There are a lot of things that can stress a woman out for the big day and the actual wedding day is the last thing! At least five months before the day, I can assure you that the bride-to-be will be meeting with a trainer, nutritionist, or gym salesman to get in shape. The struggle is to keep the weight off while you go for food tasting, go out to celebrate with family, or drink your heart out while on your bachelorette party. All of those things are completely normal for a woman to do before the wedding, but it’s also a reason to be more stressed about fitting in that beautiful white dress. Don’t despair though, there are a few tricks to keep in mind in order to maintain the weight or drop some off on your march-in and that’s what I’m here to reveal for you.

I know that the first thing you will want to tell me is that you might not have time to go to the gym everyday, or the money to eat extremely healthy, or even schedule to eat normally. I know what it is to wake up and have a meeting in an hour and then have a lunch date with the bride’s maids, and then have to go out with the groom’s mother and father. I know what it is, but amongst all this craziness there is a way to keep healthy!

First, make a calendar! This is extremely important for a bride-to-be. Us women tend to be more organized than men and also more visual than most, therefore putting everything on a calendar will help you make your day work for you. Every Sunday review your week’s schedule and see where you can fit some you time. Organize it in a way that everything flows well. For example, put all the catering on a Monday and all the dinners after 8pm. This will enable you to free some time up to go to the gym, do some yoga, cook some healthy meal. Ladies, this is key! If you want to maintain your weight or lose some, organization is very important. If you know that your nutritionist told you to eat every three hours, organize your calendar to have a meal/snack every three hours; even fifteen-minute break is good enough. This will also help you organize your meals throughout the week. If you know that you have food tasting on Monday, make sure you make a meal at home that s extremely healthy or that works with the calories.

This brings me to my next tip. Put in some cooking time in your calendar. I would suggest Sundays. When you review your weekly calendar, also look on the days where you need to eat healthier than others (hint: dinner with the in-laws!) and cook some food for that day. By looking through your calendar you can also see when you have time to eat, and if you see that you have a fifteen minute break for lunch on one day, instead of going to a fast food joint, make a healthy wrap at home on Sunday and put it in the fridge. I know it seems like small changes, but they will help you a lot in the long run. Also, when you go out with friends and family for dinner or lunch, eat more vegetables to fill you up.

Instead of eating a big, saucy steak, eat half of it and load up on veggies. This will fill you up more while still being healthy! You’ll feel better and you’ll also look more refreshed for your big day. When you eat healthier, you also have more energy, which will help you be more active and get more things done during the day! This is a win-win situation and you will be amazed. While you’re at it, when you watch a romantic movie at home, do some crunches, push-ups, lunges, or squats. Get on your feet every chance you have because every minute you can have for yourself will help you maintain the weight.

Although these tips can seem a bit overwhelming, keep in mind that everything will be all right! Have fun and let go every now and then. Life is not about deprivation every single day, it’s about moderation. Congratulations and enjoy your wonderful journey!