I Lost Weight And My Husband Couldn't Keep His Hands Off Me
"I can tell you’re smaller. You feel good."
Courtesy of the author Lately, I’ve been relishing the fact that pounds are dropping off of me in a healthy way.
In fact, as I read a boatload of 100 tips for losing weight, I played a nice little mental game with myself to see how many of the tips I already practice each day.
Of course, we hear a lot about effective ways to drop the pounds and I’m forever grateful for great exercise trainers who’ve helped me lose nearly 30 pounds in the past year.
I find it interesting, though, that not a ton of people talk about the psychological after-effects of weight loss and how differently they are treated once they drop the pounds. Granted, I didn’t have a lot of weight to lose.
Sure, doing away with 100 pounds or more brings more of a dramatic reaction from the general public at large but seeing as though my highest non-pregnancy weight has been only around 180 pounds on my 5-foot, 11-inch frame, I can strictly speak from my perspective.
How have men reacted to my weight loss?
In the past, when I worked in corporate America, I found it surprising how some of my male co-workers reacted when I returned to my job four years later and 20 pounds slimmer.
"You look nice," admired one fellow IT guy. "You’ve slimmed down."
Another gushed that I looked 20 years younger while a different guy called me a toothpick.
"You look good, but don’t lose any more weight," came the consensus from a few of my female coworkers.
Photo: Author
They’re just jealous, I thought, smiling on the inside and out. I knew I wouldn’t take it too far, and I know that losing weight can make us females pitch ourselves into more of a competitive state, but I like keeping it healthy and loving.
Overall, the non-African-American guys loved the change, and so did the black guys, but my African-American male cousins are the ones who've called me 'skinny enough already.'
How did my husband react when I dropped pounds?
My husband Chris is funny and great. When I recently told him that I’d hit 180 pounds last year — the impetus for my weight loss movement — he couldn’t believe it.
"I can’t imagine you at 180 pounds," he said, explaining that I carried the weight well.
Photo: Author
God bless his heart. He’s not one of those guys who’d pressure me if I put on five pounds — in fact, he barely noticed when I put on more than that while sleeping next to me every night!
Lately, however, I can tell he likes the weight I’ve lost as well. The other night, he encircled my hips tightly with his arms in bed and said, "I can tell you’re smaller. You feel good."
Photo: Author
Let’s just say he’s a lot more randy lately and I partially attribute this to the pounds dropped, but also because God answers prayers and I’ve felt a lot better about myself lately. I no longer drive around town like I did last summer, thinking, "I look so bad, please don’t let me run into anyone I know."
His improved libido reminds me of what a woman who’d lost a lot of weight said about her husband when he all of a sudden began wanting her more sexually: "I didn’t even know you were like this."
It’s not that they didn’t necessarily desire us when we were heavier. I believe it’s a combination of looking better, and feeling good about our new bodies, and that confidence is a lot more attractive.
So you can’t put your finger on one thing specifically, but the whole package can improve. Either way, I’m very grateful for the improvements.
Paula Mooney is a writer who focuses on love and health and fitness. Her essays and articles have been featured in national print magazines such as Writer's Digest, and in major online publications like Yahoo, Examiner, and more.