I'm with ya all the way.
I got married in 99, and picked this BEAUTIFUL dress......on sale.....and the only drawback was that I could barely take a breath in it!!! I had six weeks to work on just being able to inhale.

I had no knowleedge of Atkins back then, but have always known that protein and lots of veggies was the best way for me to lose weight. OK..this was back THEN...but I loaded on veggies, proteins, and did a ton of aerobic exercise. I looked great on my wedding day :-)

Here's what I'd do. Eat around 10x the calories of your goal weight, drink a TON of water, and work out like a fiend. (I know this is extreme....I tend to be extreme in circumstances like this)