Shortly after the engagement and the ring is on the finger, many brides begin to think of two words: wedding diet. While society has capitalized on crash diets right before the wedding, we are here to put an end to it. The most important thing about your wedding day and the process before it is that you look and feel your best – fitting into a size 0 dress will not be the happiest moment of your engagement! Instead of the words ‘wedding diet’, consider it more of a wellness plan to maintain a healthy lifestyle and be body positive. The important thing is to not let any unnecessary stress take over your life, such as starving yourself. Having a body positive engagement will not only relieve any pressures of losing weight, but it will also help you feel mentally awesome. Although in our culture, beautiful usually means being incredibly thin, a wedding diet is not the answer. Dieting is the opposite of what a bride wants. An engagement journey requires the bride to be healthy, calm, and confident leading up to the wedding. You’ll have other things to stress about, do not worry about eating that extra piece of bread.

Julie Greer Photography

Here are five reasons why being body positive is the most important mindset for a bride (or bridesmaid!).

1. You wear the dress, not the other way around

It seems like an easy concept, but it can be difficult to go wedding dress shopping and not think “I need to lose weight so I can fit in my dress.” As you embark on your journey to your wedding day, make sure this is not the mentality you go into it with. You have to wear the dress. The dress must tailor to your body, not the other way around. Some brides might even buy a wedding dress too small, assuming they will lose enough weight to fit into it. Well guess what, the wedding diet is not miraculous and you will lose time and patience figuring out what other dress to wear. Even if the bride does shed a few pounds, imagine all the money lost in having to tailor the dress to fit because she lost so much weight in a small amount of time. When you do go wedding dress shopping, enjoy the ride. Your body will react in a negative way if you suddenly cut out carbs, sweets, or anything else that you would normally eat. The wedding dress will look beautiful because guess what – you are beautiful! Keep that in mind when you fall in love with the dress of your dreams.

Julie Greer Photography

2. The scale is just a number

If you have a scale in the house, do yourself a favor and throw it away. Being body positive means ignoring the little number on the scale because in reality, it does not mean anything. If you want to see it for yourself, stand on the scale at different times of the day. You will see the number change in the morning before breakfast, once you have had lunch, and again before you go to bed. Once you have realized that the number actually does not mean anything, continue being body positive in your life knowing your self-worth is not just a few digits. Happiness is a state of mind, not a number on a scale.

3. Don’t diet. Make healthy choices!

Even without a wedding at hand, dieting is never the answer for any problem. Say you do lose the twenty pounds you wanted to lose – now what? Chances are, the weight you just lost is going to come right back because you deprived your body of what you normally eat. Stick to your recommended caloric intake, but incorporate healthy options that will energize you throughout wedding planning rather than starting a "diet". A wedding diet will take a toll on your body and your personality. Although no one wants to be a bridezilla, you might accidentally become one because you are dieting. Without a healthy and regular diet, you will snap at people, you will be angry most of the time, and you will lose yourself. Ever been hungry and angry at the same time? Being hangry is never an ideal state of mind, but add that on top of any wedding stress happening at the moment. World, meet bridezilla. Diets do not work most of the time and they deplete your willpower and ruin your mood. Altogether, it does not make for a healthy environment for your engagement. For the most part, keep your eating habits the same if you already eat a balanced diet. It is more important to improve your health than to lose a few pounds. Try to avoid new fad foods leading up to the wedding, out of allergic reactions, possible food poisoning or something else that could ruin your stomach at the worst possible moment. Your life is already hectic and stressful as is with the engagement at hand. You might even add a few pounds because of it. Don’t stress yourself any more than you already are. Being a body positive bride is a sure fire way to secure that you are mentally and physically ready enjoy the journey to your wedding day.

4. Don’t stress eat

While some brides might try to starve themselves, others might stress eat. Neither are healthy options, but making sure you do not eat an unnecessary amount of cookies at midnight is a step in the right direction and easily avoidable. Instead of resorting to snacks, find another way to decompose after a stressful event. Go for a jog, read a book, listen to music and dance around, anything that will keep you from munching and maintaining that body positive mentality. A great idea to avoid stress eating is to put on a timer for 20 minutes. If you are still hungry after the time has passed, then go ahead and eat. The time buffer will allow you to realize if you are actually eating or you are reacting to something stressful by going for that bag of chips. More likely than not, you will have already moved onto something else to do. If the timer goes off and you realize you are definitely hungry, opt for healthy snacks instead of indulging like a salad or nuts. That being said, everything is okay in moderation. Only eating salads is just as unhealthy and unbalanced as eating a bag of chips. The key is to avoid any deprivation or gorging of any kind.

5. Lose weight the healthy way

So you have come to the conclusion that it is not about dropping 50 pounds in a week but simply living a healthier lifestyle, making smarter choices about what you are eating, and avoiding falling into the wedding diet temptation. Being the body positive bride means recognizing that a healthier lifestyle includes meals and not starving yourself for a size number on a dress. You can incorporate going to the gym at least 2-3 times a week, enough to get your blood pumping. In fact, it will make you feel better to be active for about an hour so you will most likely be happier after you do go for a jog or hit the gym. If the gym is not your cup of tea, find a yoga class that calls your attention. As long as it is helping you physically in a way that does not mean you skimp out on meals, you are already choosing a healthier lifestyle for yourself.

Julie Greer Photography

Leading up to your wedding, make sure you enjoy the journey and do not worry much about the wedding diet. Remember that your fiancé loves you for you and probably won’t care if you’re suddenly 40 pounds lighter. Love your body and all that it does for you! Look forward to all the cake and champagne you’ll have at your bachelorette party, bridal shower, reception, and any other celebrations leading up to your wedding day. The one thing you have to worry about is how you are marrying the love of your life. That’s what you will remember, not the size of your dress.