How To Get Your Spouse To Realize They Should Lose Weight

It can be difficult to watch your spouse become unhealthy and unhappy. But with a countrywide obesity rate of over 30 percent and an overweight and obesity combined rate of over 60 percent, according to a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association," it's becoming a real scenario for partners across the country. If your spouse needs to lose weight for a healthier lifestyle, you can gently show the way through offering support, ideas and a good example of how healthy choices can change your lives.

Step 1

Stay positive when you talk to your spouse. Never use negativity or insults to get your point across, and never say words like "overweight" or "fat," which have a negative connotation, notes fitness website That's Fit. Instead, talk about becoming more active or healthier, or spending more time together off the couch. It eases your spouse into the idea of weight loss without making him feel badly about himself.

Step 2

State the facts. Tell your spouse that you want her to live a long and healthy life, but inactivity could cut your time together short. Let her know that she has a higher risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Let her know that while you find her desirable and beautiful the way she is, you still want to be able to enjoy a long and healthy life together as a couple.

Step 3

Focus on enjoyable activity and better eating, instead of crash dieting and time at the gym. While your spouse may be resistant to lifting weights, he may enjoy a hike or a swim. Be creative in how you introduce healthier eating into his regimen; try new recipes and simply stop buying treats and sugary, fatty foods so that healthy foods are the only option in your home. When your spouse realizes how easy it is to be active and eat better, and how it makes him feel, he may be more receptive to a weight-loss plan.

Step 4

Lead by example and show your spouse how to live healthier and lose weight. Even if you don't particularly need to lose weight, following the same diet and exercise plan as your spouse can help give her the support she needs to keep going, notes Weight Watchers. It gives her accountability and motivation to see you living more healthily as well.

Step 5

Avoid monitoring or babysitting your spouse's weight-loss plan.Constantly berating your spouse's food choices and checking up on him can make him feel as though you aren't happy with the way he currently is, warns Bella Online. Your spouse is an adult, and you cant make the decision to lose the weight for him. He needs to commit on his own to see successful weight loss and a healthier lifestyle.