Fun and Fitness: Relationships bad for the waistline

A couple of days ago, I was thinking about what actually got me into training with weights. I had graduated from the Fitness and Health Program by 2003 but hadn't lifted a weight during the two year program. My only concern was sports and sports only. Then it dawned on me. One of the main reasons I got into a fitness routine after grad was because I had gotten into a serious relationship!

For the majority of my college life, I had been in a committed relationship. I wouldn't recommend it to any college students for obvious reasons, but I digress. Many people in long-term relationships fall into the trap of the “comfort zone”. Yes that's right, it's the point in a relationship where you don't give a shit what you look like anymore because you're not single. It's the part of a relationship where guys eat the girl's left overs every time they go out for dinner. Midnight snacking while watching movies together normally becomes standard as well. I lucked out because my girl had a Superman metabolism which never allowed her to get over 115lbs. I, on the other hand, blossomed nicely into a chubby little champion.

It all became quite clear when one day I said to her “eh babe, I gained a little bit of weight eh?” She replied by saying “uh, YAH”. You've got to love the honesty but if the roles were reversed and I answered her the same way, I'm sure I would have been sleeping on the floor for a while.

In either case, it was fun being fat for the first time in my life. I got to eat whatever I wanted to, I wore baggy gangster clothes, I rarely moved a muscle and my girl was happy not having to deal with other girls looking at me. It was perfect.

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end and the “perfect relationship” was no exception. My girlfriend was moving to Ottawa and we mutually agreed that the long distance scenario wasn't for us. So there I was - fat, lonely and disappointed after a lost investment in a solid relationship. The last day we hung out, I said to her “I am going to transform myself so much that you are going to want me so bad the next time you see me”. I landed a placement soon after at a local gym which provided me with the perfect opportunity to do so.

I devised a well-rounded nutrition plan and fitness regime that incorporated resistance training as well as cardio. Within weeks of pure dedication, I was shedding weight like it was my job. I ditched my phoenix nightclub XL clothing and rejuvenated my sexy apparel. As time went on, I started noticing musculature gains! I was single, I was getting ridiculously confident and I had a newly found appreciation for training. I might as well have been 6'4, 240lbs because I sure felt like I was and should have got knocked out a few times. Months later, some friends and I happened to spend a long weekend in Ottawa!

I decided it was a good time to reunite with my “ex” girlfriend. My friends and I met up with her for a night on the town and to this day, I'll never forget the look on her face when she saw the updated me. After giving her the “I told you so” speech, lets just say the rest of the night was like taking candy from a baby.

You might be asking yourself why I'm chirping on about these silly things. The point is none of us can blame our other halves for letting ourselves go. As much as I like to jokingly blame my ex for making me fat, it wasn't in the least bit her fault whatsoever. Nobody makes us develop the attitude to not care. We develop it ourselves. Just like that Radiohead song says “you do it to yourself, you do.” I didn't get into the gym because of my ex girlfriend, but I sure as hell can give her some credit for giving me that extra edge. Oh and in case the boys reading this think I let her get the last laugh with her chubby comment about me, no need to worry. One day while romantically eating ice cream together, I told her she was the first fat girlfriend I had ever had!