June bride wanting to lose 20 lbs before wedding!

I'm not a proponent of tracking calories daily, but it is a good place to start. Get the myfitnessapp calorie counter and do a test run for a few days to see how many calories you are actually consuming vs what you should be. Awareness is the first step.

Also, find some workouts that you ENJOY. Not a runner? Try yoga. Do you enjoy dance? Try zumba,

Good.luck

Gym and yoga. If you build muscle, you burn fat faster, and it kind of 'sucks' everything in for you. If you start going to the gym regularly, throw the scale out and pay attention to how your clothes fit. At my thinnest I weighed 15lbs more than I do now, and was a size smaller (I couldn't fit in a zero because of those damn child bearing hips, but could rock a 2). The yoga just makes you feel good, especially with wedding stress.

Definitely combine exercise with dieting. You can't really be successful (and truly healthy) without both. Either join a gym or buy some dumb bells and try doing some youtube videos at home. Find a type of cardio you like (I hate running, so I bike or do high intensity zumba).

I'm a big proponent of the south beach diet, which is essentially complex carbs (so low carb) and healthy fats, with lots of lean protein, veggies, and fruit. Dieting is where you'll get a ton of mixed information, but best advice I can give is to generally eat less and to eat real food, i.e. get rid of processed foods.

Diet is crucial - even my personal trainer admitted it's 80% of weight loss, exercise is only about 20%. (and make sure your exercise includes lifting to build muscle, like Sci Fi Bride says!)

What works for me is basic portion control (no seconds, no dessert) and cutting out sugar and flour - so totally ditch sweet tea, soda, pasta, pastries and bread, switch to water or unsweet tea, actual whole grains (bulgur wheat, farro, amaranth, quinoa, brown rice) and sweet potatoes. I ended up cooking a lot more at home from scratch, which ended up cutting my sodium intake too. I'm planning to go back on this to prep for my November wedding myself!

That said, I usually go 'off the wagon' after 4-5 months of this, especially around the holidays. Christmas cookies are my kryptonite.

I also second Sci Fi Bride. I use to weight 125 with no muscle, but now I weigh 132 with lots of muscle and I feel and look better.

Get a trainer. Like right now or yesterday. Make sure you check their reviews and ask questions if they also help with meal planning.

Also lift heavy things and put them down. Muscle increases your metabolism

Talk to a trainer and good luck!

Besides all of the above, Make sure you drink a lot of water. If you don't drink enough water you get dehydrated and retain water.

Couch to 5k is a great place to start. And remove refined sugar from your diet. Plenty of water, fruits and veggies.

Limit sugar and carbs. Eat more protein. Drink only water. Move more. Sleep well.

I hope you can lose the weight before your wedding, but I'm sure you will look beautiful regardless!!

I'm trying to lose weight too! I'm telling you now finding out how many calories you are suppose to consume and how much you do consume helps a lot! Honestly after a while you'll find it's hard to eat the amount your suppose to. But just stick to the gym! Balance out weight lifting and cardio! Also try not to "diet" too much. Just portion your food wisely. If you diet and then stop dieting you'll most likely gain all the weight back. So stay positive and just remember why you're doing it! Good luck!

Walking/running and cardio helps me when I need to lose some pounds fast. I do sit ups & push ups, then walk/run a mile 3 days a week. Good luck!!!

I'm a June bride as well! Bump up your cardio a bit -- get on the elliptical, jog, or walk the treadmill on an incline. I've lost 12 pounds since October by making sure I exercise at least 5 times a week and am eating healthy. Cut out alcohol and dairy as well! You've got this

You don't have a lot of time... 5 months realistically. Really fix your diet. Get snacks out of the house. Don't eat out. Remember if it doesn't go bad (canned foods, canned fruit, frozen dinners) it's not GOOD for you. Fresh veggies and fruit and meat and seafood IS good for you. Remember to get fat from good sources -- think avocados or nuts.

Incorporate exercise. Aim for 30 minutes of cardio a day with a heart rate over 140. Running, biking, Zumba, cycle, whatever gets you there.

And don't stop. So many people stick with it for a couple weeks. It's not a diet--- it's a lifestyle change.

I just did the Fit Body 15 Day Challenge and I loved it! It's an easy program to follow and it's the first that I've done with great results. Today is my day 15, I am starting a 14 day Teatox, and then I'll do the 15 day challenge again starting on Feb 8th. Idealfit.com.

My fitbit fitness tracker helps me a lot, if you get 10,000 steps a day at least thats the equivalent to a pound, so it keeps you moving to make your goal

I like to track everything I eat on my fitness pal and I started the Atkins diet and am down 10lbs since Jan 1

Have you heard of Kayla Itsines and her Beach Body Guides? Check out her IG: kayla_itsines and her website is where you can buy her guides. They include a nutritional plan to follow, as well.