Military Spouses

lilmom1

It can be very difficult to be a military spouse, and as we know weight gain can be a side effect.... I have been a mil spouses for 4 years and wow I had no idea. I am happy my husband is serving his country, and grateful! Go USA! Anyone else in this boat??? Happy to support anyone else on this journey, and happy for any help. Have a Blessed day!

NYJetsFan

Well, I don't have a spouse in the military but I'd like to thank your husband AND you. Without support from you, he couldn't go there and protect us the best he can so you should both be thanked!!

lilmom1

Thanks that is very kind.

tammietifanie

Mines Deployed right now!

synthiataylor

Don't have a spouse in the military yet....he has his meeting to review his paperwork on Friday...yikes...
Anyway, thank you for being brave enought to put yourself out there and THANK YOU for what you do and for what your husband does every day! God Bless you both!

Ely82010

It can be very difficult to be a military spouse, and as we know weight gain can be a side effect.... I have been a mil spouses for 4 years and wow I had no idea. I am happy my husband is serving his country, and grateful! Go USA! Anyone else in this boat??? Happy to support anyone else on this journey, and happy for any help. Have a Blessed day!

I also thank your husband for his service and I thank you for your sacrifice. There are a lot of good people in this website that will support you on your efforts to achieve your healthy goals. Keep posting your ideas or questions and complete your food dairy. You will see results very soon.

God bless you and your husband!

lilmom1

So sorry to hear that :brokenheart: mines been back for just a few months.... happy to know i'm not alone.

RaggedyPond

Mines leaving for Korea.

lilmom1

Thanks

lilmom1

I had no idea there were so many of you on here. Thanks for taking the time to say hello. Thanks you all for your support and for all you do to support the mission!

millerll

As I've mentioned before, I'm retired military, so my perspective is from the other side of the coin, so to speak. As an aircrew member, I can testify that we couldn't have completed our missions without the support of spouses back home supporting us and keeping "the rest of everything" running smoothly. The military spouse has to be mom, dad, teacher, medic, cook, chauffeur, coach, handyman (or handywoman), plumber, electrician, gardener, banker, and crisis support counselor.

How you all do it is beyond me. Keep up the good work!

RaggedyPond

And don't forget snowblower!

lilchino4af

I'm mil to mil and with us being in different units I've operated in both the military and spouse capacity. I'm currently deployed and will soon be over seas where it will be tougher to watch what I eat because I won't have control over how the food is cooked since it's provided by the military. I'll doing the best I can knowing for the most part to "eat this, not that" lol, and will work out as much as I can to be safe. But kudos to you for being a mil spouse w/o being military yourself; that is a tough job being on the "outside". Good luck to you and your husband; you'll be in my prayers for safe tours!

RaggedyPond

The best is working as a civ for the military and being married to a military member!

mrsyac2

My husband is in the Army he is currently on his 4th deployment we have done 3 in Iraq 12-15 months and we are on the last stretch of this 12 month deployment to Afghanistan. He is gone more than he is home but we are a strong couple and we get through it. Me and the kids handle it very well they don't get sad they know daddy has to leave to keep them safe and they are cool with that.

Good luck on your weight loss journey the hardest part is keeping it off when they get back home.

lilmom1

My husband is in the Army he is currently on his 4th deployment we have done 3 in Iraq 12-15 months and we are on the last stretch of this 12 month deployment to Afghanistan. He is gone more than he is home but we are a strong couple and we get through it. Me and the kids handle it very well they don't get sad they know daddy has to leave to keep them safe and they are cool with that.

Good luck on your weight loss journey the hardest part is keeping it off when they get back home.

Wow thats ahard one mine is AF, so not that bad! My son also understands, mil kids are strong very strong! When my husband came home I put on ten pounds in the first week..lol..hes a foodie.....

mrsyac2

My husband is in the Army he is currently on his 4th deployment we have done 3 in Iraq 12-15 months and we are on the last stretch of this 12 month deployment to Afghanistan. He is gone more than he is home but we are a strong couple and we get through it. Me and the kids handle it very well they don't get sad they know daddy has to leave to keep them safe and they are cool with that.

Good luck on your weight loss journey the hardest part is keeping it off when they get back home.

Wow thats ahard one mine is AF, so not that bad! My son also understands, mil kids are strong very strong! When my husband came home I put on ten pounds in the first week..lol..hes a foodie.....

Funny you say that my husband was just home for R&R and I gained 9lbs but I knew I was going to gain weight I also decided to just do whatever during that time. I knew that when he left I had to tightenin it back up. I won't let myself gain weight when he comes home for good though I am more conscious about it and I continue working out too. He is very supportive of me working out in the gym even gets the kids so I can go straight from work to the gym. He likes having a hot wife and being envied by his friends haha. Yeah Army life is tough for some- Many army wives I know complain about it- it's not a job it's a lifestyle you need to know what to expect.

inmyshoes

My husband is deployed right now. We are almost at the 8 month mark of this 12 month deployment. 30 months total deployed and 25 months in Korea. AHHHH! I just want it over with already.

kyleefreeman

I am also a military spouse...Navy! My husband is out to sea right now, only difference is, I have NO idea where he is, but as rumor has it, I am happy to report he should be home next weekend!! I completely understand what all the deployed spouses are going through, we just finished ours in March, so this one he is on now is just a short one...but still, definitely not fun, for me it was more motivational to lose the weight to see the look on my husband's face upon his homecoming!

rose1617

Marine Corps spouse here!
I think deployments are the absolute best time to lose weight.
I've lost 12 lbs. since hubby left (Afghanistan). The stress is the big factor for us I think. :explode: Stress can definitely hurt weight loss attempts and can help you gain weight as well. The best advice I have for that is to make sure you are working out at least 5 times/week. Working out is my stress release and it's helped me to lose weight and keep it off. I also have a great community of friends at my gym that keeps stress down while I'm there.
I agree that the hardest part will be keeping it off when he gets back, but I've already told him no more fast food lol.
He's really wanting to get in great shape, too, so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult. As long as I keep up my working out I think it'll be ok. I had started my lifestyle change before he left, so there's no reason not to continue it when he comes back, right? :happy:

inmyshoes

Deployments are the best and easiest time to lose weight, I think too. However, as I learned when he came home on R&R, that weight can go back on pretty darn fast. I think we ate out at least 6x a week when he was home to "celebrate." Ugh. It took about 6 weeks to get off the weight that I gained during his 2 week R&R. Not cool. I learned my lesson.

MLgarcia3

I am a four year Army wife and had packed on an extra 10 lbs since being married.. not including the two pregnancies! He has been deployed twice and I would lose weight while he was gone and gain A LOT when he came home on R&R! I went from a 5 to a 7 in 2 weeks in 2008 when we were in Vegas! Then he came home in 2009 and I got pregnancy with our second baby.. thanks to this site, I've lost all my baby weight plus a couple more!

missboriken

Navy here too!

lilmom1

My husband is deployed right now. We are almost at the 8 month mark of this 12 month deployment. 30 months total deployed and 25 months in Korea. AHHHH! I just want it over with already.

Been there mines AF so not as bad length of deployments... but it all hurts the same when we miss our loved ones! Thanks for the post.

lilmom1

I am so happy to hear from each one of you its nice to not feel alone in this.

John8188

Mines leaving for Korea.

Where in Korea? I just got back from there in January. I lived there for 8 years. I miss it. Its a wonderful place.

ShellyLee

AF wife here. Only been through one deployment, but we weren't married during that time. I lost a few pounds while he was gone, but have packed that and more back on since then. Of course hubby is the can eat anything and everything and not gain weight type people (grrr!). I've got it lucky compared to others, he doesn't deploy anywhere near as long as the other services.

leanmass24

I am a veteran and was a dual military family then military spouse when I got out.( now divorced) Y'all have access to some of the best gyms. Just have to keep the depression in check. Which the exercise will help with. Just try your best to stay motivated and be positive. I am trying to lose all the weight back that I gained so that I can go back and serve. I miss it. The grass is always greener on the othe side of the fence. I want to thank all the sevice members for serving and I hope to be back out there with y'all soon. For all the military spouses, I know it can be hard, just remember that they need you to be home and support them while they are away. It gives them reason to keep doing what they are doing. Join the on base support groups and start your own exercise club for more motivation and support.

rose1617

I don't know about the rest of y'all, but no depression here!
I love being a milspouse. Sure it has it's challenges, but what doesn't? Just makes me stronger!

StiringWendel

My husband of 20+ years is in the Air Force. I love being a military spouse, but it does come with some challenges. For me, the biggest hurdles are the constantly changing conditions in life. The constant coming and going of my husband does throw some challenges into my plans, especially when it comes to working out. I find that there are many days when I think it is better to spend time with my husband when he is home than work out. I will stand by that choice every day, but it doesn't always help my fitness levels.

The biggest challenge I've got going on is surviving the moves. My husband and I are currently living in Korea (at Osan Air Base) but are moving to Washington DC in a few weeks. This will be our eighth move in ten years....all but one of those moves being an international move. As an at-home exerciser, going without my household goods for two months a year (this year it will be four months since we haven't been in Korea for a year yet!) is tough. And, of course, there is the whole eating thing when we don't have a home. Not good.

But I have figured out a few ways of managing the situation. As stated above, the gyms on base are a great resource. I've just had to understand that just because my workout gear is on a boat somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean right now doesn't mean I don't have the ability to workout. We are also without a car (and have been for a month as it, too, travels across the ocean). I decided instead of eating out every night because its easier than buying and carrying groceries without a car and cooking food without household goods that I would make many healthy dishes BEFORE everything left. So now I shop only for fruits and veg and pull my healthy main dishes out of the freezer for dinner.

Managing the stress of military life is another issue, and I eat my fair share of chocolate when I'm experiencing alot of stress as a result of the military life. But I find I can manage my weight even then as long as I continue to workout and continue to eat relatively healthy meals. It's all about making the best choices that work both in coping AND in taking care of yourself.

I love the military life. Thank you to all who serve both in the military and at the side of those who are in the military.

Home6

Army wife here! I was also in the Army myself for 4 years, so I can kind of understand his frustrations at work (not so much now that he is higher up in rank, though I am good at the acronyms ) I know that our gym here at Fort Benning has a program for people with deployed spouses, if your spouse is down range, your child watch at the gym is free. Which is an AWESOME thing, especially since working out can ease your stress levels! It's win-win!

My biggest stressor right now, since The Man isn't deployed, is his funky hours. I go to bed fairly early (we're talking 9 p.m. at the latest) so I like to eat supper fairly early as well. I NEVER have an idea of when he is going to be home. He could get home at 5. Or he could not call til 6:30 and say he is going to be late. Or he could come home at 3, which is when he is supposed to get off of work on Thursdays, because that's family day. Ironically, that's usually the day when he comes home the latest!:mad: I just wind up saying "screw it", have supper ready to eat at 5:30 or so, feed myself and the kids, and he can eat whenever he comes home.