Rise of the Groom-zilla

• Rise of the groom-zilla, with men more likely to cause havoc at the reception

• Grooms are more likely to resort to extreme weight loss measures than brides

• A third of Brits say losing weight was the most important thing to them before their wedding

Modern grooms are now more likely to display a number of ‘groom-zilla’ behaviours than their future wives.  A survey by STRIPPD Lean protein has discovered that modern men are so precious about their big day that they are more likely than their bride to argue with the photographer, fight with their in-laws and re-voke invitations from their guests.

Top 5 Groom-zilla Behaviours –

1. Get drunk at wedding reception

2. Complain about the food

3. Fight with the in-laws 

4. Revoke invitations from guests 

5. Send out strict dress codes for guests

Despite many brides putting pressure on themselves to look good on their big day, the research discovered that a massive 20% of men admit that getting in shape to look dapper in their wedding suit was the most important part of their wedding. Shockingly, almost double the amount of men than women (34% vs 18%) admit to using extreme weight loss measures pre-wedding including extreme dieting (18%), restricting their entire food intake (12%) and even diet pills (4%).

British brides aim to lose an average of ten pounds before their nuptials however the average weight loss exceeds this at a stone. On average, men lost twice as much weight as they set out to, but were also more likely to over-indulge on their honeymoon with over 1 in 10 putting on nearly half a stone in the weeks directly after their wedding. 

The biggest motivators for pre-wedding weight loss are looking good in wedding pictures (44%) as well as knowing that all eyes will be on them on the big day (33%). It’s no surprise then that wedding shredding is voted as more important than both the wedding cake (15%) and even their first dance (10%). 

Across the UK, those from Northern Ireland wanted to lose the most weight for their wedding with an average of 12 pounds, closely followed by Londoners (11.06 pounds) and the West Midlands (10.92 pounds). Young couples were the most determined to shed the pounds, with a quarter of under 24s wanting to lose 2 stone or more. The over 55s were the most comfortable with their weight, with more than half not wanting to lose anything at all.

It’s not just the bride and groom who feel under pressure to look good on the big day with 11% of bridesmaids offering to buy their own dress for the ceremony as they are unhappy with the bride’s choice. Over 10% of bridesmaids admitted to trying to lose weight ahead of the wedding, with many even admitting to competitively dieting amongst the other bridesmaids.

Prune Page, Chief Marketing Officer at STRIPPD says, “A woman’s wedding day is supposed to be the best day of her life, but often we can forget that the groom is under pressure too. Understandably losing weight can be an important part of the wedding day preparation, but it should be seen as a lifelong commitment rather than a short-term fix for both brides and grooms. Here at STRIPPD we’ve developed a fantastic range of great tasting proteins and supplements to help people achieve their goals in a healthy manner.”