The Married 15 - Black Women's Health

What's the one piece of advice every woman gets before going off to college (besides "Don't get knocked up!")? Watch out for the infamous Freshman 15. Women and men alike are at risk for catching the Freshman 15 syndrome. It doesn't happen all it once, it slowly sneaks up on you over the course of 4 (or 6 for some) years. I know exactly where my freshman 15 came from. Late night runs to Dodge's Chicken to get Joe Joes (aka: huge potato wedges), midnight study sessions at iHop, pizza and beer nights with Ashley and eating out every day. After college, it took me a a few years (2 to be exact) to lose the weight (30 lbs. to be exact). I thought for sure I had finally gotten my diet and exercise regime under control and I would never gain back the weight that I had lost. And then I got married. From the time I was engaged to now, I've gained about 10 pounds. My skinny jeans have become my nemesis and my flowy dresses have become my best friend. Ashley did a blog post earlier this year about dating and gaining weight. I actually lost and maintained weight while my husband and I long-distance dated. Ten pounds may not seem like a lot, but I know that 10 leads to 15, which leads to 20 and before you know it, I won't be able to tie my own shoes. Ironically, other wifeys say that they have or had gained about 10-15 pounds, if not more after getting married. Discussing their struggles with weight loss made me realize relationships, and specifically marriage does change your life and your lifestyle. Duh, right? Well, sometimes the changes aren't so obvious. 1.) After months of trying to fit in THE dress, a healthy eating break is in order. Our honeymoon was all inclusive. Meaning, I could have anything I wanted, at anytime. Let's just say I took advantage of that perk. And the eating continued when I landed back in the States. 2.) Bring on the alcohol. Happy hour, a glass of wine with dinner, beer and pizza on the weekends. For some reason we drink more now than we ever have (even more than in college....shocking). Social drinking has become a major factor in the development of the muffin top. 3.) Man-sized portions I was fortunate to marry a man who loves to cook. He also loves to feed his wife....man-sized portions. We all know that boys consume more than girls, as they should, but I end up eating the same as him simply because he's serving it up. And, there's starving kids in Africa so of course I have to clean my plate. 4.) Southern Traditions. Yeah, I'm working on it, but some things simply cannot be made without butter. 5.) We're comfortable. Not comfortable, like he's never going to leave me even if I gain a 1,000 pounds, but I'm happy! School-girl, just won the lottery, can't compare to chocolate, a fresh-hoodie-out-of-the-dryer-still-warm-kind of happy. When we're happy, we eat. Fortunately, my love for running still remains, and all of these things can change.  There's still hope and I will continue to fight the good fight to preserve the sexy. And to all you wifeys that have gained weight and but refuse to get up and out to work it off. The best piece of advice I got before getting married, is to never let yourself go. Although we'd like to think our men won't ever look at another woman, it's not a chance I'm willing to take.

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