[nikki24]

I am getting married in June and my dress fitting is Monday! I tried it on two days ago, and I can't zip it up! It fit perfect when I bought it! Any suggestions to loose a few pounds VERY quickly? I have started taking stacker pills (one a day) to curb my appetite, eating healthier, dropped the soda completley and started drinking more water. But I only have 5 days to loose about 4-5 pounds.

[Alias652]

Hi and congratulations!

1. Lose water. I don't mean don't hydrate yourself with water. Absolutely you should. And eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day is important, but try to steer clear of produce that's heavy on water content. If you only need to lose a couple pounds, we're talking mostly water weight.

2. Don't eat trans fat. Trans fat clings to your stomach for a few days. I'm a twig, and even I get bloated for a while when I eat trans fat. No burgers, no burritos, no tacos, etc.

3. Get a full night's sleep. You're probably excited and anxious, but if you don't get enough sleep, your body isn't functioning at its proper level, which means that your digestive system has slowed down. You need it to be on full mode.

4. Eat breakfast. Your body is fasting at night when you aren't eating. You need to nourish yourself, so your body can function as it's supposed to. By doing this, your digestive system and everything else works at the proper rate. Plus, people who eat breakfast eat less throughout the day and also stress less. By stressing less, your body isn't overworked and using its energy elsewhere when it can focus on breaking down energy foods.

5. Avoid starchy foods such as pasta and white carbs. It doesn't break down efficiently, isn't an ideal source of energy, and makes the body lethargic. Stick with whole wheat foods (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc.)

6. Steer clear of any foods that gives you gas, whatever that may be. Maybe vegetables such as broccolis, dairy, and beans?

7. Yogurt can help your body lose weight because of the live cultures. I'm not sure how quickly it'll work, but it can't hurt.

8. Snack! Many people trying to lose weight make the mistake of not eating, falsely believing that it'll help them lose weight. Quite the contrary, your body starts to deposit fats into your body for storage. Eat a hearty breakfast. Eat every six hours and snack every few hours. Drink water! Your body needs it!

9. You can survive extensive periods just on water. No amount of proper eating and exercise will do you any good if your body is dehydrated because it's too busy retaining salt content to preserve moisture. Divide your weight in half and drink that much water in ounce sizes.

10. Move around! Exercising is productive and makes your body productive, too. If you sit at home, your body just stores fat deposits. But by exercising, you're forcing your body to get rid of fat, which is good, so your body becomes efficient at disposing of any unnecessary fats. Plus, this cues you when you're hungry. Eat food, exercise and get rid of any bad fats, eat food again, etc.

11. Cardio is the way to lose weight. Half an hour of jump roping is the equivalent to a half mile jog. It's effective, gentle on your joints, and less exhausting, so you're more likely to do it daily.

12. Strength training to tone down your abs. I like Tamilee Webb and 8 Minute Ab workouts. Remember, quality over quantity. In fact, the slower you do ab workouts and strength training, the more you're engaging your muscles, and the more effective the workout.

13. Don't take a shower or change to a pair of sweats after you've had a meal. This extra space allows for your body to expand, stretching you out.

14. Your biggest meal should be breakfast and as the day goes by, eat less. Dinner should be your lightest meal, eaten earlier rather than later.

15. No fried foods, no mayo, no sour cream, no margarine. Stick with extra-virgin olive oil, if you can.

16. Here's something disturbing and requires you to exercise some discipline. Your protein (fish, meat, poultry) should be one serving the size of your fist!! Your carbs (pasta, rice, bread) should be two servings the size of your fist. No wonder why we're such an overweight country, right?

17. If you only need to lose a few pounds, have you considered... what's that called? Those wraps you put around your body to suck your fat in. They carry them in lingerie stores based on intensity: light, medium, and heavy weight. It'll add more density, but if you only need to lose a few pounds, the light weight may suck in enough fat to zip you up.

I hope this helps.