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Hive, forgive me, this may be a bit of a rant. Really, it is more of an open letter to people who may witness a bride-to-be eating. I know that weight and weight loss are very personal subjects, and I acknowledge that others may enjoy a bit of outside motivation. However this is my experience and I feel I need to share it with you.
I thought that an upcoming wedding would be a big motivator to be in the best shape ever, but honestly it has had the opposite effect. And really, that makes sense, because when I was in my best shape ever, I was spending 20-30 hours a week training, and was laser-focused on competition. These days, not so much. However, all my clothes still fit and I don’t feel horrible so I have had a hard time seeing a “problem.”
Well, I must have missed the memo that all brides are fitness-crazed, calorie counting, and worried about the fit of their dresses. Lucky for me, a few months into my engagement this was pointed out to me. The kicker? It was pointed out by an acquaintance! Someone I knew, kinda, but in any other situation would be totally inappropriate for her to comment on my weight or size. We were talking about getting ice cream (or was it doughnuts?) with a group and she looked at me and said,
“But you have a wedding dress to fit into!”
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To be totally honest, getting into shape for the wedding was not something that had even crossed my mind until about a month ago (I know, I know). You see, I tried to tell myself that because I didn’t want to lose weight (I don’t), and because I eat healthy (I pretty much do, just out of habit), it was enough. But the truth? Even though I did those things, I wasn’t getting enough exercise, and I had lost touch with one of my favorite hobbies…
I used to love running. I never ran competitively, but running was my outlet. I used to burn stress and calories away and clear my mind. But somewhere between school and work I had let it go, and now I’m at the point where I leave when it’s dark out and and come home when it’s dark out. I’m not comfortable running in the dark, even though we live in a safe neighborhood, so I’m pretty excited about joining a gym!!!
Is anyone else completely intimidated by the gym?
This topic can sometimes be misconstrued so let me begin with a few statements about my situation…
At the beginning of last year I set off on a four month European adventure. I was lucky enough to get to live in Italy with 19 other students and two professors from the architecture program at UF. It was kind of like a grand finale right before graduation… we had all been in school together for four years, so four months of living together in Italy was the cherry on top.
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| Part of the crew on an ATV ride in Santorini, Greece.
Personal Photo |
Having a “home base” in Italy meant that I really got to explore. I didn’t feel rushed while visiting local cities and I was able to sit back and enjoy the architecture, art, and culture. Life in Italy was so relaxed… between siesta and appertivo (appetizers and drinks before dinner almost every night) I was living the good life.
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Or alternately, How I’m Getting My Behind in Gear
I am not one of those “naturally thin” people and have always had to be active to stay in shape. Growing up, I danced competitively year-round, which kept me healthy. I guess I took being active and having scheduled workouts for granted. Once college hit, the pounds packed on and I had to find a new way to stay in shape. My main downfall, however, always seems to be a lack of sustained commitment.
I certainly always start with gusto, but once I plateau and stop seeing results, my motivation wanes. Dancing was perfect for me because it was scheduled, and I was held accountable for being there. (Plus, I loved it, and it certainly didn’t feel boring and tiresome like a lot of other exercise feels to me.) I’ve done plenty of dance-type exercise, which I find keeps the boredom factor at bay, but I still struggle with accountability.
Over the summer I decided that I was going to train for my first race, a simple 5K. I had run for exercise for years, but never trained for a race. Once I signed up there was no going back, and it certainly held me accountable. I really enjoyed having a goal and being able to achieve it was incredibly rewarding. I vowed to sign up for a 10K, but it never happened. Soon it was dark and cold and I was back inside being lazy.
Now that time’s a-ticking and wedding bells are getting closer and closer, I knew I had to do something to get myself back on the healthy track. I finally bit the bullet and signed up for the Monument 10K, one of the biggest races in Richmond.
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This upcoming Saturday, I am going to be wearing my absolutely amazing wedding dress. I am also going to be feeling absolutely amazing in it—thanks to my vow to get back to a happy, healthy weight by the time that I walk down the aisle. I’ve shared with you some of the things that I have been doing to get in shape. Now it’s time to show you what kind I shape I am in!
Let’s start with a before picture, shall we? This picture was taken in early July on one of our Las Vegas scouting trips.
In the Wynn Casino
Now, let’s see the after photo.
When we last met, my wedding dress and I weren’t agreeing. Things have improved since then. My second dress fitting made me feel like slightly less than a fat ass. Slightly.
It didn’t take two women to zip up my dress. I could breathe in my dress. I didn’t get bruised ribs!
But the dress was still too tight. The seamstress thinks that if I lose another 1-3 pounds, I should be fine. Seeing as how I didn’t get back into exercising like I should have, I could probably squeeze in 1-3 yoga sessions and accomplish the goal the seamstress set for me.
It’s such a relief to know that I may get into the wedding dress without any alterations. They’re steaming the dress, and I’ll pick it up next week.
To celebrate a dress that finally fit, I went shopping. I bought a great hat for the honeymoon and a beautiful hair flower/fascinator for the wedding reception. I’ve always wondered about the difference between a fascinator and a hair flower. Is it the feathers that make it a fascinator?
Well, what I purchased has feathers, a tulle, and a flower. It will be perfect for my hair for the reception when I take the veil off. Speaking of veils, my lovely wonderful Etsy shop of choice, Joyous Illusions, and the angel behind it is currently working on my veil!
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
My final dress fitting has happened and once I order my veil, every part of my wedding ensemble will be in place. I can’t wait to tell you how the fitting went. After that, I will share the entire outfit.
But first, I have to tell a tale of woe. A story about a petite girl who ordered a dress and then feared that dress would be too big.
That girl is me. When I first picked out my wedding dress, the sample size was a ten. That dress swallowed me up. They took my measurements and found I was a 6-6-8. You know, size-six boobs, size-six waist, size-eight hips.
After the initial shock of feeling extra huge because wedding sizes run extra small, Momma Kettle and I decided on the size six. The dress had an A-line ball gown skirt, so we’d rather fit the boobs than the hips in this case.
I worried about the dress fitting too loosely. The top has 3D flowers all over it and wouldn’t be easy to alter. I didn’t want to risk ending up having to fidget with dress all night long or having a saggy tube-top dress. If you’ve ever had a saggy tube top, you feel my pain.
This past Wednesday, Project Wedding sent me their daily email (where they count down every. single. day. - gotta give ’em credit) with the title “Start Building Your Immunity Now.” At first I laughed - this? thrown in among the reasons buttercream tastes better than fondant and what to gift your bridesmaids and how to find a photographer? - but a second thought made me stifle that laugh. We all focus on wanting to look our best for the big day, but what about feeling our best, physically? I’d say that should rank pretty high, as well.
Image via Project Wedding
Of course I was extra sensitive to this whole immunity/feel-your-best stuff since I just went through a pretty terrible bought of food poisoning on Monday (fabulous way to lose 5 pounds, by the way). I distinctly remember a moment, in the midst of all the grossness, that I thought “god HELP me if I get food poisoning the night before the wedding,” or heck - even the week of the wedding.
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During all four years of high school, I was lucky enough to be part of the competition dance team. I loved almost everything about it. I got to spend my afternoon exercising and training with a fantastic group of girls; I was part of an elite team, and I had special uniforms and T-shirts to prove it.
Along with pirouettes and fun costumes came makeup. Lots and LOTS of stage makeup. Makeup that would make our eyes visible from the football field. If I hated anything about being on dance team it was caking that makeup on before any performance. It. Just. Sucked.
When I left off, I mentioned it took me a year to get into the whole weight loss idea.
At my current job I joined the gym in the basement, using the treadmill and elliptical for 45 minutes to an hour for four or five times a week. I started eating smaller portions and better food. I started cooking with a lot less fat and a lot more low-fat ingredients. I also stopped a lot of the mindless snacking I did. It took me a year to shed 20 pounds. Since I’m short, it was significant enough.
What I can recommend, which has worked for me (keep in mind I have NO dietary knowledge. This is just that works for my metabolism):
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Today I signed into my registry to replace something that went discontinued (no worries—I’ve only had to do this 80 times already) and my jaw almost hit the floor when I noticed we are ALMOST at 100 days out. Crazy little registry countdown clock!
What the hell? I don’t think I ever took into consideration that all this planning would lead to the big day, because my mind feels boggled by the concept of me walking down the aisle and getting married. And, with my first dress fitting looming a few weeks away I realized I better stop slacking at getting my arse to the gym, and I better stop eating all those damn tacos (well except for Taco Tuesdays…).
Okay, a disclaimer. I know I am not a plus-size bride and I am not here to whine that my size 2s are just TOO DARN TIGHT (because I will never be a size 2!). But, my desire to be in shape for my wedding stems from my past. I was a chubster! Baby fat, chubby, chunky, however you want to put it I was overweight and unhealthy. I like food and I like to eat. I grew up in a clean your plate(s) family. I was the polar opposite of an active child. My hobbies consisted of doing things like poking out all the chocolate chips in my Chips Ahoys, eating the cookie, and saving the chocolate chips for dessert (yes, I really did this). So, Hive for you only (and I guess whoever else stumbles upon this blog post) I am revealing a teenage awkward photo of myself to prove that I am not BSing you. Here goes:
Yes, I am aware I had oddly un-proportional legs
You guys, I just discovered the most incredible thing for weight loss. It’s seldom used, but works like a charm.
Oh yeah it’s uhhh, called exercise. I’ve been lying to myself for years thinking all those fad diets work. You name it, I’ve tried it. I even tried that all liquid “Hollywood” diet. Yeah, I nearly passed out on that one.
News flash—none of that works. Maybe it will help you lose a little weight here and there, but nothing that will keep the weight off.
In reality, we all know what the magic spell is…eating healthy and exercising. I always thought I could get away with the former, but in reality I need both. It is not fun, in fact I absolutely loathe exercise. I kept putting it off because I had a really awesome reason why I shouldn’t lose weight.
Are you ready for this? Here it goes:
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Hi Hive! Sorry I haven’t been around as much lately. With less than a month to go, things are getting pretty crazy. I have a lot to share with you, especially since I was able to cram a dress fitting, makeup trial and my bachelorette party all in this past Saturday. Today, I wanted to update you on my weight loss journey and show you the results of my first dress fitting!
I shared my weight history with you here and how I came to start the Ideal Protein program. It has now been a little over 9 weeks and I am proud to say I have lost 31 pounds and 18.75 inches! I still can’t believe how well the program has worked for me and how much success I’ve had. I had hoped going into this that I could maybe lose 30 pounds before the wedding. Looks like I could have set a higher goal for myself!
With this weight loss came the all important question—how will my dress fit now? If you recall, I ordered a size down in my dress not knowing there was a 3 inch difference in the dress maker’s sizing. When my dress first came in—it didn’t fit—not by a long shot. My first appointment was on Saturday and I am not sure it could have gone any better!!
DRESS PICTURES AHEAD!! NO LOOKING IF YOU ARE MR. BALL CAP OR MY DAD!!
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In a previous post, I talked about my efforts to become a healthy, happy, and confident bride (and person) before I walk down the aisle in January. Now I want to talk more specifically about what had helped me lose those 90 pounds and what has been working again this time around. There’s nothing particularly special or unique about me physiologically; if I can do this, so can anyone. So can you.
As everyone knows, there are two major components to weight loss: diet and exercise. You’ve probably heard the saying that weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise, right? Well, for me, starting a consistent exercise routine was absolutely, without a doubt, the most important part. Like many women, I am a stress-eater. I tend to eat when I am worried, when I am anxious, when I am nervous. I quickly discovered, though, that a good workout does an even better job of taking away my stress. I could work through my frustrations at my job over a spin class, not with a dozen chocolate chip cookies. I could clear my mind after a disagreement with a friend by running it out on the treadmill, not by smothering it with mac and cheese. With each substitution, I felt better—and grew lighter.
Going to the gym also made me feel like a badass in a Nike ad. That’s right: I just did push-ups! And some free weights! Now I am going to do a couple of miles on the treadmill—faster than I did last week! Faster than you! Regardless of how fast I was actually running or how much weight I was actually lifting or how many push-ups I was actually doing, I felt powerful and strong. The last thing that I wanted to do was feel weighed down by greasy or calorically dense food.
My favorite Nike ad and source of fitness inspiration / Image via Nike Blog
My wedding dress was discontinued shortly before I started my wedding-dress search. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a sample of this lovely gown at a bridal salon in Los Angeles. Furthermore, because the dress could no longer be ordered, the salon was selling the dress at a deep discount: 67% off. The only catch to this sweet price? I had to accept that particular dress on that particular day. I couldn’t get the dress in a different color. I couldn’t get it with a different hem length. And, most importantly, I couldn’t get it in a different size. It was going to be size 10 or bust (out of the seams).
The dress fit perfectly. Yet realizing this gave me serious pause: a size 10 is both a smaller size and a bigger size than I ever imagined being on my wedding day. Say what? Let me explain.
Growing up, I struggled with my weight. By struggled with my weight, I really mean that I struggled with being overweight. I was fairly active in sports, but I was always the heaviest one on the softball or swim team. I grew to be a junior size 9 before I even graduated into junior high. I bounced between a 10 and a 14 in high school. In college, I maintained a size 14–16. I lacked confidence, so I hid my body behind oversized cardigans and baggy sweatshirts. I also wore a lot of black, clinging to the idea that it was “slimming.” At my highest, I probably weighed 230 pounds.
Trying to blend into the background
So if anyone had told a younger version of me that someday I would walk down the aisle in a size 10 wedding gown, strapless no less, I would have been shocked.
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