Marry Me Monday: Looking Your Best

Before I was engaged, I decided that I would avoid phrases like "wedding dress diet" whenever I did start preparing for the big day.  Like any bride, I want to look my best for my wedding but I choose to avoid crash dieting and starving myself as a means to get there.  I want to look good and feel healthy way beyond my wedding.  To me a diet represents a temporary state of being not a set of steadfast habits.  I find it scary that on a lot of wedding websites there are advertisements for weight loss products.  What kind of message is that sending to women?  It feels like they are screaming to me - last chance to get skinny!!!

I write about weight with sensitivity as a person who naively responds to reverse psychology.  I have finally learned what works for me. If I say I am going to lose 10 pounds, most likely I will gain 5!  If I say a food is "bad" and I can't eat it, guess what the next thing I eat will be?!?  So after spending my teenage years about 20 pounds overweight, I learned in college and adulthood that typical diet mentality does not work for me.  Finally!  I stopped being lured into the promises of the fancy diets and started to focus on my habits.  Nothing magical. But by changing habits, I can be automatic with choosing healthy choices.

No longer do I choose to drink water over a soda because of the numbers on the scale - I do it for my health. 

I choose to avoid sugar because it makes me feel lethargic and sick.

I don't eat red meat because...well I will respect all you red meat eaters out there and not tell you why.

I avoid white or processed foods. When I do this for a long period of time, my skin glows. Sugar makes my skin look grayish. 

I load up on veggies and fruit as well as exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day (usually walking).

I can commit to my health, I could not commit to vanity with the same enthusiasm.  And mysteriously all these non-magic choices have helped me lose about 30 pounds from my heaviest and keep it off without effort.

I still have health goals and I am working to improve those areas.  However, I learned that I have a lot more control over my habits then silly numbers on a scale.  I can control how many times I exercise in a week and eating veggies over white breads.  I feel more empowered that way and don't have to worry about yo yo numbers.  I am focusing on being the healthiest me I can be, not just for a wedding dress but for a lifetime - one I get to spend with my soon to be husband!