Saturday, August 22, 2009

I Just Wanted to Feel Pretty

This morning I woke up and went to the bathroom, and brushed my teethe. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a scale. I thought to myself, "I haven't weighed myself in about a month I should see where I'm at." Over the last two weeks I have been really feeling like I was gaining weight. So I did it, I got on the scale and learned that I had gained 11 pounds in one month! Not only that, but the last time I weighed myself I had gained some weight. It was nothing to make me really concerned at the time, but now it adds up to about 18 pounds in about three months. Psh, whaaaaaaaat!?! I have never gained that much weight so quickly.

The last two weeks I have been working on a construction job. I know you're thinking, "But she has been pulling wallpaper off the walls, painting, pulling up carpet, and doing other active things during her long--sometimes 12 hour--work days." Yes, it's true I have been fairly active. However, what do construction guys eat throughout the day to keep their energy up? They eat cookies, and chocolate! Plus, on top of that I have been drinking Dr. Pepper way more than usual too. The last two weeks my sugar intake just got way out of control. It's like once I started I just couldn't stop! Oh that's not all though, we've also been staying in a hotel near the job site which means we eat out every meal! Ultimately, the whole situation is a lethal combination.

The sad news motivated me to pay closer attention, so I decided to start tracking my food on Livestrong again. I'm at my in-law's home for the weekend, we have a few days off of work. I knew that I needed to choose the non-sugar cereal, and watch portion size. I began frantically looking around the kitchen, "where in the world are the measuring cups?!" I finally just guessed what 1 cup was. That is supposed to fill me up? Then I went to get the milk, they only have 2% which adds some extra calories. I started pouring it into my bowl of cereal and some it spilled out so I had to go get a rag to clean up my mess. Overall, this fresh start with breakfast was starting to be a lot of work. That's just how it goes though, getting started on something new always takes a little more effort. At least cinnamon is a spice that boosts the metabolism, I was grateful to have it on my breakfast.

Needless to say, I was feeling really ugly this morning after all of that. Especially since I was wearing work clothes, little make-up, and dirty hair (from the construction site) all week. Here's a picture of me working (with hubby working behind me).

Today I just wanted to feel like I was still pretty. So I curled my hair, chose a cute outfit, and put a smile on my face.

I feel so much better now! Thank goodness for that, it gave me hope! I typically wouldn't announce something as embarrassing as my unusually dramatic weight gain on my blog. But I figured, I'm probably not the only one this has happened to. I've seen a couple of friends gain weight in their first year of marriage, however, most of my friends still look amazing. Besides that, when I tell you about it then I will kind of be accountable to you. I'm confident I can get the 11 off almost as fast as it came on, just by cutting out the cookies and Dr. Pepper. Hopefully I will have happy news to report back soon!

Do you think it's common to gain weight in your first year of marriage? How do you keep your weight in check?

4 comments:

  1. You look beautiful, and I'm glad you feel better! :) I know days when I actually get dressed and put on some mascara I feel MUCH better!

    I gained a little weight our first year of marriage. I don't know why that happens to so many of us??!

    You will get back into the swing of things soon! And keep that positive attitude girl!

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  2. I do think it is common! I did it. I think it comes from establishing different patterns of eatng with a different person. We used to stroll through the gorcery store at 9 a.m. when we had a food craving. That put on the pounds!

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  3. BTW, thanks for the Livingstrong link. I like that!

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  4. when i was single i didn't feel the need to produce a whole meal just for myself, so i was content to eat snacks for dinner, or yogurt and toast- you know, something simple. then we get married and feel like we need to eat like a regular family, feeding our husbands full meals. sharing in that when we aren't used to it will put on the pounds.
    i gained a bunch this last winter, i wasnt' very active, and then when i finished school i didn't have a job for 3 mos. i had a doctor checkup and was completely shocked when i got on their scale and felt all depressed about it...
    since then i've been working on it. i made a chart with goals- this many pounds in this many weeks type thing, with rewards for 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 12 week, etc with an ultimate goal and reward. i marked when i ate fruits and veggies, when i worked out, and when i didnt' snack before meals. it helped me pay attention, and though i haven't been marking it regularly anymore, it helped me stay focused and establish some habits the first few weeks...

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