On the eve of the wedding season it is not simply brides who want to look their best. Everyone from the mother of the bride to the bridesmaids and best man, not to mention female guests eager to catch the eye of the latter, will want to shine. Dropping unwanted pounds is a sure-fire way to boost your confidence and feel great on the big day.

If you have only a week to go before your nuptials, then it is still not too late to get into shape. By following our Five-Day Plan you can lose a good 5lb and help to solve problems like bloating and swollen ankles. If you still have time to plan and the wedding is a month or more away you can really go for it by following our One-Month Plan and shed up to a stone while improving the look of your skin and developing an inner glow.

Whichever plan you follow, the first task is to cut down on salt. Most of us eat at least 9g a day, most of which comes from processed foods, breakfast cereals and bread. Bringing this down to just 3g daily means you can lose up to 1.5 litres of excess fluid (which often pools around the hands and ankles), which equates to 2lb–3lb in weight.

By following our plans, which just about cut out processed foods and make use of “herb salt”, a delicious, natural lower-salt alternative (see recipe), you won’t compromise your taste buds. You will be eating more vegetables and fruit than you are probably accustomed to. Both are good for potassium, which encourages kidneys to flush out excess salt and fluid.

Fruit and vegetables are also a powerhouse of vitamins, such as vitamin C, and supernutrients, such as the red and purple pigments in berries that seem to help circulation. Greens such as broccoli and mange-tout are great for lutein, a yellow pigment that appears to help to protect our skin from loss of elasticity and dehydration caused by ultraviolet radiation. Essential oils in shellfish, fish and nuts also help your skin’s texture, encouraging smoothness.

Grapefruit is particularly good. Try to have half to one ruby-red or pink grapefruit before breakfast each morning (the only exception is if you are on cholesterol-lowering medication). Research indicates that people who develop this habit lose more weight than nongrapefruit eaters.

Eggs are also on the breakfast menu because research suggests that they help weight loss – people who ate two eggs at breakfast, one study reported, ate 400 calories fewer than usual over the day ahead. The explanation probably lies in their high-protein content which is a natural appetite suppressant.

Lunches on the programme are designed to be simple to make either at home or to grab on the run.

Dinners are intended to be delicious, as well as nutritious, using mackerel, eggs and steak for a good dose of iron needed for energy. Fish and poultry are lighter dishes but are full of protein – essential for great-looking skin. And research from Oxford Brookes University shows that the hot supernutrients in chilli help to speed up our metabolism.

*All of our recipes serve one. For two, double the quantities and add a pinch of common sense.

Beat the bloat

Eat slowly. This reduces the amount of air swallowed that otherwise gets trapped in your intestines and causes bloating. Avoid chewing gum and drinking fizzy drinks, which also lead to gulping down extra air and introduce unwanted gases into your stomach and intestines. Avoid food that you know causes wind – such as cabbage and swede. Try having a Danone Actimel probiotic yoghurt drink as one of your daily snacks. Rich in lactobacillus “good” bacteria, they appear to reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome which can include bloating.

The best fake tans

Lancôme Flash Bronzer Mousse, £19.50 (10/10)

Too Faced Tanning Bed in a Tube, £16 (10/10)

St-Tropez Everyday Moisturiser, £12.95 (9/10)

Olay Complete Everyday Sunshine Face, £7.49 (9/10)

The Organic Pharmacy Self Tan, £29.95 (8/10)

Picture poses

Lower your chin: this casts a shadow on your neck and adds definition.

Turn your head to one side: this extends your neck.

Pull your shoulders back and extend your elbows back and away from your body: this avoids spreading the flesh.

Pose at a slight angle: if you stand straight on you will look wider.

Shift your weight on to one foot: this avoids looking stiff.

Cross your ankles, not your legs.

Share your wedding diet progress and other marital stories, or watch our video on how to do your make-up on the big day with The Hitch

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