Stop Believing These Lies About Losing Weight for Your Wedding
By Kayley George, RDN, LD
“Shed 30 pounds in 3 weeks with our detox diet!”
“Lose weight FAST on keto!”
“Try our 5-day juice cleanse and watch your fat melt away!”
Sound familiar? We’ve all been tempted to buy into extreme claims like these, especially if you’ve got a wedding date quickly approaching. You want to look and feel great on your big day and there’s nothing wrong with that! Unfortunately, however, these kinds of restrictive dieting programs are almost always too good to be true. This article will help you navigate the lies about losing weight for your wedding and how you can approach your goals in a healthy way instead.
THE LIES
Let’s face it, we live in a diet-obsessed society. Diet culture is not only rampant, but addicting and highly accessible. If you don’t believe me, check out the stats:
~91% of college-aged women have dieted to control their weight.
~The average BMI, or body mass index, of Miss America winners has decreased from 22 in the 1920s to 16.9 in the 2000s (a BMI of 16.9 is considered unhealthily underweight).
~Americans spend $60 billion annually on dieting.
Why are we so obsessed with dieting? One reason is because one of the media’s favorite pastimes is attacking body image. From magazine pictures of unnaturally svelte and flawless models, to billboards featuring body sculpting and cosmetic procedures, endless messages scream, “Your body is not good enough!”
MEDIA INFLUENCE
You may not even realize that the media is the underlying cause of your desire to lose weight or attain a thinner body. You’ve likely been bombarded by messages like this for years! The thing about the media is they don’t discriminate based on age.
Sadly, grown men and women like you and me are not the only population being affected by unrealistic body expectations. In fact:
~47% of girls in 5th-12thgrade reported wanting to lose weight because of magazine pictures,
~42% of 1st-3rdgrade girls want to be thinner,
~80% of 10-year-olds have dieted, and
~Young girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer or losing their parents.
Did your heart just break a little bit? Mine too. Clearly, all age groups are being spuriously told what our bodies should look like. So, it’s no surprise that at some point in time, you may have let that little lie linger, “Your body isn’t good enough”. And when you let that thought sit for a while, it can become very dangerous. One negative body thought snowballs to another and another, until you find yourself searching for and maybe even trying all sorts of quick-fixes in the form of fad dieting. Ironically, quick-fix diets can actually be incredibly damaging to your health as you try to “fix” something that was never broken!
ACCESSIBILITY
Another exacerbating issue is accessibility. With so much information about dieting, true or false, at our fingertips, it’s mind-numbingly easy to access all sorts of weight loss regimens, good or bad. In today’s world, we’re not only thinking about body ideals when flipping through a magazine at the dentist or casually glancing at billboards on the interstate, we’re taking those messages with us in our pocket wherever we go! Our bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, workplace, the grocery store, you name it. With such effortless access to dieting and body sculpting promises, more women than ever before are seeking to lose weight and attain a “perfect” body.
Remember, there is no such thing as a “perfect” body! A “perfect” body looks different on everybody. Your perfect body is the one you feel good in and at which you can obtain optimal health. If that means a body with some extra weight around the waist or hips, that’s alright! Keep in mind, your fiancé asked you to spend the rest of your life with him exactly how you are. He loves you in your body right now. Can you say the same?
IS WANTING TO LOSE WEIGHT BAD?
Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong if you want to lose some weight. There are many great reasons to lose weight! Some of these include having more energy, decreasing risk for potential chronic diseases, and normalizing health markers such as cholesterol or blood sugar. As long as these, or similar goals, are your motivation, I support you 100% in your weight loss journey!
Attaining a “perfect” body is neither possible nor very much fun. Far too many women (and men) have wasted huge sums of money and irreplaceable time in the pursuit of this impossible ideal. The trick is going about it in a healthy and sustainable way. This is difficult because it requires discerning which weight-loss programs are really interested in your well-being and which ones just want your hard-earned money.
ALL THE WRONG REASONS
Most fad dieting programs, such as detoxing, the Atkins, BeachBody, and juicing plans, are only interesting in what’s in your wallet. The cold, hard truth is this: They don’t really care if you lose weight or even if you compromise your health doing so, as long as they’re making a profit.
In addition, fad dieting programs don’t offer sustainable, healthy eating habits. They’re not in it for long-term results and well-being. Most of their promises are for fast weight loss, when the truth is, weight loss is an extremely complex process that takes time, prolonged effort and often large lifestyle alterations.
While fad diets may work initially to help you shed a few pounds, 95% of all dieters regain lost weight within 5 years. So dieting programs may promise you’ll look and feel great, but do you really only want to look and feel great for a couple days or weeks, and then face the frustration and disappointment that accompanies rebound weight gain?
THE TRUTH
So, what’s the solution? You still want to be confident in yourself and your body as you say your “I do’s”, and you don’t want to back track the days and weeks following your wedding. Thankfully, there’s a way to accomplish this without taking extreme measures and without rebound weight gain. It may take some time (a lot more time than a 5-day juice cleanse), but the long-term results and emotional strength you’ll gain will be well worth it!
A true solution for meeting your physical, emotional and mental health goals is slow and steady weight loss through a whole-foods diet. The issue for most of us isn’t that we need to “detox” our bodies or go into a state of ketosis, it’s that we are not taking care of ourselves! By this, I mean we are eating more than our body actually needs and/or we choose “empty-calorie” (high-calorie, low-nutrient) foods that don’t contribute to our overall health. We also often don’t move our body enough to keep up with extra energy intake. Let’s take a closer look at each of these points.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
First, one important goal for preparing yourself to look and feel great for your big date is to listen to and respect your body. Too many of us keep eating after we’re full! If you think about it, this is actually a form of disrespecting our body. It’s telling us to stop eating, that it’s had enough, yet we ignore this signal and keep mowing! Next time you’re eating, try slowing down and asking yourself several times during the meal, “Am I still hungry?” As soon as the answer is no, put the fork down and remember that you can always eat more later! This method of intuitive eating has proven to facilitate steady, healthy weight loss and improve overall health.
BALANCE YOUR DIET
Next, a balanced diet should be your goal. This means filling your plate with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean proteins, and limiting sodium and added sugars. Many Americans’ diets consist mainly of fast food, which is high in fat, added sugar and sodium. While none of these things is necessarily bad, the poison is in the dose! “Everything in moderation” is a true philosophy for improving your health, energy and even weight loss. Replacing empty calorie foods with items like fruits and vegetables can facilitate weight loss because they are lower in calories than most fast foods. In addition, their fiber content actually helps you feel full longer, which will decrease your overall energy intake!
ENJOY EXERCISE
Finally, find ways to move your body that don’t feel like a chore. Exercising increases your metabolism, which will help with weight and fat loss and increase lean tissue so you look smashing in your wedding dress and feel your best. But it doesn’t need to be a dreaded experience each day! If going to the gym for an hour-long workout every day is intimidating, you’re not alone. Start with something small like going on a 10-minute walk each day. Find what you like and then build on that, maybe adding a little bit more to your routine each week.
CONCLUSION
Stop believing the lies that fad diets will make you feel great for your wedding day and beyond, and start prioritizing your health and well-being with balanced, mindful eating and gentle exercise. By practicing these sustainable eating and movement habits, you are sure to feel great about yourself not only as you walk down the aisle toward your groom, but as you build and enjoy your life together for years to come.
Click here for a FREE discovery call with a registered dietitian to help lose weight appropriately and keep it off!
Published on Apr 27, 2020 at 9:50 am