Diet tips

I recommend fit girls guide! Gives you a full meal plan, shopping list and exercises! Also tons of substitutions if you don't like an ingredient. Very simple and fun. Fit girls guide also has a huge community on Instagram if you want to check them out

Beautifully said, thank you

View quoted message

This was a great post!!! Thanks for the recommendations

I've been thinking about that thank you

Cut out wheat lol I'm not very big to begin with and I don't exercise.... but I am health conscious with food. I went thru a phase where I wanted to see how my body would respond if I cut out gluten... so no bread, pasta, or oats, or anything that had gluten at all. And I lost 10 pounds in a month. I wasn't trying to lose weight and it scared me so I brought it back Hahah but it worked for me without doing exercise or anything else!

Hi Christine!

My advice to someone who wants to start exercising would be to find something that you like to do that will be sustainable in the long term. Not everyone likes “conventional” exercise like running. If you hate running, you'll probably always hate running, so no point in forcing yourself to do it - it's not going to make you happy. The great thing is that there are a million other ways you can move your body that might actually feel good. Because honestly, if it doesn’t feel good, what’s the point? I've been a swimmer my whole life – I’m lucky because it doesn't feel like a workout to me, it's more like therapy, so it's what I do when I feel like moving my arms and legs around. I also really like group exercise classes because I like the music, the social company, and I like to be challenged. So sometimes I do barre, Pilates, or yoga classes - they are all low impact and you can modify as much as you need as you build up strength. Group exercise classes come with a caution though: beware of the negative pressures of the diet and fitness industry. They are just so rampant at those group classes and I’ll admit that it can be hard to tune it out. But seriously, tune it out. Fad diets have one goal and that is to make you feel shameful about your body and you should never feel that way.

When I exercise, I try to remember why I am there and why I enjoy it. I’m not there because I hate my body, I’m there because I love my body and it can do so many awesome things. It’s hard to resist the pressure to be that perfect bride, but it has helped me to realize this – I am completely worthy of walking down the aisle right now, exactly as I am, without changing anything. We all are

If anyone is struggling with these pressures, feel free to reach out to me! In case you can't tell, I've been down this road before and I know a few excellent podcasts and resources that can help with body positivity! (Sorry Christine for hijacking your post!)

I've been going to Barre classes! They focus on abs and are a great workout that's not too stressful

Thank you very much

Try bodybuilding.com . Don't worry, you don't have to be a body builder.

They have some great wedding ready plans with both diet and exercise.

View quoted message You're welcome!

View quoted message

Thank you you tube is a great idea

You can try looking up some fitness videos on Youtube. Calisthenics would be an easy way to go since it is all just body weight movements. You could also look into joining a gym in your area.

As far as diet is concerned, eat balanced meals. You don't have to deprive yourself of anything but moderation is key. You could also try cutting out sugary treats and late night snacking.