Quickly raise your hand if months before you big day, you have heard these lines from your loved ones - "Oh, you're getting married! Congratulations, you better now start working on your weight!"
Congratulations & weight, all said in the same breath.
I know there is a fair number of you, because every bride I meet these days always confesses to being working on her weight. Even if she's got an enviable figure of a Greek godess, she will find an extra pound of belly fat that needs to be sweat out.
Well I don't get the idea of looking perfect on your D day at the cost of your happiness. Add to that, the social pressure of all & sundry reminding you of what you must look like, and how much of it you lack. Well that is a different topic, to be dealt with in a later post.
But for now my concern is the weighty issue that many brides like me face. Well, my problem is a little different. I wont call it unique, but it is indeed unusual that for my big day, I NEED TO PUT ON. WEIGHT. A good 5 kilograms!
I know for a lot of you this may seem like an ideal situation, but do not faint out of jealousy untill you hear of all its pitfalls.
For someone who has never exceeded 47 kilograms in her life, reaching 50 in a few months is no mean feat. It means eating every available piece of chocolate, wiping clean every tin of cheese & condensed milk. Being force fed a couple of eggs, banana milkshake laced with protein poo. And in spite of eating this till it completely sickens you, it is frustrating to see the weighing scale, obstinate at 44.
I don't want to rant too much about the lengths I have gone, to make a difference. Add to it, people driving you up the wall when they conveniently pass the leftover piece of cheese filled pizza saying, "Eat it, you need it!" followed by an obvious snigger. Not like any of this fat is going to make any difference to my waist-line. Why bother?
Why bother? Why care so much about acquiring the picture-perfect weight, when you have bigger things to look forward to on your big day? How long can you keep looking at your 'perfect' wedding photographs without later feeling bad about losing shape post marriage?
I am imperfect, and my photographs will reflect that.
But in the end, my guests will see on stage - a smiling bride!