Dieting with DH

  • I know this has to have been posted before but I am going a little crazy.

    My DH and I started this journey to healthy lifestyle together a month ago. I feel as though I have made major changes and stuck to them. He has made changes too but he cheats a lot. Even though he cheats, he is losing a ton of weight really fast.

    The thing that is irritating me the most is that he announces everything.

    " Look honey, I lost five more pounds!"

    " I need a smaller belt"

    and my favorite...

    "I am so much stronger that you. I saw how much weight you lift and I can lift a lot more."

    I just wanted to congratulate him for having a penis. KWIM?

    Sorry just needed to vent a bit
  • That made me laugh out loud. "look how much more I can lift than you." Well, duh... yes, he has a penis. Those who do usually can lift more than women can.

    Reality is, dieting with men is different than dieting with girlfriends. First, men are naturally more competitive. Second, their metabolisms work in their favor, so they can cheat and still do OK.

    The good thing is, you are both still trying and moving forward with a healthier lifestyle and I hope it stays that way!
  • I am dieting with my DH and pretty much the same thing is going on. Though I haven't been clever enough to congratulate him on his penis. Though I am now really tempted.

    I do agree, and think that men tend to be a bit more competitive then most, at least our husbands are. Good luck with it, and try not to strangle him next time he points out his five pound loss for the week, and I'll try to do the same thing for mine.
  • You should totally congratulate him on his penis.

    My husband does the same thing, but I know in his case it's inadvertent. He's really not trying to get under my skin by pointing out his need for new clothes, but it's ticking me off severely that he's "winning" the race to lose weight. Actually, you could say he's already won as he's reached his goal weight.

    That jerk.

    Never mind that the race between us was inherently unfair because he's A) male, B) greatly more physically fit than I was, C) never had extra weight on him in his life until a couple of years ago, and D) much closer to his goal weight than I was. It still vexes me.

    It's a wonder you didn't clock him when he bragged about lifting more weight than you. Like, DUH, Mister XY Chromosomes, it'd be way more newsworthy if you couldn't!
  • He's such a doofus sometimes. LOL!

    Oh well, I know I am going to have to have the stronger WILLPOWER to lose my weight.
  • Ugh I know how you feel, that's frustrating at best. It does sound like the competitive element is sort of keeping you on track though...
  • Oh, hahahaha! This thread is cracking me up! Especially "it would be more newsworthy if he couldn't!"
  • I'd stop it right now. People can diet next to each other, but I really don't think they can diet together. Food is so intertwined into personal relationships and is such an emotional minefield that I don't think it needs MORE emotional baggage attached to it. Turning into the food police, resenting each others successes . . . that way lies madness. Find some way to talk about what you are both doing, but detach emotionally. No more comparisons.

    You don't want to spend the next 50 years with every dinner roll being an issue in your relationship.