Is it unreasonable for your husband to want a sexy wife? What if you just had a baby and it seems like an impossible task to lose that baby belly? The stress of being a new mom can be overwhelming without thinking about losing weight and counting calories. You may be thinking, “He should love me just as I am!”

On one of my Losing Weight After Baby podcasts, I talked about the husband’s need for an attractive wife. Men are visually stimulated and it’s very important to them to feel physically attracted to their spouses. Dr. Willard Harley says it best in his excellent book, His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-proof Marriage:

“By calling for a wife to be attractive I mean she should take pains to look something like the woman her husband married.  After all, that was the woman he fell in love with, not a movie star or some other fantasy.  Does this mean a woman must stay eternally young?  Of course not, but getting older provides no excuse for letting weight creep up and up, not fixing your hair, and dressing like a bag lady.”

Did you hear that ladies?  Getting older and having a baby is no excuse for:

1. Letting weight creep up and up
2. Not fixing your hair
3. Dressing like a bag lady

How's that for hitting home?  The good news is that you are not a helpless victim.  A box of twinkies will not attack you when you wake up.  You can take charge of your health and look your best for your husband (and yourself too!).

You don't have to spend one hour primping in front of the mirror.  Hello, moms don't have that kind of time!  Just take 5-10 minutes to put on makeup, comb your hair and wear something that flatters your figure (I know that's a post-pregnancy challenge!).

So how are you doing mom?  Do you look like the bride your husband married?  Of course, if you just had a baby, you've gained some extra pounds and rightfully so!  But are you working hard towards getting that pre-baby body back?  To look like the woman in your wedding pictures?

Today's Action Step:  Take out your wedding album.  Look at the photos of you and your husband.  Do you look like that woman he married?  Are there changes you need to make to look attractive for your spouse?  Arlene Pellicane