JUST a few days ago, I gave my husband’s pot belly a loving slap and asked, “Asa na man ang macho nga lawas nga I fell in love with?”
And he quickly replied, “Naa ra diha, natabonan.” And then he proceeded to do a macho boy’s flexing of muscles, trying to get his abs to surface beneath all the fat.
I cheered on, “Utong gyud, utong!”
And we both ended laughing.
It is quite hard to believe that once upon a time we were only a little over 50 kilos. Those were the days when we had to keep up with the academic requirements in college, went to the required P.E. classes, had to go up five floors to get to classrooms and didn’t have enough money to binge on fries, burgers and soft drinks.
I am honest enough to admit that my husband’s weight had been leaning toward obesity back then, his declaration of everlasting love would have fell on deaf ears. Although, he wasn’t the ultimate macho guy, at least he wasn’t fat. And not fat was better than fat.
Fast forward to our present bodies. Suffice it to say that I could barely find something sexy to wear in my size these days. I often joke to my husband that he could no longer see his balls when he looks down, and he insists that is a wrong assumption. But definitely, the abs are gone. My husband has a dad bod, plus a few extra fats.
For dearies that are not updated on this latest trend, according to Mackenzie Pearson, the lady who first wrote about it, “The dad bod is a nice balance between a beer gut and working out.”
Dearies, the dad bod is a hot topic online these days. An article in Time.com has the title, “Dad Bod is a Sexist Atrocity” while Peter Holley, a general assignment reporter at The Washington Post, wrote in Stuff.Co.Nz that he has a dad bod and proceeded to enumerate the reasons why women love it.
From my married perspective, I think loving your husband’s dad bod will help save your marriage. For those married long enough, we know that marriage triggers metamorphosis in each partner. Sometimes we could even barely recognize ourselves in our prenup photos. The years will pass and you begin to find yourself giving up some gym time to watch over the kids.
Metabolism will slow down but you can’t help but ask for a second helping of delicious dish your spouse lovingly prepared. You find yourself eating junk food with the kiddos during Saturday night’s home movie time.
Some condemn this because they see it as letting go of one’s self. Yes, in a way that is true, dearies. In marriage, you have to let go of a part of yourself to give room for your spouse and your kids. You cut down on pumping iron so you can do daddy duties. You take a break from your paleo diet because the little one wants to share a burger with you. Yes, a married guy’s dad bod is the price of slacking in personal fitness routine.
But personally, I would rather have a husband with a dad bod who prefers to have fun with me at home over somebody who spends more time at the gym than with me and our daughter. He knows that. And while I might joke about my husband’s dad bod, I will never tell him to go and bring back his abs. Nor will I be discontented and start dreaming of muscled men.
Plus, if my husband has morphed into a daddy with a belly, then I will lovingly accept the change. The abs may be gone, but the man that I love and married is still there, under all the layers of fat. I think that matters more.
Cheers to married life, extra fats and all!
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