I finally did it!

So, back in October, hubby and I began our mission to get back in shape and get rid of the ‘happy fat’ that one is prone to put on after getting married. We had our fun, indulging in cheese, beer, and wine, but it was time to curtail our gluttony and make a lifestyle change.  Four and a half months later, and I have lost… wait for it… five whole pounds!

Our mutual goal was to get down to the weight we were at when we first met, which for me meant I had between 5-10 pounds to lose. Hubby was aiming to lose 25 pounds or so. After three months, hubby had already lost 22 pounds, and I was stuck at only 2 pounds lost.  Bummer.  Then the holidays came around, so our weight loss was stalled for a month or so.

We got back into our groove in early January, and vowed to stick to one cheat meal per weekend, or less.  This meant: cooking at home, reducing our carbohydrate intake (especially at dinnertime), no alcohol during the week, no cheese other than cottage at home, and only allowing ourselves to eat out at restaurants or as guests at friends’ places once a week (this was usually our cheat meal).  I also personally made more of an effort to reduce my sugar intake after watching a documentary about how sugar is the devil and sneakily exists in almost every food product.

We have also been working out regularly.  Hubby gets up early to do his daily workout (even on weekends!) and I do my workout 5-6 nights a week after dinner.  Understandably, my results have been modest compared to my husband.  He goes balls to the wall with diet and exercise, while I will stick to my slogan of “work out to pig out”.  I have to say, though, being in shape really makes a difference in general enjoyment of life.  Our winter hikes in Gatineau Park are much more enjoyable when I don’t feel like I’m going to die on a prolonged uphill.  I can also help out when we need to shovel the driveway after a snowfall.  We have more energy, and it’s nice to be able to do up the zippers on pants.

In closing, I would say our healthy lifestyle overhaul has been a success so far!  And I hope to continue the slow and modest weight loss trend that I’ve been experiencing since October.  Next goal: increase my squat weight.