Wedding Weight-Loss: 50 Pounds Down

I am super excited to share that I lost another five pounds last week and broke through my plateau (finally!), bringing my total weight-loss to 50 pounds so far! I am officially more than halfway toward my goal of 135 pounds, and I couldn’t be happier. Now that spring time is just around the corner, it’s time to buckle down and complete my journey.

To break through my plateau, I just kept up with my workouts and have been eating healthy. I’ve also been trying to add strength training into my workouts, which I believe helped. I’ve been doing my routines from Bonne Marcus twice a week on top of our weekly training session. Diet-wise, I've continued trying to cut down on my carbs and sugar while making sure I get a ton of vegetables and proteins in. My favorite recipe from last week was Spinach and White Bean Soup from Fitness Magazine. It's so easy to make because all you need to do is throw everything into your slow cooker. It's the perfect meal to bring to work for lunch — it's full of vegetables and kept me full until I got home for dinner. 

spinach and white bean soup fitness magazine recipe

The hardest part about sticking to my diet is when I have to attend events and cannot eat food I've prepare for myself. For instance, last Saturday, I attended a lunchtime bridal shower at the Milleridge Inn (which was super beautiful!) in Jericho, NY. I ate salad for the first course, passed on the second course of penne alla vodka (even though I really wanted it — it's my favorite), and ordered the salmon with vegetables as my entrée. I also passed on the cake and bread. I was very proud of myself for not cheating, and I realized how easy it can be when you have your mind set.

bridal shower

Later that evening, I had dinner at my girlfriend’s house, and instead of getting in on the Thai food they were ordering, I decided to bring a salad with tuna. On Tuesday night, I went out with two of my best friends from college and had a great night. One of my girlfriends asked me to join her in the ‘Run or Dye” color run at Nassau Coliseum on April 12th. It's a 5K run, which is a little over 3 miles. I have never really been a “runner” before, aside from my occasional sprints on the treadmill, so I was hesitant to say yes. After thinking how great it would feel to say I finished it and accomplished the goal, though, I knew I had to do it. The run is in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island and looks like so much fun — you basically get showered in colored dye after every kilometer while running for a great cause.

jen and friends

Since I don’t really ever run, and when I do try, I am out of breath within a minute, Bonne trained with me on Sunday. She was amazing and was on the treadmill right next to me coaching me along. We started with walking a quarter of a mile at a moderate pace and then jogging the rest of the mile (three quarters) at a speed between 4.3 and 4.8. I was surprisingly able to do that and did not find it too uncomfortable. We did the same thing for the second mile.

working out at gym

I did the same running routine again this morning, and it worked out perfectly. Next week, I will get to three miles and, eventually, be able to jog the whole way through. I did notice my calves were killing me when I first started jogging, so Bonne advised to make sure I stretch them a few times each day. The best way to stretch them is to stand on the edge of a step on the stairs.

Rene was traveling this weekend, so I had time to do some reflecting. I made a list of all of the events and dates I have coming up and wrote down the goals I want to accomplish for them. For the month of March, I want to lose ten pounds, which is very realistic. I will have my first weigh-in of the month on Sunday, when I meet with Bonne. In April, I will be taking my engagement photos and will need to start wedding dress shopping, so losing these ten pounds this month is very important to me. There is so much to look forward to in these next few months, and I don’t want my weight bringing me down.

—Jennifer Crow