Wedding Dress Sadness

One of my motivators to maintain weight is putting on my wedding dress. I do this every year on my anniversary.

... Sadly, I have lost my 1st anniversary photo, so I'll replace it with a photo from the big day itself:

(my husband's favorite photo)

And here's our 2nd year anniversary:

You'll note the belly area is bulging a bit. Part of this problem is I've lost the super-fat-sucking corset I wore with this on my wedding day. Let's admit the truth, too: I've gained some belly weight. Don't mind the selfie; hubby was deployed when this was taken.

This year:

Yep. No denying it like I did last year: I have belly fat. Not just the lower belly pooch problem I originally thought. I have upper and lower fat squishyness within me. Ugh.

I'm educated enough with fitness to know thousands of sit-ups will not cure this. But what is the best way to do that?

Oh Great Magic Internet Search Engine, answer my belly fat problem, please!

I hate this phrase, and I've seen it a lot in today's research: "As you get older, your body changes how it gains and loses weight. "

So what you're saying is my struggle is because I'm over 30 now. I always knew this was the end. *sigh*

Regardless of that statement, the article from Time Magazine sums up well what most of the other websites are saying: belly fat in general needs a combination of cardio and weight training to be removed, and you need to work it hard. Damn it. I knew hard work would come with this. It always does.

It seems HIIT (high intensity interval training) is the most popular of this type. I've researched this training method before, but it appears now I will have to actually attempt what I find. Joy.

Wait. Negative attitude check. What do I want more? Being healthy, feeling good about myself, or being lazy? I want self-esteem! Am I sure? YES! I WANT SELF-ESTEEM! Then Work For it! OK! (What? You don't talk to yourself?)

Be Realistic!

Yes, HIIT training my be my best solution for my new-found problem, but will I actually do it? 

For Example, this one I found on pinterest:

Those chair step-ups? Yeah, not doing that. Side plank? Maybe for a few seconds, but my arms tend to shake, then I collapse and give up. 

There are a ton of these on the internet though. The secret is finding the combination I will actually do. Like this great HIIT workout.

Stop slacking!

Saying I'm going to work out more and actually working out are two very different things, now that my husband is home. This needs to stop. We've both committed to eating healthier. There's no reason this cannot go 1 step further. 

I can do this!