months to get there but now I eat really healthy and I'm 125 at 5"7. If I can shed those last 5 pounds, I'll be down to my 13 year old weight.

[Moloch]

The key is not to just exercise when you need to look good last minute, it's to strive to maintain that image at all times. Once your work out schedule becomes routine, you don't even have to worry about looking good because you're always looking good.

[Izzy2102]

I'm not close to getting married, but I think the thing is you need to stop dieting. Some diets work great like weight watchers or even just counting calories, but you need to change your lifestyle forever or you will always have trouble with your weight.

I don't know how many weeks it is until Christmas, but losing more than one lb per week is not recommended. If you lose weight too fast you may get other issues like sagging boobs, just use it gradually.

What you need to do is eat healthy, stay away from processed food and only eat when you're hungry, stop when you're satisfied.

If this is supposed to be for the longterm you can't always eat healthy but try to eat healthy at least 70 - 80% of time. You can eat a piece of chocolate or some jelly beans everyday and still lose weight. Pretty much something like this link

Now my grandparents are from italy and whenever I go there I notice they eat very different. Like they get together with the whole family and often neighbours. Dinner there usually takes around 90 min. They often have fruit as dessert like peas, banana, apples... but they eat it with knife and fork, so you really get to enjoy it. It also takes you longer and you get full sooner.

As for motivation, if there is any celebrity you like put a pic of her as your backround picture. There are also great YouTube channels for exercise videos out there like blogpilates, tone it up, amanda russel, tiffanny rothe ...

For healthy recipes check out those blogs link link link

[nermalinda]

I believe dieting really tends to make people actually gain more weight and not be able to keep it off.

I would suggest eating more real food so that you're full enough to where you don't even want any junk food.

If you get refined flours, processed foods, and sugar out of your diet, you will be able to maintain a healthy weight.

But you will crave those things if you are hungry, meaning you didn't eat enough real foods. Real foods are meats, dairy, whole grains, fruits and veggies.

Like if you have a couple eggs with whole wheat toast and a little butter for breakfast with maybe a coffee with some milk in it, you won't really be craving stuff before lunch. Then you have a big sandwich with various things on it and a big apple and you will be full all afternoon and will only need a healthy snack like some veggies dipped in ranch dressing.

Then you can have a balanced meal for dinner and you'll probably be too full for dessert, but you can have a banana with some peanut butter before bed if you want.

[nermalinda]

For exercise, just include moderate activity like regular walks or strength training a few times a week. Fad diets and crazy exercise never work and aren't healthy.

[jessicashell]

You shouldn't want to lose weight because you're getting married, you should try to implement a healthy lifestyle to better yourself, your husband, and your life together. If you're eating healthier and exercising regularly, the weight will take care of itself.

[Asker]

I should note that I'm not unhealthy... I'm talking about losing a few pounds and then toning up. It's silly to assume that I am unhealthy etc. I just want to look really really good for that day. and note that I said I wanted to MAINTAIN it.

[shenholds09]

Your best motivation is yourself, just keep pushing yourself and remember how happy you will be when your smaller, it you can find a motivation group, great but they are hard to find

[blazeandbt]

I've been on a all natural weight loss pill called Pure Green Coffee for about three weeks and I have already lost about 7 pounds. Its actually really good for you, it boosts your immune system and shaves weight off in a healthy way.

[believing]

do it for your health