I’ve always been more than a little bit concerned with my weight. During my senior year in high school, I started to pack on the pounds like crazy.
Halfway through the school year I had moved up two sizes in pants and I attended the senior prom looking like a plump little snowball in my white dress.
One problem I faced after high school was the temptation of fast food.
With so little time to get everything done, I told myself it was OK to grab lunch just this time. Then it turned into every day and then more than once a day.
I probably have the worst eating habits. I can eat McDonald’s for breakfast, Carl’s Jr. for Lunch and Jack In The Box for dinner and not have a problem with that.
And when I start to feel sluggish from all the junk and fast food I feed my body, a Starbucks Frappuccino or Full Throttle perks me right back up.
In addition, since I got my license I never see the need to walk anywhere. With no time to eat at home, there’s even less time for me to exercise.
But of all the yummy treats and tempting fast food available, the last thing I thought would add some extra pounds is a spouse.
A USA Today article, “Gain a spouse and you’ll likely gain some pounds, too, in the first 5 years of marriage” made the front page of Tuesday’s edition.
The article compared weight gain in those who were single to those who are married. About 8,000 people in total, ages 12 to 28, and 1,200 couples were researched.
The single women gained 15 pounds while married women gained 24 pounds. Weight gain in men was similar. Single men gained 24 pounds, while married men gained 30 pounds.
This is a lot of weight gain for people ages 12 to 28. Although I’m probably not going to run off and get married any time soon, it made me consider my own weight gain.
Recently I had a stomachache and went to the doctor. She asked me everything about my lifestyle and eating habits.
Finally she suggested that I stop eating fast food and start a vegetarian-like diet. This means lots of salads, vegetables, whole wheat bread, fruit and lots of water.
The fast food wasn’t only affecting my weight, but my health as well.
Still, I’m a sucker for fried foods.
Over the weekend I bought my boyfriend, Ubaldo, a deep fryer for his 21st birthday. I was probably more excited than he was to plug it in and start cooking.
We fried everything from shrimp, green beans, mushrooms, and even a chimichanga.
After a weekend of fried foods, this article caught my eye.
I’ve noticed that since we eat many of our meals together, Ubaldo and I have grown a little plump together as well. And while we’re not exactly living together just yet, it’s time we took action to reverse these kinds of studies.
I don’t want us to become another overweight couple. Right now we’re far from being considered obese, but the potential is there.
I’ve put on more than my share of the Freshman 15 since 2004, but I think it’s time to lose those pounds.
My first step is for us is to eat healthier and get some more exercise in our lives.
Alexandra Lozano, a senior journalism major, is editorial director of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at alozano@ulv.edu.
