The decision to lose weight should always be a personal one - the more you insist on your partner losing weight, the more they will tend to put on weight.
You shouldn't encourage weight loss out of fear. Comments like "if you don't lose weight now, you'll ruin your health" are not beneficial. They may work in the short term, but in the long term the weight will come back. Pressure by claiming that you don't like seeing yourself like this is also not a solution; it will only serve to lower your self-esteem and further contribute to weight gain.
Want to help your husband lose weight? Do it this way
Teresa Branco, physiologist at Gestao do Peso and director of the Instituto Prof. Teresa Branco shares with Revista Prevenir three strategies to help your husband lose weight:
- Avoid criticism. You should never criticize the way you eat, the quality of the food or its quantity. Any derogatory comments will only serve to aggravate the situation. Nor should you claim that if they are strong enough, they will manage, as solving the problem may be far beyond willpower. What you should do is show that you love the person regardless of their body and weight, strengthening them with positive reinforcement for everything they are beyond their weight.
- Praise. Appreciate his qualities and bring out the best in him, helping him to build himself up. The more structured your partner is, the more they will be able to modify the habitual behaviors that lead to weight gain. From the moment he decides to lose weight, you should make life easier for him by having healthy food available at home, choosing healthy restaurants and doing physical activity with him, but without pressure or criticism.
- At the table. Foods containing sugar should be avoided and alcohol should be drunk in moderation. Sausages and processed meat should also be restricted. However, other guidelines should be adopted, depending on each man's metabolism, whether he exercises, his age and other specific factors, which should be analyzed in a specialist consultation.
