Hubby has always had issues with his weight because he is a larger guy with a larger build. He’s constantly seeing ads for weight loss supplements like hoodia gordonii and asking me to research them for him. If you were to plug his numbers into a BMI calculator it will tell you he is very obese with a BMI of 33.2 even though he doesn’t look extremely obese. This scared the crap out of him until he discussed this with his doctor. His doctor explained that you can’t always determine how obese you are with a BMI calculator because it doesn’t take into account muscle versus fat. Hubby is very muscular, and anyone who made it through an elementary school science class has learned that muscle weighs more than fat.
According to his doctor Hubby has a higher bone density and muscle mass than most men who would fall into his BMI range. Most medical recommendations state that someone with Hubby’s height of 6’1 should weigh between 144-189lbs. When his doctor said this he also laughed and said, of course the “experts” who create charts like this expect everyone to be built the same, and we know that’s not true.
His doctor did recommend that Hubby lose some of his body fat, but he suggested around 20lbs would be sufficient. He said Hubby’s ideal weight, taking into account his build and muscle mass, should be around 225lbs. He is suggesting Hubby lose about 20lbs total.
Unfortunately when Hubby got laid off he stopped working strenuously everyday. I’ve had a bit of a harder time getting him to exercise now because when he is home he’s spending more time sitting on the couch and snacking. We’ve both been afraid he’s going to add extra weight instead of losing it, so imagine my surprise this morning when he stepped on the scale and discovered he’s lost 7lbs in the last 3 weeks. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how he’s losing weight when he’s not being as active, and I think I’ve figured out part of it.
He’s definitely eating a lot healthier these days. When he’s at work he’s buying his lunch most days, and even though he’s normally eating at Subway I’m not controlling what type of foods he’s buying. Even if I pack his lunch he ends up buying snacks throughout the day. While he’s been at home he’s been eating what I cook, and I try to keep my family on a healthy diet. I don’t make him live off of salads and tofu, but I try to cook healthy foods as much as possible with the occasional “bad” meal thrown in. He’s also eating healthier snacks. I don’t buy a lot of junk food. We keep our snacking down to fruits, veggies, and whole wheat or multi grain snacks. I can understand how altering his diet over the last few weeks has contributed to his weight loss.
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