Preparing for wedding is probably the most stressful period in life. It revolves all around thinking about how to look the best on the big day. Even the joy and the excitement is laced with some anxiety about whether it will all turn out the way you want. The few weeks before wedding are also full of parties, celebrations, eating out and an invitation to weight gain and skin breakouts for many am I right?

BREAKFAST IS THE KEY

Having a hearty and healthy breakfast everyday kick-starts your metabolism. This helps burn more calories throughout the day to fuel your activities. Not just that, you tend to consume lesser calories later in the day, as it also triggers the hormone leptin, which is responsible for suppressing appetite. Choose from high-fibre, high-protein options like a bowl of cereal or oats with low fat milk, fruits, vegetables, omelettes with brown bread and etc. Eat your breakfast until you are full!

EAT ENOUGH

Reduce exercising (you don’t want any cramps) and eat enough and on time, before you start feeling the hunger, are the ways to effective weight loss, and have glowing skin. You will need all the nutrition you can to cope with the wedding planning stress. Not having enough nutrition, especially with exercise and all the running around, will lead to loss of muscle. This in turn will lead to dull, pale and not so firm skin. Eating something every 2-3 hours (as against 3 large meals) to ensure a smooth running metabolic rate for effective burning of calories.

SAVE THE SALT

Salt is the main culprit when it comes to feeling bloated. You definitely do not want the plump feel when you are dressing up on the most important day of your life. Salt is necessary for the normal functioning of the body, but excess of it makes the body retain water, leading to the early morning “fat feeling”. Try adding as little salt as possible to your food. Stay away from chips, preserved foods, baked foods and sauces that have extra salt used for preservation. These leads to saggy water weight!

UNFRIEND CAFFEINE

If you really have very little time on hand, and wish to look your best on your day, then you must give up on these this right away! Excessive consumption of strong tea and coffee has been shown to affect sleep patterns and impair digestion, both reflecting badly on the skin and body. Try to replace your drinks with herbal or green tea. The antioxidants work great for the skin! You can even drink skimmed or low fat milk to ace weight loss.

SHUT YOUR EYES

Getting enough sleep before the wedding goes hand-in-hand with good skin and healthy weight loss. Lack of sufficient sleep not only leads to low energy levels, but also triggers the cortisol hormone, which is responsible for making us feel hungry even when we are full! That apart, insufficient sleep results in blood-shot, puffy eyes, dark circles and pale skin. Try to get undisturbed sleep for 7-8 hours every night. Also try having a 15-20 minutes of power nap once a day to feel rejuvenated.