How do you help your hubby stay healthy without a fight? Our experts offer 8 fight-free tips to help him make lasting lifestyle changes, without causing stress in your marriage…<\/p>\n
Mitch Chester, 63, is an auto-parts store manager who snacks on potato chips, eats burgers for lunch and loves to watch sports on TV. Not surprisingly, he was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
His wife, Susan, 59, avoids junk food and takes three Jazzercise classes a week. She was frightened when the doctor revealed Mitch\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI walked out of there thinking I was about to become a widow,\u201d Susan recalls.<\/p>\n
A drug was prescribed to help control Mitch\u2019s blood sugar. The doctor also told him to lose weight and exercise more to prevent life-threatening complications like heart disease and kidney damage.<\/p>\n
As they drove away, Susan suggested stopping for lunch at a salad place near a park where they could walk. Mitch said he wanted a bacon cheeseburger.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told him to do what the doctor said,\u201d Susan says. \u201cHe said, \u2018Don\u2019t nag me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first of many such arguments.<\/p>\n
If this sounds familiar, know that it is possible to influence your man\u2019s health choices without mothering (or smothering) him. The key, experts say, is to identify what really motivates him \u2013 and offer encouragement to help him make gradual, but lasting, lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n
Follow these 8 tips from diabetes professionals.<\/p>\n
1. Be positive.
\u201cNagging never works,\u201d says family practitioner Anne Simons, M.D., an associate professor of family and community medicine at the University of California-San Francisco Medical Center who has dozens of diabetic patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, that\u2019s what spouses often do,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
As with the Chesters, a loved one is often more concerned with learning how to manage diabetes than the person who has it.<\/p>\n
Perhaps that’s because diabetes doesn\u2019t cause discomfort until it\u2019s fairly advanced.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily members perceived diabetes to be more serious than those with the disease,\u201d concluded a 2007 study at Trinity College in Dublin, in which researchers surveyed relatives of patients at a diabetes clinic. They found that relatives were more likely to see diabetes as a chronic illness that requires ongoing treatment.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, spousal encouragement plays a major role in persuading diabetics to make lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n
At the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio, researchers surveyed 138 diabetics about their social support and commitment to a healthy diet and regular exercise.<\/p>\n
The more support they had, the healthier lifestyle changes they made.<\/p>\n
And in a 2010 study at Kent State University in Ohio, researchers interviewed 109 spouses of diabetics about the kind of persuasion they attempted \u2013 either positive encouragement (\u201cHow about non-fat yogurt on your baked potato instead of butter?\u201d) or negative warnings (\u201cIf you don\u2019t lose weight, you\u2019ll go blind!\u201d). Patients who received encouragement were more likely to adopt dietary recommendations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe message shouldn\u2019t be,\u2018We have to change you,\u2019\u201d Simons says. \u201cIt should be, \u2018I love you and I\u2019ll do whatever I can to support you. What are you willing to do?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
2. Find the right motivations.
When Mitch was first diagnosed, Susan cleared the house of everything she thought might contribute to his condition: chips, ice cream, pasta, frozen pizza. He roared that there was nothing left to eat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see this all the time,\u201d says Sacha Uelmen, R.D., C.D.E., director of the Adult Diabetes Education Program at the University of Michigan. \u201cThe wife assumes the worst and overhauls the kitchen, which makes the husband angry and resentful.\u201d<\/p>\n
So instead of forcing lifestyle changes, encourage him to decide what\u2019s really important to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about his motivation to change, not hers,\u201d Simons says. \u201cMaybe he wants to look better in a bathing suit, or feel more energetic or be able to play more with his children or grandchildren. Maybe he really values providing for his family and doesn\u2019t want to wind up disabled.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then find ways to manage diabetes that you can participate in as a couple, suggests nurse practitioner RaShaye Freeman, CDE, who counsels diabetics and their families for the Veterans Administration in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffer to attend diabetes-education classes with him,\u201d she says. \u201cTake walks together, or get involved in other exercises he likes.\u201d<\/p>\n
3. Start with small changes.
When a man is diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, his loved ones may become impatient and insist he overhaul his entire lifestyle right away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is that big changes are like crash diets,\u201d Uelmen says. \u201cThey don\u2019t last.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMen don\u2019t like to be treated like children,\u201d Simons adds. \u201cSuggest small changes and involve him in making decisions. Give him choices and options.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aim for small, gradual adjustments that move him in a healthier direction. \u201cIf he drinks whole milk, don\u2019t suddenly change to fat-free \u2013 it\u2019ll taste too watery,\u201d Uelmen says. \u201cMove to 2%, then maybe six months later, try 1%.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asking him to make changes, \u201cbe specific,\u201d Freeman says. \u201cInstead of pledging he\u2019ll cut down on sweets, it\u2019s better for him to commit to switching from regular soda to diet.\u201d<\/p>\n
4. Don\u2019t eliminate all his favorite foods.
Many patients are overweight or even obese, and need to lose weight in order to manage diabetes. But what\u2019s the best way to do it?<\/p>\n
Simons tells her diabetic patients: \u201cCut down on meats, especially the fatty ones, and whole-milk dairy foods to promote weight loss. And cut down on refined carbs to control blood sugar \u2013 eat vegetables and whole grains instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Refined carbs include white flour, sugar, white pasta and white rice.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mantra is moderation, not elimination,\u201d Uelmen says. If he loves ice cream, he can have it \u2013 occasionally, in small portions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some diabetes authorities tout menu planning based on the glycemic index (GI), which measures how much a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood sugar. The higher a food\u2019s GI, the more impact it has on blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n
And in general, the more processed a food is, the higher its GI. White bread, for instance, has a higher GI than whole-grain bread.<\/p>\n
However, other experts find the GI system too complicated as a method for weight loss. \u201cI stress cutting down on fats, particularly saturated fats in meat and cheese, limiting portion size, and exercise,\u201d Freeman says.<\/p>\n
5. Consider convenience.
A great deal of unhealthy eating is mindless, nutritionists say. If your guy wants a snack and there are cookies sitting out, he\u2019s likely to eat them.<\/p>\n
So you can help him manage diabetes by keeping healthful foods easy to reach, and unhealthy snacks out of the way, Uelmen suggests.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter,\u201d she recommends. \u201cMy husband likes fruit \u2013 and if it\u2019s right in front of him, he\u2019ll eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n
6. Don\u2019t forget flavor.
Increasing vegetable consumption can be an important factor is promoting weight loss. Non-starchy veggies are packed with nutrients yet very low in calories and carbohydrates, according to the American Diabetes Association.<\/p>\n
With all that going for them, you\u2019d think people would be more willing to eat their vegetables.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is that many Americans grew up eating horribly overcooked vegetables that taste like mush,\u201d Uelmen explains.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re the main family chef, you can help by learning the most flavorful cooking techniques. Uelmen suggests serving lightly steamed vegetables topped with a little salad dressing. \u201cThey keep their crunch,\u201d Uelmen says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also roast vegetables with a little olive oil,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
7. Help make exercise enjoyable.
The most important element of exercise is fun, Uelmen notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny physical activity helps \u2013 he doesn\u2019t have to join a gym,\u201d she says. \u201cIf he enjoys Ping-Pong, that can get him moving. If he likes to bowl, have couples\u2019 bowling nights. If he likes golf, encourage him to walk part way instead of always riding a cart.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s more likely to stay active if you join in, adds Freeman.<\/p>\n
\u201cOffer to take walks together, or get involved in other exercise he likes,\u201d she suggests.<\/p>\n
8. Get help.
Your guy may take advice on how to manage diabetes more seriously if it comes from a professional \u2013 such as a clinical nutritionist or certified diabetes educator.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re having trouble getting through to him, ask if he\u2019d like to consult an expert \u2013 then go to the appointment together,\u201d Uelmen suggests. \u201cLet the expert explain things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afterward, ask, \u201cWhat are you willing to do to stay healthy?\u201d<\/p>\n
When Susan Chester started asking that question, Mitch admitted that he really did want to lose weight and didn\u2019t want to develop diabetes complications.<\/p>\n
After that, he stopped grabbing fast-food breakfast sandwiches and now eats cereal with low-fat milk and fruit at home in the morning. He still snacks on chips, but buys smaller bags. And he still watches lots of sports on TV, but often while walking on the new treadmill in the den.<\/p>\n
So far, he has lost 12 pounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a start,\u201d Susan says. \u201cHe feels more energetic and likes it. Best of all, we\u2019re bickering less.\u201d<\/p>\n
She adds, \u201cI would do things differently, but it\u2019s not about me \u2013 it\u2019s about Mitch and how he wants to change.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
Read the original:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Has your husband been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? That probably means he needs to improve his diet, lose weight and exercise more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-416515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n