The Weight is Over

Mike and I are overweight. Not morbidly obese overweight but we definitely need to lose a few. 
We have struggled with our weight since right after we got married. We were so thrilled to finally be living together and to be together all the time that we literally laid on the couch after work, made out and ate food. It was a really fun time. And when I had to buy a size 14 pair of pants I knew we had to do something. Maybe size 14 doesn't seem that big to some of you, but when I was used to wearing a size 8, it felt pretty giant. We had a trip to Mexico planned with some friends so I stuck a picture of an impossibly thin model on our bathroom mirror, joined Weight Watchers and got to it. I lost about 40 lbs. I did not look like the impossibly thin model, but I had to buy new size 6 pants, so I felt pretty good. That took me about three or four months to accomplish. Mike started the Atkins diet three weeks before we left for Mexico, dropped 30 lbs. and managed to keep it off for years. Are you kidding me? 
So then four babies and eight years later, here we are. After each baby I lost most, or all, of the weight, and even after our third I was down to a size I was very happy with, a weight that didn't bother me and I felt pretty cute in my clothes. After our fourth was born though, something changed. My motivation was gone! I did lose almost all of the weight, but after I stopped nursing the baby I gained 10 of it back. And now I'm in my 30's and I don't like what size I'm wearing and I look like I've had four kids. The biggest obstacle for me is that Mike and I are in a happy place. We are enjoying each other's company, our kids are a little more independent, Mike's job is great...there's nothing motivating us to get our act together. Since we have four young kids we don't have any major bathing-suit-wearing trips planned so my fear of being seen in one is sitting somewhere in my brain next to spring cleaning. It's a very dark dusty part of my mind that rarely gets a visit.
Mike has gained back the 30 pounds and then some. Where I need to lose 20ish pounds, Mike needs to lose around 40-50ish. On January 1 we started Weight Watchers again. I've been getting up early and letting Jillian Michaels kick my butt. It's been great. It has only been one week but I lost four pounds and Mike lost five. It was a very encouraging start and I truly hope we can keep our momentum up.
Mike's biggest challenge will be being at work. They are all friends and they eat lunch together everyday ("Like a family," he says.). If they aren't busy they can grab something at Starbucks. The wives like to make goodies to send in. (*side note...none of you will be getting cookies or cinnamon rolls from me until after I'm fitting back into my "skinny" pants so don't even ask!) During the summer they bbq and potluck. Not to mention the treats the public sometimes will drop by or when someone decides to "treat the office" to bagels or donuts. His sergeant makes this ah-maaazing pound cake. I have blocked from memory how many sticks of butter he says he uses. It makes my arteries clog just thinking of it. It is going to require a huge amount of will power on his part to stick with the plan. It's easier for me. I just have to avoid the fruit snacks, corn dogs, tater tots and gummy worms we have for the kids.
Hopefully the weight really will be over for us soon. I know we're both sick of it. Mostly I want us both to be healthy and to be around for our grandkids since I've been told they are the reward for having children. That's worth sticking around for!
(In case you're worried this blog will become our weight loss journal, don't be. I seriously don't want to share all our fatty struggles with you. I just thought it was cute that Mike was working out while I was writing so it was on my mind tonight!)