Just Started With My Wife

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tycamsdad
tycamsdad Posts: 126 Member
in Introduce Yourself
My wife and I just started with MFP and like the fact that we can see in black and white exactly the impact of our food and exercise choices on our progress. We have a goal to lose enough that we can comfortably go to the beach when we go to Siesta Key in May. I also have a reunion at the end of August with the squadron I was stationed with while in the Air Force 25 years ago and I would like to be a lot closer to the weight I was when I got out.

Are there any other couples doing this together? How do you encourage each other without making it a competition? I try not to share my weight loss numbers with my wife since I have been losing weight a little faster because she gets discouraged. I just tell her "I am making progress towards my weekly/monthly goal". Any hints from others that have been at this longer than we have?

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  • dmkelly67
    dmkelly67 Posts: 10 Member
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    Hi tycamsdad, my husband and I are sort of doing this together. Since I do the grocery shopping and meal preparation, he doesn't have much of a choice. ;) My husband is a BIG eater and likes his food in large quantities, but since I prepare it, I can control what kind of foods he's eating and eventually I'll work on cutting down his portions. Junk food and bad snacks have already been banished from the home. He's about 40ish pounds over weight, but he carries it well with his large 6'2" frame. His main thing is his round belly, or as we lovingly refer to it as, 'RB'.

    I've been on MFP for a month now logging my food and such and walking on the treadmill we have at home, but husband must have realized that I'm serious this time and surprised me with a gym membership yesterday. As he was handing me the paperwork he said "I like my food and I'm going to eat, but I'll work out with you." Ok then, I'll take it...one thing at a time. :)

    I can't really comment on the competition part of the weight loss this time around since I'm trying to ease him into it, but in the past when we lost weight together, I went into it knowing that he was going to lose weight quicker than I was and tried hard not to let myself get discouraged. Instead of comparing pounds, we compared % of loss.

    Good luck to both you and your wife.

    BTW, I'm an Air Force brat. My dad was in the AF for 20 years and retired in 1983 at Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, NM.
  • tycamsdad
    tycamsdad Posts: 126 Member
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    Thanks for the input. I like the idea of using % rather than just pounds. The hardest part for me is the fact that I am going to grad school two nights a week and working full time so the snacking or "easy" meals are always a temptation. But I try to combat that by packing an extra lunch and eating that between work and classes.

    Do you find it easier to log your meals as you go along or to just do it a day or two at a time? I like to see instant feedback and to see if I am on track for my daily goals but I am not always close to my computer or phone so it isn't always possible.
  • dmkelly67
    dmkelly67 Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm kind of a repetitive eater...I eat the same thing most every day for breakfast and for lunch, so that makes it a little easier for tracking. Generally I plan my entire day out in the morning so I know where I stand on calories and know where I have some wiggle room for an extra snack or what I need to cut back on BEFORE I eat it. There are a couple of days a week that I "wing" it, and so far other than my "cheat" Saturday, I'm usually so careful that I come under my calorie goal.

    So do you eat another meal again after classes or just the one you pack for between work and class? I'm sure thats hard to get everything in if you're eating on the run. challenging but not impossible. I've recently found that Subway is a good choice for the easy meal temptation. All I can suggest is too plan ahead, and maybe keep a tally sheet going on a piece of paper in your pocket if your not able to get to the computer or your phone??

    You and your wife are more than welcome to add me as a friend if you'd like. I'm here most every day. :).

    Good luck!
  • katnord
    katnord Posts: 44 Member
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    My boyfriend and I are on here together. It's been very fun and educational. I especially liked to see how much less I really need to be eating than him. He gets 2,020 calories and I get 1,270! He also burns way more calories doing any activity than I do for the same amount of time. Those might be very good things to point out to your wife if she ever gets discouraged when you are making faster progress than her. I've never felt anything but encouraged by the experience.

    I'm in grad school too, so I've found that always having healthy food on me and logging my lunch and dinner as I pack it really helps me stay in my calorie goal for the day. Then I have all the food I will eat that day with me (I stay late in the office, so I eat dinner before I go home) and logged, it helps me "ration" my calories for the day better. If I eat and then log, I can snack for hours before I realize how much I have really eaten. Good luck to you both!
  • tycamsdad
    tycamsdad Posts: 126 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback ladies. I normally pack a wrap and some yogurt and/or fruit to eat for my dinner between work and classes. I drink a ton of water during the day (I carry around a 20 oz water bottle and try to drink 6 a day) and have found that as we get into the lifestyle changes, my cravings for junk food are diminished. I am still tempted at times but I refill the water bottle and see if I am still craving after I finish it.

    I think the adjustment for both my wife and I have helped us both see the change of our eating habits as actual lifestyle changes and they don't seem to be forced like they were at the beginning. We actually started dieting at the first of the year but just discovered MFP recently so this is a program that is getting us over the hump and to help us see if the changes we are making are as good for us as we think they are.

    I'm not sure how to add friends but I will see if I can figure it out. I will try to get on the message boards as often as I can but I may not get on here more than a couple times a week due to my schedule.
  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
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    Just be able to talk it all out. Hubby lost 20lbs. last year switching from cookies to cake. Men and women are just different. Also, remember its a learning process. Good luck!

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