Jennifer Aydin, 42, is looking fitter than ever — but the Real Housewives of New Jersey star is still working towards her ultimate goal of looking “super svelte” for the season 10 premiere on Nov. 6! “I [want to lose] five more pounds [which] would make me look super, super skinny,” the reality star said in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife on Oct. 17. “I’m losing every single day [but] I’m never going to be a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and I’m totally okay with that…I have five children, so I just want to be the best possible Jennifer that I can be. I’m not small, or petite by any means, and I want to make sure I [don’t] have unattainable goals, but something that’s realistic.”
Like many, Jennifer has turned to diet and fitness as part of her journey, revealing a “great nutritionist” helped her get to where she is now. “Absolute Nutrition helped me lose basically the first 10 to 15 pounds after my surgery…I don’t want to gain anything back and I want to make sure I’m really conscious of what I’m eating, and get on this good healthy lifestyle kick,” she continued. “I just really watch what I eat…I’ve cut out all oil out of my diet, it’s basically just lean proteins, egg whites, lots of vegetables, and I prepare all my food at home.” In past interviews, she’s talked about how close friend Teresa Giudice inspired her to get on the right path, facilitating an introduction to her nutritionist.
In addition to changing her diet, the Bravo star has also been open about surgery “starting” her weight loss journey — admitting to liposuction and a breast reduction by her plastic surgeon husband Dr. Bill Aydin. “When I come out, everyone is going to be like, ‘Oh my God. What happened?’ And I’m just going to say, ‘Liposuction from Aydin plastic surgery’,” she continued. “I had a breast reduction, which also helps. You look so much bigger when you’re big on top…Once I was smaller, I liked the way that I looked.” She has confirmed, however, she doesn’t want “to go through surgery ever again.”
Overall the brunette — who is a stay-at-home mom to five kids between the ages of 6 and 14 — has dropped a whopping 20 pounds. “I think last year I was between a [size] 10 and 12 — now I’m anywhere between a six and eight. So that’s four dress sizes,” she admitted. “[I always thought] I’ve got a great body for five kids — I’m curvy, my stomach is flat. Then when you see yourself [on camera]…I was like, I can do better than that…And that’s what really got me going.”
While Jennifer is almost where she wants to be weight-wise, the indulgent holiday season is around the corner — but she’s being realistic about her expectations. “Hopefully it does stick, because I do fluctuate with my weight. I mean, every time Christmas comes around, I gain an extra 10 pounds,” she admitted. “So right now, I’m down, few months I could be up…I’m hoping that now my 10 pound grace period is not going to look as big as it once did.”
“Once I started losing weight, I was proud of myself for just accomplishing the fact that I was going down, and it kind of stuck,” she concluded. “When I saw how much better I felt being smaller…you don’t want to gain anything back.”