Shaping up

Amelia Watts, founder of Benefit Personal Training, has all the advice you need to keep slim through all those tricky pre-wedding diet minefields…

Dinner with the in-laws

Spending a stressful evening with both sets of parents can prompt excessive nibbling!

• Avoid: High-fat and carb-heavy curry houses and pizza places. The bread basket. All three courses – stick to a starter and main.
• Healthier option: Simple dishes without sauces; grilled asparagus or smoked salmon; salads and grilled chicken. If you can’t resist a pud, choose a fresh fruit salad or share an indulgent dessert.

Top tip: Chew slowly! When you’re stressed your digestive system slows down, making you look and feel bloated. Slow eating also gives your body time to tell your brain that you’re naturally full.

The hen night

Who knows what type of boozy night your friends have in store!

• Avoid: Creamy cocktails and cola-based drinks. Even diet fizzy drinks contain toxins that can cause cellulite. Gin and tonic is a secret diet saboteur – even the slimline version packed with chemical sugar substitutes.
• Healthier option: Champagne – it has far fewer calories and the bubbles will make you tipsy quickly. Wine makes another good option, especially a spritzer with sparkling water. Fruit-based cocktails are also a winner.

Top tip: Drink a glass of water after every alcoholic drink to help prevent dehydration and a hangover.

Menu and cake tastings

You can’t avoid tasting the menu options for your big day…

• Avoid: Helping yourself to huge portions – just taste a sliver of each cake.
• Healthier option: Aesthetics are nearly as important as taste. Concentrate on the dishes’ aroma and presentation, relying a little less on your taste buds.

Top tip: Ask a group of friends and family to sample the first selection of dishes, whittling the choice down to a shortlist of three or four options before you delve in.

Pre-wedding stress

Planning your wedding, and keeping everyone happy in the process, can be stressful.

• Avoid: Foods high in sugar – they’ll give you a quick sugar high, then an energy dip as your body struggles to convert the sugar.
• Healthier option: Eat more fruit and vegetables, which should be steamed or eaten raw. They’re packed with stress-busting vitamins and help curb cravings for sugary snacks and fat-filled takeaways.

Top tip: Try breathing exercises to prevent chocolate cravings. Block one nostril with your finger breathing in until your lungs expand. Slowly breath out, then repeat with the other nostril.

Reaching the diet wall

You’ve been eating well and exercising religiously in the run-up to your wedding, so why have the scales stopped moving?

• Avoid: Pigging out in a fit of frustration!
• Healthier option: Jump-start your weight loss by shaking up your routine. Change the order of your exercises, try jogging instead of cycling and increase the tempo. Resistance training will boost your metabolism even when you’re not working out, so add a mix of weight-bearing exercise to your normal cardio regime.

Top tip: Find an old photo from before your exercise and diet regime to remind yourself how well you’ve done. Stay positive by jotting down an achievement every day.

Getting married abroad

Be careful not to relax your healthy-eating plan as soon as you hit foreign shores.

• Avoid: Being seduced by the amazing ice cream selection! Instead, opt for frozen yoghurt or fruit sorbet.
• Healthier option: If you’re lucky enough to be near the sea, make the most of the fresh seafood on offer, filling up on grilled fish with vegetables or salad.

Top tip: Take a brisk stroll in the surf. The resistance of the water and the uneven surface of the sand makes your body work harder.

Night-before nerves

It’s the night before the wedding and you’ll be looking great, feeling a little nervous and heading for an early night so you’ll feel refreshed for the big day.

• Avoid: Fizzy drinks! They’re sugary and gassy and cause distended lower abs. Replace them with at least two litres of water the day before your wedding.
• Healthier option: Turkey breast for dinner can help you to fall sleep the night before the wedding as it releases sleep-inducing hormones. Eat a couple of yoghurts to settle your digestive system if you’re nervous.

Top tip: Avoid anything containing garlic or spices.