The Newlywed 15

So, in an effort to be authentic and vulnerable I've decided to write about a subject that no woman likes to discuss: her weight!

D & I have been married now for 4 months. You can tell we are happy by looking at our waistlines! Yikes! I have not gained 15 pounds as the title suggests, but being a newlywed is a lot like being a freshman in college. Remember the 'freshman 15' everyone warned you about? Well, no one warns you about the Newlywed 15!

When I went to the doctor last month for my annual check up, I lamented my weight gain to my doctor, and her response was, "Oh yeah, that happens to us all in the first year of marriage!" She told me to give myself a break and not be hard on myself, it's just life change.

Well, I don't like this part of life change. My husband and I have been working out little newlywed tails off in the gym. He's lost 7lbs and I've lost about 4. We decided we weren't going to go on any "get thin fast scam diets," but do it the healthy, organic way--eating healthy and working out. Here's a couple of things we are doing together:

-Exercising 4-5 days a week doing lots of interval cardio and resistance training
-Eating lots of fiber: vegetables, fruits
-Drinking lots of water!
-Trying to cut out processed sugar (this has been hard!)
-Eating fish 2 times a week (my husband, not me...I don't like fish)
-Cutting back on starches, but not entirely
-NO FAST FOOD! (we haven't had fast food all year)

I will admit, I have been discouraged. I am trying to look at this whole weight loss thing through a realistic, fresh way. I want to be healthy, I want this to be a lifestyle change, I want to be strong & have endurance, I want to challenge myself, and I want to be willing to work for those changes. It takes time though. We live in a society with lots of quick fixes, and a healthy lifestyle is not a quick fix, it occurs over a lifetime. So, I am giving myself some goals, but I'm not saying to myself, "I have to lose 10lbs in 10 days!"

One more thing, Sunday when I was having a pity party and punishing myself with unhealthy thoughts, the Holy Spirit brought to mind a verse we often quote as Christians, but rarely believe or practice. This, I believe is the key to my efforts:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own understanding.
Acknowledge him in all your ways,
and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6