In Fitness and in Health
Nothing motivates you to lose weight like wanting to look great on your wedding day.

Few photo opportunities strike as much fear into the hearts of women as the prospect of wedding photos. Hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars are spent capturing the moment, the smile ... the double chin? The underarm fat? Heaven forbid, the rear view?

As the wedding day draws closer and the dress fittings get more final, there is less time to do anything about weight loss, says Sheila Mefferd, health and wellness director at the Bonner Springs YMCA. "There is no quick fix." But given 10 to 12 weeks, a bride can safely lose 10 pounds and keep off the weight. Just got engaged? Start now.

Eating Right
Since the '80s, low-fat diets have been popular. In the past five years, low-carbohydrate diets, such as Atkins and South Beach, have emerged. Glenna Moe, clinical dietician for Saint Luke's Health Center, disagrees with eliminating fat or carbohydrates while dieting. "Low-fat is almost danger-proof, but it doesn't take into account that we need healthy fats," says Moe. "Cutting out carbohydrates puts your body under basic physiological stress since our bodies are designed to burn carbohydrates for energy."

The right choices, according to Moe, are the obvious ones: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean meats. She acknowledges, however, that those aren't the foods Americans like to eat. "We are nutritionally starving ourselves to death. We are overfed and undernourished. I call it 'ingesticide.' " The best way to fight it? Eliminate fast food and refined sugars, and start bringing lunch to work instead of eating out.

Worried about getting too hungry? Moe advises eating lots of fresh vegetables. "Big food that is calorie-spare but nutrient-dense is best."

Feeling the Burn
The other half of the weight-loss equation is, of course, exercise. Recently released exercise guidelines indicate a bride should elevate her heart rate at least 30 to 60 minutes each day. However, any exercise is better than none.

"Quality of time spent is more important than quantity of time," says Mefferd. "You're going to get out what you put in. If all you can do is walk, walk briskly."

Does it matter whether you break up the exercise into more short sessions or do it all at once? Opinions vary. However, most experts agree that making exercise a habit is the best way to go. Even better off are those who involve their partners—those who play together, stay together. Exercising is a good way to get in both couple time and healthy competition.

It's important to create a mix of strength training, cardiovascular exercise and stretching to really improve everything from muscle tone to posture. "You can't spot train and lose weight in just one part of the body, but you can emphasize those muscles to define them quicker," says Mefferd. "It's not just sit-ups that give you toned abs—you also have to burn the calories."

Falling Off the Wagon
It's easy to lose motivation halfway to a weight-loss goal. There are sweets at showers and luncheons, margaritas at the bachelorette parties and a slew of celebratory dinners out to stand in the way of healthy eating habits.

As for exercise, anyone starting a new exercise program after months or years of inactivity should start slowly and consult a physician. It's important not to push too hard in the first days or weeks—not only does overtraining increase the chances of injury, it also increases the chances of burnout.

"General muscle soreness will go away in about two days," says Mefferd. "Anytime you can't touch the muscle, that's bad. If you are that sore, you need to back off and do a lighter workout for a few days until your body feels better." If joints are burning, inflamed or swollen, don't just take a break—get to a doctor. Not taking care of an injury will increase the likelihood of permanent damage and sideline weight-loss goals at the same time.

Finishing Strong
Once the initial weight-loss goal is met, Mefferd advises three or four 45-minute sessions of exercise a week to maintain the new weight. "Strength-train two days a week and get a good cardiovascular workout three or four times a week. Mix it up."

Moderation is key for maintaining weight loss when it comes to diet. Moe advises eating whole grains for breakfast and cooking instead of eating out every night. "You will gain weight if you eat out most nights—the serving sizes are too big."

Rather than jumping on the scale every night, brides should pay attention to how clothes fit and weigh in about once a month to be sure they haven't fallen back into bad habits before the big day.

Most important, don't be too hard on yourself. "Be patient and don't expect overnight results," says Mefferd. "Establish good exercise habits now. Time is a monster, and exercise will sneak farther and farther down the list in the future. Start your marriage strong."