Picture this: your cousin’s getting married, and you have less than a month to fit into that bright pink bridesmaid’s dress. Unfortunately, you’ve rediscovered your passion for peanut butter M&M’s and have been snacking on bag after bag like there’s no tomorrow. No matter how much you wiggle and hold your breath, forcing the seams near to bursting, you just can’t seem to squeeze into that delicate waistline.

So what do you do?

Stop.

Don’t do it.

I know it’s tempting, but that crash course dieting just isn’t going to work for you in the long run. Sure, you might shed a couple of pounds for the first week, but a good majority of that weight will be in water not fat. The moment you think you can be comfortable with yourself and start eating regularly, the pounds will pack right back on. You may even weigh more when you’re done than when you started.

Rather than putting yourself through the agony of yo-yo dieting, here are some healthy tips to lose weight fast, and keep it off. You’ll not only have more energy, but you may even outshine the bride.

Tips

1. Eat food until you’re no longer hungry. I’m not talking about that tight, round, stuffed feeling that comes from eating until you can’t anymore. I’m talking about that satisfied feeling that you know you could eat more, but don’t really have to. Exercise a little discipline and just stop when you no longer feel the need to stuff your mouth full of candy. Here’s a shocker, eat when you’re hungry. Don’t starve yourself. The longer you go without food, the more your blood sugar drops, so when you finally do it, your insulin levels will spike. It’s better to keep it consistent and eat small meals multiple times throughout the day, than to starve and binge. Losing weight is a matter of balancing what you put in and what you put out.

2. Exercise. Go to the gym. Ride a bike. Walk to work. I know that exercise may seem tough at first, but once you’ve hit your stride, you may surprise yourself. Although any form of exercise will help you slim down, the best type for losing weight fast is cardio. Get your heart rate up for a good 30 to 60 minutes a day and you’ll be amazed at how much more energy you’ll have.

3. On the flip side, don’t overdo it and strain yourself. Just because you want the weight gone, doesn’t mean you have to go through cardio boot camp to get your tummy looking trim. The more miserable you make yourself, the less inclined you will be to continue your new exercise routine. The point is to continue healthy habits.

4. Drink lots of water. I can’t emphasize this enough. Stay hydrated. It’s the magical miracle worker in weight loss. Water not only flushes away the toxins in your system, but it helps you feel fuller longer (so you’ll feel the need to eat less.)

5. Oh, and the last one? Ease off on the candy. Just a little. I know it may be your comfort food in times of stress, but try avoid the chocolate-ly bite-sized bits of goodness until after the reception.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose weight fast or simply stay healthy, these five tips are guaranteed to work. Although you may not get the same immediate results that crash dieting may achieve in a week, keeping to these guidelines will help you to lose the weight fast and to keep it off long after the bride and groom have come home from their honeymoon.