I am delighted to introduce a new addition to the A Bride’s Tale team today. Cornelia Owens  has joined the A Bride’s Tale team as our in house “Health Coach”! Her posts will give expert advice on weight loss, and healthy living, as well as clearing up  horrible diet myths. (Can’t wait for these!) She will also share amazing recipes, yum!

We are very happy and honored to have you on board Cornelia, we know you will be an inspiration to all of us!

I am going to hand this post over to Cornelia to introduce herself!

“I passionately want to live each day to help people, especially brides-to-be, to reach their weight-loss goals in a healthy and enjoyable way.”

Hello! I am very excited to be a part of A Bride’s Tale Wedding Team.

A bit about myself:

My name is Cornelia Casaleggio and I am an exuberant and outgoing 26 year old, living in Cape Town - undoubtedly the most beautiful city in the world.  I have worked as a chef in some of the major hotels in our country, including the Saxon in Johannesburg, and the Cape Grace in Cape Town, but often found myself wondering: “Is this the place God wants me to be?” ”Is this where I am needed most in the world?”

Four years ago I left the career I had built up and went back to University to study BSc Dietetics.  This is where I discovered my passion for making people feel good about themselves.  I am 4 months away from being a qualified dietician and I study everything about nutrition I can get my hands on! This has enabled me to finish my degree as a cum laude student, something I am very proud of, not only because I worked hard for it, but also because it has made me very humble; I have come to realise that the more I know, the more I know how little I know.

When Lettie asked me to join the A Bride’s Tale team to give advice about health issues, I was thrilled because I realised that this would be an awesome opportunity for me to help people.  I love working with people of all ages, races and cultures, but I must admit that working with brides-to-be is most exciting. Having been a bride myself a mere 7 months ago, I know exactly what goes into planning a wedding.  (My wedding was featured here.) It’s not the detail alone that can make us lose our minds, but the pressure we put on ourselves to look and feel perfect on the special day.  Besides, if you are lucky, you will never have a chance to repeat that day!

When the day finally arrives, you will be surrounded by make-up artists, hairdressers, bridesmaids, mothers and friends, ensuring you have everything your heart desires; but at the end of the day, the most important person there to make you feel special is you.

All brides want to lose, or in some cases gain, weight before they get married.  “If I could manage to lose those extra kilo’s then I would look great” - the first thing that goes through our minds when he finally pops the question.  It’s not just about looking great, but feeling great too!  You are the most important person on your wedding day, and if you feel great about yourself it will be realised in the way you look.

I am here to give you expert advice on weight loss, and healthy living, as well as clearing up some horrible diet myths.  I will also be sharing amazing recipes, encouraging you to do the same, using the community as a platform to communicate with the public. Please feel free to ask me as many questions as you like; in this way we can also help other brides-to-be. Losing weight and keeping it off is not always easy to do on your own.

To find a registered Dietician in your area visit www.adsa.com, or email NICUS at nicus@sun.ac.za.

Dietician’s advice is based on science and not what “my grandma said”, remember: “If it is about nutrition, ask your dietician”

Watch this space for the next exciting article:

“You finally have the motivation to lose weight, if you do it right, you can have that body you always wanted, for life - with a little bit of effort though”