Getting Back in the Skinny Jeans

As with every girl at some (most) point(s) in her life, I have a few pounds I would like to lose and never find again. I have joked with William that he did this to me since I have gained about 18 pounds since we started remodeling the house and got married.  Before marriage, my dinners usually consisted of chicken, veggies and sometimes a starch.  Dinner with William, however, started with a base of pasta, then chicken, then veggies.  And usually went with a side of garlic bread and a glass of wine.  Now, I know he didn't shove this food down my throat, but when I am making a requested meal for someone after a long day of work, I don't want to make two separate meals.  I did attempt to load more veggies and meat onto my plate than pasta, but what can I say? Pasta is a weakness. Especially with pesto.  And marinara!  ...and parmesan. Too good to pass up.

And when we weren't making homemade pasta, chili, garlic bread and any requested desserts (banana bread, brownies, cake batter cookies, etc.), we were ordering out because we were too busy painting or sanding and needed to feed all our remodeling helpers who showed up that night. So... a year and a half later and my gym picture scared the devil out of me.  Before you judge, let me preface this with the facts that my driver's license photo is a really GOOD photo of me and the gym picture is a very BAD photo of me.

However, you can still see the difference.  Can we say "Fat Cheeks"???  The driver's license photo was taken 1 month and 2 days after marriage, and the gym photo was 1 year and 8 months into marriage. And it was enough to bring tears to my eyes!  Never have I been horrified by a photo like I was by that one and this comparison.

I had a minor amount of relief when my friend Rachel complained of gaining weight a couple months after her wedding.  I had been warning her that it would happen and to watch out for it.  Being naturally skinny though, I didn't think it would ever happen to her.  But when I got the text from her saying her jeans were not buttoning, I can't say I didn't cheer a little on the inside.  I was normal.  It happens to skinny people too.

So I am posting this story and horrible photo here as a challenge to myself and acceptance that it's happened and I have to deal with it.  It is no longer winter and I can't hide behind scarves and jackets.  It's time to get back to healthy, back in shape and find my happiness again.

Here's to getting back in the skinny jeans!