Now that your wedding day is on the horizon, it’s time to get real about fitting into that wedding dress and honeymoon bikini. Look and feel your best with these quick and easy tips to boost your metabolism and shed a few pounds just in time for your wedding. Small changes will make a big difference.
1 – WATER. Just drink a little extra water – it’s that simple. Don’t worry about counting ounces and carrying around a gallon jug all day. Try adding a full glass of water first thing in the morning. Shot gun it while you are waiting for the coffee and boom -you’ve already jump started your metabolism for the day. Even if you aren’t ready to give up soda or the high calorie coffee drinks, adding extra water throughout your day will help burn extra calories, flush out those bad calories you had at lunch and reduce any bloating from several days of unhealthy eating or drinking. Your body retains fluid after you have fast food or too many cocktails – the quickest way to get rid of the excess fluids is with more water.
2 – MOVE. Just move a little more than you did yesterday. You don’t need to start training for a marathon but whatever you normally do for exercise – do a little more. Add an extra 10 minutes of cardio three times a week and it will add up. Even if you are diligent about your workouts and never skip try adding a second easy workout later in the day, like a short walk. Just adding a brisk walk for 20 minutes while your talking on the phone will let your body know you are serious. Wedding planning is like another full time job, it’s going to be hard to stick to your normal routine when you have less time everyday than usual. If you know you don’t have time for a full workout -don’t skip! Even 10 minutes of jogging is better than 10 minutes on the couch with a bag of chips. You know I’m right.
3 – Add some color. Eat your normal foods, just add some healthy colors. Frozen blueberries thaw easily and are a great addition to cold cereal. Having a Lean Cuisine for dinner? Edamame steams quickly in the microwave, just toss a few in to your entree or cook them first and snack on them while waiting for the microwave to ding.
- Super foods
- Broccoli
- Berries
- Spinach
- Salmon
- Edamame
- Cantaloupe
- Beans
4 – Change just one part of your normal meal. When eating out if you normally order a burger and fries try holding the fries and adding the steamed veggies. You can enjoy that burger knowing that you skipped all those empty calories. Have whole grain pasta instead of the normal enriched white pasta. Better yet… skip the white rice or potatoes that you normally include in a meal and have a double of veggies. Add whole grain whenever you have the option – this is easiest at home. Whole grain toast with peanut butter is a quick and healthy snack or breakfast.
5 – Be careful of salads and “wheat” bread. Salads seem like the obvious choice when you are eating out and watching your weight but they are usually loaded down with more fat and calories than the food you probably want anyway. Try reading through a few online menus that offer nutritional info about their food. A grilled chicken sandwich is almost always a better choice than a fast food salad, it depends on how they serve it obviously. Oh, and by all means avoid the tuna salad sub! It’s all mayo. You are better off getting just about anything else on the sandwich menu and just skipping the chips.
What about ordering wheat bread you say? Honestly, unless they call it “whole grain” or “whole wheat” bread it really isn’t going to be that much different than white bread. Restaurants need it to taste good to get you to keep ordering their “wheat” bread so it might look like it has a few grains of wheat in it but anything called honey wheat or white wheat is not the real thing.
Healthy Snacks ( protein and fiber)
-a hand full of nuts with a fruit, fresh or dried
-low fat cheese and grapes
-hummus and carrots (or whole wheat crackers)
-whole wheat toast and peanut butter
-plain yogurt with honey (add berries if you can)
-lettuce wraps with turkey and cheese