Here’s the truth – that whole idea of “sympathy weight” – you know, when a guy gains a ton of weight during his wife’s pregnancy because of hormonal issues etc. – is 100% TRUE. Why do I know this? It happened to me. No, it didn’t happen with the first kid we had, but it hit like an unstoppable force with the latest addition to the Tall Family. I gained nearly 20 pounds. Yes, you read that right, 20 freakin’ pounds. Some of it’s my fault, some it’s Tall Mom’s fault, but the real fault lie in the fact that I love dessert way too much. But, I’ve got a plan. I’m ridding myself of this gut and here’s how I’m going to do it…
First, let’s back this train up a little bit and let me explain how I gained 20 pounds during my wife’s latest pregnancy. It’s important to do this because it can happen to you, and you need to know what the heck to avoid when you’re in my position.
If my recollection serves me correct, Tall Mom got pregnant in September of ’14. Within the first few weeks, she had unbelievable morning sickness. Sickness to the point of getting prescriptions that cancer patients normally take to help quell the nausea from their chemo treatments. Yeah. That serious.
Between taking her to the hospital on a weekly basis, to working full time, helping my wife through the sickness, caring for my super active son, and creating a media company on the side, my life was full. As such, exercise took a back seat. Nay, it went out the window. Way, way, way out the window and was being dragged behind the car like the poor dog Dinky in the movie Vacation. (The original and ingenious Vacation, not that remake crap with Ed Helms.)
Then the cravings started – oh my word the cravings. She wanted tacos, burritos, ice cream, pickles, skittles, coffee frappes, sometimes separate, and most of the time – ALL at once. God, it’s so easy to join along when your wife is eating that crap, especially when you’re not exercising.
But here’s the kicker, Tall Mom got REALLY sick with pneumonia toward the end of her pregnancy and she was freakin’ miserable. She could only eat certain things, she was sleeping, covered in some kind of bodily mucus 90% of the time, and my bedroom probably should have been condemned by CDC.
Keep in mind, while this was happening, I’m not sick, I still have to work, my house still has to be run, and my son still had to be taken care of – so as you could imagine, I was pretty tired. Naturally, I started ordering out every night because I had neither the time, nor the patience (nor the skill, really) to cook. Which is the WORST thing I could have ever done because who the heck knows how these people prepare their foods.
10 months later, I’m 20 pounds heavier. Awful. And, I can’t blame it all on my wife either. You see, I love dessert. But, the real issue is that it loves me right back. TWICE as hard. I can’t contain myself.
I need structure and a program to help keep off my weight. I actually lost 40 pounds with P90X2 after I had my son Rhys, and it had AMAZING results. But, recognizing that I gained most of the weight back after Felicity (and by god did I gain it back), I have to get back to my normal weight.
Here I am right after my P90X2 training:
So my plan is to get back on P90X3 (the latest version that gets the same results with half the time) and eat better. True, it’s a ton of work, but this photo was taken a couple weeks ago and I can’t look like this anymore:
Obviously, the other half of the argument is the kind of food I’m putting in my body. I can’t do cake anymore like how I usually do.
Since I have ZERO motivation to cook, and Tall Mom doesn’t really have time, I’ve already put in an order for meals to be delivered to my home from Pre Made Paleo. Good, quality food, at a decent price.
But the biggest advantage I have behind this Odyssey of losing my “sympathy weight” is the EAS Myoplex Ready To Drink shakes. I have a Walmart right down the street in my beautiful city of Providence, so it’s easy to get it there, and come home quick to do my workouts.
EAS Myoplex Ready To Drink shakes are great becaus they’re full of protein to help recover after my intense workouts, and they help rebuild my muscle to help get rid of all the bad fats I’ve created. They’re quick, they’re easy, and they don’t require any mixing like those protein powders you get from fitness stores. Just pop them in the fridge, take it out after the workout, and drink. Perfect for me, and the lack of time I have.
Seriously, here’s the best tip you will ever receive if you need to lose weight – in order to get down to the weight you want, you need to consume that number of grams in protein. (For example – to get from 240 to 200lbs, you need to take in 200 grams of protein per day.) EAS Myoplex drinks are a perfect way to reach that goal. Yes – it’s the power in protein.
So that’s what I’ll be doing for the next three months. Wish me luck.
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So, yes. My husband gained a bunch of sympathy weight with both of my pregnancies, but he didn't gain nearly as much as I did. I was on bed rest for 3 months, and as a former athlete, my body flipped out. I gained 100lbs in THREE MONTHS. My metabolism tanked, I had major muscle loss, it was just insanity. I'm only 40lbs from my goal weight and I've FINALLY lost 40lbs since Feb, so I feel confident that by my youngest son's 5th birthday in March, I'll be a stunna'. You look great both ways, by the way, but I do know how important it is to feel good about yourself and to be healthy so GO YOU! Totally cheering you on from Florida! #client