Wedding Diet Plan 3 Months Out
When you first get engaged it feels like you have all the time in the world but as we all know, time flies, and now you are 90 days out from your big day and asking how to lose weight for a wedding in 3 months.
The good news is, I’ve got you!
I’ve worked with brides and grooms preparing for their weddings for years and have seen it all from the last minute shred type to the people planning two years out. Whether you are the bride or groom or someone that is attending a wedding and wants to look and feel their best, let’s start learning.
For a 3 month wedding diet plan, I will show you how to see great results without drastically restricting food, provide you with a sample meal plan, and give you advice on how you should exercise to lose weight for a wedding.
- Is 3 Months Enough To Lose Weight For A Wedding?
- Find your calorie deficit range
- Eat this amount of protein
- What about carbs and fats?
- What Should I Eat 3 Months Before My Wedding?
- The best foods to prioritize to lose weight for a wedding in 3 months
- Minimize these foods
- Wedding diet 3 month sample meal plan
- The Best Type Of Exercise To Lose Weight For A Wedding
- Wedding Diet Plan 3 Months Out Checklist
The good news is that with 3 months until the wedding date, you are giving yourself enough time to see great results. Your goal should be to not only look your best for this wedding but also to keep the weight off well past it. A realistic rate of weight loss that is sustainable is roughly 0.5 - 3 pounds per week depending on your current body weight.
So how do you start losing weight in that range? The first step is to know how many calories to eat.
Find Your Calorie Deficit Range
All weight loss happens because of a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit is when you eat less calories than your body needs to maintain and perform all it’s daily functions. Let’s take a look at this with an example of a soon to be bride named Trish.
As you can see, Trish’s body needs approximately 2200 calories (this number is made up and is different for everyone) so she eats 1700 each day to lose weight. Because she’s eating less calories than the amount of calories her body needs to maintain her current weight, she has created a calorie deficit and will lose weight for her wedding.
A rough estimate that will get most people in a calorie deficit is to multiply your weight by anywhere between 8 - 12.
For example, if you weight 170 pounds and multiply your weight by 10, that would be 1700 calories.
Because you want to lose weight for a wedding in 3 months, go on the lower end of 8 - 12 so multiply your weight by 8, 9, or 10 to be in a calorie deficit. Audit your progress after 2 - 3 weeks to see how progress is going and adjust your numbers if needed.
Eat This Amount Of Protein
Your next step is to find how much protein you should eat. Protein is important because it’s going to help your body prioritize fat loss over muscle loss, it will keep you full, and your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does with carbs or fats.
Eat at least 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
In the example above, if you weighed 170 pounds, your protein goal would be at least 119.
If you want to learn how to track your calories and protein using MyFitnessPal, check out the video tutorial I provide in The Macros For Weight Loss Definitive Guide.
What About Carbs And Fats?
In terms of fat loss, the amount of carbs and fats you eat won’t dictate how much you lose. This means you can mix carbs and fats however you want as long as your calories are in check and you eat enough protein.
The Best Foods To Prioritize To Lose Weight For A Wedding In 3 Months
When trying to lose weight for a wedding, the majority of your food should be unprocessed foods that are going to help keep you full and be packed full of vitamins and minerals. Here’s your go to list of foods to prioritize.
- Protein (remember how I said earlier how important protein is!): Meats, fish, poultry, lean ground beef, lean steak, beef jerky, ground turkey, turkey breast, chicken breast, pork chop, salmon, white fish, shrimp
- Protein: Dairy - milk, cottage cheese, greek yogurt. Be aware of your gut health when eating dairy and swap out items as needed
- Protein: Other - tofu, eggs, egg whites, edamame, protein powder, protein bars
- Carbohydrates: whole grain wraps, whole grain bread, oatmeal, beans, lentils, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, ret potatoes, russet potatoes, white rice, brown rice, quinoa
- Veggies: zucchini, tomatoes, all colored peppers, asparagus, onions, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, kale, celery, carrots, green beens, peas, mushrooms. All veggies are good so eat what you like!
- Fruits: bananas, grapes, apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, peaches, pears, cantaloupe, watermelon. All fruits are good to go as well!
- Fats: extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil, peanut butter, almond butter, avocados, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds
Minimize These Foods
Flexibility is important with any diet so I would never tell you that you CAN’T eat something.
When you’re trying to lose weight for a wedding in 3 months, you might need to be stricter with these foods that if you were 6 months away, so do what you think is best and what fits with your calorie goal.
- Fried foods - Duh right? The calories will add up from these types of foods and most of the time they are cooked in less than ideal oils and have trans fat in them.
- Alcohol - Another given I would imagine. Alcohol will negatively affect your hormones and will also impact your sleep, which will make it harder to lose fat. When you do drink, try and keep it to 1 - 2 drinks. Can you lose weight if you stop drinking alcohol?
- Packaged and boxed goods - these are going to be items that are usually high in sugar and salt like Oreos, fruit juices, chips, doughnuts, etc. Not only are they loaded with sugar and salt but they won’t keep you full and you may be grabbing for more an hour later.
- Sugary desserts - Not only do desserts have a lot of sugar in there, but they are usually always high in fat too.
Wedding Diet 3 Month Sample Meal Plan
When building your wedding diet plan 3 months out, you want most of your meals to look like a variation of this.
Here’s a few sample meals you can build meals around for your wedding weight loss goal.
Breakfast:
Protein shake: 2 cups almond milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 scoop protein powder, 2 cups spinach
Egg scramble: 3 eggs + 2 egg whites, 1 cup chopped onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes, 1 serving cheddar cheese, 1 slice of bread
Want more breakfast options? Check out Weight Loss Breakfast Ideas.
Lunch:
Protein stir fry: 6 oz chicken breast, 3 cups cooked frozen stir fry vegetables, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, drizzle of soy sauce & Sriracha
Burrito bowl: 6 oz ground turkey, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/4 avocado, 2 cups lettuce, 1/2 cup sautéed peppers and onion, 2 tbsp sour cream, salsa
Dinner:
Steak dinner: 6 oz top sirloin steak, 2 cups cauliflower rice, 2 cups broccoli
Bunless burger: 6 oz 93/7 ground beef patty, 1 slice cheese, 1 cup bed of spinach, 1/4 cup grilled onions, 1/4 avocado
Snacks:
1 cup greek yogurt with 1/2 cup blueberries
1 protein shake with a banana on the side
For more meal plan tips, check out these articles:
With 3 months to go until the wedding, you have time to lose weight and possibly build a little muscle so strength training and cardio should be part of your exercise routine.
It is possible to lose weight without exercise, but the benefits of lifting weights can't be overlooked.
You should be lifting weights because you want to maintain the muscle you have on your body and that’s in jeopardy when you are in a calorie deficit. High protein and lifting weights is the best way to preserve your muscle.
You don’t need to do anything drastic with exercise because your diet is going to take care of the fat loss. Exercise to get stronger, build muscle, improve your cardiovascular health, improve your mood, and destress. Burning calories should not be your focus.
I give all my clients this photo below so they can build their exercise routine around it. 99% of people will benefit from being consistent with this frequency of exercise.
Follow these 3 month out wedding diet tips to look and feel your absolute best at the wedding:
- Be consistent with a calorie deficit that you find by multiplying your weight by 8 - 12.
- Eat at least 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.
- Focus on lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and good carbs and fats. Minimize fried foods, alcohol, sugary and salty packaged foods, and sugary desserts.
- Drink lots of water.
- Get good sleep and manage your stress.
- Lift weights and do cardio for your exercise program.
