Every bride wants reliable wedding weight loss tips. Almost as soon as the date is set, most brides-to-be decide they need to lose weight. Some of these tips are familiar and others may surprise you.

First, and you know and hate this one--stay away from junk foods! All of them. You know, all the good stuff--chips, candies, chocolate, pasta, pizza, ice cream, and fast food. Drinks too, including cappucinos, frappucinos, chai lattes, and sodas, Kool-Aid, Starbuck's, Gatorade.....all of the tasty things in life : )

I love all of these things and they are so hard to give up, yet so necessary if you want to take off weight. Here is a very important wedding weight loss tip: Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Your body needs this much water to function at top capacity. Water is needed to break down fat.

While we are talking about drinks, no juices either. They will give you at least 120 to 150 calories per eight ounce glass.

If you drink diet sodas, only have one per day. For some reason, studies show that people who drink more than one diet drink per day have a difficult time losing weight. I know this from experience. Water is best.

A wedding weight loss tip that you may not have heard is to have at least one cup of coffee or tea, plain, per day for the caffeine. Caffeine boosts your metabolism to get your body ready to burn calories. Caffeine helps your body release fatty acids into your bloodstream. This lets your body burn more fat.
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Just like your mom always said, don't skip breakfast. This meal gets your metabolism up and running for the day. You don't have to eat a lot, just something healthy such as fresh fruit with yogurt or a bowl of healthy adult cereal (not sugar-coated whatevers.)

Nibble a few times a day on fruits, raw vegetables, pickles, almonds and fish like salmon and sardines that are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Wheat crackers also make an excellent snack.

Other foods that are good for snacking are air-popped popcorn, lowfat cheese sticks, string cheese, apples, blueberries, cherries, oatmeal, carrots, watermelon, lowfat yogurt, and grapefruit. All in moderation, of course.

Control your food portions at mealtime. Don't go back for seconds. A four ounce portion of meat at a meal is all you need. This is roughly the size of your palm if you are small or a deck of cards. Eat lots of plain cooked vegetables such as broccoli, celery, asparagus, mushrooms, onions, summer squash, zucchini, and cooked eggplant. Leave off the butter and the rich creamy or cheesy sauces.

Eat lots of these raw vegetables--lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Dressing on the side only so you can dip tiny amounts. Never pour a huge amount on your salad.

Stay away from white sugar, white bread, white pasta (regular pasta), and white rice. Whole grain products are best.

Stay away from dried fruits. They sound healthy but with all of the liquid sucked out from them, you eat a lot more in order to fill up and they have a lot of calories. Eat fresh fruits as the liquids will help to fill you up.

Eat every three to four hours to keep your metabolism up and to keep from getting ravenous. Once you are starving, you will make bad food choices.

Do not give yourself a bedtime snack. Do not eat anything for at least two hours prior to bedtime. Drink water only if you get hungry prior to going to bed or if you wake up in the night. I keep a bottle of water on my nightstand if I wake up hungry.

Another important wedding weight loss tip is to exercise at least three or four times a week for at least 30 minutes. Walk vigorously, bike, jog, bounce on a trampoline. Walking, biking, and jogging can be done indoors on exercise equipment as well as outdoors. Dance if that is what you enjoy.

The important thing is to get your body moving. The weight will then come off. Wear loose, comfortable clothing and proper shoes while you exercise.

Don't exercise on an empty stomach. Eat an hour before you start and your workout will be more effective. Then make sure you eat about 20 to 45 minutes after you exercise.

This will force your metabolism to stay up longer than if you go hungry after you work out. Also, some caffeine about 30 minutes prior to your workout will help your body burn fat better. This can be in the form of plain coffee or tea.

One of the best wedding weight loss tips is to get plenty of sleep. Your body needs proper rest to shed those pounds. Try hard for at least eight hours. I know, it is hard to fit it in to your busy schedule. I am lucky to get five to six hours a night.

Let's talk about wedding weight loss tips and snacking. Some brides-to-be have a nervous stomach because of the stress of planning a wedding. They don't want to eat. Others want to combat the stress by eating (Hello!) so I will list some foods that will help you get a thin bridal waist.
Remember that moderation is the key to foods.

Wedding weight loss tips involve common sense and controlled eating. I know the control is hard from personal experience. Just keep telling yourself "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." Especially for your wedding day! Write it on a piece of paper and stick it on your refrigerator with a magnet. Tape another one in your pantry.

Snack foods that include protein and fiber, along with monounsaturated fat are ideal.

Some healthy snacks are:

Carrot sticks

String cheese

Small handful of cubed cheese

10-15 almonds

Celery sticks

Sliced apples

Low-fat thinly sliced chicken or turkey with celery sticks

Thinly sliced swiss cheese with apple slices

Air-popped or low-fat microwave popcorn

Celery sticks stuffed with a spoonful of peanut butter

Plain yogurt with a spoonful of peanut butter stirred in it

Plain yogurt with sliced strawberries or blueberries

More tips:

Don't drink fruit juices even though they are healthy. They add a lot of unnecessary calories. Drink water instead. Squeeze a little lemon or lime into the water for flavor but no sugar.

Don't eat dried fruits even though they are promoted as healthy. They are so high in calorie content and you tend to eat a ton of them. Why? Because the filling liquid has been removed. Eat fresh fruit instead because it is more filling.

Drink an eight ounce glass of vegetable juice such as tomato or V-8. These juices are low in calories and are filling. If they are too thick for your taste, add some water to them. That is what I do.

Walking For My Wedding

by Cindy
(New Orleans)

I have been combining high protein and walking for my wedding day. High protein, low carbs, lots of salad and meats, poultry and fish and eggs and a ton of walking.

I am doing an Atkins type diet, not strictly following the book but eating as few carbs a day as possible. I may have a little more salad than what they allow (3 cups a day). Other than that, I am not cheating on this and so far I have lost 20 pounds on it. I have 2 months to go until my wedding day and I am very pleased with it.

I got a pedometer at Wal-Mart in the exercise equipment department and I am walking around at least 10,000 steps a day and the weight is coming off. I look better and feel better than I have in years. I like to say that I am walking for my wedding. Walking really does work when you watch what you eat. No junk or sugar.

Low Carb Diets Work For Brides

by Norma
(Canutillo, Texas)

Low carb diets work for brides. My sister was about 30 pounds overweight all through her teen years. Finally, she decided to try an Atkins type plan with low carbs and lots of meat, fish, and eggs. The weight began dropping off.

She started dating her now fiance and they are getting married next month. She is down to her ideal body weight and will get married in a size 5 wedding gown. She looks fabulous.

The good thing about Atkins is she says she was never hungry. Sometimes, she really wants something sweet so she would have a bowl of whipped cream out of the can. The chocolate has 2 carbs per 2 tablespoons but the white kind has zero carbs, depending on the brand you buy. It satisfied her cravings, along with sugarfree jello and diet sodas and it worked and continues to work for her. She is staying on it to maintain her weight for now. Low carb diets work for brides. She is a living testimony!

Thinner Bride With Atkins

by Jennifer
(Denver)

I, too, found that the only way to lose weight is to use a no carb diet. I will be a thinner bride with Atkins.

I tried the low fat, salads, fruits, whole wheat bread and pasta and guess what? I just kept putting on weight. Then I just watched my calories and wrote them down. I was eating about 1200 calories a day, sometimes less and it was all healthy food--no sugars or anything like that and I was still not losing and most days, gaining.

About 5 years ago, I lost 25 pounds on Atkins. Then a friend of mine told me that was ridiculous and bad for you and that I should just watch what I ate. So I took her advice like an idiot and piled on 25 more pounds. All this time, I have been trying to lose following her stupid advice. It did not work.

So last Tuesday, I started Atkins again and guess what? Today is my 7th day on the plan and I have lost 2 ounces shy of 6 pounds already. Of course, you cannot tell since I am now 46 pounds overweight from my ideal body weight. My friend remains thin as a rail. I will not be listening to her anymore. I will be a thinner bride with Atkins by June.

No Carbs For Wedding Weight Loss

by Shari
(Boca Raton)

I have found that using Atkins or no carbs for wedding weight loss works best for me. I started eating a lot of tuna, salmon, chicken, and eggs, along with salads and low carb veggies such as mushrooms, tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. I started two months ago and so far have dropped twenty pounds.

I have increased my walking and I wear a pedometer to measure my steps each day so that has helped as well.

I don't eat white bread, rice, pasta, or sweets anymore and I am so addicted to them all. I can eat cheese and still lose weight. It is rough but I keep telling myself that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. I want to look great on my wedding day in June. Low carbs seem to be the best way for me to lose pounds.

Weight Loss Walking

by Norma
(Canutillo)

The best tip I can give for you to get in shape for your wedding is weight loss walking. I walked off 2 dress sizes for about 3 months prior to my wedding. Each evening, my best girlfriend and I met and walked and talked for about 45 minutes. It slimmed me down plus I got to fill her in on all of my latest wedding news.

Of course by the time the wedding rolled around she was sick of hearing it but I looked great and I was so proud that I was down to a size 5. I looked fabulous.

You can walk that amount of time each day on a treadmill in your home also while you talk on the phone or watch TV, especially in the dark or during cold winter months when you may not want to be outside.

You Are A Beautiful Bride!!

                                         Anonymous

Each bride reading this should know that you are a beautiful bride! I realize that many brides may need to lose weight for health reasons, but don't forget that your future husband loves you REGARDLESS of how you look!!!

I'm studying nutrition, and on my way to becoming a registered dietician. Realize before you start ANY weight loss treatment, that there are many very DANGEROUS diets, and your health should be your number one priority! Please talk to your doctor, and consider seeing a professional, credentialed dietician who can help you create a healthy, personal weight loss plan.

Also, please don't get discouraged if you try a diet and it "doesn't work." Diets work differently for every body type. Please remember the danger of over-dieting as well. What starts as an innocent diet can lead to an eating disorder, which is NOT what you want to bring into your marriage.

Above all, remember you are a beautiful Daughter of God, and a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Take care of your body, and prepare your whole body, including your soul, to give it fully to your husband for the rest of your life.