Since October is starting to creep up on us pretty fast (yikes only 8 months to go), Gary and I have decided that it is time to get in shape. So, today I plan to throw out the pudding, ice cream & cookies which collectively account for about 1/3 of the food in our house. We also decided that weekly Monday morning weigh-ins would be a good idea to keep us on track and to hopefully discourage us from too many bad choices. To make us even more accountable, we even plan to share those numbers on the scale here on the blog.
Before I see any eye rolling though or hear about how we don’t actuallyneed to lose any weight, I want to point out that this isn’t about trying to be as skinny and waify as possible. This is about getting healthy, getting fit, getting less soft and wanting to look as fabulous as possible on our wedding day…especially my arms, it’s all about the arms, right? 
As to the state of our current fitness level…could we run (read “jog”) a mile? Maybe. Could we run 2? No freaking way! We hope to change that.
We also plan to share what works and what doesn’t so that those of you out there who are on the same mission can duplicate our successes and avoid those things that fail us.
So here it is, our first weigh-in ever.
Justine – 124
Gary – 182
Jenna Says:
Way to create some accountability for yourselves! If you have any tips for fitness, feel free to share!
February 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Kate Says:
I’m using http://www.myfooddiary.com to track my progress. I love it – and it makes little graphs to show my progress.
February 11th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Tammi Says:
When I first read this post I thought, “Well this is not very un-bride-ly”. All the bridal mags have tips on losing weight and getting toned for the wedding day and I thought this was not something that an un-bride would care about. However, I do agree that everyone should try to eat as healthfully as possible and that everyone should be able to run at least 1 mile in 10 minutes. There’s nothing wrong with getting fit, but I do have a problem with getting fit soley for a wedding day. I hope this plan helps you to develop a healthy lifestyle that you keeps going long after the wedding.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Justine Says:
Thanks so much for your very thoughtful comment, Tammi. For me personally, 2008 is all about new beginnings. Turning 30, moving into a new house & getting married all in one year makes me want to improve other aspects of my lifestyle as well. The wedding day is a deadline and I think that deadlines are important in terms of meeting your goals. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with using the wedding day as extra incentive to look and feel great. The goal after that is to keep up that sort of motivation throughout the rest of your lives together.
February 11th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Liz Says:
I agree that the wedding date is a great fitness milestone. I think most people want to look and feel their best come the wedding day, so it’s an extra motivation. I know that I won’t be working out as often post-wedding, but I suppose it’s all about balance.
My piece of advice: be careful about excessive “weighing in”. I have been working with a trainer since last Fall and I have actually gained plenty of muscle weight! I was shocked when I had gained weight after stepping on the scale recently (because I had been working so hard!) but after all of her calculations and measurements she determined that it was muscle not fat. This can be very deceiving!
I would love to hear any tips you have for working out together. I am trying to help keep my fiancée motivated as well.
February 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Justine Says:
Liz, I totally agree with you on that. I’ve found that the weigh-in is more of a deterrent from overeating than anything else. If I know I have to jump on that scale on Monday, I think I will avoid eating certain things that I know will add to that number.
I think we are going to start some pilates training soon, yay!
February 11th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Abbie Says:
Another great idea is to sign up for a 5k (about 3 miles). Setting a goal like that will help you get prepared, as well. Plus, it’s exhilarating to finish one when you haven’t done one before– and it goes by in about 30 minutes!
I’ve also heard that setting one day to “splurge” a little helps curb the wants a bit. It’s definitely worth trying.
February 11th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Kim Says:
You know… I agree that getting in shape solely for a wedding day seems silly HOWEVER… its a great motivator. Once you get going with the new healthier, fitter lifestyle – its easier to keep it going past your wedding day.
For me, the wedding day was a motivator to shake up my workout and it did. And now I’ve found myself challenging myself more in workouts and I’ve been married almost a year.
February 12th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Kristen Says:
I was going to suggest signing up for a 5K too, I’ve only run one, but I plan on running another this spring. Abbie’s right, it goes by in about a half hour (10-minute mile if you jog comfortably) and you do feel a sense of accomplishment afterward. Because it’s only a 5K, there really aren’t that many die-hard runners who take it too seriously. There are plenty of walkers too. It gives you something to work towards! I think it’s great you two are working on creating a healthier lifestyle for yourselves, you’ll really feel so much better mentally and physically.
February 12th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Tressie Says:
I started Weight Watchers with my fiance 3 months ago. He has lost 20 pounds, and I am down 10. It has not been super easy, but it is by far the best diet I have done. I am actually motivated to stick with it!
February 12th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Justine Says:
These are excellent suggestions ladies. I think that having a partner-in-crime will help me a lot. I actually signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer a couple of years ago which is a 26 mile walk. I raised my money and walked 5 miles to train about 3 times. Then I showed up for the big day and walked the 26 miles (as fast as possible)…with my 2 girlfriends. We walked fast because we realized that it was going to take literally ALL day. Then it became a competitive thing as we decided that no one was allowed to pass us. Ridiculous, I know…and at a charity walk!
February 12th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
laura novak Says:
Hi Justine, congrats on your new blog! I did a lot of power yoga right before our wedding, I even went the morning of our wedding with Jesh de Rox and my childhood friend Kristy. Yoga is great because it’s good for the soul and mind, as well as the body. It really was part of what kept me a chill bride throughout the whole process, I highly reccommend it!
February 13th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Justine Says:
Hi Laura,
Thanks for stopping by and congrats on your own wedding!. I couldn’t believe how similar our aesthetics are when I saw the images from your incredibly cool wedding. You looked gorgeous!!! Can’t wait to see more images from your very talented photographers. Thanks for the yoga suggestion, I used to take classes back in DC but I think it’s time to get back into it.
February 13th, 2008 at 5:29 pm