Have you ever wondered why people who are in stable relationships tend to gain more weight? While there may be many factors contributing to weight gain not associated with relationship statuses, in general, those dinner dates or time spent chilling on the couch instead of hitting the gym has its effects in the long run.
What’s worse for your waistline than dating is if you’re dating someone who is a “Junk Food Junkie”, and would rather forego dinner to feast on a bag of 12 Kit Kat bars (speaking from personal experience here).
The novelty of having your friends jokingly poke fun at how blissful you must be in your relationship since you’re packing on the pounds quickly wears out. This might sound a tad corny, but if you’re seeking longevity in your relationship, it is important that you achieve that in terms of your health.
So how do you broach the topic of losing weight to your partner? Here are some tried and tested tips, and do let us know if it works for you!
1. Be honest
Keeping fit is a long-term commitment. Dragging him to the gym three times a week? Probably achievable with some effort. The hard part is to ignite a change in his lifestyle and eating habits from within, such that he exercises even without your reminders.
To do that, it is first important that he understands your concerns. Frame them such that you have his and the relationship’s well-being at heart. The last thing you want is for him to feel like it is a personal, superficial attack on his outer appearance. Your man may look like a tough dude, but may have a very sensitive ego.
2. Incorporate physical activities into your dates
Other than the holy trinity of all dates (movie-dinner-shopping), explore some activities that incorporates a certain level of physical activity. Rather than a date at the mall, try going trekking instead. We have a list of recommendations for fitness dates you can consider!
3. Play up the gifting game!
Gifting is a regular relationship occurrence, and can grow in difficulty with the length of your relationship once you’ve exhausted all “typical” gift items. Try giving him something to aid his fitness journey instead: a gym membership, credits at the health food store or a package for the special activities mentioned above. An air fryer is also an awesome choice of gift. Other than the usual nuggets and seaweed chicken, the air fryer is capable of cooking full meals without oil and minimal seasoning and effort!
4. Organise cookouts
Dining out can be expensive and unhealthy at the same time. Initiate stay-at-home cookouts on the pretext of wanting to save money instead. By cooking at home, you are better able to control what goes into your food, such as the unnecessary sodium or MSG.
5. Use special occasions in your favour
He might be a little reluctant to follow your way especially in the early stages of this change, so try to use special occasions in your favour. It’s your birthday? Tell him you don’t feel like a fancy restaurant dinner. He promised to bring you out after a heavy project month? Tell him you want to skip the weekend crowd in town and go cycling instead.
6. Find like-minded couples
Pairing up in with another couple provides some external motivation. Chances are that both of you might get worn out from all that trying after awhile. Apart from having someone outside your relationship to keep tabs on your progress, having double (or triple!) dates add to the fun factor! Bonus points if they are health junkies who can act as aspirational figures for you and your partner.
7. Make him your own rendition of his favourite unhealthy snacks
He likes Reese’s peanut butter cups? Buy dark chocolate and low-fat peanut butter from iHerb.com to make your own healthier version. He likes fries? Season some sweet potato strips with a dash of olive oil and throw them into the air fryer.
The internet is full of recipes for healthier versions of popular snacks, one just needs to search hard enough!
8. Send him inspirational videos
To keep his eyes on the prize, send him random inspirational videos of any kind. This would act as a reminder of what he can achieve.
9. Praise him
Effort deserves praise. And if he’s been making special effort or specific improvement, praise him. We should always aim to build our men up instead of tearing them down. Of course, a special treat to his favourite food works as well, although you need to be careful not to let it become the habit you were trying to rid in the first place!
