The Countdown Diet

Don’t stress about your size before the big day, follow our simple wedding countdown diet. It’s an easy 10-point plan that involves gradually eating less unhealthy food and doing a bit more exercise.

You make three small changes six months before your wedding, then three months later you make another three changes to your diet. And in the final month you make another three small changes.

With these 10 small changes over the six months healthy eating and regular exercise becomes second nature and you’ll notice a big difference in your body, skin, hair and energy levels.

6 months before the big day

-10. Start to make small changes to your diet. If you have sugar on your cereal or in you tea and coffee, then swap regular sugar for sweetener. Likewise, change the dairy products you have to low-fat versions, that means semi-skimmed milk, low-fat cheese, low-fat dairy spreads.

-9. Go shopping and swap all your usual treats for healthy alternatives such as nuts, dried fruit, baked crisps, sweet and salty popcorn - but not the stuff with syrup all over it! Sugar-free jelly, low-fat fruit yogurts and flavoured crispbreads.

-8. Start writing a food diary. It might sound boring but you’ll be amazed at what a difference it makes. We all underestimate how many calories we actually eat and when you see your daily diet in black and white, it’s much easier to know where you’re going wrong and adjust where necessary.

3 months before the big day

-7. If you already drink eight glasses of water a day, that’s great, carry on. But if you don’t now’s the time to start. Drinking water can really help a dieter, it fills you up and keeps your digestive system working properly.

-6. Experiment with exercise and activities to find one thing that you can really get into. It could be swimming, an aerobics class, netball or something quirkier like roller skating or a hula hoop fitness class. Once you find something you love you’ll have more energy, your body will start to change and you’ll begin to feel more positive and motivated to diet.

-5. Start toning your muscles with weights - you don’t have to be down the gym pumping iron just some light hand weights that you can lift while you’re watching television or that you can wear around your wrists and ankles.

1 month before the big day

-4. Increase the amount of fibre you eat. This doesn’t have to be heavy food just swap white bread, white pasta, white rice for wholemeal or brown varieties. And eat at least one piece of fruit and at least four types of vegetables every day.

-3. Cut out takeaways and junk food. If you do this for just a month you’ll see a big difference in your dress size. It’s also a good idea to cut back on alcohol or stop drinking all together - booze is full of empty calories and can leave you bloated!

-2. Get into dry body brushing it helps boost circulation, which is good for your metabolism and it helps eliminate toxins from the body. Buy a hard bristle brush - The Body Shop have body brushes for around £7 - and using small circular motions brush your body from the ankles up to the arms and chest.

And finally...

-1. Relax. Stress can lead to unhealthy eating patterns and some experts think stress can also lead to a bloated belly. So, chill out, congratulate yourself on your weight loss and your new body.