There is probably no other thing you could say to your wife that is more fraught with danger than, “Honey, you’re looking a little fat these days.” And there really isn’t a nice way to say it, but there are ways to hint about it or maybe just solve the problem without ever mentioning it. Here are some helpful tips to get you to the solution you want without spending the night on the couch, or worse, sleeping with Rover.
Make Yourself The Problem With A Solution
One of the best ways to not talk about your wife getting overweight is to talk about yourself getting fat instead. Maybe you’re not fat, or just a little, but you could probably use some toning up and your heart needs all the aerobics it can get. Start with whatever sounds like “I’ve got a problem with my ______ so I need to start working out.” Then, get a membership to the local gym.
While you’re at the gym, call your wife on the phone and tell her there is a discount for her to join too, but only if she’s interested. If she’s willing to join up, head down to the sporting goods store and buy her some great looking cross-trainer shoes, a sports bra, some nice shorts, and a warm-up suit to match. And, don’t forget the gym bag to keep everything together.
Now you’re on the downhill side of “out of the woods” so don’t blow it. Sign the two of you up to a couple of aerobics classes per week and then some circuit training on the side. Organize all of your nights out enjoying restaurants with a visit to the gym beforehand. Exercise helps shut down the appetite and when the abdominal muscles tighten up, there’s less room for food.
Start Planning All Of Your Entertainment Around Action
If your wife is starting to gain weight, it’s because she’s not getting enough exercise or she’s eating too much of the wrong foods, or both. It’s your job as the loving husband to start planning all of your entertainment schedule around active events.
No more going to the movies and getting the giant, all-you-can-eat popcorn with extra butter. From this point on you’re spending one of your days off hiking to the top of a mountain, walking through botanical gardens, or bicycling to some far away music festival. Everything you do is active walking, hiking, biking, bowling, dancing, swimming or hitting the gym.
Time To Start Walking The Dog
OK, chances are, you already have a dog that would love to go on a daily walk with you and your wife. But, instead, the first thing both of you do when you get home is turn on the TV, the computer, or both. Meanwhile, Rover sits by the door just hoping somebody will take him on a 20 minute walk.
If you don’t have a dog, they’re easy to get at the pound and there are some very loving dogs that are euthanized every single day. Save one, and then let it save you and your marriage. Every day that you don’t go to the gym and your aerobics classes, take your dog on a walk. There are dog friendly parks in nearly every large city in the US, use Google to find a couple near you if you can’t walk a dog safely near your home.
Gradually Change Your Diet
Sometimes going on a diet (see some of our favorites here) is an essential step to getting your weight under control, but eventually, you need to change the way you eat, forever. Start by getting one of those electric pressure cookers that also steam rice and work as slow cookers too. The Instant Pot is very popular but there are lots of others now as well.
Once you get one, go online and search for “Instant pot [your favorite food here]” and see what comes up. You can cook nearly anything in one of those machines in a fraction of the time with no hassles. The great thing is, the food tastes better than anything you could possibly buy at the fast food joints, but with half the fat, twice fiber, and far less added sugar.
Buy tons of vegetables, they cook fast and taste fantastic, throw in some chopped lean meat, hit the button and take Rover on a walk. When you get home, dinner is ready, low fat, with lots of vegetables, and the flavor is incredible. You’ll end up using the machine every day of the week.
You Still Haven’t Said A Word About Her Being Fat
So, now you’ve got your gym membership and the two of your are going 3 nights a week. You’re walking your dog nearly every single day, and on your days off you’ve got scheduled activities that burn calories and add stamina. In addition to that, you’re changing your diets for the rest of your life, what’s left?
At this point in time you and your wife are now spending quality time together doing activities on a daily basis. You’re probably talking more than you ever have since you tied the knot years ago. You’re wife is undoubtedly feeling happier than she has since she met you, and now she’s going to feel like she wants to lose weight just to keep you since you’re such a great guy.
The problem that most men have is that they don’t realize that women already know when they’re getting fat. If they knew how to fix it, they already would have. This is where your job as the loving husband needs to take over and take the lead. If you really care about your wife, you’d want her to be healthy and in excellent shape.
On the other hand, not every women is going to have the same shape as Barbie as they age. They can, however, have a fantastic figure that’s got all the right shapes where you want them and will be able to scale a mountain next to you all the way up. Isn’t that really what you wanted anyway?