Confession # 1: We love food! But we have been cheating on her....

For a very long time I’ve been toying with the idea of a blog. The topic however, has been very difficult to choose…until today. I’ve decided to write about our journey towards a healthier more active lifestyle. For those of you that know the hubby and me, you know how important food is in our lives. Just recently we realized that our entire life revolves around food (yikes). We bond over food, we make new friends at dinner parties, we do business over dinner and we win each other over with food (the hubby will forgive anything over a cupcake). So as we took this step towards a healthier life, we realized that we were changing a lot more than just our eating habits; we were also changing the way we live! And that was a little scary at first, and even a little discouraging. So after two days on a liquid cleansing diet, I just wanted to give up, eat a Big Mac and make peace with the fact that I would never be the Jillian Michaels type of girl. But I heard a voice that said: get over it! Don’t be such a baby! We need to do this so get a grip and stop complaining. And that voice was actually the hubby, and he was also cranky from only drinking shakes for two days, so I decided to suck it up (you do not want to mess with him when he is cranky AND hungry).

Let me back up here to tell you how this whole thing started….back in 2008 the hubby was 425 pounds (yep, you read that right). He had always been a big guy, but in December of 2008 he decided he needed a change. Two words: Gastric bypass. In just one year he lost almost 200 pounds, and in 2011 when we got married, he was 225 pounds lighter. Now, fast forward 3 years, the effects of the gastric bypass are long gone. See, in some cases, a gastric bypass patient’s stomach eventually expands to its normal size allowing them to go back to their old eating habits. So after almost 6 years, the hubby started to gain weight again, and this time it got a little out of control…

Left: Hubby at 425 pounds, Right: Hubby at 200 pounds (2 years after surgery)

Now let me tell you about my eating habits. When I was in college, I went through several phases regarding my “diet and exercise”. On my second year of college, my roommates talked me into a 3 year gym membership (it was cheaper if all joined as a group). I didn’t have a car back then and the gym was 10 miles away from campus, I had never been motivated to work out in a gym and I was basically living on 75 dollars a month (gym membership cost $25 a month!), so of course this sounded like a great idea to me!  I joined the stupid gym and only went twice (and couldn’t get out of the contract so I ended up paying for the full three years, yay me!) Moral of the story: NEVER listen to your roommates! Then I entered the “I only eat salads and granola bars” phase (this only lasted a couple of days because why would you buy a $6 salad when you could get a burger for $1, hello!?). And then I started the vending machine diet. I spent so much time on campus that a bag of chips and a diet coke were my lunch and dinner. I didn’t gain weight because I was always on the run and walking a lot (no car, remember) but I sure as heck wasn’t healthy.

This is the only picture of me in college doing something athletic (and for a good cause!)

So what happens when a food lover and a clueless” dieter” get married? I’ll let you answer that question. Let’s just say that marriage didn’t magically turn us into Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (or whatever couple you consider fit, who knows these days!).

So, after a few months ignoring our weight problems, we decided to take action. Well the hubby decided to take action so I supported and followed, like the good wife that I am. He decided to join an aggressive weight loss program with a group of doctors, trainers and nutritionists (very legit!). The first part of this program is a month long liquid diet. I decided to give him moral support by going on a smoothie diet for the first week and half. Before you say “OMG she is such a great wife”, let me tell you that I spent all day complaining about the diet and every two hours I would say something like “omg I think I am going to pass out, I need to eat” (great moral support right?!) So when the hubby said he’d prefer to do this alone if I was going to be such pain in the butt, I decided it was time to shut up.  It was going well until I started to have dreams about donuts and according to the hubby  a couple of  nights ago I was talking in my sleep demanding a piece of cake (yep, that sounds like me).  September 12 marked a month since we started and I am happy to report we’ve lost almost 40 pounds together! He’s lost almost 30 of those 40 pounds but it still feels amazing! I still don't have before and after pics, soon!

Left: hubby two months ago, Right: hubby last Sunday

So this blog will document our progress, our lifestyle changes and as we learn new ways to be healthy and still enjoy life and our marriage, I will post our tips and lessons learned. I hope you follow the crazy journey of this not so normal power couple.

Today’s tip: Don’t be afraid to take that first step towards change! Once you do, everything else will seem like a piece of granola bar! (I’d say cake but I’m trying to be healthier, remember?)

#thewifey