Wedding Weight-Loss: A New Diet Plan and a New Gym

Our trainer Bonne Marcus made some suggestions and modifications to my eating plan; I am cutting out starchy carbs, eliminating all sweets and sugar, and minimizing my alcohol intake. I'm going go try this new plan for at least the next three weeks, leading up to my engagement party, to see how it goes. The toughest part — cutting out fruit! I can eat raw nuts, though, which I’ll substitute for a little snack.

After work one day this week, I went with Rene to the new gym he joined, LA Fitness. They just opened up a new one near our apartment, and it is amazing. It's literally as big as a mall, with two sparkly clean floors and more fitness equipment I've ever seen in my whole life. The spin room had over 60 brand new bikes, which got me so excited! I’m not a big fan of my current gym, as they don’t offer classes, so I’m definitely considering switching over to this one. They offer a 5:45 a.m. spin class on weekdays, which works perfectly with my schedule.

Once I got over the initial shock of how cool it was, I spent a half hour on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the treadmill, sweated my butt off, and burned over 700 calories. I’d say that was a successful workout!

treadmill workout

I’ve also been reading this book my dad gave me to read called The Lean Belly Prescription by Travis Stork, and it’s been giving me great insight on getting healthy and losing belly fat. One thing in particular really struck me is when the author said, “Couples who attempt great things together succeed together and bond through the experience.” That is exactly what Rene and I are going through, and I know we will succeed. I hope this journey we are going through now keeps us bonded through health and fitness for the rest of our lives. Like I've said, together we can do anything!

Here, a look back at my week.

Monday, July 22
I had a crazy, fun-filled, busy weekend, and it’s time to get back to reality. On Saturday, my friends and I spent the day out at Fire Island partying it up and drinking rocket fuels. If you’ve never had one, you really must try it! I knew I was going to be drinking a lot and most likely eating pizza (which I did), so I went to the gym that morning and did a half hour on the elliptical.

fire island

Sunday, I woke up and felt awful, so I cancelled my workout with Bonne, which I seriously regret doing. I haven’t been to a training session with her in three weeks now, aside from spinning last week, so that was a major mistake. But in spite that, I'm determined to make this a great week. I spent the day yesterday preparing my lunch for today, which consisted of a Morning Star veggie burger, grilled squash and zucchini, and half of a corn on the cob. For dinner tonight, I made grilled salmon over a bed of spinach with grilled asparagus.

Tuesday, July 23
I set my alarm for 5 a.m. to fit in a workout, but I slept through it. I’m not worried, though, because I plan on making it up at the gym later! A morning workout sounds so easy at night when I set my alarm, until I hear the beeping in the morning…

I got to work and had two hard-boiled eggs and a small skim latte. For lunch, I ate a veggie burger, grilled asparagus and another half of a corn on the cob. Low carb! Dinner tonight was a garden salad with tuna. I also made sure to drink lots and lots of water throughout the day. 

Wednesday, July 24
Happy hump day! I woke up feeling great after my workout last night. Today, I had my usual breakfast, another veggie burger with leftovers from my salad last night  for lunch, and baked chicken breasts with quinoa and cauliflower for dinner. When I got home from work, Rene and I did our workout from Bonne to get in some strenght-training.

Thursday, July 25
Today was a pretty boring day at work. But I recently discovered Wasa crackers, which have only 70 calories for three (and they're big!). They make a great crunchy snack. For lunch, I had some Wasa crackers with hummus, plus a salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. For dinner, we had skinny turkey meatballs that cooked all day in the crock pot over Barilla Plus multi-grain pasta. It was so good and extremely filling.

skinny slow cooker turkey meatballs

I went to the gym after dinner and did a half hour of cardio on the elliptical. After, I went over to my girlfriend Gina’s house to hang out for a bit — and I did not drink! I am very proud of myself. I sat and enjoyed my cup of green tea and spent quality time with my friends  no alcohol needed.

Friday, July 26
TGIF! This week dragged on by, and I am totally looking forward to the weekend.

For lunch today, I am having the same thing as yesterday (boring, I know). It’s slow at work today, so I’m hoping to get out of here early so I can head to the gym for some cardio. On my to-do list for the weekend is finding a dress for my engagement party, starting work on my centerpieces and favors for the party, and cleaning my apartment because it’s a mess. I’m praying finding a dress will be easy.

Sunday is my workout with Bonne — finally, after three long weeks — and my weigh-in. After a good week, I’m hoping for good results. Wish me luck!

—Jennifer Crow