Saturday, October 27, 2012

My Husband Is On A Diet - Sort Of

I know that I have read that men lose weight more easily than women. It has something to do with their bodies being comprised of more muscle and less fat and also a higher metabolism. Recently my husband was complaining about weight gain. He had a physical for work, the report had all of his numbers for cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, etc. from last year down one column and all the new stats lined up right next to them. So, my husband has put on a lot of weight in the last year due to a job change. It crept on slowly and I don't think I really noticed it that much. Looking at the report, however, numbers can't lie. I want to make it clear that I am not one of those superficial women that insists her husband looks a certain way or ever criticizes people - even those unrelated to me - for being fat. I understand some people have a harder time than others. But he had gained over 20 lbs, and I am being conservative. I am guiding him to manage what he eats and its totally working! As a matter of fact, I'm a tad jealous.



But, my husband works out all the time. It's part of his job actually. We know to some extent his weird schedule and crazy hours can contribute to the way he metabolizes his food. But mainly to blame is the food he is actually eating. Fact. Chip's problem is that he goes for long periods of time without eating because he is so busy and then by the time he is able to eat, he will eat wherever "the guys" are eating and order something bad (read: Southern Smokehouse Burger from Chili's and fries) and eat it all. Sorry if it sounds mean, but he has admitted to this. For years I have been telling him how bad soda is (he drinks regular Coke) and have been baffled by his sweet tooth. He is a big guy in general (over 6 feet and 200+ lbs) and it does take a lot to fuel him. But he just got off track and fueled himself with the wrong things.

A small start, but a start nonetheless, is instead of having full gallons of ice cream in the house that is supposedly "for the kids" I broke down and bought many single serving containers of ice cream that you can buy for $1.00. They are so much easier to fit in the freezer. And Chip is less likely to open the carton when he gets home at 1:00 am when he's jonesing if the carton isn't already open. But at least if he does, it's a small serving. I felt it necessary to have something sweet, because deprivation makes us all crazy. We do know that.

Previously he was good about taking his lunch, and he would always be following some type of diet plan (think Paleo, not Scarsdale) and make his own food. That was when his hours were predictable and steady. I didn't realize he had stopped doing this as much til a few months ago. Once we got the physical results back, I decided to pitch in and help. I told him I would buy all the food for his lunches and make them for him.

He does really well with diets that involve many small meals throughout the day. So I have basically provided him with lunches and snacks that are low in calories and easy to eat. He usually works 10 hours or more so has a lot to choose from in his cooler, and whatever he doesn't want he can just bring home. He has cut out the soda and lost 10 lbs in one week just from taking his lunch to work!

This is more or less what he takes to work with him:

We get peach, vanilla and strawberry/blueberry

Yoplait 100 Calorie Greek Yogurt
Small container of raw almonds or trail mix
Fruit, such as a peach, apple, or some berries
Pre-made salad, that vary in ingredients.

These salads are a lifesaver!

Turkey or chicken or ham sandwich with 1 slice of cheese, lettuce and mustard on 100 cal sandwich thin

Oops upside down, but you get it
 I am in love with this new brand of deli meat I have discovered at my store called Applegate. These are healthy meat products without all the scary ingredients. I read about them on their website, and feel that I can totally related to how they feel about meat, and their mission. So yep, that is what goes in hubby's sandwich:

Tastes so good! And I don't feel guilty giving it to my kids!
Since he starts work in the afternoon and gets off around midnight, he does eat a small breakfast at home first, but essentially this is what he eats all day. There is some variety in the yogurt flavors as well as the salads to keep things from being too monotonous. I am proud of him and wish him continued success!  I would love to lose 10lbs!