How to Lose Those Last Five Pounds

Sensible Diet Tips From the Experts

By Tara Mandy and Meredith Levy
Editors of BFFBridal.com

Five pounds should be easy to lose, but it rarely is. Especially when it's those last five pounds standing between you and your ideal weight. We know what worked for us in the days before our own nuptials (drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day, gobbling grapefruit before each meal, popping activated charcoal capsules a few times a day), but here's what the experts recommend:

"Eat more fiber," says Pam O'Brien, Executive Editor of Fitness magazine. "It fills you up and keeps you satisfied longer." Specifically, O'Brien suggests adding about 14 grams of fiber a day by eating these foods:

1 cup oatmeal = 4 g fiber
1/2 cup raspberries  = 4 g fiber
1 slice whole-wheat toast with  2 T peanut butter = 3 g fiber
I banana = 3.5 g fiber
1 medium baked potato = 4 g fiber
1/2 cup black beans = 7 g fiber
1 cup whole-wheat pasta = 6 g fiber

"When it comes to losing the last five pounds, it usually has more to do with nutrition," advises WEtv.com health expert Kevin Valluzzi. "So while interval training on the treadmill will turbo-charge your fat loss, carbohydrate manipulation is your best bet. Cut out all starchy carbs (bread, rice, pasta, etc.) from dinnertime on. This is not something I recommend doing for the rest of your life, but try it every other day for a week, then every day the following week."

Lisa Lillien, editor of Hungry Girl, believes in carb-busting as well: "Give up flour, pasta, rice, bread and potatoes for a few weeks. Stick with lean meats, low-fat dairy, fresh fruits and veggies. Drink LOTS of water, too. Those last few pounds will fall off!" 

Formerly the nutritionist at exhale mind body spa, and now a personal nutrition consultant to brides at Simply Beautiful Bride, Hillary Baron Irwin asks, "Is it worth it?"  You know what foods to skip when trying to lose weight. Still, most people convince themselves that one little cookie or extra glass of wine isn't going to derail their efforts. "Think again," says Irwin. "Most people consume more of these "extra" calories than they realize. Next time you find yourself reaching for a Hershey's kiss out of your co-workers candy dish, stop and ask yourself, IS IT WORTH IT? More often than not you'll realize the extra calories are not worth the extra pounds on the scale and the more often you skip them, the sooner those last five pounds will disappear."

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