With the big wedding day quickly approaching, you more than likely want to feel and look your best. The good news is a wedding diet plan can be implemented with shifts in lifestyle that support healthy weight loss, toning, and maintaining muscle mass.
Looking for a sustainable, healthy wedding weight loss plan? Find the best wedding diet tips both the bride and groom can implement no matter the length of time before exchanging vows.
Top Tips for a Wedding Diet Plan
Think about your wedding diet as a wedding dress: There really is no one-size-fits-all, as brides often get it tailored to insinuate the body's natural curves.
Ultimately, the "best" wedding diet is the one that fits your individual needs best. No matter the tailored wedding diet plan approach, the following wedding diet tips can accelerate a healthy approach all while planning a wedding!
1. Add in Variety
Some fad diets recommend eliminating whole food groups. In truth, a variety of foods are necessary in order to sustain successful weight loss.
That being said, eating copious amounts of highly processed foods can impede weight loss efforts. The key to healthy eating is balance and moderation.
Eating a variety of foods lessens the likelihood of becoming bored with your wedding diet plan. Many of us give up on diets that are too restrictive of the foods we eat. Really, are you going to want to try a crash diet that only lets you eat a handful of foods? After a while, a restrictive wedding plan diet will be extremely challenging to maintain.
Completely overhauling the diet may not only be unrealistic, but completely overwhelming. Good nutrition can be simple, though, particularly when you start going for a variety of wholesome foods rather than processed products. Not only does eating and offering a variety of foods ensure adequate nutrient intake, but lessens the likelihood of becoming bored with your wedding diet plan.
Ultimately, comprise the diet with whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean and plant-based proteins, and healthy fat sources like nuts and seeds. Indulge on favorite treats in moderate amounts and frequencies.
2. Avoid Crash Diets
There is no doubt many brides can have a stressful time finding the right wedding diet. In fact, most brides are desperate to lose weight at such a quick pace, that they often neglect their nutritional needs.
Many brides subject themselves to extreme fasting, crash dieting, and even unhealthy diet supplements, which are no way to get in shape for the wedding. Healthier solutions can give you great results for your wedding, and give great results for the rest of your life!
Before starting any diet, it is recommended to consult with your primary care provider to ensure a safe, yet effective and long-term approach to weight loss. Having a game and wedding diet plan mitigates the risk of crash dieting, which is highly discouraged.
Depriving the body of what it needs can negatively affect mood, energy levels, and overall health. Weight gain may also be a consequence when the crash diet has, well, crashed.
Ultimately, a wedding diet plan involves making healthy choices, not merely eating less. Shopping with a strategic grocery list, planning out meals, and stocking up with accessible, nutritious snacks are helpful for reaching your goal.
3. Pair Fiber with Protein
When pre-wedding dieting, consume more foods rich in lean, quality protein. This can include chicken, fish, soy, eggs, legumes, and lean beef.
Additionally, busy brides-to-be have a good dose of daily fiber. Fiber is found in foods like fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains.
For both meals and snacks, pair together foods high in protein and fiber to provide filling, nutrient-dense and low-calorie fuel for weight loss.
4. Focus On the Goal
Amidst the stress and anxiety of wedding preparation, try to keep focused on the goal, along with remembering why you set it in the first place. Stay fixated by setting out your wedding dress, sticking self-motivating post-its on your mirror, and keeping a wedding day countdown on the fridge.
But whether you have four weeks or 12 months until your big day, you will nonetheless appreciate all the hard work and determination you put worth sticking to your goals.
Additionally, staying consistently focused can transpire into a totally healthy lifestyle, even after the big day!
5. Enjoy the Process
Getting wrapped up in the details of the wedding, along with keeping focused on your goal, can easily happen. But remember, the big day is supposed to be special and meaningful so enjoy the process!
Along with staying focused on health goals, balance them with special moments. This means allowing yourself to taste test wedding cakes and celebrate with a champagne toast with friends and family!
6. Stay Hydrated
Though the importance of hydration cannot be stressed enough, neither can water's role in a healthy weight loss diet. Keeping hydrated not only supports an efficient metabolism but can lessen the risk of overeating.
Consume at least eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day, also consuming water prior to and during meals. Likewise aim to make water the preferred hydration source, especially over empty liquid calories.
Have trouble remembering to drink water throughout the day? Put a reminder on your phone every hour (more or less) to drink some water.
7. Schedule Your Health
The wedding hustle and bustle may be bombarding your days and unfortunately, cause you to overbook and overlook healthy routines. Scheduling healthy practices, such as meal prep days and workout times, can help keep you on track and accountable.
How can you get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise each week? Put on your weekly schedule. Aerobic exercise, or simply cardio, can expedite weight loss by burning calories. Great forms of cardio include running, biking, swimming, and any activity that elevates heart rate.
In addition, schedule strength training for 2-3 days a week. Unsure know where to start? Start here and consult with an exercise specialist and healthcare team before starting.
Like not missing an appointment for any wedding preparation, place as much emphasis and priority on sticking to time set aside for meals, exercise, sleep and stress management to reach your health goals.
8. Focus on an Active Lifestyle
Even with the recommended 150+ minutes of aerobic exercise per week, focus on limiting sitting time. Insert small activities throughout the day to gain many health benefits, including weight loss. Ways to increase physical activity include the following:
• Walk the dog in the morning
• Stand and/or walk while talking on the phone
• Take the steps over the elevator
• Park far away from entry doors, including at the store and work
• Encourage walk meetings with coworkers
All-in-all, aim for an active lifestyle and make time for exercise, even if it is a quick Tabata workout. Besides, any sort of activity is better than none and is sure to boost energy and mood throughout wedding planning!
Groom Diet & Weight Loss Tips
While brides can be the focus for the wedding prep, grooms also want to look and feel great for their big day and significant other. These tips can help grooms lose weight (and keep it off) before their big day!
1. Be Realistic
While it is admirable to be ambitious, it is likewise important to be realistic with your goals. Making SMART - an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely - goals can be the most effective way for grooms to meet goals, as they have shown to increase the greatest compliance.
Rather than generally stating "I want to lose weight," smartly indicate "I want to lose one to two pounds each week by cooking at least four times a week at home and exercising five times each week”.
2. Cook More
Satisfy your diet, loved one, and wallet by eating out less and cooking at home more! Use this time to explore and try new ingredients and flavors, particularly using wholesome and nourishing foods.
Even make it a fun date night and tradition by trying out a new nutritious recipe at least once a week! If looking for a perfect recipe for tonight's dinner or something healthy and delicious to take to a friend's house party, bistroMD has a plethora of healthy recipe ideas!
3. Snack Smarter
Rather than succumbing to hunger pangs with a bag of chips or avoiding those stomach growls altogether, go for healthier snack options filled with protein and fiber.
Healthy snacks to keep on deck include trail mix, beef jerky, hummus and veggie slices, Greek yogurt, and fruit.
4. Watch Alcohol Intake
Whether watching football with the guys or cracking one open after a long workday, it is imperative to watch alcohol intake. Yes, while a drink here and there is okay, too much can make losing that beer belly that much harder.
As a general rule of reference, men are encouraged to consume no more than two drinks on a daily basis.
5. Exercise Regularly
Along with cleaning up the diet and watching alcohol intake, lose that beer belly with regular exercise. Starting as soon as possible is recommended for the greatest results, along with including 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week and strength training at least three times weekly.
But whether tackling a year, 6-month, or 8-week wedding workout for men, consistency is key for any exercise program.
6. Find Strength in Numbers
Remember, you are not alone in this journey and your significant other, family members, friends, and groomsmen are all rooting for you! But along with confiding in their support, increase your motivation and obedience by working out with a partner.
Synergize your workout efforts by partaking in a little friendly competition. Include groomsmen at the gym or with both sides of the family at a Sunday afternoon kickball tournament!
7. Reward Yourself Appropriately
From turning down grabbing beers with the boys to committing yourself to consistent workouts, you can (and should) reward yourself! However, dismiss food-based incentives, as they can pack on calories you just burned off and unwind all the hard work.
So instead of ordering that double bacon cheeseburger after your workout, self-gift a new pair of headphones or a massage for muscle recovery and relaxation instead!
8. Reset On a Nightly Basis
One of the best ways to lose weight has nothing to do with food nor exercise, but often gets slept on. Reset the mind and body with seven to nine hours of sleep on a nightly basis, as sufficient sleep:
• Improves mood
• Deters cravings
• Keeps metabolism running efficiently
• Boosts energy for that groom workout plan.
Overall, make sleep a priority along with a healthy diet and exercise leading up to the big day.
Wedding Diet Plan Recap
Leading up to a wedding can be exciting but also stressful at times. There can be expectations of what you want to look like and how to feel. Preparing for the big day does not mean even more stress from fad diets, low energy levels, and feeling deprived.
A healthy wedding diet plan consists of:
• Creating SMART goals
• Eating a balanced, varied diet
• Avoiding crash diets
• Staying hydrated
• Getting enough sleep
• Staying active
• Remembering the reason for the changes and having fun in the process
BistroMD can help make wedding preparation even easier with delicious, healthy dietitian-approved meals delivered to your doorstep. No grocery shopping, meal prepping, or kitchen cleaning required!
