Husband Needing to Loose Weight

I have found that watching the carbs does work. It is hard when you have a sweet tooth though until you get use to not having a lot of carbs including potatoes. I did great on it until holidays and then I blew it and haven't gone back on it. I can tell you that eating 5 meals that are 300 calories for me (probably more needed for a man) kept me from being hungry and I didn't do the late night snacking. My doctor keeps at me to get back to doing it. I wrote everything I ate down and that helped me stay informed on my calorie intake.

Dear B.,

Do look out the "GI method" on internet. you can find all information for free. No need to be hungry with this method. Good luck!

K.

I hate to be the bairer of bad news but you really can't help him loose weight. He has to want to do it for himself. Loosing weight requires PERMANENT lifestyle changes. Any temporary diet that you do for a few weeks or months will only cause temporary weight lose. Yoyo dieting (repeated wt loss with wt gain) will increase his health problems. If he doesn't see his weight as a problem nothing you or he does is going to work.

Hi B.! Go to www.jillsleanforlife.com . My friend Jill teaches a course on a low glycemic lifestyle. Your hubby would not only lose weight but get his health back!
There are books and cookbooks to help with making low glycemic choices. It REALLY works and is easy to do. Check out the website and the books in her web store. One thing to note is that he would not be hungry.....you need to eat snacks every 90-120 minutes. If you have any questions, you can private message me or go to the website above and ask questions there.

Hey B.-
My husband and I went on a diet last year that was pretty successful. It's called ProTrack and we got it at www.dakotafit.com. It's a program where you log your food intake and exercise and it counts your calories for you and estimates how many you should consume to lose one or two pounds a week. It really helped me to count calories since it's easy for us to round. I wish him luck with this and if he is serious I would highly recommend this program. I think we paid $35 for the download. Good luck! This will forever be a battle for us!

check out sparkpeople.com, it's like weightwatchers (to me) but completely free. it helps determine how many calories you need and making sure they're coming from the right sources (enough carbs, protein etc), helps get an exercise regime, everything really. their push is not losing weight so much as getting healthy, so you can easily do it together even! my husband and i are doing it, and we love the lifestyle changes that it has brought about :)

Hi B.,

Portion control is great if you have the right combinations of foods. I was trying to lose weight because I was on all these meds. I was trained at the hospital how to eat correctly. If you want me to send you some free foods(no caleories or low calories) and some things that have worked for me let me know. My cousin works with me and we have a doctor that comes in every Wednesday. My cousin is over weight and the doctor at my work encouraged him to try the products that I use as well.

I have crohns and some other health issues. If your hubby has GI problems, look into "probiotics". We have one of the best. I have been drug free and in remission from all my health problems for close to 4 years!

Oh and I lost 50 pounds! WooHoo! :-)

J.

I would suggest reading the book "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips. It teaches you the right foods to eat (i.e. protein is the best for curbing hunger) and what the correct portion sizes are. Also, you eat 5-6 times a day or about every 3-4 hours, so you don't really get hungry that way either. The book also focuses on weight training, which worked really well for my husband, but I had success on it without that (just mainly walking for exercise). The best thing about the "diet" is that you get to choose one day out of the week to "cheat" and eat whatever you want, so you don't feel like you're being deprived!!! Good luck!

i wish i had some good advice but i also have this problem.
i will be reading the advice you get :)
good luck

Hi,
Go to http://www.myfooddiary.com

It costs $9 a month to belong and everything is done online. I love it. You can go there and check it out, look around and decide if it is for you. I use it and have lost weight and kept it off.

I am below average in weight Man because I typically ate not big meals but frequent meals Some type of breakfast, a small snack then lunch then a snack then dinner then a small snack. I tend to healthy snacks! And I am in my 50s and HARDLY Exercised (though I changed that) SC

the answer is fiber fiber fiber. that is what keeps us feeling fuller longer. where do you get fiber?

fruits, veggies, whole grains (not wheat, whole grain MUST be on the ingredients list) legumes (split peas, and all those beans you can buy in bags or whatever... you know? those wierd things :P)

eating less junk, just dont buy it - you cant eat it if its in the house. instead, buy a pound or 2 of apples, oranges, carrots, etc veggies, fruits. THOSE should be snack foods. oatmeals. the less sugar you eat, the more you will feel full longer. drink more water. seriously, dehydration can feel like hunger. when you feel hungry, drink a FULL 8 ounce (thats only half a cup!) cup of water. THEN pick a fruit. not a huge helping, just one small apple. then wait at LEAST 10 minutes. at mealtimes, use smaller plates, perhaps getting rid of larger plates from your house altogether. its proven that just having stuff filling a large plate, people will eat it all, whether or not they feel hungry. - this is important to remember when teaching your kids how to eat, if they say they are full, fine, save the plate for later, and dont make them finish their plate. they need to listen to their bodies cues for hunger and fullness. its not up to the parent to decide. my son eats just fine, but if hes done, hes done. i save things for later. he eats them later. theres just no fighting over the table. :D

remember, if he has to do these things, you should too. no one is going to have the perfect diet. sure once in a while, bake some homemade cookies. to help them to be more healthy, use applesauce instead of sugar, avocado instead of butter, and wheat flour instead of white. the cookies will NOT taste as "good" as storebought, but they will usually not result in eating 10 of them in one sitting, and they are much healthier than normal cookies. even if you just replace ONE thing out of those 3 (i know that the flour results in the most difference in taste) - just changing the avocado will help - and it really does taste just as good! :D

homemake everything. dont use boxed meals. they are HIGH HIGH HIGH in salt. this alone can cause many health problems, as well as much weight gain

anyway, do this as a family. dont make him eat completely different meals than the rest of the family, because that doesnt make your husband feel good, and it doesnt help your children. this has to be a family effort. its going to be different. theres chances that your kids wont like what you serve. but they will get used to it - just keep trying. when suffering a 'hunger' - ask yourselves, are we hungry, or are we bored? are we hungry, or thirsty? are we hungry, or just needing something to do while watching tv?

good luck

Exercise may be his best option if he does not want to cut out the food. Find out how many calories he burns in a day just doing normal things(just use google). Reduce that by 500 a day either by reducing calorie intake (food) or burning off the 500 by exercising. Reducing 500 calories a day should give him a weight loss of about a pound per week. Good Luck!

B.--
If you're local-- I live in New brighton and am starting a biggest loser challenge this week- 12 weeks class (only $29 and 25 goes into pot for winners- fun way).
Email me at ____@____.com and I'll call back.
Otherwise, we run an online one too-- in our 3rd week- probably not the best option.
I'm a wellness coach-- if you want to swing by-- I can do a scan on him-- free-- tells how to lose weight most effectively on a machine designed by a Doc from UCLA.
If that's all not possible because you're not local-- I can do one over email and chat with him and put him on my newletter. I can do a profile if you email me.

The biggest question-- does he want this or do you want it for him. Sounds like both and that's important as he has to be the one to do the work. We don't have people diet- and I'll explain why. It's about learning how to eat healthy for your body for life. If he's dieting-- he might be losing the wrong kind of weight that sets him up for the rebound gain. That's the issues with dieting.

Hope this makes sense- tell him not to give up.
I'll look for your email and put momsource inthe subject line so I find it.

Make today great!!

About me 47yo perfusionist, wellness coach and mom to 7 yo twin girls.

B. J

Dear B.,

The first thing I thought of after reading this was...does HE want to lose weight?

The absolutely best thing you can do for your husband is to support a healthy lifestyle with him. If you are the primary grocery shopper, buy healthy foods. If you're cooking, look for healthy recipes and try those. Look for active things to do for family fun time...walking, swimming, bike riding, yard work together, etc.
Help set him up for success.

Also, be careful not to point out when he makes "unhealthy" choices. He's a smart guy and knows what he needs to do to lose weight, but sometimes may just want that ice-cream and /or bowl of chips. He needs to know that you're there for him no matter what. Also, be careful not to emphasize that "you want to make sure he loses weight before the wedding." An attitude of "let's work hard to develop healthy habits for our family" will go a lot farther than concentrating on a specific event.

You got some pretty good advice. MY husband had a heart attach at age 34. Luckily my father caught it in time. Anyway, Dieting is NOT the answer. Changing your diet and EXSCERSING is the best thing to do. Start with easy things, do you do the cooking? If not, try to take over at least one meal to start with if so, slowly start making healthier meals for him and try to make sure you make just enough. Then if he is resistant to excersise, ask him to take a walk with you. Go to a park and take a stroll (if you are like us at this time it's more of a cold cold swim) but you get the picture.
K.

Does HE want to lose the weight? If not, you are not going to be able to force him to lose weight. It HAS to be his choice.

Also, are you dieting with him? Even if you don't need to lose weight, if you eat healthy with him he will be more apt to stick with it.

I have found that the more icewater I drink, the less I want to nibble in the evenings before bedtime. It really works. I have lost 40 pounds in the last 4 months and am still going. I have upped my exercise; my granddaughter is 16 months and I am busy chasing her during daycare. It really works for more exercise and lots of icewater to drink.

Does he exercise? Even cutting back calories sometimes isn't enough to lose weight if you aren't exercising. I know it's probably tough to find time with two kids and jobs, but maybe he could just start out walking or playing outside with the kids and then gradually work up to a more intense workout. In addition to burning calories he will speed up his metabolism. In an ideal world if time and money allowed he should also be doing some strength training/weight lifting. It's made a world of difference for me! Good luck.

I don't have a free solution either - but Weight Watchers online is $65 for the first three months and then $16.95 per month after that. It's pretty affordable and I think it is much easier to track your daily points using the online tools.

1) Eat a well balanced diet, rich in fresh vegetables (not doused in butter and salt), whole grains (not chips--more like bulgur, quinoa, and other grains), lean meats and beans, and dairy (try eating smaller amounts of yogurt, butter, and milk, like this you will not sacrifice taste).

2) Avoid processed foods for example, anything you didn't make by yourself (no packaged meals) and anything with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, partially hydrogenated oil, corn syrup, fructose etc.

3) Exercise every day. Even if it is just 15 minutes of some type of cardio it is better than doing nothing. Combine cardio with isometric toning for great results.

4) Turn off the TV and find something enjoyable to do. Finding some creative energy in your life usually is inspirational for leading a healthier life.

5) Ditch the beer and have a nice glass of wine instead.

6) Don't buy into any of the diet programs or diet pills or drinks or whatever. The crux of losing weight and being healthy is to eat a well balanced diet, move your body, and be a happy person.

7) Don't worry about losing weight. Just focus on making small life changes that are healthier. If you try to change everything at once it probably won't work.

8) Enjoy eating. Eat together at the table, eat with friends, eat what tastes good. Light some candles and cook you favorite foods and get a good wine to go with. Serve yourself half of what you usually eat and have a big glass of water with dinner.

good luck!

First of all, throw the word "diet" out of your vocabulary. "Diets" are temporary, and provide temporary results.

No one, including me, likes to admit this, but you lose weight when you burn more calories than you consume. (Caveats given to certain medications and medical conditions.) The concept is simple, but the road to getting there can be tough.

The minute you make certain foods "forbidden" and start obsessing about calories and portions size, the more you think about food and hunger. If he's hungry all the time, then he needs to eat frequently, throughout the day. Some people are "grazers", and it's actually quite healthy to eat a little something every 2-3 hours. It keeps your blood sugar level constant, and it prevents you from becoming ravenous and thus overeating. Snacks with fiber, protein, and "good" fats make you feel full: meat, cheese, nuts, hard boiled eggs, protein bars and drinks, whole grains.

Does your husband seem to be able to tell when he is truly "full"? Did he grow up in a household where everyone had to clean their plate, no matter what? It can be hard to "unlearn" lifelong bad habits.

He can't eat junk when it's not in the house, and he can't eat half a chicken if only 2 chicken breasts have been cooked. It's all about lifestyle changes and the WHOLE family making them. Help him stock the house with healthy snacks and food choices that he actually likes. If he doesn't like pretzels, don't buy him pretzels hoping he'll eat them.

I'd rather poke my own eyes out than exercise for the sake of exercising. If you're husband is the same way, find natural ways for him to increase his activity. Maybe it starts out as simple as one day a week, he parks a couple of blocks from work and walks in. Maybe as a family, you go for an afternoon stroll on Sundays. Stress the time spent together, versus your husband getting his exercise.

Also, I would not make the wedding the main focus of your husband losing weight. If he doesn't lose the weight by then, he may feel like a failure, and you may be angry or diappointed. Also, the wedding will come and go. It's just one day. If he wants to lose weight, he needs to do it for more reasons than that.

And that's my last point. HE needs to want to lose the weight. I agree with another poster, YOU sound very focused on this, and if you were my spouse, my feelings would probably be hurt and I'd feel under a lot of pressure. I don't see anything in your post about your husband actually wanting to lose weight. And you mention he needs to lose 50 lbs. He may not be able to, especially if he has been overweight most or all of his life. Some of us just "are". Maybe he can only realistically lose and keep off 20 lbs.

B.,
It could be a combination of what he is eating and the amount of exercise that he is getting into each day. You know you can eat a bag of Dorritos and get full or you can eat a bag of apples and not be able to finish because you are OVER stuffed! Actually - the apples would be better even if he could only eat 3 or 4 of them. Fruit and vegetables are very important both for losing weight and for keeping your cholesterol levels at a safe level. I hope you see the logic in that.

Exercise exercise exercise ... and this doesn't mean you have to go to a gym. Even if you are in a winter state (like myself) you/he can do things at home. I have been doing the old fashion exercises that I used to do in high school gym class. Yesterday I walked the dog because it was up to 41° where I live and right now - that's almost a heat wave! I also have some small hand weights at home that I use about 4 times a week (I bought these at Target about 6 yrs ago for only $3 a piece!)

The next thing is for him/you to drink water till you feel like you are going to turn into a water bottle! Sodas and the like have tons of sugar! Cut out salt too - go to a "no salt" way of cooking. When I got married almost 10 yrs ago my husband was a salt freak - I don't even buy salt and I have the "no salt" brand in the salt & pepper shakers for guests and they can't even tell that it's not the real salt. The funny thing is that when we do eat out (which is rarely), he can tell right away if things are too salty and he doesn't like it.

Good luck - it is much easier to lose weight and be motivated to exercise when you have a partner doing it with you the exact same way. Even if you don't need to lose weight - you could stand to get toned and be heart healthy. That way he won't feel like he is struggling with this by himself.
D.

I don't have a free solution, but I do have one that works!

I was contacted to review a weight loss product that you just sprinkle on your food and then eat what you want. It doesn't unnaturally make your body lose weight, it sends the signals to your body that you are full earlier so you eat less. I did NOT believe it. But I tried it, since it was free for the review.

It is working so well that I lost 18 pounds and I eat so much less! I am rarely hungry, but when I am, I can eat. I prefer healthy choices now,too. Not even cheesecake is tempting to me.

My husband started using it and lost 9lbs the first month. I only lost 5, girls go slower. Two of my friends just had to try it and both lost 5lbs the first month. And 3 of my frends wish they could swing it and buy it for themselves after watching me slim down a pants size.

I don't make any money from them, I don't sell it. It is called Sensa, and really, all you do is sprinkle it on everything you eat like salt. There is no flavor. And all the ingredients are in foods you eat and are safe.

The website is www.trysensa.com and if you use the code ROCKETXL you get a 15% discount and free shipping. There is a 30 day guarantee, if he doesn't think it is working, you get your money back. But I am positive that he will notice within 2 weeks, tops.

If you do a search, I saw someone that said you can get a free trial, with $4.95 shipping for the first 2 months, but I think that is with ordering the full 6 months. THat comes in shipments and the payments are broken down.

You can read all about my experiences on my blog www.qtpies7.com. I have all my posts labeled and linked to on the top right side bar. You can see how the 6 months is actually a years supply or more, it lasts much longer than they say.

It has changed my life and my husband's life. And it is exciting with my 20 year reunion coming up this summer!

I'm %100 pro the glycemic index diet. It's basically healthy eating and encourages not to starve yourself. When I first started (pre-pregnancy) I lost 17 lbs. in 2 months. Most likely water weight but still felt great.

My husband isn't the skinniest kid on the block and neither am I we are constantly working towards losing weight, however, If he ever started getting involved with my weight I would be offended and hurt. I would suggest staying focused on cooking and shopping healthy and leaving the pressure for him to loose in his own hands. This might sound judgemental but when I was reading your request I was surprised you were so focused on your husbands' weight.

I would try herbalife wirh him. It worked for my hubby and if your hungry you eat something with protien. you get to eat 5 times a day. go to www.herbalife.com to check it out and let me know if your interested I am a distributor and you could be one too to get a 25% discount. it will help with his GI issues too.