My wedding weight loss dairy – The proposal

It was my birthday last weekend, and my lovely boyfriend (and hubby-to-be) whisked me away for a romantic trip to the beautiful hills of Tuscany. On our 3rd night there, over dinner and champagne he proposed. I welled up, and of course said yes. It was everything I’d ever dreamed of and, after spending an hour excitedly breaking the news to friends and family, my thoughts turned to the big day itself.

On our return to the UK, we set the date. September the 15th, which means I have 4 and a half months to get my butt into shape - literally. They say you get comfortable when you move in with your man, and I was certainly no exception to this rule.

When I had first met Dan I was 8.5 stone, and a shapely size 10. I had never really struggled with my weight before as most of my spare time was spent at various dance classes. Because of the costumes we had to wear I was always conscious of my weight, but never had to worry too much as I was pretty active.

Me and Dan hit it off almost instantly, and before long we were almost inseparable. We decided to move in together after almost a year and I loved our cosy little life. I enjoy cooking and we loved eating hearty meals together, washed down with wine. Coupled with my first sit-down-all-day desk job, the pounds began to creep on, but I was so happy and secure it didn’t bother me too much, until now of course!

I had always dreamed of my wedding since I was little, and loved the idea of a beach wedding. I want to wear a lightly billowing, fitted silk white dress. No meringue dress for me! Over the 5 years we had been together I had gone up to a voluptuous size 12-14. Now, that might not be such a problem for some but at just 5’2 I’m almost as wide as I am long! Not a good look and definitely not one I want to remember every time I look at my wedding photographs. There’s only one thing for it; it’s time to lose weight.

Arriving home from our long weekend away it was time to confront my weight issue head on by stepping onto the dreaded scales. I was horrified to see I weighed over 11.5 stone. Instantly, I looked up a local slimming group and went along the same week with my sister for support. We learnt about healthy eating, and were very surprised by the amount of excess calories I was devouring every day without even realising. They set me a target weight for 2 months time, to lose at least 10% of my total body weight. My mind was in a bit of a frenzy, but I’m feeling inspired by the other members of the group and I truly believe I can do it.

Afterwards, I went home and poured over the literature we had been given, and vowed to follow my weight loss plan. I made a shopping list for the first time in my life and the next day went to the supermarket. I filled my trolley with fresh foods, and dodged the isles filled with junk. I decided the only way I was going to succeed was by being organized so I planned my meals and scheduled in some well deserved treats such as some sugar free jelly and low fat chocolate mousse.

From my newly purchased ingredients, I made a healthy stir fry that, unlike before, was not drenched in sauce. Also, for the first time ever, I measured out a proper sized portion of rice. Dan is supporting me with my weight loss, even though he says I look beautiful as I am.  He ate the same dinner as me and secretly I think he wants to shape up a bit too.

Instead of picking at food constantly and having a beer in the evening I dusted off the Wii Fit and made some use of it. It’s actually quite fun, so didn’t feel like exercise, but after just 15 minutes I was out of breath - pretty disgraceful for an ex-dancer.

Just seeing how overweight and unfit I am is a real eye-opener and has spurred me on to lose weight for my wedding. Over the next few weeks I’ll be filling you guys in on my weight loss journey. Wish me luck!

Kelly x