The Love Layer

Disclaimer before reading: By no means am I saying I am fat in this post, I am simply saying I have an extra layer this year than the years prior.

OK here we go:

Freshman 15 was not a problem for me. I was on the cheerleading squad at Elon and I think loosing too much weight was more of the problem. While others were putting on some extra lbs I was wearing a uniform that showed my entire stomach... I also lived with a roommate who introduced me to diet coke and healthy snacks. Life was good.


Then I studied abroad. A year after transferring and ending my cheerleading career I went to Australia with my best friend Stacey to study abroad for a summer. This was the first time I discovered that I loved fried fish and chips (aussie style), McDonald's (right across our dorm in Sydney) and lets be honest...beer (I was legal there and didn't drink at school). On some nights I remember eating an entire pizza by myself, and ordering one meal but still wanting another (Stace and I may or may not have order two meals a few nights). Not only did I discover good food and drinks, but also "love handles." Haha, I know you are laughing, but I really did have them!

It was so monumental I had to take a picture.

The first night we were in Australia I bought a pair of cheap 7 jeans at a market that fit perfectly (pictured above). They were the cutest jeans EVER and I was so excited to rock them in America. Too bad by the end of the trip I could not button them and shortly after had to give them away because they just never felt the same. Instead of the Freshman 15, I had the 2 Month Aussie 20. Yeah thats right, 20 pounds in 2 months.

Fast forward through the years and I lost it and was back to my normal self. Running, working out and the peak of it all...getting married and embracing the LGN Diet (look good naked) followed shortly by a half marathon! Go me.


And then, ladies and gents, what others warned me about but I thought I was immune to: THE LOVE LAYER. I shall define it for you. The Love Layer is the result of two people getting married and falling more and more in love to the point where they ignore working out and eating healthy because they just can't seem to get their hands off each other long enough to hit the gym. Haha, OK so that is exaggerating. But really, a lot of people tend to say they gain some weight after getting married...

I knew I was gaining some weight, but with my work schedule being so crazy I was having to eat at the dining halls and had zero time or energy to run. If I did work out, Luke and I were riding our bikes to the local ice cream joint, which meant me walking my bike back because it is all up hill and I had a Kline's coma! But I was shocked when I realized ho much weight I had gained....

my birthday was a few weeks ago and my lovely new family (Evan, Matt and Lila) sent me an awesome birthday package. Evan knows my style, and had 2 vintagey (is that a word) surprises for me: an awesome barrette along with a cute tube top shirt. I was excited to wear these items and thought about wearing the shirt for my first day of school (big deal). But, as always you have to give your first day outfit a trial run and I decided to do that before heading to dinner with the girls I supervise at work...

it is a size small, no big deal, I have some XS shirts laying around (gathering dust at this moment). I try to get it on with a bra, and yeah that was not happening. So, I try again without one thinking it would just slip right on. After a few minutes of tugging it over my body (zipper on the side) I finally get the shirt on but not zipped. That is where having a husband around is great. "Luke, come help me zip my shirt," I scream down to him (here's to having 2 floors now), and he hops up and comes to the rescue. He tried to zip that thing for a good 10 minutes. It just was not going.

So, I decide, its OK I will just try it later, thinking to myself I should have ran today instead of watching Dance Moms. Well, we go to try to take it off and it just won't budge. Literally, the shirt won't move an inch on my body. I am stuck and I have somewhere to be in 15 minutes. Luke and I pulled and I sucked in and we gave it a valiant effort, but the shirt was just too small. And this time I could not blame it on my ribs...The clock was ticking and I had to get out of the house. And then we had to do what no girl ever wants to see happen...Luke had to cut my shirt off of me, it was just too small. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry, so I laughed and kicked "The Trail of Tears" in the face. I cracked up actually...Luke and I both laughed so freaking hard.


But as I looked at my new shirt that was cut on my bed...I then realized the loss that was before me. A new shirt gone bad, a birthday present ruined. Hopefully I can get it fixed at the tailor's...but we shall see.

Fast forward to the next day when I decide it is time to start burning the calories again, with my new (ruined) shirt as my inspiration. I made Luke go with me to the park to run and to call the work out rough would be an understatement. I literally could not do it. It was like I was on the biggest loser and hadn't worked out in 20 years.

I am taking it slow, but finally figuring out when I can add going to the gym to my new schedule and life in grad school. It is going to be hard, but I have my shirt as my inspiration. But honestly, even more so than fitting in the shirt, I just feel better when I am working out. It is a great way for me to relieve stress, gain energy, and just have fun challenging myself.

So although I am thankful for the ways that being married has blessed me, I am ready to say farewell to laziness and excuses. Love layer or not, working out and staying healthy is a good thing! So cheers to that!