I love the idea of working out—the endorphins, the community, the results—but when it comes to actually suiting up and doing it, I rescind my fangirl card. Though I've found that by working out for shorter intervals and only doing exercises that I enjoy, I'm more apt to make it a routine. My favorite method has been YouTube videos (PopSugar has an amazing channel of workouts of all types as well as Ballet Beautiful's intense—but short!—barre workouts). In a way, doing a video holds me more accountable because there's someone talking me through each movement, and even when it gets excruciatingly difficult, to close out of the window before it's done seems like a huge cop-out. Plus, I've memorized a bunch of sequences, so even when I'm on the go and don't have my laptop with me, I can still get a quick workout in. 

My diet changed significantly over the course of eight months, but I didn't buy into an expensive meal plan or follow some crazy-strict diet. I just ate cleaner, greener, and cut out sugar as much as possible. Just about every nutritionist we've spoken with recommends loading up on vegetables, incorporating more protein, and removing packaged, processed foods, so most of my meals consisted of chicken salads, zoodles with turkey meatballs, hardboiled eggs and avocado, or a plate of salmon, brown rice, and green beans. There were certainly times when I binged on pizza and takeout, but because I was consistently working out and eating well most days, my weight didn't fluctuate. Plus, eating healthy became so ingrained in my psyche that turning down sweets and junky snacks wasn't difficult, and overall, I felt so much more energetic and alert. All in all, I lost around 12 pounds, but more so, I gained back the body confidence I hadn't felt in ages. 

One pitfall the day of my wedding was that I got my period. It was as if my body was playing a joke on me. The one day I wear a white dress, and you give me a heavy, bloat-inducing period? I thought we were friends (me, to my body). To remedy this, I wore a pair of Thinx underwear in beige (no leaks, no issues) and took two Love Wellness Bye, Bye Bloat supplements, a mix of natural herbs that help remove gas and water weight. I truly believe these helped, along with sipping a lot of water that morning.