My Husband Told Me I Need to Lose Weight: Tips for How to React

Disclaimer: DietGeneral.com is a reader-supported site. We may earn a commission if you click links on this site and make a purchase.

Written by Megan Ayala. Last Updated: November 25, 2021

When your husband comes up to you and states it’s time to lose weight, this can be difficult to stomach for most people.

You will not want to hear it but there has to be more thought given to what has transpired. Not everything has to start with a fight and sometimes your husband’s intentions are pure.

This is why the first thing to do is to focus on how you are going to react to his statement. Here is a breakdown of your options and what to think about when you are in this situation.

How To Respond To Your Husband

1. Don’t Immediately Reject His Perspective

A lot of people will automatically assume the worst and reject their husband’s perspective [1].

This is a common approach that is done out of ego and a desire to one-up your spouse. Yes, it might feel good at the time but it might not work out as intended if your husband’s intention was pure.

What you have to do is take the time to listen to his perspective. Get a read on where he is coming from and why the idea of weight loss has been brought up.

If you reject his perspective, you are never going to know why he said it. A lot of husbands will shut off at this point and not bring up anything because they know your reaction will be aggressive and negative.

2. Focus on His Intention

This ties in with the previous tip and is essential for those who want to see what their husband means.

Getting an idea of your husband’s intention matters a lot in this situation.

In some cases, a husband’s intention is not to hurt your feelings. Instead, it might come out of worrying about your declining health or your inability to lead a healthy quality of life.

The reasons include:

Get a Read On What He Wants
Lets You Clear Your Perspective Too

If you take the time to listen to this perspective, you are going to learn more about how he feels moving forward too.

This is an important conversation to have because it sheds a lot of light on their position in the relationship.

3. Consider Your True Feelings About The Weight

Most people are going to think about their husband’s perspective and not realize there is more at play than just what they are saying.

You have to look at what you are feeling about those words.

This means how do you feel about your current weight? is it something that has been on your mind too? If it has then why get upset when your husband brings it up with the right intention?

These are the issues to dissect when you are looking at why your husband has said what he has said.

4. Continue To Talk To Him

Taking the time to talk to your husband is important.

Many husbands will require courage to bring this topic up in the first place. If you shut them down, they are not going to be willing to share other things that are important in a healthy relationship.

This is why maintaining an open line of communication is key.

The reasons include:

Helps Maintain an Open Line of Communications
Welcomes Active Listening

By continuing to talk, you are going to feel safer and you will start to learn more about how they feel.

Plus, they are going to learn more about how you feel in other aspects of the relationship. Dialogue is always a good thing in relationships because it builds a stronger bond and helps form an opinion one way or the other.

5. Set Fair Boundaries

While your husband bringing up the weight might not have been negative, you do need to focus on your mental well-being too.

This means creating a boundary around the topic based on what you do and don’t want to discuss. A lot of wives are surprised when their husbands do respect those boundaries even if they brought up the idea of weight loss.

If you set fair boundaries and share your views, it will lead to a healthier relationship. This goes for not only weight loss but everything else too.

How to Lose Weight If You Want To

1. Calculate Your Maintenance Calories

The first thing you are going to want to do is to focus on your maintenance calories. Maintenance calories are the number of calories a person has to eat within 24 hours to simply stay the same weight [2].

By knowing this number, you are going to get a gist of what needs to be done to cut calories.

Always aim to cut out 500 calories from that maintenance number to lose weight. This is more than enough to start shedding weight as soon as you want to.

2. Cut Out One High-Calorie Food Starting Now

You will want to take the time to cut out one food item that is high in calories.

A good example of this would be chips, fries, burgers, or anything else that is not adding nutritional value to your diet while packing on the caloric intake.

The benefits include:

Immediate Reduction in Calories
Builds Good Habits Through a Simple Change

To the surprise of many women, it is quite easy to lose weight when you cut out junk food and other items that don’t add value to your diet.

If you do this, the weight will start to strip away sooner rather than later.

3. Begin Exercising for 30 Minutes Per Day

It is important to get moving if you want to lose weight fast.

The idea is to exercise at least 30 minutes per day and more if possible. This can include anything that gets you moving whether it’s running, biking, swimming, or playing a game of soccer with your friends at the local park.

Just get moving and the calories are going to burn.

4. Drink More Water

Staying hydrated is a must if you want your metabolism to kickstart as intended.

If you don’t drink enough water, the body is always going to be in a state of dehydration and panic.

The benefits include:

Keeps the Body Feeling Full
Improves Your Organ Health and Metabolic Rate

How much water should you be drinking per day?

It is best to drink at least 7-8 glasses per day and make sure you don’t feel dehydrated. The moment you feel dehydrated, it’s time to drink again.

5. Start To Sleep Consistently

Many women don’t get enough sleep during the night.

You have to set a firm schedule that gives you a good amount of sleep. This means 7+ hours of sleep at the same time every day.

This will ensure your body has the time to settle into a nice schedule where it’s easy to go through the REM cycle properly. It will also become easier for the body to focus on losing weight.

Final Thoughts

It can be difficult to come to terms with weight loss especially when hearing about it from someone you love.

This is natural and it is something you are going to have to confront. While it might seem easy to shut off from your husband, this might not be the right approach.

If it was done with the right intention then it might be time to focus on what you want. By following the weight loss tips listed here. you are going to be well on your way towards making a change.

References

1. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/relationships-and-communication#:~:text=Good%20communication%20is%20an%20important,a%20stronger%20and%20healthier%20partnership.
2. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-lose-weight-as-fast-as-possible