Help! I've messed up and need a drastic solution

[TakingUpTooMuchSpace]

My brother is getting married in ten days. I am a bridesmaid and have been asked to wear a red dress, like the other bridesmaids. I bought the dress a couple of months ago in a little shop while on holiday in Cornwall (we are in London). I just tried it on and it doesn't fit!!! I got on the scales and I've put on six pounds!

What can I do? Is there any way I can drop six pounds in ten days? I must say my period is due this week and that usually results in one or two extra pounds. But even that won't be enough to get the dress zipper to do up.

Is there any diet I can go on that will allow me to fit into the dress? I can't afford to buy another dress, and I wouldn't even know how to find the shop (even assuming they would still have the dress in stock and allow me to swap it for a bigger size). I can't wear any spandex-type thing under the dress because it has spaghetti straps and a wrap-round type skirt that 'opens' when I walk so would show anything falling just above the knee.

I don't mind if the diet is drastic - it would just be a mean to an end. A temporary measure. Please help! I feel so stupid. Thank you.

I tracked down the shop but they said the dress was from the spring collection and no longer in stock. It seems it was made for that shop as that's also the name in the label. I've started the 800 cals/day diet and will see if that helps. I am also going to try and see if I can find an alternative...

800 cals will work. Either two shakes and a small meal, or I ended up doing it 16:8 with two meals. 300 cals at lunch no more than 500 for dinner - I did no meat or booze as well as no carb. Drink a lot of water. Side benefit, glowing skin!

Post a pic of the dress OP we can see what the seams are like

Yes the Lose a Stone in a week diet, noted above does work to lose weight fast but not a stone for me. I lost 9lb and I'm a size 12 normally. A lot of this is probably water but I did lose a lot in measurements too.
Be prepared to put it all back on after though 😂

Order an alternative from somewhere with a good return policy or where you can pay a small amount in advance for returns.
Hopefully you'll fit in it but it means you can have a back up to avoid panic.

Try a charity shop or a clothes swap group for a back up option. Good luck!

Hello, I did the tuna diet for a wedding where I'd put lots of weight on while in the US and went from a large size 14 to a small size 12 in 5-6 days. It's not for the faint hearted, you will smell and you won't ever want to eat tuna again after it, but it definitely worked and this is what's involved....

One banana or one boiled egg for breakfast, one can of tuna for lunch, one can of tuna for dinner. I put balsamic vinegar on the tuna to make it more palatable, although another very low calorie dressing/mayo would probably be OK. When I was feeling really hungry I drank diet coke or chewed sugar free gum. You actually bloat the first couple of days, then the water weight disappears and by day 4, the weight falls off you. BTW should also say, this isn't a healthy or long term diet plan but for drastic weight loss I found it impressively quick working. Good luck

What's the dress? I bet a MNetter can track down a bigger size...

Post a pic and someone may be able to tell you what a seamstress could do? Doesn't need to be a pic of you in the dress

Do you have a picture you cans reverse the image to search

Intermittent fasting. Ideally do just one meal a day. Small portion, no meat, no dairy, no wheat, no sugar.
Drink water and green tea.
Walk 10k steps a day.
Lots of sleep and sex.

Jillian Michaels 30 day shred video (can get it on YouTube). I lost inches, so so fast

I hope you don’t make yourself ill.

A girl I worked with years ago had a similar problem with her outfit she was due to wear that evening and had booked herself in to have some kind of a slimming wrap.

She was wrapped up and had to just sit there if I recall correctly. After some time she came over faint and felt absolutely dreadful and either vomited or felt she was going to vomit.

She had sweated and sweated and described the feeling as extreme motion sickness and couldn’t leave the premises on her own and had to have her boyfriend meet her and get her home.

Even after drinking water and eating a little she felt so horrendously I’ll she missed out on the event altogether.

Drastic measures can sometimes be dangerous.

I sew so would probably be able to some kind of alteration to your dress so it might be worth getting a seamstress to look at it.

Fasting and low carb. One meal a day will get you back into that dress.

Where is the zipper? They have shapewear that starts right under your bust and has a bikini fit bottom. Like a one piece swimsuit with no boob coverage or straps. I think it's called a girdle!!!

I think the simplest, cheapest and most pain free option is to hunt down a fabric shop that can match the colour (maybe the original shop can help you?) and then get a seamstress who can stick a panel in somewhere.
Good luck!

@TakingUpTooMuchSpace. Make sure your 800 cals is Dr Michael Moseleys fast 800....basically no processed food or carbs or sugar

6lb/ 7lb would be a dress size for me too. And just echoing the others, it can be done with a very strict diet. My sister does it occasionally but her very unhealthy short-term method is just apples. It works for her but I would not recommend it.

I would just get a new dress from eBay/Facebook marketplace. I got my daughter's bridesmaid dresses for £20 each, bargain.

I’ve lost 7lb+ in a week before (and I wasn’t overweight to start with so that’s easily a dress size) on apples, tuna, lettuce, sparkling water and Diet Coke.
It’s not healthy or long term but it will get you into the dress

@gogohm

Yes, quite possible. Not a recipe for long term loss I should add and assuming you don't have medical issues that would make it dangerous eg diabetes.

There's a a diet once publicised by British heart foundation and I lost 10 pounds in a fortnight - basically very strict calorie control, 4 oz lean meat, a small amount of carbs (2oz I think) and lots of green veg for the dinners then salad (no carbs other than the veg) with low fat protein eg tuna for lunch and lemon juice for a dressing, breakfast was boiled eggs, no carbs.

I also lost a similar amount on Jenny Craig, in the first month I lost over a stone - prepackaged meals exclusively plus fruit and veg. Best of luck, remember lots of water, green tea etc and no booze as a good starting point

This was never released by BHF.

My worry would be even if you lost the weight and could zip up the dress, you would need to loss more for it to actually fit properly and look good.

M&s have lots of different styles of shapwear with high waists and short legs. Could be worth a try?

Did you try on the dress fit prior to your weight gain?

You could lose the weight doing low carb / Meri as it would flush out the water weight but I agree with the seamstress advice. I had my wedding dress let out and you couldn't tell.

If you eat just protein and vegetables and pulses, and ditch the carbs, booze and dairy you’ll lose it easily. Drink plenty.