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.
Happily Ever After?
Since the wedding has finished, I’ve continued with the programme, setting new ones and getting excited about what the next year holds for me and my health. 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.
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This article is an excerpt from my book - Raw Brides Transformation Plan: 8 Weeks to the Wedding Day Body of Your Dreams which outlines everything I did to get my results.
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- A suggested eating and shopping plan; including ideas for the best breakfasts, lunches and dinners with ideas how to customise for your lifestyle and preferences
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