I recently read a friend’s blog about bride-fattening farms―where young girls in Africa are tortuously forced to overeat in order to gain weight to please their future husbands. (There are 12-year-olds weighing 175 pounds!) In the U.S., we have obsessions about bridal body image, too. But we work to lose weight—not gain it—for that big day. And our sad extreme, instead of obesity, is called brideorexia.
More than 70% of engaged women want to lose weight, according to a Cornell University study. And 40% of them tried unhealthy strategies like skipping meals, making themselves throw up, or smoking. On average, engaged women who want to lose weight set a goal of 23 pounds. But, on average, they lose eight. And, most brides in the Cornell study were within a healthy BMI range to begin with.
Is that a failure? I don’t think any bride should walk down the aisle feeling anything less than fabulous, no matter what the scale says.
So how do you go about losing weight before your wedding, while making sure you look and feel great, too? It’s a no-brainer: Find a sensible, healthy diet you can follow. Try our Feel Great Weight plan, check out our Diet Guide, or use this Wedding-Ready Work Out. I put out some informal calls to experts in the wedding business—people who’ve seen the best and worst—for their stories and advice.
Though they all had different stories, the experts were unanimous about one thing—it’s not a good idea to order a dress smaller than your current size. Taking in a dress is much easier than to letting it out.
Comments (5)
how can i help my mom loss weight she is short with a big stomach not that big but big i really want to help her
please tell me what i can do!!!!!
Whatever you do, don’t fall for quick weight loss products like Acaiburn. I felt sick after about 3 days on that product. I think increasing your exercise is always safe, and gives you healthy curves, in an amazingly short time; money with a personal trainer might be money well spent-for those of us with a will power shortage
drink lemon juice with warm water to dissolve fats. Easy and no side effectss
do you realu think that works.
my mom said it would and i tried it for two weeks and nothing hapend but she did say it was lime juice.
You are right Martha – this does not work. It’s a myth that gets around a lot. Lemon, lime, or any other citrus or acidic food does not dissolve fat. Sorry- wish it were that easy! (As much as I squeeze lemons into water, I should have been at my goal weight LONG ago if that were true!) Here are some other diet myths to watch for: http://diet.health.com/2008/12/22/diet-myths-debunked/