WeddingGuideUK.com - The Wedding Dress Diet

WGUK: What kind of horror stories have you heard?

JS: We recount several in the Introduction, including a bit about Fergie, who says the steak-and-oranges diet she went on before her wedding wreaked havoc with her skin and hair. Our point is that we know prospective brides are going to diet - so we're going to help them do it right.

WGUK: Did you diet for your own wedding?

JS: Yes, I dieted before my own wedding even though I was 5 ft 8 inches and weighed 124 pounds - thin by almost any standard. My wedding took place almost 20 years ago...well, before I became a health and nutrition writer. I didn't do anything really stupid...I recall just a week of eating mostly salads dressed only with lemon juice (ugh!). My desire to look good in the clingy knit I would be wearing at the reception (which took place after the honeymoon) put a crimp in my being able to totally enjoy the honeymoon - I was anxious about every bite of food I took.

WGUK: What kind of reaction have you had from readers of this book?

JS: I've had wonderful feedback. The brides like the way we've addressed the fact that, unlike most other dieters, brides have a hard and fast deadline. They appreciate that we give them a formula they can personalise: exactly how many calories they must limit themselves to each day and how much exercise they must do, based on the number of pounds they want to lose and the weeks or months they have left before the wedding. One of my friends used the same formula to get her calorie and exercise 'stats' not for her wedding, but for her high school reunion this summer! We've also had a lot of praise for our chapter showing brides how to choose a wedding gown that will play up particular figure assets (such as long legs) while playing down flaws (such as extra-wide hips). Finally, readers have expressed a lot of appreciation for our chapters that deal with the fact that the pre-wedding period is a particularly difficult time in which to try to lose weight. We offer lots of tips on how to de-stress without resorting to 'comfort eating', plus how to make low-fat, low-calorie, healthy food choices, both on the run and at the various celebrations.

WGUK: What about the men?

JS: If a groom-to-be wants to lose weight too, there's much he can learn in our chapters about cutting and expending calories and making healthy food choices...especially because he will be facing some of the same pre-wedding stresses and celebrations as the bride. In fact, a bride will have it easier if her fiance is also committed to trimming down. Studies have shown that people are more likely to keep up an exercise regime if they have an exercise buddy.

WGUK: Is there a danger that a book like yours might place too much expectation or pressure on brides-to-be?

JS: I don't think so. We advise brides-to-be not to set unrealistic weight-loss goals. A realistic goal is one or two pounds a week, and to achieve that, you don't have to starve and/or do 6,000 crunches a day. In our chapter about choosing a wedding gown, it's implicit that we realize that some of our readers will not achieve their shape-up goals. With our styling advice we're saying, for example, "OK, your hips are still bigger than you wanted them to be, so you may want to consider a gown with a such-and-such-style skirt to de-emphasize them.?" Finally, we caution readers not to be too rigid. For example, a bride-to-be may feel guilty about sharing a plate of chocolate mousse with her best friend at lunch. Many a dieter will be tempted to say, "Well, I blew it at lunch, so the whole day is shot" and then proceed to gorge herself for the rest of the day. Now that's a diet disaster. To prevent that kind of thing, our advice is not to feel guilty about the chocolate mousse - and simply skip dessert after dinner that night.

WGUK: What dietary advice would you give to any woman who's just got engaged?

JS: If she wants to lose weight, she should take a look at our formula immediately and begin the process right away - even if the wedding is a year from now. It's much easier to lose 20 pounds in a year than in two months. You don't have to be as strict about calorie intake and exercise regime.

You can order your copy of The Wedding Dress Diet by Robyn Flipse and Jacqueline Shannon direct from Amazon.co.uk, using our online book search facility.