Sunday, September 14, 2008

Weighty Thoughts

My mom has always told me that I would stay thin without effort until I had a baby or turned 30, whichever came first, because this is what happens to women in my family.

I never gained the "freshman fifteen." However, over the past two years, between the ages of 21 and 23, I've been working on the "marital fifteen." At the beginning of the summer when we stopped eating meat, I was thinking that my new diet chosen for ethical reasons would probably slow down or stop my gain. This theory, along with my mom's theory about my future weight gain, proved to be wrong. There have been some pros--I can wear more clothes from the women's section, which is helpful when one wants to look like a grown up. There have also been some cons--I have some jeans I really love which are now difficult to put on and give me some lovely muffin tops.

I've been contemplating why I've been gaining weight and have come up with some new explanations.
  • My ridiculously sedentary lifestyle
  • Emotional eating (which includes eating out of boredom or because it sounds fun)
  • I really like cooking and really hate wasting
  • Stress from school (emotional eating trigger)
  • A husband who really likes eating
  • Having fun activities/dates revolve around eating
  • A newfound love for cheese
  • A love for the deliciously sweet and sparkling taste of cola

My solutions:

  • Exercise sometimes
  • Only eat when I'm hungry
  • Cook fewer desserts and more healthy meals
  • Find new ways to deal with school stress (exercising, reading)
  • Finding non-eating-related hobbies
  • Chill out on the cheese--find other protein sources
  • Save pop for a more rare "dessert" option
  • Avoid high fructose corn syrup

My questions for you: Any unhealthy areas that trip you up that I should look for in my life? And, what are your favorite ways to exercise in the winter that don't involve gym memberships or treadmills (and like equipment) at home?

2 comments:

Amy said...

On the exercise front. The indoor track at the University is open at 6 (at least it was when we lived there) and you can use it for free during some early morning hours. I went there quite a few mornings a week during the cold Iowa months!

For me, I have always needed a goal to motivate me to exercise and that's why I do running races. I have a goal so therefore I workout. If I eat better, my work outs are better. If my workouts are good then I do well at a race.

Leslie said...

There are lots of good ways to get cardio and weight training in at home with little to no equipment.. and when I say little I mean like some resistance bands, or a medicine ball, or dumbbells.... :)

My best advice to you would be to ask a personal trainer for some advice on what might work for you if that is what your looking for :) and they should be able to set you up with some good ideas :)

Good luck!
Leslie