The Battle of the Bulge: It Begins

So, right after the hubby and I got back from our honeymoon, I read an article about the "Newlywed 10". This is the theory, similar to the "Freshman 15" college theory, that within the first six months to year of marriage, women tend to gain 10 lbs (or more). The reasoning behind this is that after marriage when both spouses are working, most of the social time they spend together revolves around food: eating dinner together, going for coffee/dessert, going out with friends for food/drinks, family gatherings, etc. Of course, all the wonderful food during the honeymoon doesn't particularly help either lol.

The other reasoning is that, before marriage, women tend to eat with each other, and feel bad if they get a large, fattening meal when their friend is getting a salad. But, when a woman sees her husband get a larger, more fattening meal, she doesn't feel as guilty about getting the large, fattening meal. Personally, I have noticed it's easier for me to eat a larger meal when I go out with Bryan than when I'm with others.

Upon reading the article, I thought "Hmm, that's interesting. I think I'll avoid that", closed the magazine, and went on about my business. I did fairly well, watching what I ate, and even had a workout routine for a while. Then, I stopped working out...I hadn't figured out that while the ellipticals I have access to hurt my knees, the exercise bike does not. And then the hurricane came, and I had nothing to do for two weeks but sit on my behind and eat. Long story short, I got on the scale this morning, about 4 1/2 months after W-day, and went "I weigh WHAT?!? Gah. I've proven that dadgum theory."

I hate doing that. DISproving theories is much more fun.

Now, the question is, what to do about it? Well, I have a PLAN! (Smart of me, right? The better PLAN! was not to gain the weight in the first place, but since I well and truly bungled THAT...) This last week I started a workout routine again, and shall continue this week. The plan for now is to ride the bike 30 mins a day, Mon-Fri. This last week I only rode Mon, Tues, and Thurs...I hadn't taken my shots the weekend before, so I was achier than normal, and starting the workout routine didn't exactly help. I also do a bit of an abdominal workout and, of course, am trying to eat better.

Anyway, on the the PLAN! I will continue the daily 30 mins on the bike plus abs this week. Plus, on Tues/Thurs I'm going to try to start some light weight lifting...arms on Tues, legs on Thurs. With the RA, I haven't been able to figure out a weight regimen that doesn't cause my elbows to lock or my knees stage a mutiny. So, this time, I'm going to start slowly, with the absolute minimum and hopefully be able to get some muscle tone back. Yes, that would be nice. I know not to expect to actually SEE any results in the mirror for 4-6 weeks, but I am hoping to see the scale numbers start to decrease a bit sooner.

So. To lay out the ugly part: as of this morning, I weigh 170 lbs. NOT what I'd call my ideal weight :-P. When hubby and I got married, I weighed 155-160 lbs(closer to the 160). My short-term goal is to get back down to my wedding weight. That means, if I lose 1/2 lb a week, I'll have lost the 10 lbs by March. Obviously, I'm hoping to do it a bit faster than that. It would be nice to lose 1 lb a week, which means I'll have lost the weight by Dec/Jan. That's a much happier thought.

My ultimate goal is to down to 145-150, or 150-155 with good muscle tone. Obviously, I've got a lot of work to do.

The question remains: Why am I posting all this on the internet? Well, I want some sort of accountability, I guess. I'm saving up for a gym membership, and hope to have a few appointments with a personal trainer to help with the weight lifting dilemma, but until I accomplish that, I'm on my own at the workout room here at our apartment complex. So, my goal is to track my progress, honestly, once a week. Since I'm starting on a Sunday, I'm going to try to update on Sundays. Whoever is reading this, y'all are my "accountability". Not that I expect any interaction...it's more the actual act of recording this journey in a place where others can bear witness that will hold me accountable. Or so I hope lol.

Anyways, I was just thinking....and deciding to do something tangible instead of simply a mental exercise.