Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Body Part 1

As it gets closer to my wedding date… eeeek, counting down until October!… I’m starting to focus more on my “wedding body.” The term “wedding body” can be a touchy subject because everyone has their own opinions on it and because some brides really take it too far in my opinion. To me, “wedding body” means feeling my best inside and out. So, I’m going to share a three-part wedding body series as part of my ongoing Wedding Wednesday series. I’ll be talking about food/diet in today’s post and then will share what I’m doing for my skin and for my workouts in parts 2 and 3. P.S. I’m wearing these Madewell jeans (I love the buttons!) and this simple white tee (also love this one). I also found these lookalike jeans on sale!

Jeans (similar on sale) / T-shirt (also love this one) / Body Love Book

I have really struggled with stomach issues over the years (so much so that I’ve gone to the hospital multiple times thinking I had appendicitis), which has actually affected my quality of life. About a year and a half ago, I saw a chiropractor who worked on my stomach and then I also saw a nutritionist, Kelly LeVeque. I cannot even tell you how much my life has changed for the better! Kelly completely changed the way I eat and the way I think about food. When I travel it can be hard, but at home I completely follow her “Fab Four” rule when I cook and prepare my meals. Kelly believes that every meal should consist of the following four heavy hitters: protein, fat, fiber, and greens. For more on her “Fab Four,” read here.

One of the first things Kelly switched up for me was my breakfast. I’m up early for work since I’m a teacher and it’s essential that I get my morning nutrients before I work with Kindergarteners all day. I use to be very sporadic about breakfast and would skip it if I was in too much of a hurry (aka slept in too long). Kelly literally changed the name of the game for me. Now, every single morning Monday – Friday and usually one other weekend day, I make a Kelly approved fab four smoothie. If you do smoothies the right way, they can give you all the nutrients your body needs while also balancing your blood sugar between meals.

Kelly has a bunch of smoothie recipes on her website here that I reference for fun when I’m trying to switch up my flavors. In general though, I stick to the same smoothie by following her guidelines of:

1 serving of protein (20 grams minimum)

1 serving of fiber (10 grams minimum)

1 handful of greens

¼ cup or less of fruit

1 tablespoon (minimum) of fat

6-8 ounces of liquid

Now, what do these ingredients all look like when they are in a smoothie?

Protein: vegetarian option can be brown rice, pea protein, or sprouted blends while a non-vegetarian option is 100% grassfed whey. I use Kelly approved Garden of Life protein (I like vanilla), which I buy at Whole Foods.

Fiber: chia seeds (1 tablespoons) or Raw Fiber Blend (1 scoop but double check size of scooper so you get your 10 grams). I alternate between chia seeds and Kelly approved Garden of Life fiber, which I buy at Whole Foods.

Greens: kale, spinach, cucumber, parsley, cilantro. I alternate between kale and spinach and will occasionally throw cucumber in if I have it.

Fruit: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or apple. I always use blueberries.

Fat: almond butter, coconut oil, avocado, walnuts, MCT oil, sunflower butter. I split my tablespoon in half and do half almond butter and half coconut oil but I will also occasionally use avocados.

Liquid: unsweetened almond milk (Whole Foods and Trader Joes refrigerated brands are great), coconut milk, plain water. I use unsweetened almond milk from both groceries.

All the measurements might sound tricky at first (they did to me) but if you make one of these smoothies 4-5 times you get it down completely and could make a smoothie in your sleep. In an effort to stay healthy when I travel, I will often try to find a smoothie place (not Jamba Juice!) that will let me build my own smoothie so I can follow the Be Well By Kelly smoothie formula.

Other than my major breakfast change, I’ve changed the way I eat other meals too by really sticking to the Be Well By Kelly “Fab Four” plan. For instance, I never used to prioritize fat but now I try to incorporate it into every meal because I know that it helps me signal my brain that I’m full. An example of a dinner that I make at home is meatballs over pesto noodles and roasted vegetables or salmon with brussel sprouts and half an avocado.

Kelly has been so amazing to work with that I can’t say enough great things about her and can’t thank her enough for helping me solve my stomach issues. Through ongoing conversations she’s really shared with me so many tips for how to regulate my body, starting with what I put in it. I’m so proud of and excited for her too because her first book, Body Love, just came out and is a huge success! I’ve been working my way through it from cover to cover. Snag a copy of it here or keep it in mind as an amazing gift come the holiday season!

Stay tuned for parts two and three of my Wedding Body series! Please leave a comment or email me if you have more questions about this Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Body Part 1 post or if you have any general wedding health questions.

Photography by Jessi Burrone