Need urgent advice to lose weight quickly- bridesmaid dress doesn’t fit!

[AngeloMysterioso]

I’m due to be bridesmaid for a good friend next Saturday. She’s just been round to drop my dress off, and I tried it on while she was here- we couldn’t get it done up!

I’m 5’ 5.5” and according to my scales I weigh 64.7kgs, or 10 stone 2lbs and 10oz. My clothes are mostly a size 10. So I’m not exactly big- I’ve got a 9mo baby that is still breastfed but I’ve just checked and back in February when the dresses were first ordered (and I was weighing myself regularly to see if the baby weight was coming off) I was 62kgs!! But I don’t weigh myself that often now as I tend to just go by how my clothes fit, and whilst some things are a little on the tight side atm there’s nothing that I can’t get into.

My friend has taken the dress home to see if she can get it altered to let it out a little bit, but we had a look and there isn’t really any extra fabric to play with and the style of it means that it would be quite complicated to make any big adjustments to. So basically I’ve got a week to lose enough weight to fit into this dress.

Help!!

What classifies as ‘essential’ to you?

I have hypothyroidism and was advised that going gluten free might be helpful, that’s how I found how less bloating it is and I HAVE lost weight going largely wheat free. My Type 1 diabetic DC also has more stable blood sugars with gf products.

I assume from your snippy comment that you think non coeliacs shouldn’t eat gf products?

If they are different styles how long is your dress ? Could you get seamstress to use fabric from bottom to add to sides ?

If you are in Kent, there are places in Central London that offer same day alterations/tailoring if the worst comes to the worst - mostly in the old rag trade districts (around Oxford Street/Soho/Marylebone or Brick Lane/Petticoat Lane). I suspect there might be cheaper options in places like Southall or Wembley where there are Asian boutiques, as a PP suggested.

Drink 8 pints of water a day.
Eat no more than 550 calories per day.
Walk 10,000 steps per day.
Avoid bread.

This will work as a short term fix but obviously is not sustainable.

Not snippy 😄- being diabetic and coeliac myself, I'm glad it's become readily available in the last few years, it used to be quite the challenge to find appropriate foods.

Run/walk everyday. Follow 16:8 and only eat soup and crackers in the 8 window. Drink NO calories, water and black coffee/ tea only (splash of skimmed milk if you have to). I'm almost an identical height and weight to you and could probably shift 6-7lb in a week if I didn't the above. Of course this is desperate measures and I absolutely do not / would not advocate this for a normal diet!!

8 pints of water a day! Poor woman will be on the lav non stop! 😉

Find someone who can sew. Paid for seamstress, friend’s aunt, another friend. You just need a yard of fabric that looks like it belongs, and that can go in as side panels or a V in the back. My mum has done exactly this for SiL in similar circumstances. We couldn’t find a match, so got a nice contrast fabric.

don’t crash diet because it is not remotely healthy and if it doesn’t get you in shape in time you will be stuck. Right now there’s a chance someone can help you.

Find a local seamstress and take dress to her for advice…I’ll bet she’ll come up with something.

Hi AngeloMysterioso, I’ve read through some of the advice and comments here, and while everyone means well I'm sure, the most practical advice you're getting is to see a seamstress—and I’m definitely in that camp.

Trying to lose a certain amount of weight in just a week doesn’t always translate to losing the inches needed for a dress to fit properly. The scale might show a drop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the dress will feel more comfortable.

Reaching out to a seamstress could be the best way forward. Even a small adjustment might make a big difference, allowing you to breathe easier and enjoy the wedding day without the added stress. At the end of the day, feeling comfortable and confident is what matters most.

Sending lots of good vibes your way! You've got this! 😊

This is the best idea

You could possibly drop 5 pounds in a week with keto and fasting. Probably not the best idea if breastfeeding, and by no means a sure thing. What I would do is source a similar material or perhaps a mesh depending on the dress, open the seam at the back and add a small panel. A good seamstress should be able to do that for you.

I'd second this. Good luck, OP!

8 pints apparently

Insane. BFing is up to 400 calories a day.

I know! Also, she has 3 children under the age of 4. She's probably doing 10,000 steps before midday 😄

This is so beyond irresponsible to recommend to a breastfeeding woman just to fit into a bloody dress!

If it was a month you might be able to plan in losing the weight, 6 days, no.

This. Don't fuck around with shape wear and dieting. Just get back to the (or round to a, if it's not been made) the dressmaker, highly likely they'll be able to adjust by either taking out seams, or adding a panel.

Breastfeeding definately keeps weight off for me, if that works for you (I know it doesn't for everyone but surely it burns calories!) Then feed that baby loads! 😁

A week of extra steps, no carbs (or alcohol), lots of water, last meal of the day by 5pm & very early nights will work as a short term loss programme! Good luck. 👍

Oh, that's a good idea - the FB account Mondi's Threads often puts in laces to give that extra bit of room.

Where does the zip stop? If around your waist or lower, would one of those reducing wraps do the trick? I've never had one, but I've heard of girls losing a couple of inches and being able to get into a dress after having one.
Gowns rarely have enough in the side seams to let them out much, unfortunately. If it's floor length, is there any option to take some fabric off the length? Or maybe different shoes would give you some extra length that could be taken off?
Another option, if it's just the waist and hips that are the problem, would be to add diamond-shaped inserts into the side seams (splitting one to go either side of the zip) and then adding a wide sash or a band around the waist to cover the inserts.

OMG please be kinder to yourself. All this pressure for someone else's big day. You have a small baby, are breastfeeding which is amazing so putting yourself through this would be wrong. If you can find a seamstress to add fabric in on the side then fine, but otherwise wear something else in the same color palette. The worst is to crash diet, the potential damage you will do to your hormones and quality of milk is very real. Is it really worth all that. Whatever you wear, the day will still go on and I am sure it will be amazing for the couple. You however, will be uncomfortable and beating yourself up for nothing. No one will remember after the day what you wore!

Wrong name: Monde's Threads. Her FB page is worth a look for ideas.