Welcome and Introductions

lawyerette

Welcome to MFP Biggest Loser: Brides!


First off: Congratulations to all of you. You're getting married!! What an exciting time in our lives! I am so excited that you all are here.

I know we've all been chatting on the message boards, but, now that we have a group, I thought I'd invite everyone to introduce themselves.

I'm Elizabeth. I'm not a young bride (32 now, 33 by the wedding date), but my Cullen has been well worth the wait! We're an eHarmony match and have been together about 2 1/2 years (engaged last June). We are planning a destination wedding in the Bahamas this May and will have an extended honeymoon in the Caribbean, so I definitely need to locate my beach body

I started dieting last May and lost about 20lbs, but gained it back while working disaster response for Sandy and nursing my father through cancer this past fall (he's now cancer free, thank the Lord). I know I do best when I stick to the diet/exercise plan and log it through MFP, so I'm back on the wagon as of January 1.

There are TONS of support groups on this site for brides, but I couldn't find one that tracked weight, was a contest, or a competition for brides. Knowing that brides have a track record of being one of the most committed groups to weight loss, I started this group to help all brides really move forward with their weight goals. I hope that through the weekly weigh-in and team challenges, we will all be less vulnerable to temptation during these 12 week.

We can do it!!!

So, chime in and tell us about yourself, your fitness goals, and your upcoming wedding.

tinad120

Hi! My name is Tina, I got engaged last May after a year of dating. We have a wedding planned for the end of 2014- and the only thing I have planned so far is my weight loss routine! Lol. We're both busy as we were both in school pursuing second degrees, so a long engagement did not bother us.

I have been actively using MFP since July, and have logged almost everything I have eaten (including naughty days!). I slacked a bit during the holiday, so I'm back with a vengeance.

I lift heavy, I do cardio, and I am working on cleaning up my diet. My UGW is 120-125, so I have a looong ways to go!

Moxie42

Thanks for creating this group and including me! Congratulations on your engagement as well! :flowerforyou:

My name is Ashley and I'm 29 now but will be 31 when we get married in Sept. 2014 (my fiance needs to finish school first). We started off as friends and our 7 year anniversary (it's also our 1 year engagement anniversary) on the 20th of this month

We JUST officially decided on our venue a few days ago (a beautiful vineyard/winery in the wine country about 1.5 hours from where we live in Southern California) and will be booking later this month!

Growing up, I was never overweight...in fact if I hit 125 lbs I thought I was a cow!!! Then I went to college, stopped eating healthy, started drinking, went through some extremely rough times, and gained about 70 lbs over the course of a few years. I dropped 25 lbs on MFP before falling off the wagon BIG-TIME and here I am starting over with just 5 lbs lost.

I started my journey with 70 lbs to lose. I'd like to lose that by September of this year, and I'd like to be halfway there by mid-July.

Looking forward to "meeting" everyone!

MrsBHobbs

Hello to everyone! I am not the typical bride either I am 43 divorced 2 years ago from a bad marriage that should have ended a long time ago. I was married for 22 years my young adult children are still coping with the divorce and honestly not coping very well. That said I have had 2 wedding dates and cancelled both of them because of the kids and that is exactly the reason my marriage lasted as long as it did for the kids. So that said trying to put myself in perspective I lost 23lbs during the divorce and gained 28lbs back from stress eating and basically my fiancee is the best cook ever so eating because it's just awesome food. I stopped smoking and looking to improve my life in healthier happier ways and the most imortant for me at this time is a healthier happier me having healthier relationships and starting my new life. Tentatively planning to elope in September to Califormia a destination wedding on the coast at a beautiful place called the Elk Cove Inn.

cookiemahnster

Hi! I'm excited for this group and competition

I'm Catherine, I got engaged in November after dating for about a two and a half years. With all the holiday craziness, my fiance and I haven't gotten a chance to really do any planning. I've searched places online and made a massive spreadsheet of venues but now is the time we need to start contacting and visiting them. I'm a little excited for that! We are figuring we will base our date around the venue we find, but are tentatively shooting for April 2014 (which sounds SO FAR away!!).

I've lost about 30 pounds over the last couple years. For the last 6 months, I did Chalene Johnson's "ChaLean Extreme" (3 months) followed by a hybrid of ChaLean Extreme and Turbofire. I have one week of that hybrid left, then I'm not sure what is next, but this biggest loser thing should hopefully keep me on track - I'm thinking of maybe revisiting P90X and subbing Turbofire and Zumba as the cardio. My weight loss has slowed and I'm hoping to be able to pick it back up (or drop it?).

I'm excited to hear everyone's stories! Both with weight loss/exercise and wedding planning!

catherinejw122

My name is Catherine and I will be 22 in a couple of weeks! I just got engaged on December 21st and we have not chosen a date yet, though we are considering May 2015. Throughout high school, I was always over weight, and between my senior year and my freshman year of college, I lost about 50 pounds. At my lowest point I was about 145 pounds.

Between then and now, I started dating my fiance, and also gained almost all of the weight I lost. I am still below my highest weight, thank goodness! However, I really want to get back to my lowest weight by my wedding! I worked so hard to lose the weight before and I want to get back to it so I can maintain it this time!

I am hoping to be back at 145 by my wedding. Being about 190 now, that gives me a couple years to lose about 45 pounds. I'm ready!

DLSlim

I'm Danielle! I'm 21 and was engaged on Christmas (which is why we have NOTHING planned yet). We probably will not marry until after I graduate University, but we've been together for six years, so a long engagement won't be all that much different!

rubixcyoob

I'm Amy, 19 (21 at the wedding) and get married on 5th July 2014. I got engaged on the 17th March 2012 at a law ball

Many people think I am too young to get married without ever knowing me. I have my head screwed on, I grew up a lot faster than my peers, I know what I want for my future and how to get there, and I know my fiancee is in that picture with me. Love isn't age discriminatory.

I'd say me and my fiancee have a weird story, and when people learn not only our ages, but how long we were together 'officially' before he proposed they think we are stupid. However, I think it's cute and romantic. I put 'officially' as I did because (short story) me and him have known each other for 10 years, developed strong feelings for each other and then overcame various issues and are now happily ever after.

The long story is that we were childhood friends and he moved away. Out the blue he regained contact and we becane IMing/emailing and then developed feelings for each other - based on pure personality and connection, since we were countries apart. Then we lost contact and that was that, until one day facebook appeared and low and behold he was at my university. After a year of essentially being together, although not officially, we actually started going out and the rest is history.

We have booked our venue, humanist celebrant (I'm happy to take questions about this, as there are only 6 countries in the world where this type of marriage can be performed), photographer and evening DJ. I just cannot wait to be married.

OspreyVista

Hi, I'm Eme, I'm 23 and I will be 24 when I get married. I got engaged on December 14 2011 and we set the date for My 31st 2014 as to save up for our destination wedding at Lake Tahoe in California. My fiance and I have already booked our venue and our hotel rooms for it! We were supposed to book catering this past November, but the company we chose went out of business, so we will be doing tasting in May 2013 for a new venue. As of this last November, 2012, We've been together for 5 years. I have been trying to diet since I was 19 but could never stick to a diet or exercise plan. I finally said **** it, I'm sick of my body in June 2012 and have lost 30 lbs since. I'm looking forward to being at my goal weight around March 5th of 130 lbs, but I will have to wait and see how I feel and re-evaluate to see if I'm happy there or if I want to lose more. Marriage means a lot to me, and it's exciting and nerve wracking at the same time! Currently I am working on finding a wedding dress.

Erica262

Hi all! I'm Erica and my fiance Josh and I live in Virginia. I'm 28 and will be 29 by the time we get married (he'll be 31). We haven't set an official date yet, but we're aiming for October 19, 2013 if all goes as planned. We dated as undergrads back in 2003-04, but went our separate ways after that. Then we "re-met" in October 2010 and were engaged just two months later. We celebrated our engagement with a week's vacation in Savannah. We were dating long distance though (250 miles apart) so we spent all of 2011 trying to live in the same city. I moved to Norfolk in November 2011 and we've just been getting settled and trying to get our finances in order before we get married. Now we're finally ready to plan. Both of us have put on "happy weight" over the last couple of year. I went from around 145 to 170 and would like to get back down to 130. I'm hoping to get to that weight by late July so I'll have a few months of maintenance before the wedding. I'm excited about this group and think a friendly competition will be a great motivator! Good luck to you all, congrats on your engagements, and I'm excited to get to know many of you over the next few months. :flowerforyou:

lildaug

Hi ladies. Congrats on your engagements! I'm Denise. I'm 32 years only and currently live in England with my fiance. I'm from Philadelphia but moved to Boston in 2004. We met in 2007 and decided we'd like to live in a new country for a while and travel as much as possible in Europe. We have been here for over 2 years and plan on moving back to the US in July. While hiking in the Austrian Alps this summer Alex proposed after dating for almost 5 years. We are getting married at a winery/brewery in the Finger Lakes region of central NY in October.

I've struggled with my weight for the last 8 years always getting to a breaking point (highest weight 200 lbs) then losing 20 lbs. I feel great about myself and start to slack off then I eventually gain the weight back. I told myself in October it was 1 year til my wedding and I wanted to feel and look great on that day. I started MFP about 2.5 months ago and I've lost 22 lbs. I'm addicted to the site and even convinced my fiance to join and I'm trying to convince my mom too. It really helps me track my food and exercise.

In October I was 198 lbs, my current weight is 176 lbs and my goal weight is 135 lbs. Having this group will really help to motivate me as we are all in the same boat. I look forward to hearing all of your success stories. Please do friend me so we can support each other.

nowgirl2004

Hi!
I am Erin- I randomly found this group in a search, can someone message me and let me know if I can be involved in teh biggest loser program? thanks!
I am 26- will be married on October 5, 2013 (I'll be 27). The fiance and I are closing on our house Jan24th!!!! I won't move in until after the wedding, but it is still exciting to have a place to call ours!!!!

jalas27

Hey there!! I'm SO excited to say that I finally qualify for this group since I'm newly engaged. I am 35 yrs old and my dream man proposed to me at the end of November, and just trust me when I say it was a long time coming, haha. My goal is to be his "Trophy Wife" lol! Just kidding, but he does motivate me to be the version of me possible! I have some other health motivations as well, that you can check out on my profile, so please send me a friend request so that we can by MFP buds.

We are at the very beginning stages of planning.The only thing we know for now is Hawaii and likely March of 2014. SO I need a beach body, and I have no excuse not to have it by then.

I look forward to being in this with y'all and congrats to all of you!!!!

Learning2LoveMe

Hey fellow brides! I'm Liz, I'm 27 (28 next week) and set to be married April 20, 2013 in Las Vegas! My fiance and I have been together 9 years now and I still love him to death. :laugh: We have been through many rough times and good times and we still stick together so I think we have what it takes to make it for life.

I'm going crazy planning the wedding on a budget of only $2,000.00 (which I had to spend on rent because money is tight, so I'm going even crazier trying to do it for even less!). The plan is the all inclusive ceremony and then a desert/cake reception in our hotel suite. We aren't very traditional, and I don't need or want anything super fancy... just a few friends and family members to have a good time with, witness our vows, have a drink and share some laughs. We're going for a laidback kind of feel.

On the fitness side of things I've been up and down over the last couple years. My fiance's father passed away very unexpectedly in September. We were pretty close so it has made anything dealing with the wedding very hard (his mother passed away 10 years ago, so neither of his parents will be at our wedding except in spirit, and I know the fiance is having a real hard time with it)... anyway, it sent me into a deep depression that I'm still coming out of. I spent 2 months on a comfort food binge and gained close to 20 lbs! Now I'm at my highest weight ever of 234 lbs, and I had been dreaming of being in ONEderland for the wedding. I'm still going to try my best to make it! Some days are harder than others and I'm still trying to conquer the comfort binging. I'm hoping this group challenge will help bring me some drive to push myself and keep me accountable so on my wedding day I know I did everything I possibly could and have no regrets.

Jaxter1104

Hello ladies, congrats on your engagements! I’m Jacqui and I am 21. I’ve been engaged to my amazing fiancé for about 2 years now but we’re waiting until next year when I graduate college to finally tie the knot. We’re shooting for Fall 2014.

When I graduated high school I was at my lowest (140). I moved in with my fiancé and got a little too comfortable and gained 60 pounds over the past 3 years!! I hope to be around 120-130 when I get married next year. We just bought our first home so I let myself slip up a little bit but now it’s a new year. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING!!

My plan is to eat as CLEAN as I can and workout at least 5 days a week. With classes this might be difficult but I have faith and determination. I’m very excited to have found this group and feel this might help me stay motivated!!

athorson8

Hi all and Congrats!
I am newly engaged but getting married on 8/3/13. I feel that this is going to be a short engagement after reading all of your stories. I have 7 months from today to lose some weight and get in to wedding dress shape. I am excited to be part of the challenge.

Votrvoman

Hey Ladies!

My name is Margarita, I'm 26 and getting married April 27, 2013. My man and I have been together for almost 9 years, all of which I've been struggling with my weight and I want to wear a bathing suit proudly during my honeymoon! Likely the honeymoon will be delayed as I am currently in medical school and looking for residency. I'm on board with fitness, but it's diet that I need to stay accountable with. Nice to meet you all, congrats to everyone, and let's do this!

Learning2LoveMe

Hey Ladies!

My name is Margarita, I'm 26 and getting married April 27, 2013. My man and I have been together for almost 9 years, all of which I've been struggling with my weight and I want to wear a bathing suit proudly during my honeymoon! Likely the honeymoon will be delayed as I am currently in medical school and looking for residency. I'm on board with fitness, but it's diet that I need to stay accountable with. Nice to meet you all, congrats to everyone, and let's do this!

Yay! Our weddings are 7 days apart :bigsmile:

sanusiya

Hello Ladies,
I'm Sanu, 22, from India .I got engaged last November with my dream guy, nd would b marryin him in Augest end. I hav got 8mnths to lose my desired weight. I have been overweight all my life, nd den durin graduation managed to lose weight, now I hav my last 10-15 pounds to lose.

BrandyBarrett

I am Brandy! I am 25 not quite your typical bride to be either! I am a divorced mom of three, two living, and I am engaged to the greatest man I have ever known aside from my grandpa. I have lost around 20lbs over the last few months but now I am ready to get serious. I ordered a Bodymedia off of Amazon and it'll be here on Saturday! I have a lot of weight to lose so not only just for the wedding.

jkcrawford

Congratulations everyone.

I'm Kate. I am not a young bride, just turned 48 last year. I was married for 18 years, then separated. My estranged husband died in 2006 in a car crash. I was already with the man I am about to marry. We have been together for 8 years. He has 4 grown children and 2 grown step children. I have two grown children. I have lost close to 20 pounds and would like to be a size or two smaller by May. We will be getting married at home with a few family members. I am hoping my son will give me away, as my father has been gone for some time. We just decided on New Years to get married. Our wedding will be in the middle of the week on the day we met 9 years later. With only four months to go I need to get my butt in gear.