The Skinny Bride Mission

Every bride wants to look her best on The Big Day. For many (perhaps most) this means losing as much weight as humanly possible before that all‐important walk down the aisle. I'm not dismissing those healthy, happy, heavier brides‐to‐be. If this is you, fantastic! I only wish my pounds came with an equally weighty dose of self‐confidence. Like those of a bride friend of mine … She refused to diet a single ounce off her perfectly healthy body, touting, "He knew the size of my ass when he proposed". So true, but in my case, it's less about what 'he' thinks and more about how I feel inside. I want to feeeeeeel absolutely fabulous on my wedding day. I want to know that I am at my physical peak, radiant and sparkling from within.

At the moment I am not. I am 15 lbs over my healthy ideal. I now have 12 weeks to lose that flab.

I don't believe in getting thin no matter what. I love to eat and I love to move. Exercise shoots endorphins through my body and makes me feel alive. I'm all about doing it the healthiest happiest way possible, and I want lasting results. There'll be no crash dieting here. I want to be a Thin Wife for Life.

Here are my Golden Rules for the next 12 weeks:

* Never eat less than 1200 calories a day, (to keep my metabolism soaring)
* Vary my calorie intake daily to a daily max. of 1700
* Never go more than 4–6 hours without eating something
* Exercise for at least 1 hour every day and vary the type of exercise, (with 1 day rest each week)
* Use Basal Metabolic Rate to calculate my required calorie intake
* Create a 625 calorie deficit each day (3500 calories = 1 lb of fat. I intend to lose 15 lbs in 12 weeks. Do the math!)
* Track my daily calories in and out through Livestrong
* Eat clean. Avoid gluten, processed foods, chemicals and sugar, (especially sweeteners and High Fructose Corn Syrup)
* Eat organic products wherever possible, (Jillian Michaels 'Master Your Metabolism' will convert you forever).
* Balance carbs, fat and protein in alignment with The Zone Diet (I've found this to work best in the past)
* Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day
* Eat out of small bowls (to ensure smaller portions)
* Drink 8 glasses of water a day
* Weight myself once a week
* Treat myself with healthier alternatives to crave‐able foods

The formula is foolproof … providing I stick with it. Here's to the bridal countdown!