Healthy Habits for Brides from Dietitian Kayley George of Bells and Barbels

Whether it’s losing weight, getting fit, or getting healthier in general, every bride has nutritional goals for her big day. For that reason, we’ve enlisted the help of registered dietitian Kayley George from Bells and Barbells. She creates customized and highly personalized nutritional plans to help brides reach their fitness goals.

Keep reading to get insights on how you can reach your goals before your big day—and find out her number one nutritional tip!

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What does a bride or groom get when booking your nutritional services?

Our customized nutrition packages come with everything you need to be successful in your #weddingdiet. Bundled in either a 6 or 12-week package, you’ll receive 1:1 weekly texting accountability, customized meal plans, an educational nutrition platform, and unlimited access to myself as your dietitian. Once you’re on board with me, I’ll coordinate with your personal trainer at B&B to make sure you receive a collaborative nutrition and fitness plan.

Walk us through what a nutritional consultation looks like.

My philosophy with nutrition is to build sustainable habits, not follow a temporary diet. In a typical coaching session, we look at your goals, your typical diet, your current habits, and find areas to make changes. For example, if you’re drinking three sodas a day, let’s try to drop that down to one, then let’s switch to water, and then let’s drink double that amount of water. It’s all about baby steps! My goal is to come up with practical strategies to make living realistic for you as a busy bride or groom. Once you’ve mastered the foundational habits, then we get to experiment with higher-level nutrition strategies manipulating macronutrients, intermitting fasting, carb cycling, and so on!

What is your number one tip when providing a nutrition plan?

Pair your carbs! I repeat this like a broken record. Instead of running away from carbs, instead choose whole food sources of carbs (fruit, starchy veggies, whole grains, legumes, etc.) and pair with a fat or protein to balance your blood sugar and energy levels. Protein and fat encourage satiety, whereas carbs are quick energy sources that leave you hungry soon after. Some popular combinations include apples with peanut butter, cottage cheese and berries, and crackers and hummus.

Which is more important, diet or exercise?

I am biased, but I am definitely team DIET! I always say abs are made in the kitchen. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet, no matter how hard you may try (and believe me, many do).

What tips do you have to keep brides and grooms on their diet?

Accountability is key. If you aren’t working with a professional like myself, find someone else in your circle who can support you on this journey. You need accountability in the good times and the bad. We make so many food choices every day, it’s inevitable that you will slip. But rather than throw in the towel, an accountability partner will help you pick right back up where you left off.

What are some of your go-to meal suggestions?

I’m a big fan of 3-ingredient meals. With how busy our brides and grooms are, this simple strategy can make meal prepping mindless. A 3-ingredient meal needs 3 components: protein, carb, and veggie. To portion out, each ingredient should fill 1/3 of your meal prep container or 10plate. Some easy combinations are chicken/sweet potato/spinach, salmon/ sprouts/chickpeas, and shrimp/tomato/brown rice.

A special thank you to Kayley George of Bells and Barbells for sharing her nutritional insights! To get her expert help for all your pre-wedding health and fitness goals, contact her directly via her Brides of North Texas vendor page.