Do boyfriends = weight gain?

nikkishai
nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
edited October 2 in Motivation and Support
So, ladies and gents, any advice on how to balance fitness, clean eating, and a healthy relationship (amongst other life responsibilities)? I'm asking because I mysterously plateaued when I started dating this guy, then from the upset of not losing weight, I ended up gaining 8 lbs!

My goal weight is somewhere between 145-155. I've graduated P90X three times and just started Insanity, so I have no problem sticking with a routine (when I was single). But now I'm juggling the boyfriend curve ball, so... advice please?

Replies

  • UrbanRunner81
    UrbanRunner81 Posts: 1,207 Member
    Is he active? Maybe find an exercise you can do together. My husband and I like to go for bike rides together. It is like an exercise date.
  • arykh24
    arykh24 Posts: 64
    Make sure he knows that your weight loss goals and being healthy are VERY important to you. Maybe you could try cooking new recipes together or exercising together. If he isn't interested in that, make sure he knows you need time for yourself to reach your goals.
  • Loko_Ino
    Loko_Ino Posts: 544 Member
    Just go to the gym as "me" time. But I would think it is also the eating habits that are out the window. A talk with him will help, tell him your goals and enlist his help. Get him in the gym with ya.
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Hard to say as I got together with my husband at 18, but I definitely put on weight. Partly because I was cooking for him, and he needs more food than me (being 6 inches taller), partly because I was home more and not out rowing, and partly because he got me pregnant, which was when I really put on weight!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    He will not object to you watching your weight. Tell him your concerns.
    He will feel like his hands are tied, because a few years ago it became socially illegal to comment on a woman's weight.
  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    My boyfriend and I both gained a bunch of weight after we had been together a few months. Too many of our dates revolved around us eating and/or sitting on our bums. We talked about it and both decided to make a real effort to be healthier. Now we jog together, play basketball and tennis together, try to keep only healthy snacks around, and cook healthy meals at home more often than going out to dinner.
  • RedCedarStables
    RedCedarStables Posts: 3
    I feel you with the juggling!! I juggle my boyfriend (we may as well be married, we live together) my daughter, my job, my hobbies (riding horses) and household duties! It's tough but I have found that what I eat is 80% of the battle. I don't know if that's the case with you or not, but for me it is. It is hard when my daughter and other half do not watch what they eat. However, I cannot take being pudgy and feeling crap anymore. The heck with the bad foods and if I get a real stronge urge, I will take 2 bites of something and that will be it. It's time for me to improve my lifestyle, not just drop 10 pounds and go back to eating like crapola.

    I'm also going to do a cleanse for a week or 2 - I felt great the last time that I did it and dropped inches/weight right away. It was a nice jumpstart. Good luck! =)
  • channa007
    channa007 Posts: 419 Member
    No they don't. What happens is you get comfortable with the one you're with and lose track of yourself. That's what happened to me anyway. My wife and I always go out to nice dinners etc and I just ate whatever I wanted. Not anymore... I'm being responsible now.
  • Helice
    Helice Posts: 1,075 Member
    Sometimes yes and sometimes no..
    If they are bigger than you, and they eat alot then they can contribute to weight gain.
    But if there like my fiance, super skinny, alot thinner than you.
    Then it makes u want to loose weight more so that ur skinner.
    Because u never want ur bf to be smaller than u...
    Also because im trying to stay sexy for him it makes me want to work out more..
    Before him i never cared about being toned, just not being fat..
    ALthough because he is trying to weight, when he gets kfc, etc, it is very hard not to eat it with him!
  • fitnessbekhs
    fitnessbekhs Posts: 71
    I gained when my husband and I started dating....then we started going to the gym together....and riding bikes together. It was nice together time. It's good to be able to spend time together but not feel guilty about neglecting other parts of YOUR life.
  • sweetmeka238
    sweetmeka238 Posts: 16
    Omg, I'm so happy someone posted this. I was just thinking pretty much the same thing last night as I sat sipping on a bottle of water while my boyfriend ate a slice of deluxe pizza in my face.

    In my opinion: Boyfriends (not all of them) = Complacency aka Less "me" time aka Weight gain

    My boyfriend keeps telling me he loves me the way I am, he wants the old Meka back, this new Meka talks about healthy stuff too much (just wait until I start working out, he'll complain about less time) ... He wants to go to our favorite pizza/smoothie shop, favorite restaurant, the bar where we met... NO!
  • mymelody_78
    mymelody_78 Posts: 657 Member
    I don't have a boyfriend but I just started dating and this means going out to dinner more. Not wanting to look like a girl that just eats salad or never finishes her food. Also, all first dates seem to start with drinks! I stopped drinking for a long while and it is hard to say that you don't drink anymore. And this means that you don't take as much time to exercise. I like the suggestions of doing stuff active together and letting him know what you are all about with the healthy stuff.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    I actually lost some weight when hubby and I started dating but that was becuase I'd been single for a while and ate my "lonely" calories. Once I started spending all my free time with him, I ate a lot less and was more active. The only time I've blamed our being together on my weight gain is when a very close friend of his passed away and I felt I needed to soothe him with comfort foods and coffee brandy (his favorite drink). Of course I didn't NEED to indulge along with him but I did and paid the price.

    A friend of mine put on what she called "boyfriend pounds" because she and her man were going out to eat a lot or hanging out at the lake with BBQ food and she was cooking more to his tastes when they were at home - all of which equaled her putting on weight. She managed to tighten up the menu a bit and lost the weight but it took some discipline.

    Any chance you could have some say over where you're eating so you can check out the menu/nutritional info ahead of time and pick the best options? I like the idea of donig sometning active on dates too - going for long walks and talking is very romantic!
  • nikkishai
    nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
    Thank you all for your advice! I'll definitely have a talk with him about my goals and lifestyle. Love the suggestion for active dates too!!!
  • nrvo
    nrvo Posts: 473 Member
    Keep an eye on your portions! Measure out your servings, don't base how much you eat off of how much he eats. That is how I chubbed up.

    Look for some new healthy recipes and cook together! skinnytaste.com has some awesome recipes.

    If you eat out a lot, check out yelp.com for healthy restaurants in your area, and always try to look at the menu online beforehand to pick the healthiest meal.

    Stay active together! Going to the gym, hiking, walking the dog, riding a bike, entering a 5k....all fun active things you can do together!
  • khollyk
    khollyk Posts: 150 Member
    I feel your pain. My boyfriend is in the Coast Guard and would go out on the boat for 2 month patrols and I'd do great, and when he got back, I'd fall behind on workouts and eating. We're long distance now until next summer, so I'm hoping to use my alone time to get into a habit of working out, hopefully it works.

    Like others said though, the best way to stay on track would be to try to get him to do active things with you. Good luck!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories