My 30 day challenge

Before I got married, I decided I needed to do something about the freshmen 15 (errr 50lbs) that I gained in college but still hadn’t been able to lose. Like every bride I wanted to fit into the size 4 Vera Wang dress by my wedding day. But alas I am not a size 4 and a Vera Wang was not in the budget. Even though I couldn’t do anything about the Vera Wang, something could be done about my weight.

I knew that a decade of eating fast food and lack of exercise was gonna take me more than a day to overcome. So I got real, chucked the 1/2 eaten cupcake in my hand and signed up for the gym. I even got a personal trainer to keep me accountable.

before and after

For the next ten months, I worked out 4-5x a week, switched to diet coke, food journaled and lost 20lbs. It wasn’t my goal of 30lbs but you can bet I was proud and rock my wedding dress! I think working out on a regular basis is key but the biggest thing that I think worked for me was writing down everything I ate in a food journal. It was one of the tricks that my trainer taught me. I have a little magnetic dry erase board on my frig so that I could not claim laziness to write things down. I would write everything – even the bad stuff.

Now that I’ve been happily married for the last 7 months and delving into the world of food blogs and baking challenges to replace my previous wedding planning fervor, I admit that my dry erase board hasn’t seen much action these days and my weight is creeping back up. Slowly but surely… Richard the Trainer is not happy with me.

Its time to start off the new month on the right track. Today starts my 30 day challenge. Back to the basics: food journaling, exercise, counting calories, portions, Wednesday weigh-ins.

No fooling.

T-minus 3 months and 4 days until I have to fit into a bridesmaid dress.