Hi there 
I'm an August 2014 bride, working on shedding some flab and toning up, more or less maintaining my current size. So many other threads here are all about the best "DIET" which i'm not a fan of. Any diet that changes your habits temporarily will typically result in only temporary weight loss. Over a year ago I realized for me it's all about calories eaten vs calories burned. I learned I can eat what ever I want as long as I'm within my target calorie range for the day, and I learned how to cook, what snacks work for me at the office, and what workouts give me the best results.
One pound of body fat equals 3500 calories. To burn a pound a week, you need to eat 3500 calories LESS than usual (500 per day x 7 days a week = 1 pound loss), while also eating enough to keep your metabolism up. If you eat too few calories, your body feels as if it needs to hang onto everthing you give it, not knowing when it's getting fed again... Known as starvation mode, metabolism shuts off and you burn zero fat. When you exercize, you add the number of calories burned to how many you can eat that day. On a day I run 3 miles, I can have pizza. LOL
I am a MyFitnessPal user and would welcome some new friends! I also started a FITCHICKS private facebook group for anyone who wants some friendly motivation each day. We check in when we work out, where ever and when ever, to get a high five from the gang, or to get some encouragement when your day sucks and you really don't feel like hitting the gym. A lot of us know each other in person, and there are a few brides from The Knot that have joined. If you're interested send me a PM.