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fitness for men - advice please?
I am personally an avid exerciser. I lost about 50 pounds back when I was 18, and have kept the weight off ever since. I gained a little bit after we got married three years ago, but not enough for me to be concerned.
My question is for my DH, who has the opposite problem. I've honestly wondered if he has a medical issue - he is very thin. His parents are both heavier - MIL is overweight and very unhealthy; she has type 2 diabetes, along with other problems. FIL is not overweight, but has a much larger build than DH.
Anyway, my DH is average height (5'9-5'10") and only about 130 pounds. It doesn't bother me, but I know that there are times that he wishes he could gain a little. I don't want to tell him how to do it, but I want to be encouraging. Does anyone have any advice?
From my own knowledge, I've decided to be better about making him protein-dense meals (I'm vegetarian, so sometimes I wonder if my diet is inappropriate for him, since he has is so thin). I'm not planning on making meat every day, but rather making him bigger lunches, buying more fish and beans, etc. I've also read that eating four to six smaller meals a day can help, so I am vowing to be better about fixing him lunches to take to work (we both work full-time, so up until now, he's been on his own for lunch.)
As an example of how little this guy eats, he is a 26-year-old man who will routinely eat nothing but a bowl of frosted mini-wheats for breakfast, a peanut butter sandwich and an apple for lunch, and then one serving of our (usually veg) dinner. I doubt this is enough calories for him.
In addition to vowing to put a little extra effort into our food, what else can I do to encourage him without making it sound like I find him unattractive? He was an athlete in college and used to be much more muscular - but as an adult, he's been much more laid-back (read: lazy) about exercise.
TIA!
Re: fitness for men - advice please?
I'll bet if your husband was more active, his appetite would increase and he would end up putting on some weight. It's way easier to eat 300 calories than to burn 300 calories.
As far as breaching the subject with him, I had to be straight up with my husband. I told him that I wasn't as attracted to him now as I was when we first got married (7 months and 15 pounds ago). He thanked me for being straight with him and we worked out a plan together to be healthier--scheduling gym time, walks, and other physical activities together, not eating unhealthy food late at night, not eating in front of the TV, etc.
I don't know if your husband would take that sort of criticism as well as mine did, but my hints weren't getting to him.