Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dolores Catania has opened up about her recent weight loss journey, which has resulted in her shedding an impressive 25 pounds.
The 48-year-old reality TV star spoke to Life & Style about her quick weight loss, which requited her to reduce how often she ate out at restaurants, cut out specific foods from her diet, and become more strict overall about what the ate.
Dolores, a mother-of-two, said she was motivated to get in shape by 14-year-old Milania Giudice, who she says regularly hits the gym with her mom, Teresa Giudice — a longtime friend of Dolores.
Changes: Pictured before (L) and after (R), RHONJ star Dolores Catania, 48, has opened up about her quick weight-loss journey that has culminated in her losing 25 pounds
Results: Pictured recently on vacation, Dolores (center) told Life & Style that she knew she needed to make a change to her diet as she was ‘getting heavier’
Speaking to the publication, Dolores said her desire to shed weight and become healthier came from others in her social circle who were making lifestyle changes.
‘People around me that I know have been losing weight,’ the Bravo star said, before revealing that her best friend Teresa’s daughter inspired her to get in shape.
‘Actually two young girls — my niece Sarah and Milania Giudice. She lost so much weight and she’s still losing weight.
Inspiring: She said fellow RHONJ star Teresa’s (L) daughter, Milania (R), 14, motivated her to lose weight, as she said she is regularly seen ‘going to the gym with her mother’
‘She’s going to the gym with her mother, and I was like “Oh you know what? I really need to get on it.” I’m like “Look at them, why can’t I just do it?”
‘I was getting heavier — I go up and down in weight, I had to stop,’ she added.
In order to shed weight and become healthier, she opted to take part in a 45-day diet program at Elite Health Center in New Jersey.
The plan had her making drastic changes to her daily diet, including cutting out ‘all sugars, all carbs,’ and oil.
The New Jersey native added that she had to stop dining out at restaurants with her boyfriend, Dr. David Principe.
‘The other thing, I knew when I started this diet that being committed to not only the ingredients and the diet you’re eating every day but the fact that you can not tempt yourself to go out,’ she said.
She added that David didn’t believe her when she first told him how dedicated she was about sticking to the weight-loss plan.
‘Because you know if you go to a restaurant, it’s for food. So I told my boyfriend David, “Us going out to eat three nights a week is over,”‘ she said.
Plan of action: In order to lose weight and become healthier, she opted to take part in a 45-day diet program at Elite Health Center in New Jersey
Diet: The plan had Dolores, pictured with her boyfriend Dr. David Principe, cutting out ‘all sugars, all carbs,’ and oil, and reduce the amount of time she ate out at restaurants
Dolores added that her ex-husband Frank Catania, whom she has remained close friends with since the pair divorced over 20 years ago, didn’t believe how seriously she would take the diet either.
‘Everybody laughed at me, made fun of me,’ the star added.
Describing the diet the adopted, Dolores said she was allowed to consume a mere 750 calories per day.
Nostalgic: Seen in her twenties, Dolores said: ‘Weight does not come off easily as you get older, it just doesn’t. Back when we were younger, we could lose it quick’
And, although she was determined to incorporate exercise into her weight-loss plan, her busy schedule got in the way.
She said: ‘I really, really was motivated, I really wanted to do it. Unfortunately, I was so busy, I didn’t get to work out. Had I worked out during this diet, I probably would’ve lost another six or seven pounds.’
The reality TV star said that, although the diet plan was effective for her, it isn’t suitable for everyone.
‘This is not for someone who is not committed. I did not want to spend my summer with the weight that I put on over the winter,’ she said.
Dolores added that she ‘needed’ to complete the diet program to achieve her ‘summer body’.
‘Weight does not come off easily as you get older, it just doesn’t. Back when we were younger, we could lose it quick.
‘I knew that this was the diet for me to get my kick-start for the summer and lose the weight that I needed within a month or so,’ she said.
Dolores’ admission that she was inspired to lose weight by the 14-year-old comes just weeks after Teresa was slammed online for sharing a photo of Milania on Instagram.
Summer prep: The reality TV star, pictured recently with Teresa, said she wanted to lose weight in order to get her ‘summer body’
Controversy: Dolores revealing she was inspired to lose weight by Milania comes just a few weeks after Teresa faced backlash for sharing a photo (above) of the 14-year-old to Instagram
Backlash: The mom-of-four’s caption revealed that she, Milania and Gabriella, 15, were getting professional nutrition advice, which left many of her 1.6 followers unhappy
The photograph, which was shared on Tuesday, June 11, showed the teenager posing for the camera in a navy dress.
However, Teresa’s caption, which revealed that she and two of her daughters were getting professional nutrition advice, left several of her 1.6 million followers unhappy.
Mixed opinions: Some of her followers shamed Teresa (pictured with Milania last December) for ‘putting her girls on diets’, while others praised her for teaching her kids about healthy eating
The mother-of-four’s caption read: ‘Getting my daily #macros in with the help of @absolutenutritioncounseling and perfectly personalized meal plans by @bvdahan customized just for me, Gabriella and Milania.
She added that she, Milania and Gabriella, 15, are ‘totally ready for summer.’
Teresa added several hashtags, including tags that read ‘healthy eating’ and ‘customized nutrition’.
Many of her fans and followers shamed the reality TV star, with one saying: ‘You put your girls on diets? Let them be kids. Jesus Christ.’ Another said: ‘She’s a CHILD. This is so f***ed up, shame on you.’
However, many others praised Teresa for teaching her children the importance of healthy eating and exercise.
One user said: ‘I learned all my bad eating habits as a teen from other teens and have spent my adult years trying to unlearn them. Good on you, T!’
Another added: ‘Good for you! This is not a diet! It’s learning healthy eating ! So much stuff out there that is so bad for us! Wished I had learnt at a younger age that bread would eventually destroy my insides which it does … keep on keeping girl!