December brings with itself winters, Christmas and along with that Pakistani wedding season. Needless to mention, it is all about the bride-to-be and her Prince Charming. Some people love to be in the limelight while others do not enjoy it so much; regardless of which category the bride-to-be falls in, she needs to look perfect on her big day and all the other events associated.
A lot of brides start fretting about their weight as their big day comes closer. Along with numerous dawats and dholkis and added stress, it is almost inevitable to gain weight. But here are some ways in which she can lose that extra weight without exhausting herself.
SAY NO TO CRASH-DIETING
It is not advisable for a bride to be on a strict diet, as she should be taking everything to keep a healthy glowing face rather than a starved one on her big day. So the first tip here is to keep away the food scale. Rather than limiting the amount of food she is having, she should pick healthier food and keep a stomach full with the right foods.
Avoiding processed foods is the biggest trick here. White bread, fruity buns and cookies are the kind of foods that have high calories and get digested very quickly, leaving you hungry again. That is the reason these are the worst foods to eat while you are shopping or just need a snack.
KEEP A STASH OF FRUITS
For snacks, random I-need-chocolate afternoons, trips to the ever-so-delaying tailor, caterers and endless shopping, keep a stash of fruits. Winter season brings innumerous fruits. Oranges, pomegranates, apples, kiwi all are full of vitamins, fiber and good sugar. While the fiber keeps you full, good carbohydrates provide you energy for the day and vitamins work on your immune system and skin. It is a win-win situation with fruits. For vegetable lovers winters bring carrots. They are sweet, full of fiber and vitamins and, most importantly, filling.
TRY PROTEIN SHAKES
Bobbi Brown, founder of Bobbi Brown cosmetic, keeps choc protein powder along with a shaker cup when he wants to lose weight and adds water whenever he feels hungry. You can do the same. Protein shakes are often used by body builders to gain weight and muscle. However, if taken in the right quantity, it can help lower intake of high calorie foods. One cup has around 115 calories.
USE SMALLER CUTLERY
This tip is very useful for the big dawats that are being thrown by different family members before and after the wedding. Pick smaller plates and smaller bowls. You can always fill up your smaller plate to full to show that you are eating without over-eating. This automatically reduces the calories in your dinner.
FORGET SUGARY DRINKS
The most difficult tip to lose weight is to give up your sugary drinks, those lemonades, red bulls, full cream coffee and worst of all fizzy drinks. If you are a bride-to-be and aim to lose weight, forget about it unless you are willing to give up on these drinks. They contain insurmountable amounts of sugar which can give you more calories than your dinner altogether. Replace it with lemon green tea. Try to make green tea the first thing that you have after getting out of the bed and the last thing before going to bed.
AVOID STRESS
Another factor that leads brides-to-be to gain weight is stress. A stressed female is most likely to eat. If you are one of the bride’s caretakers or you are a self-dependant modern bride, keep a jug full of water with sliced cucumbers around. Not only does it looks pretty but tastes delicious and, most importantly, it acts as a stress-buster. It is an easy recipe of detox water that keeps your insides clean and mind fresh.
EXERCISE
Last, but not the least, indulge in some kind of physical activity. This might seem very difficult considering how busy it gets around the wedding season. Even if it is just a twenty-minute morning jog do it. However, the best thing would be to join yoga and aerobics class; even if you can make it for four days a week, it is good enough. Working-out helps in both reducing weight and also decreasing stress hormones in the body.
So fret not brides-to-be. Try these weight loss tips at home and see the difference!
