Supportive or not.

creamnshugar
creamnshugar Posts: 7 Member
edited September 27 in Motivation and Support
So my boyfriend of 5 years (fiance of 2 of those) Is not supportive of my weight loss. He thinks that if i lose the weight i will have a better self confidence and leave him!!! He is short and chubby. I am sure that its him being insecure but REALLY!! Then i talked about having a tummy tuck once i am done losing weight and he says the same thing! How are your SOs supportive or not? Anyone in my shoes and what are you doing about it?
Thanks and have a wonderful day!

Replies

  • amylynn9
    amylynn9 Posts: 40
    Well I am no in your shoes. My fiance completely supports me, and actually he started going to the gym and has actually lost more weight than me.

    It sounds like he is insecure and maybe not so comfortable with the relationship. If he sincerely feels that you will leave him, there has to be something else giving him that idea.

    If that's not the case, try to get him involved without being pushy. Suggest after dinner walks or find things that ivolve being active, but are still fun.

    Hope everything works out.
  • Plumpqt
    Plumpqt Posts: 156
    that is terrible, I am also lucky to have a very supportive fiance. Tell him if he is so worried that he should do it with you. Not only will he also be getting healthy but you relationship will be that much stronger. Shame on him!
  • Angeladobush
    Angeladobush Posts: 58 Member
    I have sympathy for you....My husband and I started this journey together. We are each other's strongest supporters. It is hard to liv seperate lifestyles in a marraige when it comes to health....I hope you can enlist him because you deserve to be the bet you can be.....pardon me for saying so but he sounds insecure....:flowerforyou:
  • Think this is pretty common. My husband on the outside tells me he'd like me to lose weight etc. Then 5 min later pushes me into the car to head to the nearest Marble Slab to order the biggest sundae they make. Hope you can work it out with him. Just let him know how much you love him. It's his issue and self-esteem. Not yours. Good luck!
  • tippett610
    tippett610 Posts: 67 Member
    Sometimes it just the fear of losing you...as you lose weight just include him and make sure he knows that you still want to be with him. My husband isn't so supportive either, well he is okay with me losing weight but typically when I am dieting he likes to bring my favorite candies or sweet treats home...
  • my husband is really supportive....he even started eating healthier with me and goes walking with me now. i would not want to be in a relationship where one wasn't supportive of the other one trying to get healthy. i hope he changes before you marry him. it sounds like he don't care how you feel, and that's NOT a good thing at all.:noway:
  • jaimejean478
    jaimejean478 Posts: 152 Member
    I've been struggling with this too. My BF get's reimbursed for a gym membership from his insurance provider if he goes so many times per month... you think he will re-join and go with me? No. His thought - It's summer, so why would you want a gym membership?? He keeps unhealthy food and snacks in his house (hello, a tub of freakin MARGARINE!) when he knows I'm trying. Then he gives me a hard time when I grab a small bag of cheez-its as snacks. Hi, you were on the same 10 mile bike ride, and I happen to have an extra 400 calories today, so shut it. :)

    Little does he realize... when I'm feeling fat and unattractive, he's the one that suffers. So you think he'd be on board with some activity! He told me that he thinks I had the most success with weight loss when I had a personal trainer... I had to remind him that he was also going to the gym with me 1-2x per week at that time too.

    Clueless.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    It is hard to live seperate lifestyles in a marraige when it comes to health

    Quote of the day goes to you. There is SO much truth to that.
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Don't have an SO at the moment, but only one of my BFs was ever seriously invested in my weight and he was the opposite of your BF. He never thought I was thin enough and let me know it every minute of every day. I got sort of dangerously thin for awhile there and then eh got scared. But the damage was done, and his constant undermining of my appearance was a large part of why I didn't marry him when he proposed.

    I had one BF who was constantly worried that I would leave him. I looked great at that point and traveled extensively for work. I eventually broke up with him because he was so incredibly insecure that it just wore me out.

    I don't know--it sounds like you may not be in the best of relationships IMO. If you've been together for 5 years, what's up with the 2 year engagement? If you both really wanted to get married, you'd be married by now. So it seems that one of you is holding off on the commitment.... If he doesn't believe you are in it for life by now, why are you engaged?

    Wouldn't you rather be with a man who loves and supports you? Who wants what's best for you and cheers you on? If he can't handle this, what's he going to do when you have 3 screaming kids, a big mortgage and one of you loses your job? Your journey into better health is a fairly minor stress. If he can't handle it, I'd seriously wonder how he'd handle BIG stresses that come with a life together...
  • currlygirrl
    currlygirrl Posts: 82 Member
    I'm very lucky in that my fiancee' is very supportive, but he has asked a few times if " I'm going to get super hot and leave him" lol!
    The whole comment was rather ridiculous to me since that thought had never entered my mind.
    I decided after I heard it a couple of times to make a better effort to let him know how much he meas to me and how happy I am being with him and how excited I am to be married tohim later this year. That seemed to curb the insecurity.
    Maybe he feels left out if you are spending time that you used to spend with him at the gym or working out? Good Luck!
  • wheeee
    wheeee Posts: 6
    do it,.. lose the weight, get the tummy tuck and dump him. it's not his phyiscality, but mentality,, it's controlling,, you'll be, all your life,, trying to boost him up.. an exhausting way to live.
  • creamnshugar
    creamnshugar Posts: 7 Member
    sounds like a lot of you have awesome supporters! He is very insecure and talks about his weight a lot but he wont do a thing about it! We also have a son together and i have an older son from a previous relationship. This health thing is not the only difference we have either. The past two weeks it has been on the edge of me moving out. No one has cheated or has been thinking about it but how can two people that are so different live a happy life together? When we met i was a different person then what i am now. I gained 30 lbs in the 1st 6 months of us dating and then got pregnant and gained another 40. Lots of physical differences and wants on my part and also spiritual needs as well as others.
    wow guess i got into more than just weight loss there lol.
  • squeaktones
    squeaktones Posts: 195 Member
    the other two ladies are right. try to get him to work out with you. my boyfriend won't go to the gym with me but that's ok because he makes a point of coming over every day after his 10 hour work day and walks with me for a half hour every day. on the weekend we go walk at the park for an hour or more. when he is here and i cook i make low calorie food. when we go out to dinner we generally get fish or chicken and a salad or a 500 calorie meal. talk to him nicely about how you feel he isn't being supportive. ask if there is any way you could help ease his mind. explain you are wanting to get healthy for yourself and yalls future. tell him you wish he would lose weight with you because you want a long life together. that's what i did with my boyfriend. he has lost more weight than me. we started our lifestyle change on valentines day. that was the best gift he ever gave me.
  • artemis222
    artemis222 Posts: 390 Member
    Kindly suggest he lose with you. Perhaps if his self-esteem was higher as well he wouldn't feel so threatened by you looking and feeling good. My husband is one of those blessed with a super high metabolism so he's a skinny mini. Luckily he loves me for me and not how I look. Whether I'm losing weight or gaining it he is always by my side, loving me.
  • __flexylexi
    __flexylexi Posts: 154 Member
    that is really selfish of him and very insecure... I am sorry.

    My husband is very supportive. I had to lose weight, and he wanted to gain weight (he was so skinny- 136 and 6'1 when he joined the army). I was 200 lbs and 5'8.... Fast forward to 3 years later, he goes to the gym and lifts weights/does cardio for 2 hours ON TOP of his PT in the AM... and I am still running and lost 40 lbs... Him getting bigger and me getting smaller made us look like a better couple lol. He is somewhere over 180 now and looks like one of those people on the fitness magazines LOL and now he is heavier than me!!!!! (except I am pregnant so I am gaining weight)

    Maybe ask him to join you in losing weight? That is kind of ridiculous for him to hold you back when you are doing it for fitness.
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
    He needs to be more supportive for sure!

    My fiance (been together 5 years and engaged 4) has done nothing but encourage and support me. He does joke that I am getting thin to leave him lol but that is obviously not the case!

    I would have a serious talk with him about it. If he isn't supportive and encouraging and wanting better for you, then it seems that maybe he doesnt care as much? Why wouldnt you want your partner to be happy and healthy? Seems like he is insecure.

    Why not the both of you get into shape and change your lifestyles?

    Right now it's hard because my fiance had back surgery and is just sitting around like a lump on a log lol. So he's gaining weight and its hard because he always wants ice cream or crappy foods and Im like NO! I cant.

    Its hard to be on different levels when it comes it health. :(
    Good luck.
  • mamarundrc
    mamarundrc Posts: 1,577 Member
    My husband tries to be supportive but doesn't really know how to be. He has NEVER been overweight in his life and has always been pretty athletic. This time around he is taking this journey with me. My previous attempts have been at weight loss. This time I decided it to do it in a way that I feel I can maintain and I am trully trying to make it a lifestyle change. He is changing his lifestyle with me so that we can have a long healthy life together and can watch our son grow up together.

    He is great when things are going well, but when I get down in the dumps because I have had a bad week or am frustrated because of a bad choice I made he doesn't really know how to respond. But he tries which I appreciate and when I need to vent to someone who understands I just pop on here and write a post and get the support I need to get over my hurdle.

    Are there ways you can incorporate your fiance into your process so he can see that it isn't going to change the way you feel about him? For instance, maybe take walks nightly together so you can get some exercise and you get to spend some QT together. One thing that help my husband get on board was the food. We sit down every Sunday and plan our meals together. IF he wants something unhealthy I take the suggestion and try to find a way to make it healthier. Maybe if he is more actively involved and it is something you can use to strengthen your relationship he will gain the confidence he needs to feel secure.
  • tammyquinnlmt
    tammyquinnlmt Posts: 680 Member
    My husband was basically supportive, and then after I purchased a scale and he realized he was over 300 lbs, he became more supportive. Then he started losing weight vicariously through me (don't you hate how some men can think I want to lose 15 pounds and do?). Now, he let me start him an account to keep track of his eating. He's not perfect and he's not walking with me or any of those things yet...but I have a feeling, he will be. You fiance just sounds insecure. Maybe he thinks cute but chubby is the best he can do.... Talk to him, try to get him on board. And most of all look hot and prove him wrong!
  • rori20
    rori20 Posts: 61 Member
    Sounds like you might have the right idea in moving out, creamnshugar. He is being selfish by not wanting you to be healthy and happy. I don't think someone in love would ever want that.

    Another lady here commented that this kind of relationship gets exhausting and in the end isn't sustainable, and I couldn't agree more. I used to be in a relationship where the guy was so insecure and possessive that he eventually talked me into not talking to any other guys, not wearing sleeveless shirt or shorts, and even not talking to a lot of my friends that he insisted were "trying to break us up". It starts off as small things, and then things get worse and worse as the relationship goes on and you allow him more control over you.

    Please take care of yourself and do what you need to do to make you and your children happy. I hate to be harsh, but it sounds as if you would all be better without him, unless he does a lot of maturing and changing.
  • otr12
    otr12 Posts: 632 Member
    First of all, realize that he wouldn't be scared of losing you if you weren't so valuable to him.
    And that's just it. He's scared. As a man he is programed to protect YOU from scary things, not be the scared one himself. He probably doesn't know what to do with this feeling. He's not a woman. He doesn't feel or express fear in the same way you do so don't expect him to. You chose a man, not a girlfriend.

    Compliment him on anything you can think of and do it every chance you get. Let him know how valuable he is to you. You can tell him you are only trying to be sexier so he has something better to look at and hold, but it might be better to just not talk about it at all and deal with your weightloss in the background. Sure it's nice when your SO supports you in everything you do but it's not an available option for everybody. I also don't consider it to be a deal breaker in regards to the relationship as a whole. He has flaws just like everybody else does, including you. You can fight with him about how his behaviour is wrong but all you will accomplish is fulfilling your own need to prove your rightness. It wont help the relationship.

    Never let him just wonder if you love him. Show him that you do!
  • McCarthy6
    McCarthy6 Posts: 23 Member
    I agree with the previous posts. Changing your lifestyle is a huge and at times seemingly impossible task. If you add a partner that is not "in it to win it" with you...not good. Wishing you the very best of luck!
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Put it to him this way...if he really loves you, he'd support you. I know that's totally passive agressive and evil but, hey, sometimes that's what it takes!

    First, he should want you to be more healthy so you can be there for him and the kids as you all grow together (not to mention, he should want that for himself) and you'll be able to romp around with them, etc. Second, you two should be good role models to your kids so they also grow up healthy and happy.

    Try to involve him as much as you can with the changes. I have never made a separate meal for myself but told my husband from the start that I would make meals that I knew we'd both enjoy but tweak them to be more healthy. And the only time he's complained was when they were truly awful (seriously, fat free cheese is disgusting!) Before my hubby started watching his calorie intake about a month ago, he'd still get all the junk he wanted to eat while he was on the road at work...

    It does sount like there's more going on between the two of you but maybe this all will start a dialogue and you can figure out how to fix it or how to move on with your separate lives... Good luck either way!
  • mielikkibz
    mielikkibz Posts: 552 Member
    It is hard to live seperate lifestyles in a marraige when it comes to health

    Quote of the day goes to you. There is SO much truth to that.

    yep, my ex was not suppportive, he told me he didn't care what I looked like, but when I tried to lose weight would ***** I was punishing him, and then at the end complained I was fat(one of many reasons he is an ex)
  • virgo1978
    virgo1978 Posts: 73 Member
    Well said Atlantique. There are so many huge hurdles in life to deal with as partners, as teammates. Weight loss and healthy a life style shouldn't cause such stress in a relationship. It should be a joint effort (as it's much easier that way). SO's should be supportive of one another. :)
  • creamnshugar
    creamnshugar Posts: 7 Member
    i have tried to make healthy changes at our home and he mostly just sticks his nose up at them. He wont weigh himself because he is afraid of what it will say. His health is more at risk with his weight than mine is and i am worried about both of our weight. He isnt obviously if he complains about it and doesnt do anything. He is insecure in other aspects of our relationship too. I am not sure what is to come with us but i do know it would be great to have a supportive bf who is on the same page with me when it comes to love, life, religion and health. We will see. thanks for all of your responses!!!
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