Sympathy?

For as long as I can remember, I have always been fat.

I don’t say that for sympathy, I don’t expect people to go “You’re not fat”, just so it makes me feel better. I say I’m fat because well.....I’m fat. (I always felt compelled to stick my hand in the air, everytime I hear the chant "Who ate all the pies"!)

The problem is I am getting fatter! At some points I wouldn’t believe it possible but it’s happening and it scares me a little.

I have always been very receptive to sympathy. If somebody tells me they are suffering from a headache, I have been known to get a headache myself. Somebody is having an achy knee, my knee starts to hurt. Don’t really know the reason, I just know that it happens, more so when I was younger.  The problem with this as you know, my wife is pregnant.

She has naturally (as all expectant mother do), gained weight. Unfortunately, I seem to be keeping up with her.

While Christine has the age old excuse that she is eating for 2, I on the other hand am just greedy. Christine hasn’t really suffered any cravings, other than the stronger desire to eat more chocolate, which much like giving birth,seems to naturally occur in pregnancy. While she is enjoying her food, clear in the knowledge, that some of the weight she has gained is baby and that will eventually go once the baby is born and the rest can disappear slowly, I am left thinking that my baby belly won’t be going away.

I have never been too concerned by my weight, and until recently have been very self conscious about the way I looked. I never took my top off on holiday EVER, no matter how hot it was. I always worried what people would think about my grotesque body, but now I am older my attitude has changed. If people feel the need to look at my flabby mess, then let them...it’s there psychology bills!

I also have the concern of health. My dad had a bad heart and although the drinking and smoking had a lot to do with that, his weight didn’t help and as you can imagine I dont want to have a unhealthy child!

I have tried the most common diets and although I find it easy to stick with them at first, I soon faulter.

I dont have a gym membership and as you can imagine, I want to avoid the expense. I tried walking/jogging and find it incredibly boring. I would try swimming but then the self concious me screams NO!!

So, my question is...

To the mummy’s out there, how did you lose the baby weight?

To the daddy’s out there, did you suffer from sympathy weight? How did you lose it?

Now, where did I leave those pies?