Talk to me about weight loss and getting back in shape

[plain jane]

All my life I've been blessed with a great metabolism and have never had to worry about my weight. I can eat pretty much anything and other than pregnancies have been a very consistent size 1-2 all my adult life. Dh, OTOH, is not so fortunate and he sees me eating and snacking and takes those same liberties, but alas, his genetics are not so kind to him.

 

So... dh needs to lose a good 30-40lbs and get back in shape. Thing is we're both a little clueless as to how to go about this. :001_huh: Even after a huge weight gain in my pregnancies, nursing and daily walks has always allowed me to get back to my former size. I'm guessing it's not going to be so easy for dh. :tongue_smilie:

 

I need some pointers. Obviously he needs to exercise (we have an elliptical already) and do some weight training but I'm guessing there's going to need to be a dietary component to this as well. Is it just a matter of restricting portion sizes? Counting calories? Ugh. I have no clue. Dh is all for going ahead with something but since I do most of the food shopping/meal planning I figure I should know what to do.

 

Any tips for weight loss or books to point me in the right direction?

[AvasMom]

Spark People. It's awesome and it's free. The premise is taking baby steps that you can sustain, building momentum and forming positive habits, and supporting each other through teams, challenges, etc. You have the option of using their meal plan (also free) or just using their trackers with your own calorie goal (which they help you figure out).

[Jennifer in MI]

Ugh. I had a long post and accidentally deleted it. Basically, for me, cardio is key. I need HARD workouts for about an hour/day six times/week to help me keep my weight down. The good news is that I can eat about whatever I want now!

 

I'm sorry for your dh. I hope you find what works for him!

[eternalknot]

We are a lot like you guys - I've never had to work hard at my figure (though I suspect that will end soon, as I head into Those Years) ::sigh::. My husband is consistently fighting his weight. When he was active duty it was a bigger struggle, but he managed to stay within the military's guidelines.

 

For both of us, I think genetics has a lot to do with it. And his natural inclination is towards being a night owl, but his job always started bright and early in the morning so he never got very much sleep - much less quality sleep. I think sleep is important in weight loss. Very important.

 

What worked for him was keeping track of his eating. He hated doing it, but it worked. He kept his calories within a specific range, rather than depriving himself of any one food group. After awhile he saw a pattern, and that his few "small" snacks here and there added up. So did his supposedly healthy meals. He was able to tweak those as necessary to maintain his caloric range.

 

He also added hot foods to his daily meals to help feel full longer (soups, teas). His big downfall was snacking, and a need for convenience foods. He just couldn't plan ahead for eating, then would find himself starving and reach for something convenient (boxed foods like mac n cheese, fast food snacks, candy, chips, etc.) We didn't live together at that time else none of that would have been an option for him ;) So when I visited I'd always cook and freeze meals and snacks that he could grab-n-go when he needed to. Is your husband battling weight because of habits, or is it just because of age, or what? I think once you figure out that part, you can better tailor your approach to his weight loss journey.

 

My husband has done the Blood Type Diet for the past month and has seen amazing results. He doesn't follow it religiously, just uses it as a guideline to stay within his caloric range. More than losing weight, he just looks healthier. Better color, less complaints about side issues like heartburn and arthritis. This was a big deal for him because his blood type went pretty much against everything he loves to eat, and always has. He still allows himself things off of his blood type list, but has learned to moderate them and to add other foods into more heavy rotation.

[mommymilkies]

I'm having the same problem, atm. Except that I am usually very thin but these last 30 lbs. from pregnancy just will NOT drop off! Spark people is a good place to start.

[Peela]

Check out the NoSdiet. It is common sense eating and designed by a man, although it is also how many cultures eat already. Rather than focusing on WHAT you eat you eat 3 meals a day, no seconds, no snacks, no sweets, except on weekends when you can break all the rules. Easy to follow. Then you exercise- whatever you actually enjoy doing.

[matrips]

what has been working for me is most portion control- counting calories, writing down everything I eat, kind of planning out my meals and snacks for the day to make sure I'm in my target calorie range (this has been very helpful!), and exercise (but not overkill. just 30 minutes on my treadmill a day, first thing in the morning. I started at just 10 minutes.)

 

I did look online to see how many calories I should be consuming per day to lose weight- so I'd advise him to do the same. make sure he doesn't go too low or it'll work against him. Also, I still eat pretty much the same foods as I did before, which is very helpful (I don't feel like I'm on a 'diet'). I broke down and bought some of those 100 calorie snack bags so I'd have pre-portioned snacks ready. Otherwise, I just count out the pretzels, chips or crackers if I have them. Measure out the cheese, salad dressing etc. Because it's so easy to overdo without meaning to.

 

If you eat out, google the menu ahead of time for the nutrition/calories ino. I'm amazed at how many calories I was consuming in some of the meals I used to eat!

 

And get a good scale and do body measurements (tape measure) so you can track progress. Good luck!

[lynn]

Prevention magazine helped me figure things out and loose 20+lbs. Their online sight offers a lot of great articles on weightloss, nutrition, etc. hth