Weddingbee boards

So the short of it is that when I ordered my gown I was 'between sizes' and needed to decide if I order up, or order down. Me being an idealist... along with the enabling of my mother, decided to go with Dress size 12 instead of the 14 since it looked like Id only have to lose about 10lbs to fit in perfectly. (the sample dress I tried was a 12 and fit very snug).

So 4 months later the dress comes in (3 weeks ago) and I'm down about 8-9lbs in weight, and BAM!!! : The dress fits the exact same! Super tight throught the stomach and thighs and won't sit right on me (it's a very sleek silouette dress). 

F&*$! So now I'm running and trying to lose inches, but my wedding is 30 DAYS FROM TODAY! There is no 'extra room' in the dress to let it out. And I still need to do alterations which the dress shop has posponed until 15-17days from now when we thought I could drop another 5.

So ladies..... is there some sort of great stomach corset shaper that I can buy to help me get into this thing? Where the hell do I go to try and find undergarments that TRULY SLIM? I know all about spanx, even was at a party with the girl that invented them, but I feel that I need something more drastic. The problem is, the dress is not one where I can wear some heavy stuff underneath.

http://a0.vox.com/6a00e398c206fc000300e398d5d6080005-pi

what is a curvy girl to do????

and by the way --- i realize this post makes it sound like i haven't been trying to lose weight or eat right until the last minute.... not the case. I have moments of weakness... don't get me wrong, but It's been really hard for me to get this weight thing down.

caliocteach --- the sad thing is that I HAD a personal trainer, who was incredible, he helped me slim down a bit and maintain my weight, but i didn't really drop any lbs. The weight really came off when i changed my caloric intake. unfortunately with the wedding, I had to let him go, it was just too expensive.

Niki ---- is there a certain type of spanx you recommend? I need something that is going to make me sleek all through the hip but also the waistline area. I'm a thick through the middle girl.

Your dress is gorgeous!

Head over to a fancy department store like Saks or Neiman Marcus with your dress. Explain the problem to them and ask them to recommend slimming undergarments. You can try them on at the store with your gown to see how they work out. Don't sneeze at Spanx -- they have super-duper ones that suck in literally inches, and run from your knees all the way up to right underneath your bust.  

thanks ladies!

I have the SPANX that goes up to the bust and down the legs to mid thigh and though it 'smooths' it just doesn't seem to fit my body right for this dress. It doesn't really do the 'suck in' thing. which is why i was thinking of going more corset or if there is a more extreme body shaper line.

i'll check with dark garden as well as that is great advice CarolineG about taking the dress to Saks and Neiman. Any other places? I don't normally shop at Victorias Secret (their quality seems a bit lousy) but maybe I'm wrong?

So where are all you finding your undergarments? 

okay this is gonna sound really crazy, but I just found out about nuskin (my sister just became a distributor) and their galvanic spa machine. You can use it on your face or body and it lifts, gets rid of wrinkles and cellulite. I tried it for a week (everynight) around my love handles and tummy pouch area and when I went in for my dress fitting (3 weeks after my previous one) I had lost an inch all the way around! I didn't exercise or change my diet - not that I don't think this is important - i just hadn't had time and wasn't really trying very hard to lose weight at that point. anyways, something you may want to look into. they also have demo videos about it on youtube. it is crazy popular in germany and korea right now. you can pm me if you want more info! she also used it to give me and my FI facials before our e-session and I think it was great cuz it helped tighten and lift. i am definitely using it up until the day of my wedding! lol. good luck!

forgot to mention! my friend has an aunt who owns a salon/spa and they actually do the galvanic spa as one of their treatments - so maybe you can find a spa near you that does it. or you can just buy the machine yourself, although it is definitely an investment...

How much time are you putting into your workouts, and are you just running?

Runnning is a great way to drop pounds - but add weights and balance training to work your core and you will slim your waist faster than you would with running alone.  I found the only real way to drop a lot of weight fast was to step up my workouts - e.g. by doubling them - if you work out for an hour or an hour and a half instead of just a half an hour or so, the extra weight will come off pretty quickly.  

Have you looked into the Abs diet?  Supposedly in the first two weeks, you can drop 8-10 pounds.   

I think 30 days and some good foundation garments should provide the slimming effect you need. That dress really is gorgeous, but yes, very body-conscious.

If you just don't think it'll be enough, well, I don't recommend this for the long-term, but I keep hearing that the Atkins diet will let you drop several pounds in a very short period of time if you stay on the really strict regimen. It won't be much fun, but it'll likely get you through your wedding. Like I said, not a long-term solution, but if all you want to do is fit into your dress before embarking on a healthier plan, this will probably do it.

Thanks ladies. I'm definitely looking into some of these suggestions.

I was curious if any of you have ever tried this:

http://www.simplybeautifulnewyou.com

evidently its been featured on tyra, ellen and a bunch of places, but it seems like a hoax to me. Unfortunately my mom surprised me with 2 treatments (i REALLY hope she did not just waste her money, gotta love her for trying), so a few days before the wedding I'm having one of these wraps done. I'll let you know how it goes, but would love to hear from anyone whose done this --- especially in LA.

Wraps work by basically sucking the fluids out of your system -- it dehydrates your cells. From my understanding, as soon as you rehydrate, the weight comes back on, because all you lost was water weight to begin with, not fat. I can't speak for this particular technique, however I can tell you that the one time I had an anti-cellulite wrap done before a photo shoot it did nothing. Thank goodness for Photoshop  : )

Hey Ladies ---- thanks so much for your suggestions. Kates and Blushing --- I seriously considered the corset construction but knew that it could turn into a bigger nightmare re-constructing the dress (the dress is finished with beading, so its an actual overlay over the fabric, not sewn onto the fabric.

So where am I at? Well, I have to say, I've kept watching the calories, cutting any crazy snacking and drinking lots of water and starting my day with great fiber fruits (hallelujah hollaback for peaches and nectarines in season! yum) and since this first post I've dropped from 164 to 157!!!

I'm having a small side section opened up and giving me a bit more hip room. Also, the zipper on the dress was sewn too tight to the fabric so that is helping loosen things up quite a bit. I'm also having boning put on the side and in the bust as there is currently no boob support.

All of this to say.....

That though my dress is gorgeous, I do feel that I rushed when I was shopping (planning this wedding in just about 6months) and I really wish I had paid more attention to the real fit of the dress. This little alteration is costing $450! But I really have no other choice and I did shop alterations around and went with the person I felt was most experienced to handle this sort of thing.

I'll post pictures when all is said and done ---- wedding is in just 14 days!

Hi,

I, like you, have a hard time getting the weight off. I had had the EXACT same issue as you, only with a bridesmaid dress last year.

I did South Beach phase 1 (you are supposed to only be on it for 2 weeks, but I did it for the whole month, desperate times, desperate measures) you lose a lot of bloat. I lost 4 lbs the first week but peeled an inch off my waist the first week, and a total of 3 inches over the month. You would be surprised how much bloat you have, even when you don't realize you do. Phase 1 is a little extreme, but there are plenty of healthy foods to choose from, its healthy fats, lean proteins and vegetables.

As far as undergarments, I think that spanx has a microfibre type shaper, rather than the nylon type one; maybe try that?