Dress didn't fit!

Take a deep breath and set a plan for yourself. If you have a bad habit like me (addicted to coca cola), don't just cut it out. It absolutely never works. Go to the store and buy fresh items and make sure to cook. Cut out fast food, altogether. Wean yourself off of bad items over time. And seriously, drink a ton of water. Over a month, if you drink 5 liters (it's a lot, I know) a day, you will feel and look 10x better. Just know you are strong and BEAUTIFUL now and you're working on feeling better about yourself. It will all be fine in the end. (((Hugs)))

You have plenty of time and the dress will fit perfectly. Please do not take drastic measures or crash diet just to lose a few - your sink, face and body will show it. Follow what Melissa said and love yourself! (off my soapbox now) You will look amazing on your wedding day!!!!

Try using something like MyFitnessPal - it really worked for me and opened my eyes to exactly how bad my bad habits were. I have lost about 28lbs over 6 months (it could have been a lot more but I've cheated quite a bit which has helped me not give up completely!) and I swear by it.

Don't stress yourself out over it though - they are altering the dress anyway and come the day you will look fabulous :-)

Hang in there--it will all work out! Like Melissa said, if you can drink at least a gallon of water a day, it works as a detox and cleanse, and you will also feel much better about yourself. Another thing I have found helpful is whenever I want to snack or drink something other than water (I love both coffee and lemonade) I make sure to drink a glass of water first and wait a few minutes. If I'm hungry then I can still eat, but that helps me keep from stress eating, drinking because I feel thirsty but am actually dehydrated for water, or just mindless snacking. Keep us posted--hope it works out for you!!

In the same boat here..... When my dress came in in April, I went to try it on to take it home. Immediately I told them it felt snug but everybody that was with me said it didn't look tight. Store said that it can be let out if necessary, as it was "only snug." Whatever, I took the damn dress home, which was a mistake. Now, fast forward to June, when I find out I am pregnant. lol. I go back to the store for the first alterations appointment, and because I am so bloated, the seamstress doesn't even want to zip it up all the way. Seamstress and I collaborated and decided it is best to put a corset in. So, that is how I got stuck with $470 in alterations. lol.

Don't be hard on yourself about your weight. The store will make the dress fit, believe me. You are not the only bride that has experienced this. It will be ok Hugs.

Thanks, ladies!!

I have been doing the slow and steady method and just seeing zero results, which was frustrating me anyway. I went from doing very sporadic cardio to running 8-12 miles a week and some other interval stuff and weights (just did a 5 mi race this weekend), and have always been pretty good about eating, but cut out about 80% of sugar and carbs. And just no change. I think I had expectations that maybe when I got there, I would notice some change from that work, like even though I hadn't noticed it on the scale, maybe there would be a noticeable difference in dress. I think my expectations were high and then dashed, which was part of my extreme reaction to it all.

I definitely won't do anything crazy, I never wanted to lose more than 10-15 lbs...but it's been 6 mo with no change, so anything at this point would be a victory. I think the last thing to cut back drastically is the wine...oh that makes me so sad. I am going to try some of your other tips here, too. I drink a good amount of water, but I am going to really move that up. And I will always down a glass before I snack, that's a great tip.

Anyway, thanks again...now it's just a question of whether they are right and the alterations will make it fit how I am now. I do wish I had chosen my second place dress that had a little more of its own structure, I feel like this one is SO unforgiving, I was setting myself up for stress. I just thought that going from no running to a decent amount of running would help a little bit, along with some smaller food/nutrition changes.

Sigh...I suppose if this is the worst stress in my life, I am pretty lucky.

First, remember you are still beautiful! Don't get down on yourself!

Second, plan, plan, plan. At the beginning of the week, start planning your snacks and meals for the week. If you work, pre-pack some healthy lunches for work. Pack fruits and veggies for snacks throughout the day. Start working in some cardio like running or walking and try to do at least 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. And, I definitely recommend MyFitnessPal. I'm a small person, but gained a little weight in college, and this app helped me shed 10 pounds in about 2 months and got me right where I wanted to be. Stay motivated! There are several people on WW using MFP that you can connect with to help yourself stay on track.

Thanks, I have MFP and have used it off and on. But I am going to get back on that horse, so to speak, right now. And definitely need to do better with planning for snacks for work, that's probably the sneaky place I am cheating myself. Afternoons at a boring job = mindless eating.

Yikes...I would be very disappointed as well if I was working that hard and hadn't seen any difference! Here's to you seeing some difference soon!

I had almost exactly the same experience when I picked my dress up the beginning of May! I'd lost about 5 pounds since ordering it, but it wasn't enough for the dress to fit. I stepped up my "Diet"...watching what I eat, doing squats, increasing water. I've lost another 5 pounds, but I also bought better/tighter Spanx. I tried the dress on last week and it still doesn't quite fit right, but it's significantly better!

That gave me the boost I needed to keep things up, keep trying to lose weight and wherever I am in July is where I am and the seamstress and I will deal with it then (my wedding is the beginning of September).

I'd write down everything you eat and look for places you can tweak things..one thing that helps me stay away from things is that every "cheat" thing I eat could end up costing me money in alterations...one little cupcake isn't worth $100...or whatever

You can do it! It will end up fitting right one way or another and you'll be married and golden

Everything will be ok. Whether they have to let it out a little or you end up losing the weight, you will be beautiful.

At a certain point, I stopped worrying about my weight so much because it was killing my self esteem and I was crying all the time. I'm picking up the final dress next week. My mentality is like, "fuck it. If she has to let it out, so be it"

@GettinHitched, chewing gum can help cure mindless eating...it does for me anyway. I have a terrible sweet tooth, so I now have a working addiction to the Trident Island Berry Lime gum. It's better than eating a huge piece of strawberry pie like I want to.

@MissMadeline, I used to be the same way about beating myself up about everything I hate. I was constantly thinking about how much I had eaten that day and how many calories I'd consumed...so much so that I couldn't even enjoy my meals for feeling guilty. F that! Last night I had some Talenti Sea Salt Caramel gelato and enjoyed every damn bite!