How to Lose Weight for your Wedding in 4 Months
You’re getting married! Congratulations! The months leading up to your wedding can be so exciting and so fun!
If you’re interested in a plan to lose weight for your wedding, you’ve come to the right place. I focus on helping women choose the right place for their daily calorie intake needs, so they can eat as much food as possible, be full & satisfied, and lose weight effortlessly for their big day, and in general. I want you to feel confident and gorgeous in your wedding dress!
My perspective with weight loss is to focus on meals high in protein, fat, and vegetables not following those fad diets. I also focus on creating extremely simple meals, so that you can actually stick with the plans, and eat healthy foods when you’re busy.
How to Lose Weight for a Wedding in 4 Months
Ready for an easy to follow wedding weight loss plan? Here are my general tips for a successful weight loss journey for your wedding day (and ever after!)
How Much Weight Can You Lose In 4 Months
The goal with weight loss should always be to lose weight in a healthy way. So, it’s important to set realistic goals and never do crash diets!
Generally, if following a healthy weight loss diet plan and exercising, you can expect to lose 15 to 35 pounds in 4 months safely (1 - 2.5 pounds per week).
Everything will depend on your specific body, diet, and lifestyle, but that’s a general number that your body burns if consistent.
4 Month Weight Loss Plan
1. PLAN YOUR MEAL TIMES
It’s a good idea to structure your meals every 3-4 hours. This allows your body to go through it’s natural hunger and fullness cycles. So for example, eat at 8am, 12pm, 3pm, and 7pm.
2. FOCUS ON PROTEIN & FAT AT BREAKFAST AND SNACKS
These foods keep you fullest for longest. Some examples include:
2 hard boiled eggs + 1 piece of fruit (like an apple, pear, etc.) + 1 string cheese
2 hard boiled eggs + 1 single-serving package of guacamole
2 fried eggs + 1/2 avocado
1/4 cup of nuts (or get a 1-ounce pre-packaged baggie) + 1 piece of fruit
1/4 cup of nuts + 1 string cheese
1 latte with 2% milk and sugar-free syrup and 1/8 cup nuts (or a 100-calorie pack)
One 2% plain yogurt + 1/3 cup frozen fruit
3. FOLLOW MY “FORMULA” FOR LUNCHES & DINNERS
My “formula” is: 2 cups of veggies + 100-200 calories of fats + 4-5 oz protein. So for example:
2 cups baby carrots (veggie) + 2 hard boiled eggs (protein) + 1/4 cup nuts (fat)
2 cups celery sticks (veggie) + 4oz turkey slices (protein) + 2 slices of cheddar cheese (fat)
2 cups tomato slices (veggie) + 1 can tuna (protein) + 2 Tbsp mayo (fat)
2 cups cucumber slices (veggie) + 1 packet turkey jerky (protein) + 1 high fat yogurt (fat)
4. MAKE SNACKS COUNT
In general, I recommend for snacks:
Nuts or nut butters (in single-serving amounts): choose a variety of nuts to get all the benefits - no one nut is better than another.
Hard Boiled Eggs: Did you know hard boiled eggs last a whole week? Make a dozen on the weekend (only peel them when you're ready to eat them). Top them with Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning or grated Parmesan cheese.
Single-serving Cheeses: I love string cheese and other single-serving cheeses like slices of cheese or round cheese in wax. So filling and tasty!
Jerky: Seriously one of my favorite filling snacks. So tasty and great protein.
Greek Yogurt or Skyr: These great single-serving options are full of high-quality protein, often probiotics, and are usually great sources of calcium.
5. ALCOHOL IN MODERATION
Make a plan for how often you’d like to include alcohol for the week. 4 drinks for the week? How do you want to distribute them? While alcohol can cause you to gain weight, so can stress. If having a drink every couple of days is how you relax and de-stress, it will contribute to your overall weight loss success.
6. KEEP YOUR FAVORITE DESSERTS IN YOUR PLAN
Also make a separate plan for dessert. How often do you, personally, need dessert? Once a day? Twice a week? Just make a plan. Remember, this is a wedding diet, not a weight loss boot camp. If your favorite dessert is a high-calorie one, just make it fit the rest of your plan, and it will be okay. You can reach your weight loss goals without sacrificing all of the foods you like!
7. HOW TO DECREASE BLOATING - FLAT TUMMY TIPS
Eat Proper-Sized Meals - Not over-eating can be incredibly helpful with decreasing bloating. This Is definitely the #1 trick for me! Planning ahead & sticking with your meal plan is key.
Try a Probiotic - Several studies have shown that certain probiotic supplements can help reduce gas production and bloating in people with digestive problems. Probiotic supplements can take a while to start working though, so be patient. This is the one I recommend.
Drink Up - There actually isn's a ton of research to show that this is actually beneficial - but drinking plenty of water definitely won't hurt you. Try to drink at least 2 cups with each meal. Remember still water is preferable to sparkling. Add some lemon or lime for flavor if you like.
What to Eat to Lose Weight for a Wedding in 4 Months
Low-carb and low-starch veggies
Bell peppers
Broccoli
Asparagus
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Spinach
Avocados
Cauliflower
Kale
Cucumbers
Brussel Sprouts
Add these, and other low-carb and low-starch vegetables into your meals. You can even use cauliflower as a substitute for rice or zucchini as a substitute for noodles! If you really HAVE to have rice, at least make sure it is brown rice to cut down on the starch content.
Lean protein
Lean proteins help you feel full and give you energy. You can most commonly find lean protein in lean meats. Avoid the fattier meats and get your calories from lean proteins like chicken breast, turkey, or lean beef.
Good fats
We have been trained so long to avoid “fatty” foods, but there are a number of foods that are high in fat, but the fat content is actually beneficial to your weight loss plan. These foods give your body the energy it needs for daily life and help your body to more efficiently burn excess fat cells.
The following are great high-fat foods:
Avocado
Olive oil
Salmon
Nuts
Chia Seeds
Extra Weight Loss Tips
We know that diet is a huge part of weight loss, but there are other things you can do to help as well. Mainly, exercise. Yes, you can eat, be full and satisfied, but you’ll also need to burn more calories in order to lose weight as part of your wedding planning. The following are three exercise tips to help you lose weight fast:
Personal Trainer
When wedding planning, if you can, work with a personal trainer. This person will help you make a plan specific to you and your goals. They will teach you specific exercises so that you can burn more calories and coach you on the best routines to follow. They’ll help you with strength training, weight training, cardio, and so on.
Weight Training
One of the best ways to help your body lean out is to weight train. Despite common misconceptions, weight training is not only about building up muscle. The main goal, when you are trying to lose weight is to increase your cardio exercise as well as tone up the muscles. Having tone muscles will automatically make you look thinner.
Exercise Regularly
Sporadic and inconsistent exercise is not terribly helpful. In order for your workouts to help you lose weight, they need to be consistent. Regular exercise 3-4 times a week for about 30 minutes each day is ideal to help you burn more calories.
For more information on losing weight for your wedding, whether you have a long time or just a week, check out these posts on my blog: