How to Help Your Wife Meet Her Weight Goals

Encourage healthy meals and snacks in the home.

One of the responsibilities of marriage involves supporting and encouraging your wife when it comes to her goals. If your wife has gained weight -- whether for medical reasons or other causes -- the day may come when she expresses an interest in losing the extra pounds. As her husband, you can help your wife meet her weight goals, but it will take some effort and sacrifices on your part.

Instructions

1. Get on board with your wife's goals. In fact, tell her that you wouldn't mind losing a few pounds either. If the two of you share the goal of losing weight together, your wife will feel supported and know that you're by her side through this challenge.

2. Alter your diet so that you eat the same foods as your wife. You might be used to eating foods such as cheeseburgers, pizza, ice cream and chips on a regular basis. However, if you know that these types of foods will be tempting to your wife, don't eat them in front of her. It's neither fair nor supportive to enjoy the foods that your wife can't eat. Instead, replace the unhealthy foods with things like fruit, vegetables, hummus, natural peanut butter and lean meats.

3. Become your wife's new gym buddy. Exercise is vital to weight loss -- in addition to dieting -- so your wife must burn calories in order to drop the pounds. Sign the two of you up for a gym membership and go together every day, if possible. Granted, you might not want to take the zumba class with her, but if the two of you go to the gym together, she will feel more motivated. Alternatively, go for morning or evening jogs or bicycle rides together, or take up an active sport you can do as a team, such as tennis.

4. Support your wife during the low periods. Anyone who's ever been on a diet knows there are times when you feel defeated, hungry, frustrated and ready to call it quits -- so you can indulge in something sweet or salty. Talk your wife out of the frustrating points by reminding her of why she wants to meet her weight goals. Help keep her focused on the goal and the positive outcomes of achieving it.

5. Let your wife know how well she's doing with her progress toward her goal. If you notice her looking slimmer, say so. Congratulate her when she tells you how many pounds she's lost or that her clothes are getting looser.

6. Provide your wife with the appropriate weight monitoring equipment she may need, such as a scale for the bathroom or a flexible measuring tape to take measurements of her waist, arms, hips and thighs.

References

• Hitched Magazine: 8 Ways to Help Your Spouse Lose Weight