The Ultimate Mother Of The Bride Diet Plan
By Kayley George, RDN, LD
Your daughter has just put a ring on it, and you can’t wait for the day she gets to marry the love of her life. You wish to feel and look your best on her wedding day – to have the energy, strength, and mindset to be present for your daughter on her special day.
One of the best ways you can achieve these goals is through a sustainable healthy diet plan and exercise routine! I know that planning a wedding is hard work and healthy eating can be put on the backburner in your life.
However, with an easy, simple, and sustainable mother of the bride diet and exercise plan, you can reach your health goals.
Why Should A Mother Of The Bride Have a Diet Plan?
Starting and sticking to a diet plan isn’t just about weight loss, it’s a step towards more energy, strength, and a better mindset. These mother of the bride diet plans are made to be sustainable, to not only last you before the wedding, but also post-wedding and beyond.
When Should the Mother Of The Bride Start a Diet Plan?
Being realistic with your weight loss goals is key to making it sustainable. It wouldn’t be practical to lose 20 lbs in 1 month or even 5 lbs in one week.
I recommend starting your diet plan 12 months before the wedding. This length of time is long enough for you to lose weight gradually and safely.
It will also give you plenty of time to adapt to your routine, whether that’s learning how to meal prep, create new recipes, grocery shop, implement an exercise routine, or create better sleeping patterns. Ideally, you’d want some of these things to be sustainable and long-term, so don’t rush to lose weight 3 months before the wedding.
Sample Mother Of The Bride Diet for Weight Loss
Here are a handful of delicious and healthy meal ideas for your mother of the bride diet weight-loss journey.
Breakfast
Overnight Oats
Overnight oats are a super simple and convenient meal that “cook themselves” overnight! Oats absorb any liquid that you mix with it, which means you can wake up to a delicious treat in the morning.
They usually consist of rolled oats, milk (non-dairy or cow's milk), sweetener (maple syrup or honey), chia seeds (help absorb liquid, add texture and nutrition), and other additions of choice (nut butter, fruit, nuts, protein powder). Here are some recipes I recommend trying.
Smoothies
Smoothies are delicious and filling breakfasts that can be made ahead of time. They are extremely customizable as well.
Chopping the produce ahead of time and portioning it into bags makes your life way easier in the morning. Get a lot of freezer bags, cut a bunch of fruits and veggies of choice, put them into each freezer bag, and store for future use.
In the morning, grab a smoothie bag, dump it into your blender, add other fixings of choice (milks, powders, nut butters), and press blend. You could try one of these low-sugar smoothies if you need inspiration.
Toasts
Toasts are simple and can be made in no time. Top your favorite whole-grain bread or English muffin with healthy fixings, such as fruit, nut butter, egg, avocado, and many more!
Peanut Butter Strawberry Toast - Spread a whole wheat English muffin with 2 tbsp peanut butter and top with sliced strawberries.
Avocado Egg Toast - Top 1-2 slices of whole grain toast with ¼ an avocado, sliced + cherry tomato halves + thinly sliced red onion, 1 fried egg, + salt and pepper.
Almond Butter Yogurt Toast - Top 1-2 slices of whole grain toast with 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp almond butter, and a sprinkle of blueberries.
Egg bites
Egg bites are a tasty breakfast that can be made in large batches ahead of time. They are also great for on-the-go. Choose your favorite veggies, meat, and cheese, mix with eggs, add to a muffin tin or casserole pan, and bake. They can also be frozen for longer use.
For even more ideas check out our post on healthy breakfast ideas for busy moms.
Lunch
Tacos
Tacos don’t have to be complicated. Throw together your favorite veggies, meat, and cheese, and top on a corn or whole-grain tortilla.
Wraps/sandwiches
Always a go-to lunch, wraps and sandwiches are hearty, nutritious, and great for on-the-go.
Balanced Salads
Salads can be prepped ahead of time by combining all dry ingredients (greens, veggies, nuts, etc) and storing in an airtight-container. Then, make your favorite healthy dressing and store in a glass jar.
When ready to eat, mix the veggies and meat with the dressing. Some salads can all be mixed together ahead of time (such as the ones listed below).
Dinner
Skillet dinners
A dinner all made in one pan, could it get much easier than that? Skillet dinners are easy, convenient, and require little prep.
Sheet pan meals
Similar to skillet dinners, sheet pan meals are made all in one pan. Add your favorite veggies to the pan with a protein (sausage, salmon, chicken, etc), mix with a seasoning or dressing, bake, and serve!
Check out these 30 easy and healthy one pan skillet meals.
Crockpot/instant pot meals
Crockpot and Instant Pot meals just require throwing together all ingredients in a pot then leaving to let it cook, with little to no supervision. Some Instant Pot meals are ready in less than 20 minutes.
Snacks
When choosing a healthy snack, aim to include a protein, fiber, and fat component. This will help keep you satiated and energized until your next meal. Some of my favorites include:
Cottage cheese, strawberries, nuts
Cheese stick, tomatoes, olives
Apple, Greek yogurt, nut butter
Should Mothers Of The Bride Also Incorporate a Workout Plan for Weight Loss?
Although diet is a huge part of your weight loss journey, physical activity is also key to meeting your goals. Not only will it help you tone up and lose that weight, but movement provides you with increased energy and focus, which I am sure you need during these intense wedding planning months.
Mother Of The Bride Workout Ideas
Running or Walking - Go for a walk or run in your neighborhood, on a treadmill, or at your local track.
Yoga or Pilates - Take a class or find a video in the comfort of your home.
Weight Lifting - Lift weights at your local gym with dumbbells or at home with makeshift weights such as water bottles, books, or packets of rice/beans.
Aerobics - Take a class or find a video that you can do at home.
Stair Step Machine or Elliptical - Find a stair stepper at your gym or a stairwell. You can watch your favorite show on the elliptical while at the gym, or at home if you have the equipment.
Mother Of The Bride Weight Loss Tips
Here are some more tips to help you succeed with your mother of the bride diet plan.
Meal Prep
Meal prep is a great way to save time, money, and set you up for healthy eating throughout the week.
Make freezer-friendly meals - Batch cook and freeze leftovers in a freezer-safe container. On nights where you are short of time or energy, grab your freezer dinner, heat it up, and enjoy a convenient healthy meal in no time! Get more tips on freezing food.
Pack healthy on-the-go snacks for the week - This could look like bagged almonds with a cheese stick, homemade protein bites, nut butter and an apple, and/or carrots and hummus.
Learn more about meal planning when you are busy!
Healthy Swaps
Healthy eating and your journey to weight loss can be as simple as swapping a bag of chips for crunchy veggies and a salty dip, such as hummus or low-fat ranch. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some of my favorite swaps:
Soda -> flavored water
Chips -> handful of nuts or air-popped popcorn
Fries -> baked sweet potato fries
Processed chocolate dessert -> dark chocolate
Ice cream -> banana ice cream
Milkshakes -> homemade smoothie
Mayo -> hummus
Refined sugar -> maple syrup, coconut sugar, or honey
Staying Hydrated
We all know water is important for a multitude of healthy bodily functions, but how much should you be drinking?
Match up the number of calories you need to eat to ml of water. If you eat around 2,000 calories everyday, you should aim for about 2,000 mL of water per day (that is 68 oz or 8 1/2 cups of water).
If you are unsure of your calorie requirements, stick to half your body weight in ounces as a starting point.
Prioritizing Sleep
Poor sleep is associated with increased stress hormones, blood sugar, and insulin resistance, and many more. All of these can factor into your ability to lose weight.
Aim for at least 8-8.5 hours of sleep a night, which I know might be tough while trying to assist in wedding planning. But if you want to be alert and ready for the big day, quality sleep is a must.
Try out these mother of the bride diet tips and you will be absolutely glowing on your daughter’s wedding day!
Sticking to our mother of the bride diet plan will give you long-lasting energy, strength, and ultimate glow. There is nothing more special than being completely present on your daughter’s special day and prioritizing your health can help you do so.
Check out our FREE guides on meal prepping, planning, and clean eating for women.
And if you want more personalized help, reach out to me (a registered dietitian) through a FREE discovery call.
Published on Apr 4, 2022 at 12:40 pm