Stand by me

I think I mentioned before that when my hubby and I got together, I weighed about 185.  I didn't stay that weight very long...maybe six months.  And I'm being REALLY generous by saying six months!  I first met my hubby in high school.  I was friends with his older brother (my brother-in-law) and met my husband when I was 16 and he was 15.  We did not have any romantic feelings towards each other in high school...or even in our twenties (he lived in Regina, Saskatchewan for four years).  It wasn't until I was 29 and he was 28 that we ran into each other and "hooked" up.  I was at the lowest weight I had been at since middle school.

I was just looking through old pictures of us and I've chosen a couple to share with you.  We did not look good!  There was something crazy going on with my eyebrows (over plucking I'm sure), and don't even get me started on what I was wearing.  Anywho, the first picture was taken on our birthday in 2000.  Yes we share the same birthday, one year apart.  The second was taken in the summer of 2000, I was on my upward spiral of weight gain once more and likely weighed over 200 pounds.  Please do not judge my outfit.  I do not know why I left the house looking like that.  What is really ironic about the second picture is that we're standing in front of the Running Room while I hold a can of Coke.  Back then I wouldn't have been caught dead in the Running Room, and today, I wouldn't be caught dead holding a can of Coke.

He just turned 29, me 30.  We were smokers and liked to party
(if you get my drift).  Oh, to be younger and stupid! 

Lets be honest...this was probably taken by the end of the summer and
I likely weighed more like 220.

So where am I going with this post?  Well, today I was talking to a colleague about my weight-loss and how it has affected my relationship with my husband.  There was a statistic I saw somewhere about 50% of marriages ending in divorce when one partner loses a substantial amount of weight. She wondered if my hubby felt threatened by my weight-loss.  I would have to say absolutely not! One of the reasons why my lifestyle change has been so successful is because of the on-going support I get from my hubby.

Not once has he attempted to sabotage me and he has been my biggest cheer leader.  He even changed his own lifestyle to be similar to mine.  He began running, and always eats the same food that I make for myself.  Granted he snacks at night on things that are off limits to me, but he never complains about the lack of  processed carbs in the house or in our meals.  He brags to people about how proud he is of me, and (along with our son) has been my motivation and inspiration to get healthy.

He has always made me feel beautiful regardless of what size I was, and that couldn't have been easy, because I have never felt beautiful in my own skin.  It's still strange to me when I see my reflection in a mirror, or in a store window.  I don't always recognize myself.  I am getting much better at giving myself credit where it is due, and I'm loving my new body, flabby skin and all.  It's part of my journey and will always be a reminder to me of how far I've come.

My husband and I got together when I weighed 185, and we married when I weighed 281.  He always stood by me, even when I was over 300 pounds!  At this time in our life, I feel like we are rediscovering each other.  We are both making significant changes in our lives towards better health.  He is definitely someone I can count on and he's my best friend too.  Rather than planning my marriage's demise, I'm falling in love with him all over again. What gal wouldn't?  He's a hottie:)

The love of my life!

Taken a couple of weeks ago at the CNE.