Stress + Work = Fat

This is a (bad) picture of me from last winter. Of course my son is also present, as well as a guinea pig named Edith dressed in a reindeer costume, but, that is another story. The point is, this is me in my 'COMFY' winter clothes. Grey sweats or yoga pants, and a big baggy tshirt or sweatshirt. This is my standard uniform once the weather gets cold enough to turn on the heater. This might also entail heavy wool socks or fluffy pink slippers, as well as a blanket. Note the couch. This is where I spend 100% of nonwork, nonsleep time when it gets cold.

I start out with the best of intentions. I walk all summer. I do a good job eating well, and I get plenty of sleep. I work out in the yard, I play with my son, this summer I had a vegetable garden. However, once I go back to work, this all goes down the you-know-what. I say, "When I get home from work, I will make supper, and then I will exercise." What really happens is that I come home from work, exhausted, and I find it difficult to get my butt off the couch except to do essential tasks. Remember, I teach, so I don't work in the summer. (Pause for groans of nonsympathy from readers) So, it is difficult for me to make the transition back to getting up so early in the morning and being out and about all day. (Pause for more groans)

It gets worse when the cold weather comes. I don my heavy layer of winter clothing and curl up on the couch. This is exacerbated by the fact that my fiance padlocks the thermostat and threatens anyone with bodily harm that turns it above 68 degrees. So, I curl up on the couch to hibernate until spring comes. The holidays come and go, I eat the standard junk, and my lack of activity usually results in me gaining back every bit of the weight I worked off in the summertime.

So, this year I pledge that it will be different. (Pause for laughter from readers) For instance, in an effort to work exercise into my daily routine, I have decided to set my alarm an hour early to get up and walk before I go to work. This is how I imagine it will go.
5AM Alarm goes off. I hit snooze.
510 AM Alarm goes off again...snooze.
520 AM Alarm goes off again...snooze again.
Etc...etc...etc...until....
6AM I get up at the time I usually would have set my alarm for anyway, except the last hour of sleep was totally worthless because I woke up every ten minutes for an hour.
At 5AM I find it impossible to do anything that I swore I would do at 10PM the previous night.

This year I found out that my gallbladder is basically useless. It only functions correctly 27% of the time. Being overweight increases my stomach problems. So I really, really, really, need to keep my weight down until I can afford to get my gallbladder taken out. Plus, I turn 30 this year. They say you lose 10% of your metabolism with every decade you age. I have to work that much harder to get the same results. So, again I swear I will try to exercise and eat right into the school year. Hopefully this time I will be successful. If anyone reads this and has any tips on how to be a mom and work full time and keep off weight...i would love to hear them.