More than 33 percent of American adults are considered to be obese as of 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While obesity and overweight are often perceived as appearance-related issues, carrying too much weight has a heavy affect on the body and overall health. This is the approach best taken when your spouse needs to lose weight. By focusing on the health aspect of weight loss, you reduce the chance of hurt feelings due to a commentary on your spouse's overall appearance and your level of attraction.
Step 1
Make a commitment to become healthier together. It's a blow to your spouse's ego to hear that she needs to lose weight and get into better shape. But when you offer to make the change to a healthier lifestyle together, it helps to soften that blow as you also take responsibility for your health. Exercising and eating healthy as a team makes the switch more bearable for your spouse.
Step 2
Set attainable goals that focus on health and wellness, not weight exclusively. By giving your spouse specific goals to achieve, such as 30 minutes of daily exercise or avoiding fast food for a week, you help develop a plan for healthy habits that lead naturally to weight loss. This allows you to avoid making direct commentaries concerning your spouse's weight and appearance, which could be a sensitive subject.
Step 3
Remove temptations for slip-ups from your home so your spouse is less likely to stray. If his weakness is fatty and sugary snacks, clean out the pantry and replace chips and candy with whole wheat crackers and healthy cereals. If the TV is your spouse's biggest draw, offer to cancel satellite and spend more time being active instead. Do what you can to make weight loss more attainable.
Step 4
Recognize your spouse's hard work and give her a confidence boost using positive affirmations. This is the right time to make comments about her improved appearance or renewed energy. Letting your spouse know you both recognize and appreciate her hard works helps give her the motivation to stay on track.
Step 5
Offer support when your spouse falls of track, cheats on his healthy diet or misses a day of exercise. While it's frustrating for both of you, nagging or using negative remarks about your spouse only exacerbates a downward spiral. Instead of focusing on the negative, help your spouse to get back on track by showing understanding and making suggestions for better habits in the future instead of nagging and disappointment.
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