Also add strength training, because cardio by itself won’t be enough. See if you can do a body fat test at your gym (they sometimes charge a small amount for it) and use that as a barometer to see how you’re doing. As you built muscle and lower body fat, you’ll be burning more calories overall both actively and at rest. Building strength and flexibility (such as through yoga) while losing weight will also help your knees and prevent injury.

If you’re worried about building muscle because you think it will make you bulky or make you want to eat more, stop worrying. You may temporarily look a tad bulky because fat will be laying on top of muscle, but the fat will go away if you keep it up. And you’ll only be hungry if you’re eating too little right now. 1400 calories is a bit low for a woman your size (or rather, the size you want to be), but 1600 is good. So if strength training makes you feel hungry, eat a piece of fruit and a yogurt or some nuts for a snack, and you’ll be fine.

I like to ride a stationary bike because I can read a book while I’m riding. Low impact, my knees aren’t super either.

Is your dress a zip-up or lace-up? If you need a little extra room (probably not, though because you’re doing so much exercise) you can change a zip-up to a lace-up.

Good luck!

As for the alterations, don’t worry…the seamstresses can do virtually anything with a wedding dress. When I got married, the dress I bought was a size 10, and they were able to beautifully alter it down to a size 6, it fit perfectly…even the bust area…that of which I distinctly lacked…lol

Now about the dress i would say no more than two dress sizes if that. During the time of the wedding its best not to loose or gain any weight so that the dress that you have will fit comfortably.

As far as altering your dress, I’d honestly have to see it to make a good answer, but I’ve seen dresses altered down as much as 2 dress sizes with minimal problems. It really depends on the dress. If there’s a significant amount of beading and/or embroidery detailing on the bodice, then the more you have to alter it down, the more of the design you could possibly lose. The designs are designed to fit the bodice of the gown–on larger gowns they’ll be wider and on smaller gowns they’ll be narrower, if that makes any sense. Take your dress to a good seamstress who handles bridal gowns when you’re ready to alter it.

As far as exercises, I like to swim or do water aerobics. It’s great if you have bad knees, because there’s no pressure on them, plus you get the added resistance of the water. Many community centers have pools that are open year round. Concentrate on getting healthy though, not on a specific weight goal. I’ve been overweight my entire adult life, and every time I’ve said to myself that I’m going to lose X # of lbs, it’s backfired on me. Just concentrate on exercising, eating healthy, and drinking lots of water. The rest will happen on it’s own. Remember also, planning a wedding is stressful, and stress helps you hold onto weight like nobody’s business!

Congrats on your weight loss so far, and congrats on your upcoming wedding!