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Wedding Day Get Fit Plan: Eight Can’t-Miss Diet Guidelines

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Natalie Thomas, Us' deputy news editor, is hitting the gym with Buff Brides author Sue Fleming (Katie Holmes was a devotee prior to marrying Tom Cruise!) before saying "I Do" to her beau of three years, Zach Friedman, on May 30.

The other night, I celebrated my friend's birthday at a fun tapas restaurant in Manhattan. And while it was a special occasion, you would have thought it was my last supper! You name it, I had it. And lots of it. Bread, cheese, meats, fried… well, fried everything! And that's just the food. Let's not even talk about the wine! I woke up the next morning feeling bloated and guilty. There's no way I’m going to fit into my wedding gown if I keep this up!

Find out how celebs drop the pounds!

I'm finally getting the hang of my workout (watch a video of the step-by-step moves here), which I do at least 60 minutes twice a week (combined with hitting the gym myself or pilates a few times a week). So now it's time to focus on my diet — while making sure to allow myself the occasional splurge!

Here are Sue Fleming's must-follow guidelines when figuring out what to eat. Print it out. Take it to the grocery store, put it on your fridge or bring it with you to work as a little cheat sheet/reminder to help keep you on track.

See photos of stars who love their bodies

1. Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day because it helps you feel full.
2. Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night to keep your metabolism efficient.
3. Eat every 2 to 3 hours to keep your metabolism up, efficiently burn calories and keep cravings in check.
4. Include fiber like fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains in every meal to keep your digestive system working. Great for a flat stomach!
5. Forget fried. Opt for the grilled version of everything.
6. Feeling hungry midday? Instead of grabbing a bag of fatty chips, eat a handful of almonds or low-salt nuts (keep them in your desk drawer or glove compartment); the protein will fill you up.
7. Don't give up on carbs. Just swap whole-wheat breads and pasta for white bread, and lots of leafy green veggies instead of fried foods. (Same goes for fat. Use olive oil instead of margarine and butter.)
8. Pack protein in to your diet, but make sure it's in the form of egg whites, lean chicken, light-meat turkey and tuna. Try to avoid bacon and breaded meats.

Here's a sample diet:

BREAKFAST:
1 cup of Green Tea
1/2 cup oatmeal with blueberries

MID-MORNING SNACK
Banana with peanut butter
 
LUNCH:
Tuna sandwich with slices of tomato and lettuce on whole-wheat pita or bread
Sub 1 teaspoon of non-fat mayo in for high-fat mayo.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
1/4 cup of guacamole
15 to 18 whole wheat chips

DINNER:
4 oz. grilled chicken breast
1 medium yam or sweet potato
Small green salad with tomato, cucumbers and balsamic vinegar

Natalie's weekly blog — with step-by-step workout plans, diet details and photos — is published on UsMagazine.com every Thursday.

 

Read Natalie's previous blog entries:

Wedding Day Diet Plan

Wedding Day Diet: Workout 1

Related: Calculate Your Target Heartrate

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