Get Back Into That Dress
Ladies, if you’re quaking in your stilettos at the thought of getting back into your wedding dresses, don’t despair. There are things you can do. We’re not talking giant safety pins courtesy of Liz Hurley (although a few carefully placed safety pins can work wonders). We’re talking healthy eating and clever use of your needle and thread. Here are some practical tips on how get back in your dress and look good in it.
Altering your dress
Let’s face it. For some of us it’s been a few years since that trip down the aisle and, as the body gets older, your shape changes, often in an outwards direction. If your dress needs a major rework, you should seek the services of a professional tailor. Many tailors specialise in altering existing dresses for a small fee. If you’re a keen seamstress, even better. Here follows some advice courtesy of Ulrika Talling-Smith of My Touch on how dresses can be altered:
- Sleeveless dresses with straightforward seams on each side can be widened with the use of elastic fabrics. You’ll be amazed by the range of elastic fabrics and ribbons available today.
- If there isn’t enough fabric in the seams to widen them, fabric can be added in the form of a godet (fabric wedge). These can be inserted in the waist or where the sleeves join the body.
- Shoulder straps and sleeves on dresses can easily be changed or removed to suit your body shape.
- If you don’t feel as comfortable about your legs as you did in 1998, add another longer layer to your skirt.
- Simiarly, if your upper arms aren’t as toned as they were, a shawl or beautiful piece of lace draped over your shoulders will hide a multitude of sins.
A healthy eating plan
You don’t just want to fit into your dress, you want to look and feel wonderful, too. So we’ve come up with some realistic advice on how to incorporate healthy eating into your life. And who knows, after a few months you might even find that you don’t have to alter your dress!:
Tip 1: Burn baby burn
Burn some calories. Do something that you enjoy and can easily fit into your lifestyle. Anything that raises your heart rate, like brisk walking, will help you to use up more calories and burn fat. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise 5 times a week.
Tip 2: Drink plenty of water
It’s good for your skin, hair, bowels, joints and cellulite. Two litres a day is the recommended minimum, but increase this if you’re exercising or if it’s a hot day.
Tip 3: Thou shall not skip meals
Not eating does not equal weight loss! Skipping meals encourages your body to store fat so that it can see out the famine - the exact opposite of what you’re trying to achieve. It will also make you feel like a miserable cow: tired and irritable.
Tip 4: Your mum was right: Eat your fruit & veg
Your body needs a balance of nutrients to remain healthy, give you energy, keep you regular, and help your skin and hair to look healthy. To make sure you are getting your five-a-day, print out this article and tape it to the inside of a cupboard. When you have a portion, check it off on your chart. If you don’t have all five portions, carry it over to the next day.
Tip 5: Fat = Fat
It’s no surprise that fatty foods make you fat, so reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet:
- Grill and bake rather than fry foods
- Use skimmed milk and low fat spreads
- Remove all visible fat and skin from meat, fish and poultry
- Choose chicken, fish and turkey rather than beef, lamb or pork
- Go slow on the crisps, chocolate, cakes and biscuits
- Look for the fat content on food labels and choose things with less than 4g per 100g of fat.
Tip 6: Cut down on sugar
Sweet foods are usually low in fibre, so they don’t fill you up but leave you craving more! Cut back by:
- Not adding it to tea or coffee
- Choosing breakfast cereals and fruit juices with "no added sugar"
- Opting for fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and natural yogurt for snacks rather than cakes and biscuits
- Watching out for sucrose, glucose, dextrose, fructose and maltose on ingredients lists (especially in savoury foods like soups, sauces and cheesy biscuits). They’re all forms of sugar.
Tip 7: Help, I’m going out for a meal
Control and good choice is the key. Follow these simple guidelines and you can still enjoy a meal out with friends:
- Alcohol: Either avoid it all together or alternate it with plenty of water
- Bread and nibbles: Don’t fill up on the bread at the beginning of a meal
- Starters: Avoid paté, cream soups, and anything deep-fried. Fruit or fish are healthy options.
- Main courses: Choose grilled or roasted rather than fried food, and avoid rich/creamy sauces. If you’re not sure what’s in the dish or how it’s cooked, don’t be embarrassed to ask.
- Desserts: Choose fruit salads or sorbets. If you really can’t resist that high calorie pudding, ask for 2 forks and share it with a friend.
Tip 8: Aim for gradual weight loss
If your aim is to lose weight, you should lose between 1 to 2lbs per week, not more. Remember you want to lose fat weight, but retain or increase your muscle composition. If you lose more that 2 lbs, you’re losing fluid and muscle, too. Not good.
Tip 9: Ask a friend
Recruit your best mate, hubby, mum or work colleagues to help you stick to your new lifestyle plans. Whether they join you in some exercise, cook for you or support you with phone calls, it all helps. If you’re committed to losing weight, tell someone your weekly weigh-in results. This can be a huge motivator.
Tip 10: Give yourself a break
Eat the occasional cream cake or chocolate and don’t beat yourself up afterwards. Remember, it’s what we eat most of the time that makes us fat (or slim), not what we eat occasionally. And get a positive attitude. It will help you stick to your new eating plan a lot more than a guilt-ridden one.
Advice courtesy of Heather Waghorn, personal trainer at HA Fitness.