http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47061726/ns/today-today_health/
Would I love to lose 20 lbs in 10 days? You're damn right I would, but at what cost. Never mind the $1,500 price tag, what about the health risks involved? I started Weight Watchers 13 weeks ago and have lost exactly 13 lbs! Painstakingly slow weight loss,but it's healthy weight loss and I'm earning every ounce.
Amber, before your wedding did you crash diet, hire a personal trainer? I was 7 months pregnant, so no matter what, I would waddle my very pregnant butt down that aisle!
Dear Sarah,
I definitely understand the desire to lose weight before a wedding. When I got engaged, I immediately busted out my Weight Watchers cookbook and started counting my points and focusing on nutrition. I also ramped up my working out. I knew my fiance loved me exactly how I was, but of course I wanted to look as good as possible for myself.
Then, about 6 weeks before the wedding, I found out I was pregnant...with twins. My priorities shifted to taking care of my body that was growing these two lives. In the end, I actually ended up having to buy a new wedding dress a size bigger to accommodate my swollen chest and thickening waist. But you know what? I look back at those pictures and think that I never looked more beautiful! I don't notice my size...I notice my smile. I was glowing. Not just because I was 12 weeks pregnant, but because I was so in love and so happy to be marrying Superman.
I think there are multiple issues going on here:
1: People (Americans especially) seem obsessed with get-thin-quick type plans. Whether it is going on an NG tube to lose weight, wiring your jaw shut, having your stomach stapled, or popping diet pills... People seem to prefer to resort to these "short-cut" diet plans rather than good old fashioned counting calories and measuring quantities (much like Weight Watchers does) combined with actual exercise. Because all of that is too hard and takes too long.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-weight loss surgery. In fact, my dad lost around 200 lbs after having bariatric surgery. And almost 4 years later, he's kept all but about 50 lbs of that off. But, of the half dozen people I personally who have had some kind of stomach surgery, not one of them had given old fashioned dieting a real honest shot before turning to the surgery. My dad included. But my dad is one of the lucky ones, because he actually did take the opportunity to make a life change, and he has been able to keep off a good chunk of what he lost. However, every other real-life person I know who's had the surgery has gained it all back within 3 years of the procedure. It might be a quick fix...but it's not typically a permanent one.
2: Women are obsessed with having fairy tale weddings. Most women I know have been so obsessed with planning the perfect weddings, that they don't stop and consider whether they are even marrying the right man. They focus more on the wedding than the marriage. They want to be a "princess" for a day.
The theme of my wedding was "Hey y'all, I'm 27 years old and will be 12 weeks pregnant on my wedding day...I'm not a princess, I'm just a lady who is in love and looking forward to celebrating making a union and starting a family with this man. Relax." I banned anyone from my wedding from even saying the "p" word. I almost fired my wedding dress consultant because she kept trying to talk me into a tiara.
So in summary: people are obsessed with losing weight fast and over indulging in childhood fantasies about their weddings being "the best day of their lives"*, so I'm not one iota surprised that women are wasting their money on this stupid crap.
*P.S. My wedding was awesome, but it wasn't the best day of my life. In fact, I'm pretty sure it doesn't even rank in the top 20 best days of my life.
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