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For this month, I decided to set some goals for myself, and I wanted to share them with you in case you'd like to join me! 

November Goals:

► Lose 10 pounds by December 1.
► Do my weight-training workout from Bonne Marcus two to three times per week. 
► Eat better on the weekends.
► Breathe!

Last week was a busy one for me, both at work and in my personal life. Over the weekend, we celebrated Rene's mother's birthday on Friday, attended a wedding on Saturday, had a training session with Bonne on Sunday afternoon, and then attended a christening Sunday night. 

Here’s a photo of Rene and me from my girlfriend’s wedding last October and then again this past weekend, where I wore the same dress. When I put it on, I definitely noticed that it felt much looser than it did last October. It was great to see the small difference between my size then and now, and it only gives me more motivation to keep it going.

After my Sunday training session with Bonne Marcus, I was sore until Wednesday. I pushed through and worked out on Tuesday and Wednesday, though. On Tuesday, my workout consisted of a spin class in the morning for 45 minutes, and when I got home from work, I went through the routine Bonne had given me again. The routine included squats, lunges, step ups, and a bunch of arm exercises using a body bar and dumbbells. It's a true full body workout. On Wednesday, I just took another spin class for cardio. It wasn't a great week for me workout-wise; I had a busy week, which I know is no excuse, but unfortunately I used it anyway.

My favorite meal of the week was turkey chili that was cooked in the crockpot. A warm bowl of chili is perfect on a crisp fall night, and I made a skinny version, so it wasn't too fattening. You can find the recipe here from Skinnytaste. 

Girl power! This weekend was all about the ladies. On Sunday, I trained with Bonne Marcus and had an awesome workout. I trained alone because Rene didn’t want to miss football Sunday for the third week in a row (insert eye roll here). I was upset I had to go alone, but it ended up being amazing — Bonne taught me special workouts to focus on my lady parts (exercises she would not give to Rene) and the parts that are going to show while I'm wearing my wedding dress.

We started with what Bonne calls "The Wedding March" — aka walking lunges — where you start with your feet together, step with one foot into a lunge, step up, and then lunge with the other foot. These were not easy. We also did side kicks, where you rest one arm on the top of a chair, balance on one leg, and kick the other leg out to the side in slow motion, so you really feel it in both legs.

Left: The Wedding March. Right: Side Kicks

Last weekend, Rene and I went back to the Pocono Palace Resort in the Poconos, where we got engaged. We had the absolute best weekend! Our room this time was called the “Fantasy Apple Suite” and it had a private swimming pool, a heart shaped Jacuzzi, a sauna, and a balcony overlooking the beautiful lake. If you and your significant other are looking for a weekend getaway I highly recommend the Cove Haven Resorts, especially Pocono Palace. Your stay is all-inclusive and includes a delicious breakfast, dinner, and activities. This past weekend, we went rollerblading, played basketball, played games in the arcade like skee ball and air hockey (we were kids again and it was so much fun!), saw a comedian and magician, and took full advantage of the amenities in our room. We also went over to Mount Airy Lodge Casino, which is only about a half hour away from the resort, and played some slots.

Guest Blogger: Jessica Hochstadt, MS, Nutritionist and owner of “I Do” Nutrition
Jessica was a Nutritionist and Health Educator in a Boston-based hospital before deciding to focus her practice on brides with “I Do” Nutrition—a global weight-loss service that caters to brides and their bridal parties, on their schedule. She understands that everyone has a different relationship with food, and enjoys guiding bridal parties to appreciate the importance behind meal planning, understanding nutrition, and building a healthy lifestyle. In a time where our world and kitchen cupboards have become overly saturated with misinformation about nutrition, Jessica brings the simplicity back to a field that has sustained us through life.

Photo Credit: Luca Faz/Photographer in Venice

The engagement period before your wedding is almost like holiday season. There will be a whirlwind of parties, celebrations, and plenty of reasons to try new and delicious foods — from drinks with family and friends on the weekend of your engagement to menu and cake tastings to your bridal shower and bachelorette party.

This was a good week for me! I worked out at the gym Tuesday through Friday. All week, I continued my Atkins shakes in the morning and my bars for lunch with some light snacks. My favorite dinner this week was another recipe from skinnytaste.com (I’m clearly obsessed!) — Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Melted Mozzarella. We added quinoa and roasted cauliflower on the side, and it was the perfect meal

Last Saturday night was my girlfriend Roseann's engagement party, and it was a great time! She is one of my bridesmaids, and I am one of hers, too. It’s nice having someone to plan and share ideas with.

She did a fall theme, so everything was orange, red and brown, and it looked awesome. She also did a lot of DIY projects, like the centerpieces and the favors, which made it so personal (and, of course, saved her some money). A DIY project for engagement parties, showers and even your wedding is a great way to add a personal touch of your style while sticking to the budget.

Her centerpieces consisted of a fish bowl from the dollar store which she spray painted with gold glitter spray. She made the flowers herself with colored tissue paper and added a small pumpkin. She also added the table numbers which completed the centerpiece. They were super creative and looked beautiful with the theme of the room.

Over the past three months, Jennifer Crow has been blogging about her wedding weight-loss journey for us (catch up from the beginning!). Here, she shares the most important lessons she's learned so far.

You can always pick back up where you left off.

I’m not going to lie — this month was not a good one for me. I only lost about three pounds total. I did see a drastic change in inches (which is pretty awesome), but all in all, I did not do my best. I cheated on my diet almost every weekend, drank alcohol more than necessary (even if it was only a glass of wine here and there), and did not make it to the gym as often as I would have liked. I did better than I was doing six months ago, but I just know I could do better.

Sunday night, I thought about all the mistakes I made this past month and realized I had to make a change. If I want to lose more weight before it’s time to go dress shopping, I need to buckle down. So, starting Monday, I vowed to myself to work harder at the gym, eat better throughout the week, and really focus on being good on the weekends. The weekends seem to be my downfall, as I’m sure it is with most of you. Luckily for me, I still have time to pick back up the pieces and keep it going!

Don’t deprive yourself during holiday celebrations.

For Yom Kippur last week, Rene and I fasted all day on Saturday. We broke the fast at my mother’s house with our families. There was so much food, it was crazy! I had one bagel — half of it with cream cheese and lox and the other half with egg salad. I also had a piece of bread and a slice of cheesecake. We decided we were not going to stick to a diet for this meal, and it was well worth it! We were so full that we stayed in and relaxed on Saturday night. 

Do arm yourself with quick healthy meals and snacks.

The easiest way to avoid temptations around you is to always have "safe" foods on hand. Because I'm so rushed in the morning and don't always have time to make breakfast, I decided to try Atkins protein drinks in the Mocha Latte flavor as a meal supplement. I wish I could make my own at home, but I leave too early and it just doesn’t work, so I figured I’d try these, as they only have 3 net grams of carbs. I also bought Atkins meal replacement bars to eat for lunch.

Monday morning, I woke up sore (as usual after my workouts with Bonne Marcus!). I drank a shake for breakfast, then had a few celery sticks dipped in hummus as a mid-morning snack. I was surprised I enjoyed it as much as I did.

Our workout on Saturday morning with Bonne Marcus was tough! Since I had a busy day with only 45 minutes to exercise, I thought it would be easy — boy, was I wrong. She introduced a Tabata workout, and it killed us!

The workout was broken into seven sets of moves, focusing on different body parts. You do one exercise for 50 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, then do the next for 50 seconds, rest for another 10 seconds, and repeat each one another time. 

The first set consisted of kettle bell swings for 50 seconds. I liked doing this because it really got my heart rate up, so I knew it was helping burn calories. The second set consisted of 50 seconds of step-ups and then 50 seconds of knee-downs, one time through on each leg. The other sets were filled with bicep, triceps, shoulders, abs and more leg exercises. It went quickly, but it was not easy to get through! We were sore before we even left her house.

I spent the rest of the day running errands and hanging out at a friend’s house. It was beautiful out that evening, so Rene and I cooked Porterhouse steaks on the grill and hung out outside. I made roasted Parmesan cauliflower and green beans to go with dinner, and it was delicious. We also drank Oktoberfest beer, which was pretty delicious, too — I only had two, though! I love that fall is almost here. I even bought a new pumpkin spice candle today.

Sunday, we were both very sore. Rene was out watching football at his friend’s house, so I got a pedicure with my mom, went food shopping with my girlfriend, and spent the day preparing dinner and lunches for the week. All in all, a very relaxing weekend.

Monday, September 9

Labor Day Weekend went by so quickly! I definitely ate and drank way more than I should have. Saturday, Rene and I went to our friend’s house for a BBQ party. We ate ribs, burgers, hot dogs, and salad, and we drank vodka, fireball shots, Jell-O shots, and beer. We partied like rock stars... but we definitely did not feel like rock stars the next day. We had a great time, but Sunday, we spent most of the day laying around and eating like crap. Not a good weekend to have when you’re trying to lose weight!

Monday, September 2

Thankfully, we had a training session with Bonne Marcus this morning — it was much needed. She had us do a workout today called "The Hundreds Workout." We started with a medicine ball pass 10 times, held a 10 second plank, and then mountain climbed for 10 seconds. We had to get through this 10 times total. Then, we moved on to 25 kettle bell swings and squats, 25 tricep-extensions with the kettle bell, and 25 bicep curls with the band, four times through. After that, we did another set, which consisted of 10 push-ups and 10 more tricep-extensions lying down, but this time, we only had to get through four sets (thank god!).