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You've just made a life-changing commitment to get married. But, before the big day, you you want to lose weight naturally so you can fit into that beautiful wedding gown you have on hold. To achieve your desired weight, nutritional consultant, Kumar Bahal, is here to give us the skinny on weight loss - the natural way.

There are genetic and hormonal influences on body weight. Naturally excess weight can be the result of an imbalance of calories consumed versus calories burned during or through physical daily activities and exercise. In other words, if you consume more calories that you burn through physical activities, your body then stores calories and you gain weight.

Nutrition and physical activity are critical components for lifelong health. So while you are committed to losing weight before your wedding day, long-term, you can also achieve optimum wellness from maintaining the right body weight in order to prevent many illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal blood fats, coronary artery disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, cancer, fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, fertility and pregnancy problems, physical discomfort, social and emotional consequences, Thyroid dysfunction and excess production of cortisol hormones by the adrenal glands.

The following factors, usually working in combination, can contribute to weight- loss in achieving a healthy weight through dietary changes, increased physical activity and behavior modifications.

Dietary Changes

Brides adopting a new eating style that promotes weight loss must include lowering your total calorie intake. One way you can lower your calorie intake is by eating more plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fiber rich foods such as legumes and complex carbohydrates, adequate protein in the form of fish, lean poultry, non-fat dairy and complementary proteins. Remember the healthier ways to cook food: steam, bake, broil or poach, but avoid frying and grilling.

Increased physical activity

Cutting 250-500 calories from your diet daily can help you lose half to one pound a week, but by adding a 30-minute brisk walk four-to six-days a week and you can double your rate of weight loss.

The goal of exercise for weight loss is to burn more calories. Although exercise offers many other benefits, the amount of calories burned is based on frequency, duration and intensity of your activities. So one of the best ways to lose body fat is through steady aerobic exercise such as walking for more than 30-minutes a day.

Behavior modification

In order to lose weight and keep it off, you need to make changes in your lifestyle.

A behavior modification program led by a professional can help you examine your current habits by having a plan that includes exercise, eating habits, weight-loss goal, portions control and how to avoid food triggers that can be unhealthy.

Kumar Bahal

Disclaimer: This information is not intended to treat diagnose or cure any medical problems, please seek medical advice from a doctor before using any info provided in this article. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration