“Rather than deprive myself of all the bad-for-you foods, I decided that I would give up only my favorite three: soda, ice cream and pizza. I also drank about 64 ounces of water every day, and whenever I got stressed about the wedding, I took a 15- to 20-minute power walk. I stressed out a lot during the last stages of my wedding planning, so I did plenty of walking!”
—Vivian Nickerson, Culver City, California. Lost 20 lbs.
“The one major thing that I did to lose weight before my wedding was to stop eating so much sugar. For instance, I am a big coffee drinker, and I used to add six packets to one little Styrofoam cup. That really adds up! So, about six months before the wedding, I started using a sugar substitute, and that one small change made a huge difference.”
—Tyava Winborne, Los Angeles, California. Lost 15 lbs.
“I began lifting weights with a personal trainer. Knowing that I had a set appointment each week, and that I would have to pay even if I missed a session, kept me from slacking off. And when the going got tough, my trainer would motivate me by saying things like, ‘Think about how you will look in your gown.’ I also started to incorporate exercise into my workday. I started sitting on an exercise ball instead of a desk chair, for instance, and I kept a dumbbell under my desk to get a few reps in while on the phone or reading e-mail. I went from a size 12 to a size 6!"
—Shannon Brooke McKenzie, Lake Forest, Illinois. Lost 13 lbs.
“With a friend, I walked three miles at least five or six times a week during the two months leading up to my wedding. My walking buddy was engaged, too, and it was an extra bonus to be able to spend our a.m. outings venting to each other about the stresses of wedding planning.”
—Angi Treash, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Lost 10 lbs.
"I subscribed to a fitness magazine that highlighted one or two workout routines per issue. Rotating those regimens kept me from getting bored and copping out."
—Kelli Peddy, Dallas, Texas. Lost 15 lbs.
"My fiancé and I joined Weight Watchers together, and we helped each other stay on track. He created a list of snacks that we were allowed to eat based on the plan's points system, and we both agreed not to bring any other munchies into the house. We also cooked together at home so we could control the ingredients and portion sizes. When we went out, we'd help each other figure out which dishes were the most Weight Watchers-friendly, and would eat only half of our entrées and take the other half home. By the wedding day, we'd both lost much more weight than we'd planned—my fiancé lost 30 lbs.!"
—Karin Laviano, Charlestown, Rhode Island. Lost 25 lbs.
"I banished the word ‘diet' from my vocabulary and focused more on my overall health and well being than on looking great in my wedding dress. I didn't deny myself my favorite treats but instead learned to eat them in moderation. I also stopped doing self-destructive things like starving myself all day and then bingeing on a pint of ice cream and feeling guilty about it later. Once I began eating three proper meals a day and exercising regularly, the pounds started to come off naturally."
—Joan Oniszko, Brooklyn, New York. Lost 113 lbs.
"I wanted to lose weight for my wedding, but I also wanted to be sure that my weight loss would be a permanent life change. So, I promised myself that if I sustained my weight loss at least one month past my wedding day, I would reward myself with a ring to wear on my right hand. As the months leading up to my celebration went by, I'd often spend my lunch break browsing online jewelry collections, which I found to be a very powerful motivational tool. The result: I not only lost the weight and kept it off by eating healthfully and working out, but now I have a beautiful piece of jewelry that reminds me, every day, of what I accomplished.
—Jessica Burch, Silver Spring,Maryland. Lost 21 lbs.
"I started an online fitness journal. There, I documented what I ate and how much I exercised—seeing it in writing helped me become accountable. I also invited other women trying to lose weight to correspond with me. My ‘virtual' buddies were extremely encouraging: I couldn't wait to go online and report in about my workout progress, because I knew that they would respond to my posting with a bunch of happy, dancing icons. It sounds silly, but the fact is, having that group of supporters really helped."
—Lynn Renken, Dallas,Texas. Lost 10 lbs.
"About three months before my wedding, I heard about the American Stroke Association's Train to End Stroke program, which trains participants to complete a marathon and helps them gather sponsors for the event. I'd lost my grandfather a year earlier to a massive stroke, and since I wanted to lose some weight for the wedding anyway, this program sounded perfect for me. I began by running with the team three to six miles, two days a week, and working out with weights three days a week. In the meantime, I ordered my wedding dress from a bridal shop, which, coincidentally, was located along our running route. Just when the training started to get more difficult, a shop clerk called to tell me my dress was in. At that time, I had started doing 12-mile runs and was having doubts about whether I could actually complete a marathon. But running past the dress shop at 6 a.m. every morning with my friends from the team was inspirational. We would all wave hello to the gowns in the window."
—Devorah Holan, Pompano Beach, Florida. Lost 5 lbs.
"I created a chart to help me track my weekly diet and fitness goals. Each day, I'd check off boxes on my chart that corresponded to completing certain exercises or to eating healthfully at a meal. I found that there was always a direct correlation between how many boxes I checked off and how many pounds I lost that week. I also asked my superathletic coworker to sign off on my goal sheets each week. Knowing I had to report to him kept me going; I couldn't bear for him to find out what a slug I really was!"
—Diana McLaughlin, Fairfax, Virginia. Lost 30 lbs.
"I joined a recreational soccer league. I had belonged to gyms in the past, but I was never really able to summon the motivation to go. Joining the league was the best decision I've ever made in terms of getting my weight under control. I found that because I was playing a game, practice never felt like a chore, like going to the gym can. Not only was playing soccer really fun, but it definitely helped speed up my metabolism."
—Michelle Elliot, Tampa, Florida. Lost 34 lbs.
"On my refrigerator I taped a picture of a model stretched out on a beach, wearing a bikini. Whenever I got hungry for something fattening and unhealthy, I'd take one look at her and grab some celery."
—Sasha Collantes, Brooklyn, New York. Lost 70 lbs.