Motivating Mum Jodie Koeleman has been losing baby weight by following our healthy eating plan with her husband Brad for the past 6 months.  Jodie has lost 25kg and Brad has lost 15kg.
You can read Jodie’s latest update here and Brad’s latest update here.
Here Jodie shares her tips to encourage your partner to get on board with healthy eating.

Reinvent Favourite Recipes By Making Them Healthier

There’s something comforting about tucking into an all-time-favourite home cooked meal. The only problem is that a lot of our favourites tend to be high in fat and white carbohydrates – things that are not great when you’re trying to lose weight. A way to overcome this – and to win over the tummies of our sometimes ‘creature-of-habit’ hubbies – is to tweak those recipes with healthier ingredients.
One of the easiest swaps to do is to use wholemeal pasta in place of regular pasta. The wholemeal version tastes and looks similar to its white cousin, it will keep tummies fuller for longer and it contains a lot more fibre. And while you’re making the switch to wholemeal pasta, keep the trend going by buying wholemeal bread and brown or basmati rice.  Also, think about what your partner’s favourite meal is and see if you can make a low-fat version. You can see lots of husband friendly meals here and meal makeovers here.

Channel Your Inner Betty Crocker & Get Baking

They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so what better way to show your partner how much you care than by making him yummy, chocolatey, sweet treats…healthy and low calorie ones, of course!
By switching store-bought muesli bars, chocolate bars and biscuits for homemade healthier alternatives your partner might even notice a difference in his waistline as well as his wallet.
Whip up a batch of Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies, Nutty Quinoa & Choc Chip Balls or even a Flourless Chocolate Cake. The Guilt-Free Chocolate Treats & Baking Cookbook is full of mouth-watering recipes including the ones mentioned as well as my family’s favourites of Banana Bread, Apple & Blueberry Loaf, Chocolate Fudge Bites and Chocolate Coconut Slice.
Freeze them in portions so they can be easily taken to work and your partner will be enjoying a healthy indulgent treat in place of junk food. Of course, it’s up to you to tell him the ‘secret’ ingredients, or not!

Get Sweaty Together

If you’re finding it hard to juggle exercise and quality time with your spouse, then why not combine the two? Something as simple as a walk together after dinner is enough to get the heart rate up plus it’s a great time to chat and connect. Exercising together doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym being each other’s spotters; it should be fun, a little competitive and a time to recognise each other’s strengths.  If you feel like really breaking into a sweat you could do a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session side-by-side and encourage each other as you go. The ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Workout’ from the Lose Baby Weight website is a great example of HIIT and will have you both huffing and puffing. If you feel up to it, do it twice in a row and feel the burn!

Work Together To Set Goals

An important part of our own success in life is having the support of the people around us, and for a lot of women their partner is their main support person. Sometimes it can be difficult to get our other halves on the same page as us when it comes to a new healthy eating and exercise regime; some boyfriends and husbands have even been known to sabotage their partner’s efforts whether knowingly or not (you can read about how to deal with sabotage here).
If you’re just beginning your weight loss journey – or if you’ve been at it for a while – you know how important it is to set goals for yourself along the way.  Short and long term goals during weight loss ensure you remain focused and help with motivation on those days when doubt creeps in.  Be honest and share these goals with your partner. Talk with them about how you’re feeling in your current body, how you’d like to feel and how you’re going to do it.
Ask your partner if they have any health or fitness goals they would like to achieve at the same time as yours. Look back at photos of the both of you pre-baby; is there anyway your current family lifestyle could become healthier?  If your partner is keen, make a motivation board together. Divide the board into three sections; ‘his’, ‘hers’ and ‘ours’. Write goals in the relevant sections, stick on quotes to help inspire you both and include photos to motivate you to eat better and move more.
Even if your partner is in tip-top condition and at an ideal weight, his support and shared goals will spur you on and strengthen your bond as a couple. A great shared goal might be a weekend getaway, a date night or even a meal in a nice restaurant; anything that brings you closer together, embraces your new lifestyle and celebrates your life together is a wonderful target to aim for.

Hard Work + Success = REWARDS!

All of that hard work and effort towards a healthier lifestyle will pay off so make sure you’re ready to chart the successes of you and your partner.  Be sure to weigh each other weekly and take body measurements at least once a month. Ensure you take photos weekly too; these are amazing to look back on later down the track and you won’t believe how far you’ve come.
Reaching your goals is an unbelievable feeling, and rewarding the hard work you and your partner have put in is incredibly important. Celebrate your successes individually or as a couple. Perhaps a new outfit, a haircut, a trip to the movies or a night on the town might make suitable rewards for you both?  However you choose to celebrate and reward your weight loss and healthier approach to life, make sure you do it together!
Jodie Koeleman
And if you are looking for weight loss plan designed for busy Mums (and Dads), then join 1000’s of other mums on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge now. Get access to over 800 delicious, healthy recipes, customisable meal plans, shopping lists and at-home, time-efficient exercises. Join here today!

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