Brides to Be: Avoid Diet Mishaps from Mindless Snacking and Hidden Calories

In the months before your wedding, your diet and exercise habits may change due to circumstances or finances. This can come to surprise you when you go for your dress fittings. Some people go out to eat more in the months before their wedding, some try to go out less in an effort to save money for the wedding. This can alter what you eat, how much you exercise and lifestyle. Some brides gain weight and have no idea why - likely it is in the small details they do not realize have changed in their life. Such as have you switched to a cheaper brand of something you eat regularly - like cereal or soda - have you checked the calorie count? Are you trying to eat diet foods but then when you go out to a restaurant do you really know the calorie count of what is on the diet menu? It may just be less fat, not necessarily less calories. Some brides eat more or less when they get nervous and this can make you gain or lose too much. When we are on a diet, we often think this means altering the actual meals we have and cutting back on the desserts and snacks. This is true, but this is not the whole source of your calories. I often find myself thinking I made a healthier food choice when actually I did not, especially when I go out to eat. This is especially hard when the item has no calorie information available, like in a restaurant, or when there is no set portion size.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle for brides trying to diet is mindless snacking. If you are cutting down on going out to eat or going out to the movies, you likely are home more and renting movies or watching TV to save money for your wedding reception. This can increase your mindless snacking. Many people eat mindlessly when they are nervous or stressed, and preparing for a wedding is no exception to that. If you are a mindless snacker, try to limit the foods you eat when you are on the computer or watching TV to fruits, veggies and low cal liquids. All of us have become used to eating our meal or snacks while online, not paying to attention to what we eat and likely taking in lots of calories doing so (and not even really enjoying those calories, leaving you still feeling hungry afterwards.) So while doing mindless eating, try to just drink green tea, water, or low cal drinks and eating fruit or vegetables when at the computer. Remember these zero calorie items such as celery and pickles technically are negative calories since you expend calories eating and digesting them. Since we all spend more time online these days, if you aren't going to particularly notice what you are eating, it is a good time to get in the daily requirements that you don't particularly enjoy, like green tea or water. If you feel you must have something crunchy as a snack, consider having Kellogg's Special K cereal which comes in Strawberry and Chocolate flavors. I really like the Chocolate that has just enough sweetness and a bowl is satisfying enough that I do not feel like eating the whole box. If you mindlessly snack, assess the contents of your finances refridgerator for hidden calorie contents. You may presume something is moderate or low calorie when actually it is high calorie.

To save money, you might cut down on going out to eat but increase you little treats and snacks instead, such as you do not go out to breakfast but you do get a breakfast type snack. Be aware of the calories you regularly consume in foods you do not think of as foods, like ketchup, sauces and toppings. Don't just guess how many calories are in your daily intake. If you eat at restaurants or have prepared food frequently, check the websites for calorie count information. I was surprised to find out that the boring plain no filling cruller at Dunkin Donuts I always have thinking it was less calories and fat was actually more calories than the Bavarian Crème doughnut I was craving the whole time. The plain cruller left me unsatisfied and was actually more calories than I had planned for the day. When I thought I could switch to the muffins, they were actually the highest of them all. The diet low calorie muffins were only a few calories less than their regular muffin counterparts. Most restaurants have to post the calorie and fat counts for their foods and their fillings, so find out how many "surprise" calories you are having with the honey mustard sauces, the ketchup packets, the packets of sugar, or the syrups you add to your Starbucks coffee. There are surprising amounts of calories in these extras that you likely are not factoring into your daily calorie consumption.

Prepared foods at cafeterias are often deceptive. If you switch restaurants or brands an item might be more or less calories. I had a piece of pizza and a coke for lunch each day when I was working before college, and then at college I had a smaller piece of pizza each day at the cafeteria. I was surprised when I put on weight when I did not think my diet or lifestyle changed - until one day I saw the cafeteria pizza was a frozen pizza that was heavily sprayed with an oil before going into the oven, the cafeteria worker said that was to sort of fry it and to give it a "fresh pizza" look. Whatever that oil was and whatever was involved in the freezing process had more calories than when I got my pizza fresh at the pizza restaurant while I was working. Try to find out information about what oils fry your food so you can plan your calories accordingly.

Most restaurants and prepared food places like Dunkin Donuts offer calorie information and nutrition facts on their website or have a printed list upon request.