The summertime wedding date has been set, the venue will be gorgeous, the perfect wedding dress has been found BUT your waistline is not what you have dreamed of. It’s not too late to start making healthy choices to shed a few pounds before the big day.
1 Drink only calorie-free fluids. That’s right – we drink 1/4 of our daily calories! So lose the sodas, sports drinks, fruit juices or drinks and sweet tea, and you cut 100s of liquid calories. Replace them with cool refreshing calorie-free water. If water isn’t your thing, add a calorie-free packet of Crystal Light flavoring or a splash of lemon for a hint of flavor.
2 Eat Breakfast. Okay, so this is what your mother always wanted you to do, but it is a great weight loss tip. Approximately 90% of obese people skip breakfast. Eat breakfast as early as you can to get your metabolism revved up.
Breakfast can be easy but needs to be healthy and high fiber:
- Try peanut butter & banana slices on high-fiber English muffin.
- Make a smoothie with ½ cup skim milk, ½ cup Greek yogurt & 1 cup frozen mixed berries.
- Scramble ½ cup fat-free egg substitutes + 2 T. low-fat cheddar cheese in a nonstick skillet. Roll up in a multi-grain flour tortilla. Grab a bunch of grapes before heading out the door.
3 Start with a Veggie Soup or Salad. Research has shown that having vegetable soup or salad at the start of the meal will ultimately help you eat less. It takes up a lot of space in your stomach, making less room for the rest of the meal.
- Include a vegetable-based soup or salad as the first course.
- For the soup, make a big pot of broth-based soup on the weekend to enjoy the entire week.
- Use non-starchy vegetables, and change them around each week: asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, green beans, greens, peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, and squash.
- Change up the soup base: reduced-sodium beef, chicken or vegetable broth, or low- sodium V-8 or tomato juice are excellent choices.
- On alternate weeks, make a large salad that will last several days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Have a lettuce-baby spinach base, and add colorful low-calorie high fiber vegetables. Take advantage of the fresh vegetables from your local Farmer’s Market, too. Add a light bottled dressing, oil and vinegar or a splash of freshly squeeze lemon juice.
