Those of you who are currently planning your weddings may or may not realize that the Wedding Industrial Complex doesn't stop knocking on your door once you tie the knot. It just changes its name from "The Knot" to "The Nest" and it becomes the Newlywed Industrial Complex (and then it's "The Bump" and it becomes the Baby Industrial Complex).
Aack!
For some reason, I still haven't unsubscribed to their newsletter (perhaps so I can have fodder for rants like this one?).
I recently learned about "The Newlywed 9," which are apparently the nine pounds you quickly put on post-wedding when you are no longer consciously eating and exercising in preparation for your "Big Day."
The tendency in Western culture to look at weight loss as a goal that can be achieved and then forgotten makes me so, so angry. I'll be the first to admit that I fall into the same trap. It can be hard to maintain my motivation for health and wellness, so I'll latch on to impending events for inspiration (a reunion is coming up and I want to look good! a vacation is coming up and I want to wear a bikini!).
But achieving a healthy weight isn't something we can do and then stop doing, if we expect to maintain that healthy weight.
I wish we would eradicate the word "diet" from our lexicon altogether and instead use the phrase "lifestyle change." Our lifestyles contribute to our current levels of health and wellness. When I'm stressed or bored or feeling generally unfulfilled in my life, I turn to food (and lots of it) to feed my emotional and psychological hunger.
If I truly want to be healthy (not just to look good on one day of my life), then I have to get to the root of my issues. I have to consciously examine my habits and make adjustments as necessary.
It's definitely easier said than done! When I'm in a bad mood, I seek comfort in unhealthy food. But then that unhealthy food ends up making me feel worse. Or, if I'm in a funk, I'll lose my motivation for exercise, even though I know that exercise is one of the things that helps get me out of a funk.
I've also been trying to shift the types of food I gravitate towards. For example, I love this Chickpeas and Spinach recipe for dinner, but instead of eating it with naan (my favorite!), I now eat it with brown rice. I'm trying to move away from white breads, rices, and pastas as much as possible.
It's a work in progress, for sure, but it's totally worth it!
Aack!
For some reason, I still haven't unsubscribed to their newsletter (perhaps so I can have fodder for rants like this one?).
I recently learned about "The Newlywed 9," which are apparently the nine pounds you quickly put on post-wedding when you are no longer consciously eating and exercising in preparation for your "Big Day."
The tendency in Western culture to look at weight loss as a goal that can be achieved and then forgotten makes me so, so angry. I'll be the first to admit that I fall into the same trap. It can be hard to maintain my motivation for health and wellness, so I'll latch on to impending events for inspiration (a reunion is coming up and I want to look good! a vacation is coming up and I want to wear a bikini!).
But achieving a healthy weight isn't something we can do and then stop doing, if we expect to maintain that healthy weight.
I wish we would eradicate the word "diet" from our lexicon altogether and instead use the phrase "lifestyle change." Our lifestyles contribute to our current levels of health and wellness. When I'm stressed or bored or feeling generally unfulfilled in my life, I turn to food (and lots of it) to feed my emotional and psychological hunger.
If I truly want to be healthy (not just to look good on one day of my life), then I have to get to the root of my issues. I have to consciously examine my habits and make adjustments as necessary.
It's definitely easier said than done! When I'm in a bad mood, I seek comfort in unhealthy food. But then that unhealthy food ends up making me feel worse. Or, if I'm in a funk, I'll lose my motivation for exercise, even though I know that exercise is one of the things that helps get me out of a funk.
I've also been trying to shift the types of food I gravitate towards. For example, I love this Chickpeas and Spinach recipe for dinner, but instead of eating it with naan (my favorite!), I now eat it with brown rice. I'm trying to move away from white breads, rices, and pastas as much as possible.
It's a work in progress, for sure, but it's totally worth it!
10 comments:
I cannot even describe how much I hate The Knot.
Check out whole wheat barbari bread! It's similar to naan, though it is from Iran, and it's easier to find (in my experience) than whole wheat naan.
Ahhh, I love this post so much! I hate the Newlywed 9 as much as I hate the phrase Freshman 15. I strive to be healthy all the time but it's not always easy. I will say since the wedding the stress level has come down a bit and I have taken comfort in food a bit more.
I'm very recently wed, and still subscribe to your post and still receive The Nest newsletter. I think I will continue to at least glance at the subject until I consistently feel there's nothing for me to read.
It's funny that you commented on the Newlywed 9. I saw that subject line in the nest newsletter and wondered what it was, but not enough to read the article. I accidentally lost some weight before the wedding because I was working three jobs and doing a very big DIY wedding. I'm not going to fret about 9 lbs that I didn't even hear about until 3 weeks after the wedding. I'm just going to continue to try to snack on fruits, veggies and whole grains, (instead of Doritos, etc.) and keep active with my dogs, horses and hubby, just like I did before we were engaged!
I hate the word "diet!" I;m trying to avoid the whole scary wedding weightloss thing - just trying to live my life so that I am healthier and happier for my fiance. And guess what, since I've stopped trying to "diet" I've actually lost weight. Bonus!
This is such a timely post for me! My wife and I have gained about fifteen pounds each since the engagement and wedding. We just decided to come out of the haze and get back to taking care of our physical selves. Our first hurdle? The Couch to 5K program. Baby steps.
Emerson
I def sorta fell into the trap. I gained a few after the wedding (6 to be exact) but I am determined to get back on track. I was always fairly health conscious before we met, so I do try to keep health as the focus. But when I can feel rolls when I sit, well...time to get it in gear! I am def read to do that for the summer!
Ha! So I made zero effort to lose any weight for the wedding last year. But this year we're going to Europe, so I have been working my ass off, literally. So, no newlywed 9 for me.
That said, I don't diet. I just 'pay attention.'
And by working my ass off, I mean losing 4 or 5 pounds. I'm to cheap to ever buy new work clothes, so I never have much to loose...
Yes and yes!
I also hate that I am now getting ads on my facebook account for bridal bootcamp or wedding weight loss. Who says I need to lose weight in the first place? It's just assumed that as a bride my number one priority is to be in the best shape for my wedding day, which isn't the case at all. Sure, it may be important to me to feel confident and happy with myself but it certainly is not first on my checklist.
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