Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Marriage is Making Me Gain Weight!

I need help! Since I got married about 6 months ago I have gained nearly 20 pounds. I am 5 feet 1 inch tall and I was already overweight at about 160 pounds--now it's even worse and I want to get the weight off as quickly as possible. Please give me advice! --Sheila R.

Dear Sheila,

I can certainly appreciate the fact that you would like the weight to come off as quickly as possible. However, realistically it's not going to come off more quickly than it came on.
Chances are, your circumstances have changed since you got married: dietary intake and usual exercise often change with lifestyle changes.

See if you can remember what you were doing differently before. Are you now enjoying larger meals with your husband? Eating out more often? Enjoying foods he is used to that you weren't eating before?
Have you stopped exercising to spend more time with him in another activity?
Hopefully he will be accomodating to help you get back to your healthier habits.

If nothing has changed and you are gaining weight for unexplained reasons, be sure to see a doctor: there could be a medical explanation such as an underactive thyroid, which controls your metabolism.
Otherwise, the best thing to do is try to avoid sweets and empty-calorie snacks like cookies and candy bars, and let true hunger guide your intake. Stop eating when you are no longer hungry instead of continuing to eat to keep others at the table company! Try to get some sort of exercise routine, like an early morning or late evening walk in.

Good luck with this endeavor--it is definitely hard work, but it will pay off. Set your long term goals for a year from now, and make them reasonable so you don't give up when the going is tough!

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