how to keep losing weight etc.

Question
I was kind of hoping you could tell me (so I could tell him) why he can't get rid of those few pounds all of a sudden (when he's been doing this for so many years).  Like, I have read that maybe he is in "starvation mode", but why would it take this long?
Or, the other thing is, when I say he needs more fruits and vegys because of the vitamins, he says he takes a daily vitamin.

I may have over-estimated the amount of beer....I agree he should cut down...

Thanks for your help!

Suzanne

-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
My husband lost 60 lbs. about a decade ago. Lately, he has been struggling with a few pounds that he can't lose (if he loses them, they come back a week or so later). He won't listen to me because his workout and dieting has worked so well for him, and because I am overweight and struggging to lose 50 lbs. I am learning a lot about exercise and nutrition from some classes I take through the diabetes center, but he doesn't care. I worry about how much he is exercising and his bad diet.

This is his routine. He never eats breakfast (occasionally he will drink a glass of milk or OJ). He runs in the morning 2 miles in the park. In the evenings, he walks 2 miles (with hills). For breakfast he eats one or two chik-fila sandwiches (the grilled ones, not the fried ones, completely dry) and his dinner is either four fat-free hot dogs with mustard on wheat bread, with some light mayo, or a few bowls of cereal with 1 % milk. He will sometimes snack on sunflower seeds or raisins. If he is really hungry, he will let me give him some yogurt or cut up some fruit or vegys.

He drinks a six pack of beer three nights a week and says this is only luxury and why he is so strict in his diet. Friday nights when we go out, he will have some chicken wings. If his weight is acceptible, Saturdays we will go to the Chinese buffet. He adds on an extra walk each day during the weekend, so he exercises a total of 20 miles on the weekend.

He weighs himself several times a day and sticks to his diet and exercise routine no matter what weather. When we travel, he deviates a little, but not much if he can help it. He eats a multivitamin daily. I am very concerned that he does not get enough fruits and vegys, that he eats too many carbs and just doesn't eat well. He recently started adding another walk and cutting down his food even more. He is always hungry and tired, and his legs hurt a lot. When I point out that his body is in starvation mode, he won't believe it because he says, why is this happening now after all this time?

He's 46. I used to worry about his diet and weight back when he was heavy, now I still worry, even though he is no longer overweight. He does have some weight around his stomach but of course his legs are very muscular.

Please help! Thanks!


Answer -
Suzanne,

Your husband sounds very diligent with his diet and exercise routine.  From your description, here are my observations and suggestions:

1.  I agree that there are not enough fruits and vegetables in his diet.

2.  Smaller more frequent meals are better than one or two a day, however, this needs to be individualized.

3.  3 six packs of beer a week is quite a bit.  Not only for the calories, but with respect to alcohol consumption.  Cut this back to one six pack, and there should be no problem losing those extra 5 pounds.

My $0.02.  

Answer
It may be that his metabolism has slowed down a bit as he has gotten older.  This is not uncommon.  I believe that we all come to a "comfort" weight, one at which we feel pretty well, and have the ability to be moderate with our diet.  He may have indeed reached a plateau where the amount of energy needed to lose those extra pounds could be considerable.  With respect to the beer, just looking at the empty calories, cutting out 2 six packs a week corresponds to about 1800 calories or 1/2 pound.  He should lose 5 pounds in about 10 weeks.

As for the multivitamin, those are good to prevent deficiency states (USRDA's are the MINIMUM requirements), but not necessarily the dosages to promote health.  In addition, I'd personally much rather my patients get their nutrients and vitamins from fresh fruit and vegetables than from a pill.  In general, the nutrients are better balanced, and contain other natural ingredients that promote health that you really can't get in tablet form.  However, if he doesn't like to eat fruits and vegetables, then the multivit is better than nothing.  

1. Prev:hello dearI d really appriciate...
2. Next:Fad diet?