Wedding day weight wishes: Lose more than 20 pounds

That last mission is on the minds of more than 70 percent of brides-to-be, reports a new Cornell study. And more than one-third of them use such extreme measures as diet pills, fasting or skipping meals to achieve their desired wedding-day weight.

Of women surveyed who had already bought their bridal gowns, 14 percent purposely bought a wedding dress one or more sizes smaller than their then-current dress size.

"Most women engaged-to-be-married idealize a wedding weight much lighter than their current weight," reports Lori Neighbors, Ph.D. '07, now an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She conducted the study with 272 engaged women, working with her mentor, Jeffery Sobal, Cornell professor of nutritional sociology in Cornell's College of Human Ecology, while she was a graduate student at Cornell.

The study will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal Appetite.

In the study, 91 percent of the women wanted to either lose weight (70 percent of the total) or prevent weight gain (21 percent), compared with national data showing that 53 percent of women in a similar age range want to lose weight and 9 percent want to avoid gaining weight.

"Thus, it appears that an upcoming wedding may lead more women to engage in weight-management efforts than they otherwise would," Neighbors said.

Drinking water was the most common weight-loss technique (almost 80 percent used it) by brides-to-be used, followed by aerobic exercise and eating less. National data indicates that only 34 percent of women trying to lose weight and 23 percent trying to avoid weight gain report using water as a weight-loss strategy.

"It is not clear whether women are using this particular strategy to increase feelings of fullness, avoid the consumption of other foods or displace higher calorie beverages," said Sobal.

The average idealized weight for all the engaged women was 16 pounds less than their then-current weight. Of women who wanted to lose weight, their average desired weight loss was 23 pounds; 40 percent used at least one extreme weight control behavior and 25 percent used two or more.

"While this study suggests that weight is an important aspect of wedding appearance for women in this sample, nutrition and/or exercise interventions tailored to women preparing for their wedding may be beneficial to discourage the use of extreme weight loss behaviors and promote healthy, long-term weight management during the transition into marriage," said Neighbors.

Source: Cornell University

1 in 2 adults at risk for painful knee arthritis
A landmark government study suggests nearly one in two people (46%) will develop painful knee osteoarthritis over their lifetime, with the highest risk among those who are obese. According to the Arthritis Foundation, the study underscores the immediate need for the public to understand what they can do to reduce the tremendous pain, disability and cost associated with arthritis.
Nearly half of US adults will develop painful knee osteoarthritis by age 85: study
Almost half of all U.S. adults and nearly two-thirds of obese adults will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, a study based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests.
Sex hormones link to heart risk
Men are more prone to – and likely to die of - heart disease compared with women of a similar age – and sex hormones are to blame, according to a new University of Leicester led study.
Study shows heavy snoring is an independent risk factor for carotid atherosclerosis
A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that objectively measured heavy snoring is an independent risk factor for early carotid atherosclerosis, which may progress to be associated with stroke.
New master switch found in the brain that regulates appetite and reproduction
Body weight and fertility have long known to be related to each other – women who are too thin, for example, can have trouble becoming pregnant. Now, a master switch has been found in the brain of mice that controls both, and researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies say it may work the same way in humans.
Heavy breathing -- an obscure link in asthma and obesity
There is a strong link between obesity and asthma and as the prevalence of both conditions has been increasing steadily, epidemiologists have speculated that there is an underlying condition that connects the two. But one long-suspected link, the systemic inflammation associated with obesity, has been ruled out by a recent New Zealand study that found no evidence of its involvement.
Health of Afghan children jeopardized by family behaviors, not just war
Family values and ongoing conflict within the country are dramatically affecting the health of young children in Afghanistan. A study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health suggests that poor child health can be linked to a lack of maternal education and a lack of autonomy for mothers when seeking healthcare for their children. In addition, mothers who were married as children tend to have offspring with poorer health.
Newly-defined factors may prevent postpartum smoking relapse
Although many women quit smoking during pregnancy to protect their unborn children from the effects of cigarettes, half of them resume the habit within a few months of giving birth.

Wedding day weight wishes: Lose more than 20 pounds

Related stories:

News discussion: