FAT!� It�s a tiny word but the hysteria surrounding it is HUGE! By Miriam Lee
To fight the flab or not, that is the question. Well, actually there is no question about it at all, because in a world of skinny, image obsessed, anorexic, size zero celebrity brides, with hip bones so sharp they’d set off airport security scanners, is it any wonder we have a collective fixation with calories?
And if you’re a B2B, and we all know that Bs’2B create a certain type of insanity all of their own, especially when choosing the gown, then my heart goes out to you.
I mean, we’ve all been there girls.
You enter the bridal shop, the walls are lined ceiling to floor with individually cellophaned, white, ivory and champagne gowns, hanging mystically in the undulating breeze of the air conditioning. Like lovers, they call to you; mesmerise you and then suddenly, one of them enraptures you. It’s a miniscule size 10. Panic! I’ll never fit my humungous body into it!
Suddenly, out of the enveloping mist comes your mother, your best friend, your sister and the poor, put-upon, desperate to help sales assistant, complete with trusty measuring tape.
It’s at this moment, dizzy with the scent of your own over-ripe sweaty aroma; reality dawns and you shriek “I should never have had that Ryvita three days ago.”
And, by the time ‘poor, patient sales lady’ runs short of compliments, tries discreetly not to man handle your dangly bits, you find yourself wrapped in lingerie. And not just any lingerie, oh no, these are foundation corsets; garrotting mother-knows-best knickers that strangle your gut, halve your rib cage, and, quicker than you can utter ‘I Do,’ your fast as a flash, lady in shining armour, pin cushion attached to her wrist, like some eager debutante’s corsage, has managed to hoist your saggy boobs up so high they reach Belfast and beyond.
You’re now thinking “hmm, I should have started that ‘Eat-Anything-You-Like-Just-Don’t-Swallow-Diet.’”
Now don’t get me wrong, it’s perfectly normal to want to starve yourself in order to fit into your dream wedding gown, but isn’t it sad when our eating habits are more to do with our looks rather than our health?
Even as I write I’ve got nightmares of approaching a premature menopause, sweating it out on a treadmill and frantically googling ‘Liposuction’!
You see, all my life I’ve been one of these fast and furious dieters who worries about the size and shape of various parts of their bodies and craves the quick fixes rather than going down the ‘change your eating habits’ routine. In short, I understand your dilemma, and so does every woman reading this feature. I mean, who doesn’t want to feel and look better and enhance their overall health; especially in the run up to the happiest, most romantic, most memorable day of their lives?
Well ladies, here’s a few helpful hints from B to start you off on a ‘healthier you’ journey.
- First of all, be patient and don’t expect too many results too soon. Set realistic goals.
- Enlist the support of your H2B. Agreeing a healthy eating routine together would be a great motivator.
- It may seem obvious, but eating well will help you lose weight.
- Take up a sporting activity like basketball. Fast paced and energetic, basketball is one of the best all-round activities for keeping fit.
- For the less energetic, what about walking? For optimal health and fitness you should aim for at least 15-60 minutes, 3-5 days per week. (To lose 1lb of fat per week you need to burn off an extra 3,500 calories. Your current weight and the amount of exercise you do will influence how quickly you burn fat. Aim to lose between 1-2lbs per week.)
- Resistance exercises such as step ups, modified press ups and squats carried out during your walking route will help create more lean muscle tissue; helping to burn off calories.
Factfile:
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