My Story
I'm not one of those people you could ever call obese, but I've always carried an extra 10 - 15 kgs around. If you can relate, you've probably heard people say "oh, you're not too fat, don't worry", especially your thin friends!
If you want to read the really long and gory version with more pictures, then get your free copy of the 7 Secrets to the Wedding Day Body of Your Dreams, where I outline my journey from start to finish.
I was never happy with my weight, but it was more my energy and mood. I suffered from mild depression, lethargy and a general pessimism about the world. I had high cholesterol, low sex drive, symptoms of PCOS, got a severe case of pneumonia, had bad B.O and would sometimes have attacks of anxiety and itchiness!
I tried diet pills, Weight Watchers, meal replacement shakes, tried just not eating (too hard for me!), and low carb/high protein diets. I was increasingly sick of trying stupid diets and feeling that constant obsession, guilt and shame that nothing I did was good enough. I almost resigned myself to the fact that I'd be overweight forever, but I have to admit - the realisation depressed me greatly.
My basic diet wasn't horrible to the outside. Muesli and milk for breakfast. Tuna salad for lunch. Cottage cheese on crackers for snacks. For dinner it would be chicken or tuna pasta with vegetables. That doesn't sound too bad, but there hardly any fruit or vegetables. What really killed me was my blow outs. A couple of times a week I would binge on pizza, nachos, crisps, barbeque ribs, ramen noodles, chinese food... you name it!
Also, I could eat and eat and literally never feel full. So what might be a fairly normal diet for someone, could turn into mountains of food for me. I couldn't stop at just one - I had to eat and eat, until I felt sick. Even when I went to all you can eat Pizza Hut - I would eat til I felt sick and then took some pizza home with me.
I just wanted nothing more than to wear nice, normal clothes and not feel uncomfortable all the time. Even though at my largest weight, I was a size 14 (the average size in the UK), I hated shopping because nothing looked flattering on me. For my height, it also classed me as just squeaking into the obese category.
When we got engaged, I was so happy, but I was dreading trying on wedding dresses. I knew I didn't want to buy a size 14 dress, but I couldn't face months of feeling miserable on a diet anymore. I didn't want to join the gym either. What's a chubby, lazy bride-to-be to do?!
Although I didn't eat healthily, I was actually really interested in reading about the latest health trends and reading diet books. I met this girl Claire, who was really into healthy eating in a way I hadn't ever seen before. She started lending me books and telling me about raw food blogs and I was hooked straight away.
I couldn't believe the results that people were getting - just by simply eating more raw food! It seemed like a miracle. Seriously - how could it work? Could it be that simple? I was pretty annoyed that I had suffered through years of paying for diet pills, supplements, weight loss meetings, meal replacement shakes, pedometers, gym memberships and suddenly it's as easy as - eat more raw food?!
I went into it slowly, still eating things like McDonald's every now and then, but because I was pumping real nutrition into my body in the form of lots of green leafy salads, vegetables, seeds and nuts - then I wasn't as hungry anymore.
I also started seeing results very quickly, which was hugely motivating. I started doing very gentle exercise and the weight came off slowly and steadily. Of course, I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and that's why I'm so passionate about sharing my knowledge to other brides-to-be. You don't have to suffer from bad dieting anymore!
You might be wondering what I eat now, just boring salads and fruit. Not at all! My diet is so much more varied than ever before. I will probably never run out of new things to try - unlike my old diet of cheese and fat! I don't eat exclusively raw food, but as you'll discover, it's more what you put in at the beginning. Raw food has helped me beat my cravings and my bingeing.
Best of all, I feel so much better. My weight loss has been steady but consistent. Slow but for once in my life, I feel happy with myself and my body.
If you are going to do any diet for your wedding, then let me urge you to try raw food. You don't have to eat exclusively raw (I didn't), and it might seem like it won't work for you - it absolutely will. I'm here to help, and if you are willing to give it a try, you can get amazing results - in fact, better than you ever could imagine. Let me share why it was all worth it.
Our Wedding
What a journey! There was a little more than a year between those two photos and it's amazing how far I came in that time. Not only in how I look physically, but how I feel in myself - happier, more motivated and excited about life.
The day before the wedding, I went to the hotel gym to spend some time alone and reflect on my journey. I felt this incredible sense of peace. I could have lost more weight but I did it – I achieved my goal of fitting into my wedding dress and feeling like a princess. No regrets. I really took some time to acknowledge myself for the commitment and vision I had for myself. I was in the best shape of my life. Emotionally, physically and mentally, I had never felt stronger.
You know what? I actually didn’t try on my dress for a whole month before! The previous time I had tried it on, it was just the teeniest bit tight but the morning of the wedding when I put it on – it felt amazing. It fit perfectly. I did it! It was one of those moments that I always dreamt about. Having a huge goal and actually achieving it.
In the end I actually had three dresses! I had my big traditional one for the ceremony. Then I bought another one that was a more slim fit so I could actually dance and enjoy the reception. And then I bought a purple one (also a size 10) for the evening dinner!
Everyone commented on what a chilled out bride I was. There were definitely some nerves on the day, but I felt prepared and so good in myself.
It’s
hard to describe the surreal feeling of getting married and if I try, I’m
afraid I’ll descend into clichés. It really was the most memorable day of my
life (so far). The sun shone (thank god, it was
Also, I
even stayed raw almost the whole day because I had prepared special and
delicious snacks for myself (and my other raw guests) so I didn’t get bloated
or feel full at all the whole day. (I did drink gallons of Pimms though!)
The Honeymoon
Our
honeymoon was brilliant, and again we planned a good mix of activities which
supported our new healthier lifestyle. We went to
Because we had been so healthy in the lead up, we both had so much energy. I’ve heard that people don’t want to do anything on honeymoon because they are exhausted from planning a wedding. What a waste! Yet another reason to do the Raw Brides programme.
I was
thrilled that I could wear a bikini on holiday like I planned. I had so much
confidence that I pushed myself to do things that normally I’d find really
scary, like being in the ocean.
We did yoga classes, boat trips, hikes, kayaking to deserted islands, rock climbing, horse riding, surfing lessons, snorkelling – and of course shopping! There’s no way I could have kept up with Mark if I wasn’t nourishing myself properly. We didn’t eat amazingly well every meal, but were conscious enough to ensure that we had enough fruit and vegetables and didn’t eat to excess every meal. We ate in some gorgeous restaurants and every single one had something that I could eat. When I had the odd “junk” here and there, it didn’t make me feel too sick or spiral me into a binge.
Because I had so much practice, it was easy to stick to being healthy. Of course I relaxed and just enjoyed spending time together and travelling to some beautiful locations. In fact, I didn’t think about food that much at all. In a lot of places we could find juices, fresh fruit and vegetables or custom made salads, but in other places it was fried noodles for breakfast!
I
learnt a lot about taking care of myself on holiday and I’ve got plenty of tips
for you to make sure you come back just as slim – if not fitter than your
wedding day.
Since the wedding has finished, I’ve continued with the programme, setting new goals and continued to lose weight and get healthier. My journey does not stop here and I know the next stage of my transformation will be just as wonderful as the first one. Just because my wedding is over doesn’t mean that I’m no longer a Raw Bride. My transformation continues for life because I want to feel just as thrilled and happy as I did putting on that dress and knowing that it was finally my time to shine.
I wrote plenty of articles in the lead up to the wedding. You can read them all here and my wedding diary archives.
Good luck for your own wedding weight loss, let me know if I can do anything to support your journey. I've created Raw Brides to inspire other women in my position to change their bodies, their mindset and their attitude around weight loss. It CAN be done, it CAN work for you and it can also be easy and fun. I've created ebooks and programmes for you, so you can either go at your own pace, or turbo-charge your results. It's up to you, but if you feel like it's your time, then contact me today and I can chat through your options. Otherwise, sign up for my free ebook below and you can start getting inspired today.
© Denise Duffield-Thomas
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