Over the past 6 or 9 months, HH has lost over 45 pounds. That's A LOT. I know he felt pressure to lose a few pounds, however, I never knew there was even that many extra pounds on him to lose. His doctor had informed him that he needed to get his cholesterol under control, and maintain that control in order to live many more years of a healthy life.
After having chest pains, reality set it and he made it his mission to lose weight. He tried exercise. He tried nutritional supplements. We tried to cook healthier foods. Nothing seemed to work. Because - and here's the secret to it all: You can't do just one thing to lose the weight. You must increase your exercise AND You must stop over-eating AND You must eat healthy foods. It's everything, combined, that does the job.
Suddenly, HH stopped taking seconds at the dinner table. He stopped going through drive-through and eating fast food. He set up his weight bench in our now-cleared out basement and is actually using it. All these things combined did the trick. It took great self control and discipline. I sat in awe of him.
And then, I realized, "Oh boy, I still haven't lost that baby weight." HH became my motivator. He encouraged me. He asked everyday, if I did my workout. He'd give me a sly little smile when I took an extra cookie, or snacked on something fattening. We researched low-calorie meals and he kept track with me to count calories, to finally figure out what IS healthy and what is NOT. We weighed in together each morning, and kept a chart on our bathroom wall above the scale. We also measured BMI and Fat percentages to get really specific. We motivated each other, with small rewards if we measured in at a loss.
So far I have lost 8....count em, 8 pounds and two dress sizes. That's huge to me, with a smaller frame and being only 5'2". I really only wanted to lose 5. Five was my goal. Yet, I can see that losing this extra weight, has given me more energy, that strong healthy feeling daily, and the ability to fit into clothes that have collected quite a bit of dust in my closet.
And, the best treat of all of this, is the purging of clothes that are too big now, for HH and myself.....and buying new. It's expensive to buy all new. We are going in stages. I literally had not one pair of dress pants that fit....and it was getting to the point where belts were useless.
For me, I had to examine all the times of the day I choose to eat, and the reasons of why I was eating, even when I wasn't really hungry. My body was telling me, "Hey you aren't hungry." But I still popped that little something in my mouth, and didn't really think too much of the 'why'.
And so I came up with a "Top Ten Reasons We Eat". It's important to see that there are many reasons we eat, and usually reaching for a comfort food. I have committed to eating only when hungry and only choosing healthy choices. I only eat a fruit or vegetable for snack.
Top Ten Reasons We Eat
1. Boredom
2. Something to do while watching TV or movie.
3. Tradition
4. Feeling sad / happy
5. Habit
6. PMS / Hormonal
7. Sensory stimulation - To taste great flavors
8. Not to waste those leftovers
9. Social pressure
10. Hunger / Survival
It's been an interesting journey to say the least. We hardly recognize each other. I found an old picture of HH and his then-rounded face looked like some stranger from the past, when now, his lean, and structured facial features make him truly, a strikingly handsome man. As I hug him now, I have to take a good hard look up at his face to remind me that this really IS the same man, only less to hug now.
I do think it has been important to remember the why of even working toward losing weight. HH had truly medically reasons that made it important for him to work hard at this. For me, it wasn't medical. It wasn't that I had 'let myself go' after five kids. It wasn't that I ate terribly or too much. It wasn't because I was gaining and couldn't fit into my clothes anymore. It wasn't because I was unhealthy. It wasn't any of those typical reasons.
I wanted to shapen up for my husband. I wanted him to not be alone in all his hard work. I wanted to support him, encourage him, and show him that we work together, as a team. His struggle is mine too. That's what marriage is.
For anyone reading this, hoping to encourage their spouse in weight loss.....here's a tip: Begin yourself. Seeing you firm up will be the best motivator......ever.
After having chest pains, reality set it and he made it his mission to lose weight. He tried exercise. He tried nutritional supplements. We tried to cook healthier foods. Nothing seemed to work. Because - and here's the secret to it all: You can't do just one thing to lose the weight. You must increase your exercise AND You must stop over-eating AND You must eat healthy foods. It's everything, combined, that does the job.
Suddenly, HH stopped taking seconds at the dinner table. He stopped going through drive-through and eating fast food. He set up his weight bench in our now-cleared out basement and is actually using it. All these things combined did the trick. It took great self control and discipline. I sat in awe of him.
And then, I realized, "Oh boy, I still haven't lost that baby weight." HH became my motivator. He encouraged me. He asked everyday, if I did my workout. He'd give me a sly little smile when I took an extra cookie, or snacked on something fattening. We researched low-calorie meals and he kept track with me to count calories, to finally figure out what IS healthy and what is NOT. We weighed in together each morning, and kept a chart on our bathroom wall above the scale. We also measured BMI and Fat percentages to get really specific. We motivated each other, with small rewards if we measured in at a loss.
So far I have lost 8....count em, 8 pounds and two dress sizes. That's huge to me, with a smaller frame and being only 5'2". I really only wanted to lose 5. Five was my goal. Yet, I can see that losing this extra weight, has given me more energy, that strong healthy feeling daily, and the ability to fit into clothes that have collected quite a bit of dust in my closet.
And, the best treat of all of this, is the purging of clothes that are too big now, for HH and myself.....and buying new. It's expensive to buy all new. We are going in stages. I literally had not one pair of dress pants that fit....and it was getting to the point where belts were useless.
For me, I had to examine all the times of the day I choose to eat, and the reasons of why I was eating, even when I wasn't really hungry. My body was telling me, "Hey you aren't hungry." But I still popped that little something in my mouth, and didn't really think too much of the 'why'.
And so I came up with a "Top Ten Reasons We Eat". It's important to see that there are many reasons we eat, and usually reaching for a comfort food. I have committed to eating only when hungry and only choosing healthy choices. I only eat a fruit or vegetable for snack.
Top Ten Reasons We Eat
1. Boredom
2. Something to do while watching TV or movie.
3. Tradition
4. Feeling sad / happy
5. Habit
6. PMS / Hormonal
7. Sensory stimulation - To taste great flavors
8. Not to waste those leftovers
9. Social pressure
10. Hunger / Survival
It's been an interesting journey to say the least. We hardly recognize each other. I found an old picture of HH and his then-rounded face looked like some stranger from the past, when now, his lean, and structured facial features make him truly, a strikingly handsome man. As I hug him now, I have to take a good hard look up at his face to remind me that this really IS the same man, only less to hug now.
I do think it has been important to remember the why of even working toward losing weight. HH had truly medically reasons that made it important for him to work hard at this. For me, it wasn't medical. It wasn't that I had 'let myself go' after five kids. It wasn't that I ate terribly or too much. It wasn't because I was gaining and couldn't fit into my clothes anymore. It wasn't because I was unhealthy. It wasn't any of those typical reasons.
I wanted to shapen up for my husband. I wanted him to not be alone in all his hard work. I wanted to support him, encourage him, and show him that we work together, as a team. His struggle is mine too. That's what marriage is.
For anyone reading this, hoping to encourage their spouse in weight loss.....here's a tip: Begin yourself. Seeing you firm up will be the best motivator......ever.
Comments
What a wonderful and inspiring post. Was wondering if you would consider (you know, in all your "free time" with 5 kids...don't worry if you can't or if it's not right away) sharing some of the specific things you and HH learned. You mentioned healthy meals, measuring BMIs, etc. and perhaps you could teach your readers some of this? I'm finding it next to impossible to figure all of this out in order to do what you both did!
Thanks again for your blog.