By L.A. Jones

You’re getting married, so you’re busy, happy and excited. All those good feelings give you a rare, hormone-fueled boost. Of course, wedding-day diet and exercise results are notoriously temporary, partly because of the loss of those excitatory chemicals once couples settle into a routine.

Instead, use the motivation your wedding is generating to create permanent health habits. Make choices that are practical for post-wedding life. This means crash diets are out.

Keep the basics in mind. Breaking down protein requires more energy, so eating it raises metabolism. Carb-cutting diets all rely on this fact. However, some carbs are needed to maintain muscle. Focus on cutting back simple carbs like honey and fruit juice, and pick whole fruit instead.

For optimum exercise benefits, eat a protein-rich meal 30 to 45 minutes after working out. This is when your body relaxes from stamina mode and starts rebuilding muscle tissue and energy reserves.

If your goal is weight loss, keep in mind that deprivation is a warning, not a success marker. Your body gets hungry because it needs energy to perform vital functions, so eating more often actually decreases hunger signals. Mind your portions, though. Oatmeal and whole-grains fuel your body longer than processed carbs, so work these into your meals.

Lastly, scales and food journals make a big difference by keeping us honest with ourselves, and are the surest way to figure out what food choices give you your best results.