HOW I BEAT WEDDING DAY BLOAT

Your wedding day is a day that lots of girls dream of…you fantasize about your dress, your hair, the location, the food, etc etc. One thing you don’t dream of is being bloated.

However, if you’re a long time IBS sufferer, being bloated on your wedding day is probably something you worry might be a reality for you. It’s not just a typical day. It’s a day surrounded by lots of stress, alcohol, a lack of routine, a bad night’s sleep…and all these things can be a recipe for an IBS flare up.

I got married just over a month ago and, if you saw me on my wedding day, you’d have seen a girl who was relaxed, smiling from ear to ear, without a care in the world (I mean, I literally was so carefree I didn’t bother brushing my hair..oops). You’d also have also seen a girl who was totally bloat free. It may sound ridiculous, but I can’t tell you how much of a relief that was for me…I’d worried for months about how bloated I was going to be on the day; about how uncomfortable I’d feel and how I wouldn’t be able to relax because of it.

How did I make it happen? Here are 5 things I did to beat that wedding day bloat.

HOW I BEAT WEDDING DAY BLOAT

1. CHOSE A BLOAT-FRIENDLY WEDDING DRESS

This was something I thought about way in advance. I was going to do everything I could to avoid wedding day bloat, but I am fully aware that sometimes your stomach has a mind of its own and can just decide to bloat. I knew I didn’t want to be stressing and panicking about looking pregnant in my dress in the run up to the wedding. I wanted to know that I’d be happy in my dress whether I was bloated or not, so it wasn’t an added thing to stress about.

I tried on a few tight fitting dresses and really loved them. One of my friends told me my figure looked amazing in one of them and that I’d be silly not to get a tight fitting dress to show it off. Now, I’m pretty small and have an OK figure, so slimline dresses did suit me. However, I just knew that if I got one of them, I’d ‘have’ to have a bloat free day and I’d be stressing about it.

So, I hunted down a dress with a tight top, but a lovely, flowy skirt that would cover any wedding day bloat, if I had it. Even though I wasn’t bloated on my wedding day in the end, I didn’t wish for a second that I had gone for a tighter dress as I loved this one to pieces. I also know that, had I gone for a tight one, the stress of wondering if I’d fit into it might have actually made me bloated, as IBS is such a stress-sensitive condition.

2. DID SOME EXTRA GUT SOOTHING

As you probably know, I eat pretty gut loving foods and live a pretty gut loving lifestyle anyway, at this point in my IBS journey. However, I thought that, in the 3 months leading up to the wedding, I’d do a little bit of extra gut soothing. So, I added in a probiotic and a gut soothing powder to my morning smoothie. These aren’t things I would take on an ongoing basis, but they really gave my gut a boost and made a noticeable difference to how I felt in the run up to the wedding.

3. STUCK WITH WHAT I KNEW IN THE RUN UP

I got a lot of laughs for this (and now I’m telling you, I’m sure I’ll get even more), but I bought a portable smoothie maker and brought it along to Italy with me.

I normally have a smoothie for breakfast and some sort of salad for lunch. In the run up to the wedding, I knew I didn’t want to stray from this and risk upsetting my gut. We got married in Italy, so were travelling around quite a bit in the week running up the wedding, with flying back to London and then to Italy. This made it pretty hard to stick to a consistent breakfast every day, but this was really important to me so I made it happen.

Like I said, I brought along a portable smoothie maker, as well as the key ingredients I put into my smoothie (e.g. flaxseed and collagen) and I made sure I made the same one every day…much to my friend Rob’s dismay, when he witnessed the mess this smoothie maker was making in the kitchen he’d just cleaned. “This being healthy business is too much work” was his exact response. But, hey, my stomach felt great for the whole week before the wedding, so it was worth it for me.

4. THOUGHT ABOUT TIMING!!

Timing is something that I’d always hated about weddings. Whenever I’ve been a bridesmaid and had to wake up at 5am to fit in with the shower schedule, not eat lunch then have a strangely timed ‘wedding breakfast’ at 3pm, it’s resulted in a day of bloating. This is because sleep and eating at regular meal times are so important when you’ve got IBS.

Personally, I know a lack of sleep and eating at odd times are huge triggers for me. So, when planning our wedding, I knew I wanted it to start at a time which allowed for a good night’s sleep, a morning run and a regular eating schedule. So, we had our wedding at 5pm (I told everyone it was because of the Italian sun, but it was actually influenced by potential bloat.)

This meant I could sleep until whenever I wanted (we didn’t have to start getting ready until after lunch), get up and go for a run, and eat breakfast and lunch at my usual times, then enjoy the wedding dinner at 8ish.

5. WENT FOR A RUN

I mentioned that having the wedding at a later time allowed me to go for a run. Again, I got a lot of laughs for this. When I went up to the pool that morning (after my run) and told people where I’d been, everyone apart from my friends Nicola and Simon told me I was insane. I got a lot of “Who goes for a run on their wedding day?!” Me. That’s who.

Now, this will be different for everyone, but going for a run in the morning is such an important part of my day. I feel great after getting my body moving and it’s also my form of meditation. When I don’t start my day off with a run, I really notice the difference in my mood and I wanted to make sure I felt as good as possible on my wedding day.

Running might not be your thing. But, whatever it is that lets you start your day off on a good note (meditation, yoga, reading, a good cup of coffee…), make sure you build it into your plan for the day.

AND IT WORKED

Thinking about these 5 things in the run up to and on the wedding day meant that I woke up without a single bit of wedding day bloat. I’ll never forget running into my mum’s room to show her my stomach, as it was something I’d always worried about, but I’d successfully beaten it.

Whether you’re getting married or just have any sort of big event coming up, I’d really recommend thinking about these 5 things so that you can feel amazing on the day.

Also, I want you to notice that what I didn’t mention here was any sort of diet or exercise regime. I find it really sad seeing so many women talking about wedding diets and exercise regimes. You don’t need to do any of this. I didn’t diet, give up cake or alcohol, or join a gym. I kept doing what I was doing. This isn’t the solution for anyone, let alone if you suffer with IBS. Big changes to diet, eating low fat products and intense exercise are all things that can trigger IBS symptoms.

You want to look like your beautiful self on your wedding day. Not a thinner, more toned version, just a bloat free version.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and letting me be a part of your journey in taking control of your gut, eating well and living your life.

Sophie x