New York Times
Forget the flowers, reception hall and wedding dress. For many brides-to-be, losing weight is the most important part of the wedding plan.
The dress can be altered to fit, but is extreme dieting a healthy strategy? (Stephanie Keith for The New York Times)More than 70 percent of brides-to-be want to lose weight before their wedding day, according to a new study from Cornell University. To reach the perfect wedding-day weight, more than one-third of them use extreme dieting tactics such as diet pills and fasting. And while most of us buy clothes that fit, about one in seven brides-to-be buys a bridal gown that is one or more dress sizes smaller than she normally wears.
“Most women engaged to be married idealize a wedding weight much lighter than their current weight,” wrote co-author Lori Neighbors, assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She conducted the study while a graduate student at Cornell’s College of Human Ecology.
The study, published online from a forthcoming issue of the journal Appetite, surveyed 272 engaged women. The women surveyed ranged in age from 18 to 51, although the vast majority were under the age of 30. More than half of the women were normal weight, but 24 percent were overweight and 20 percent were obese, based on standard body mass index measures. Just 2 percent fell into the underweight category.
Dr. Neighbors found that 91 percent of the women were worried about their weight, reporting that they wanted to lose weight or were actively trying to prevent weight gain. By comparison, national data show that about 62 percent of similarly aged women have the same concerns.
Among the 70 percent of women who were trying to lose weight, the average desired loss was about 21 pounds, not counting three women in the group who were trying to lose more than 100 pounds each.
One surprising finding was that more than 90 percent of brides who wanted to lose weight said they were drinking more water. Extra water consumption was also common among the women trying to maintain their weight. The study authors note that some wedding Web sites promote water as an appetite suppressant, although it wasn’t clear if the brides were drinking water to feel full, avoid eating other foods or displace higher calorie beverages.
Nearly half the brides-to-be were willing to adopt extreme dieting strategies to reach their goal weight by their wedding day. Among extreme dieters, skipping meals and taking unprescribed diet pills and supplements were reported most frequently. About 10 percent of the women used liquid diets, while a fraction of the women started smoking, took laxatives or induced vomiting in order to lose weight.
The prevalence of extreme dieting behavior among brides-to-be is important because rapid weight loss usually isn’t maintained. But the study authors note that because brides-to-be are highly motivated to lose weight, doctors should use an upcoming wedding as an opportunity to discuss more healthful weight loss and eating behaviors.
At the time of the study, the women were still about six months or more away from their big day. But the average weight loss achieved was already about eight pounds, although the numbers varied widely.
“If these losses were maintained after marriage, they would be significant weight management achievements,” the authors noted. “Given the pressures of the wedding and beginning a new life as a couple, engaged women should be encouraged to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle rather than striving for a fleeting number on a scale or a temporary dress size.”
