A new research has claimed that brides who are pressured to lose weight before their wedding, are more likely to pile it back on after six months.

According to a research fellow at Flinders University in South Australia, Dr Ivanka Prichard, who studied wedding-related weight change as pressure builds to achieve the ultimate `BMI` - Bridal Magnificence Index, monitored the weight of nearly 350 brides one month before their weddings and six months later.

More than half of the brides said that they wanted to lose weight before the wedding, while nearly half of those wanting to lose an average of nine kilograms and by their wedding dates, almost half lost weight, with the majority losing between 1 and 2 kilograms.

`My understanding of the situation is that they are restricting their eating and also exercising before the wedding then afterwards it was as though it didn`t matter any more,` the Sydney Morning herald quoted Dr Prichard as saying.

``They potentially created a cycle of yo-yoing weight which may lead to long-term body dissatisfaction. I think it points to the need to promote a healthy bridal image: you don`t need to be perfect - if you are getting married you have got a partner who loves you for who you are regardless of weight,` she added.

The study has been published in the journal Body Image.

Source: ANI
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