WHEN TO START WORKING OUT

For heaven's sake, don't work out just to fit into a smaller size wedding dress! If you need to get more exercise, you're best off starting it sometime other than when you are stressed out about wedding planning. And you should be prepared to continue it even after the wedding.

As for your dress size, you figure that out when you are ready to order your dress. It is typically easy to take a dress in a few sizes if necessary, but much harder to take it out.

Thank you for the advice. I will keep that in mind.

Yep, I agree with 2d Bride. You shouldn't just be working out for the wedding, it should be a lifestyle change that you want to do if you are unhappy with your size. I have put on 55 pounds since I started dating my FH. I knew I had to loose weight, and I started to loose a little bit of weight before we got engaged. We got engaged on 17 August, and I have lost about 20 pounds from my heaviest. I'm a 2013 bride as well. I want to loose another 15 pounds before the wedding.

So for me, the wedding motivated me, but I had decided beforehand to do it, and I will really try to maintain it after the wedding.

80% of weight loss is diet. Less than 20% is exercise. Start getting into the habit of eating well now.

Typically, this is what I eat on a daily basis

Breakfast: 2 poached eggs on 1 piece multigrain bread with spinach and avocado, or yoghurt and fruit.

Lunch: chicken/tuna salad/sandwich

Dinner: fish/chicken/beef steak/pork/mince with veggies (either as a stir-fry or meat & veg style)

Snacks: fruit, carrot sticks with cream cheese, nuts etc

Plus I drink 3 cups of green tea a day (antioxidant) and 2L of water, and first thing I have a glass of warm water with lemon (you get used to it, trust me).

Obviously I still have things like chocolate & chips, but only for occassions.

Also if you are a big drinker, cut back to only once or twice a week (on weekends), and switch your mixers to diet soda or reduced sugar juice, or switch to low carb beer, or switch to wine.

We all wanna look good on our big day!!!! yeah yeah life style changes........... reality is our goal now is Wedding and that is what is motivating us. I have been telling myself "life changes" for like two years and nothing...... even after the proposal I couldnt lose any weight. So I decided To do Hcg diet i have lost 15 lbs in 21 days. now I am more motivated I have 7 months till the wedding n I ordered a smaller size so now I HAVE to fit!!!!

Well today starts my first day of my wedding body.

I have been struggling off and on for months trying to get to a healthy weight with no luck. but now that i have my dress and my color picked out its time to stay focused and do the damn thing. and i am pretty sure since my hubby is in the army he will be glad to work out with me to help me reach my goal. now i just have to set a dress size goal so that way i can stay focus on my goal. wish me luck ladies.

Okay, I'm not trying to attack you klaud, but the HCG diet is stupid. 15 pounds in 21 days is not healthy. healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. The more you have to lose, the faster it does come off at first.

There is nothing wrong with using the wedding as motivation, but it shouldn't be your only reason for weightloss. Do you NEED to lose weight? I NEED to lose weight and I'm not going to lie and say that the wedding isn't a factor, but there are other factors for me too.

You need to track everything you eat and drink. Join myfitnesspal.com It's free and the community is great.

Don't set a dress size goal either. Bridal dress sizes and your actual size are different. Plus, with vanity sizing, women don't even know what their real size is anymore. Set small mini goals for yourself. Tell yourself you want to lose 5 pounds and then go from there.

I second using myfitnesspal.com!!!

Use to track what you eat AND your workouts!!

Thank you for the words of wisdom.

The wedding is motivation for me to lose weight but i wanted to lose weight for me before the wedding so now i just have extra motivation.

I am using MyFitnessPal and it works if you make sure to actually follow it. The biggest thing I realized is that most of the calories I take in each day...I DRINK!!! I stopped the sodas and juices and am trying to stick to water and diet sodas when I am really craving. Also, a tip I read in a magazine is to focus mainly on your arms and shoulders. Your hips and legs are hidden under the dress, so if you focus on your shoulders it will really make a difference

Lema If that's a lifestyle you want to change and you're using the wedding as a motivator I think you you start as soon as possible!! ;-)

I've been starting way before I got engaged, if you want to start, start now. I've been putting it on hold for the longest, one week I go regularly, I'm motivated etc, then the next five weeks I'm all stressed out with wedding stuff, work etc...

@ patricia i completly agree on how you can get side tracked and loss motivation. i know even before the whole wedding planning i was in and out of the gym one week i will be motivated and nothing stuopped me from going to the gym and then the next week the gym is the last place i wanna be.

hopefully this time i can find a common medium and reach my goal.

And Lema, I finally have a good motivation now, I'm suppose to go at least 4x a week and my FH is charging $50 for each day I don't go without a valid explanation, first week I miss I thought he was playing and would let it slide but I actually had to write him a check for $200, lol

For the past two weeks I haven't gone at all, but I had a previous agreement with him that I would be helping the mothers to get their dresses and get some more wedding stuff done, but starting next week, the deal is back on. I have to do it, lol

I purchased my dress in the size I fit in the day I tried it on. My mother worked at a bridal shop and said it is MUCH easier for a tailor to take in a dress than hope it can be let out enough. Also, dress size is dependent upon your body type. I wear a 6-8 in pants but order a 12 dress to fit my chest and back. Few women will buy their dress off the rack and have it fit in all the right places perfectly. If you have a substantial amount of weight you "have to lose" then I recommend you start ASAP. If it's only 10 lbs but you have a habit of putting weight back on, then maybe it's best you wait a bit so you don't lose 10 lbs and then 3 months later jump on a scale and say, "Ah, the wedding is in a month and I've...wait...I've put 8 back on?!" My FH is in the service too and I tell him to MAKE me go run and/or lift whenever he does. He strives to be a PT god so even though it's intense, it's really fun and I feel great afterward. What are your fitness goals?

I agree with those above - a wedding is a great motivator but in reality it should be a lifestyle change - so hunny and I are both watching what we eat and starting a workout program. We are older and realize that we want to live as long as possible so we can enjoy being together for years to come. And yes, a food diary is a must - it's too easy to foget about the little bites we take throughout the day which add up in the long run. Good luck to you!

I agree with the other ladies, Lema. Don't set a dress size goal. Just set a goal for YOURSELF. The dress will come with it. But trying on dresses is a shock because they are sized WAY differently than regular clothes. The lady at the shop told me not to panic. lol

So just try to set a goal for yourself. Remember the best way to lose weight is cardio. 20 minutes 4-5 times a week and drinking lots of water will help you plenty. And once you start, it gets addicting.

Start now. Cardio...walking...water....Fitbit!

Yeah i am starting. thanks ladies for the motivation. i am doing a no carbs diet and i have managed to make it for a whole week i am rather proud of myself today was my first day back in the gym and first i felt horrible but now i am ready to go tomorrow. I am not setting a dress goal or anything of that nature i just wanna be healthy and bein in the military and are all about being in shape so that is another motivator for me. for me i have to lose either 20lbs or 5% body fat to be where the Navy wants me to be i dont see myself losing no 20lbs but i can surely get to 5% body fat within a month.

Start now. Forget about different diets. Weight loss comes down burning more than you consume. Eat less and work out more. Do it with balance. The best investment is a heart rate monitor. Monitor how much your body burns and consume less than that on days you don't work out. You want your body to be efficient at burning fat, cardio and weight training is your bestfriend.