Losing weight after pregnancy: How to get your partner on board
Have you set yourself a goal of losing weight after pregnancy and know that getting support will help you smash that goal? The best support you can have is your partner, but how do you get your partner on board?
The Healthy Mummy is all about supporting mums with their goal of losing weight after baby so we want to help you get the same support at home.
We want to help you with this by sharing some tips and advice on how to get your partner to join you in your weight loss and healthy eating plan (such as the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge), making losing weight after pregnancy much easier.
Why does the extra weight tend to stick around after baby?
It is very natural and healthy to gain weight during pregnancy but don’t feel that you’re expected to have rapid weight loss after pregnancy like you see in the media. Every mum is different.
Whether you are a first-time mum or you want to try losing weight after baby number two or three or more, each journey is different.
Every mother experiences pregnancy in their own unique way and the average time to lose baby weight is different for each woman.
That’s why you should not expect your weight loss journey to be the same as any other mum, everyone is different. What will help you is the motivation and support from other mums who have experienced the same feelings, hurdles, goals and constraints as you do.
There are multiple reasons you might not be losing weight after your pregnancy including your post-pregnancy diet, the stress of a new baby, your hormones could be out of whack or it could be something out of your control like muscle separation.
Shedding that undesired weight is not an easy process
If you are wondering how to lose weight after pregnancy but think it’s just too hard, remember that it isn’t an easy process. But with the right support and information, you can hit that weight loss goal and all the hard work is worth it.
There are many factors which can derail your motivation to try to lose weight after pregnancy. With the birth of any child, comes many additional stresses, including being tired, the stress of a new baby, health of yourself and your baby, financial issues, feeling isolated or alone and even just being too busy to put yourself first.
Don’t forget to go easy on yourself too! When losing weight after pregnancy your body needs time to recover from childbirth. This might be simple things like driving the car, picking up the shopping, carrying your baby or other children, even getting dressed can be a challenge!
So don’t go too hard on yourself – and your partner also needs to understand this. So take it easy, set achievable goals but realise that this isn’t a race and it’s always best to lose weight after pregnancy naturally and in a healthy way like the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.
Losing the weight gets easier if you have support
One thing that can assist any weight loss journey is to have support, whether that be from friends, fellow mums or from your family and in particular your partner. Having your partner and family get on board to support you will help you not only stay on track but they can also encourage you and keep you motivated.
But sometimes it’s not that easy to get the people around you to support you losing weight after pregnancy. Support might come in the shape of help from family or friends, or people in your local community. You can also find support in an online community, you can always find support groups full of people going through similar things to you to support you when those closest to you may not.
Even better is when you are in a community of mums like The Healthy Mummy, you will get an incredible amount of support, motivation and great tips on how to lose weight after pregnancy from real mums who have been through the ups and downs of motherhood. Join our Facebook community here.
Support is Good, But Getting Him on Board is Better!
When you are embarking on your weight loss journey you can look for support from friends and family. Support within the home is also a great way to stay motivated. With your partner on board it will not only help you reach your goals, but you can make small changes to show that it really can be easy for your partner to do as well. If you include foods and exercise that they enjoy it will make it even easier to get them onboard. Not only will you be more likely to succeed but he could lose weight and get healthy as well.
New fathers gain sympathy weight during pregnancy
People often joke that men gain sympathy weight during their partner’s pregnancy but there is some truth to this! A UK study proved that it may actually be true. So when trying to get your partner on board with your new healthy lifestyle, try and show them how it will also be good for them.
Read one dad’s story of weight loss inspired by his wife’s Healthy Mummy journey.
4 reasons why you should exercise together
1. You can motivate each other
Getting motivated to get moving and exercise is hard to do on your own but as a couple, you can motivate each other. If you ever have a flat day or a day you don’t feel like exercising you can push each other to make sure you get up and get your workout done for the day.
Just having some company can also help keep you motivated because really it’s more fun to exercise with someone else rather than on your own.
2. It strengthens your relationship
Exercising together means spending more time together as a couple not just new parents or a family but a couple. You will also be discussing your workout plans, your meal plans and how you plan to stay on track which will keep your communication open.
Even better? Get the whole family involved in picking recipes, shopping and preparing the food and make it a fun family activity to prepare the meals and everyone will want to enjoy what they make.
Being on this journey together will mean you will continually be communicating, encouraging and motivating each other which will add strength to your personal relationship not just as parents but as a couple.
3. Your exercise plan may improve
Having two heads to plan out the weekly exercise routines is better than one. Don’t worry if you each have different preferences when it comes to exercising and working out. The key is to do what you like and do more of it! You might even find that you will get more variety than if you planned it yourself.
If your partner is a fan of running but you’re more of a yoga lover, you can go for a run with them and they can join you for a yoga class. You each try some of what the other prefers which means you are less likely to get bored or unmotivated to exercise as it will often be something new.
4. Healthy habits are more fun together
It’s always harder to stick to healthy habits when your partner is snacking on some junk food. When you are both working on building healthy habits it means you can both enjoy it more and have fun with different foods and recipes.
You don’t have to miss out as there are so many delicious healthy, family and budget-friendly recipes for weight loss that your whole family will enjoy. Have fun, mix it up and try new things. Healthy eating with the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge doesn’t have to be a chore, get everyone involved, enjoy it and you will be more likely to stick with it.
And remember that The Healthy Mummy 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is not a restrictive diet – it is a healthy exercise and meal plan with over 4000 recipes to choose from. Why not try this delicious Stovetop Lasagne?
How to get your partner to work out with you
The best way to ensure your partner participates in your new healthy lifestyle, especially if they are more couch potato than a marathon runner, is to make the workouts fun for both of you.
If your partner would prefer to sit on the couch and watch sport than get out and go for a run, why not grab a ball, the kids and your partner and head to the local park for a game of football?
Ask for Help
Having kids can sometimes mean you pay less attention to what your partner wants or needs because you switch your focus to your kids. What a lot of partners often want is to feel ‘needed’ and if this feeling is met they will love to support you as best they can.
The best way to stay on track for your new healthy eating lifestyle and weight loss journey is to ask for help, get your family and friends on board to keep you accountable. Or join a community of like-minded mums to help you stay motivated and on track.
Encourage Him
When trying to keep your partner on board with your post-pregnancy weight loss plan make sure you encourage him with his own weight loss or health goals. He will be more likely to support you and encourage you if he is getting that same support and encouragement in return.
We all work a little harder and push a little more when we know that the people who love us are supporting and encouraging us to hit our goals. Make sure you are his biggest supporter and he will be encouraged to show you the same support in return.
Find ways to get motivated together
Working together is a great way to make sure you hit your goals and work towards a healthier lifestyle. If you are both struggling to stay motivated you could try to create a motivation board together that represents both of your goals. Place it where you will both see it most often.
If a board isn’t your thing, find something that you can do to keep you both motivated, keep it near you or somewhere that will remind you every day to keep going.
Make a plan
The best way to stick to any major change in lifestyle is to make a plan. And if you want your partner to join you on your post-pregnancy weight loss diet plan then make sure he is involved in the planning. So go on grab a pad and pen or your laptop and get planning!
If you aren’t keen on doing all the nitty-gritty planning for your post-pregnancy weight loss you can always sign up to The Healthy Mummy 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge which plans it all out for you.
You get access to thousands of healthy, easy to make recipes that the whole family will love and you get a fully customisable meal and exercise plan to suit your needs. All the recipes are family friendly, with lots of healthy versions of your family favourites (like these super easy Devilled Sausages).
Treat exercising together like a date
Couples with kids can struggle to find time just for them, especially new parents, so why not make the time you are exercising together your ‘couple’ time.
If you can book in time together at a regular time each week, you can treat it as one-on-one time with your partner. It’s not always easy to make time for yourself, but if you can try to make time for each other, you will share the journey together. This time could be exercising together, meal planning, even meal preparation and cooking. When you get the family involved it becomes fun and motivational at the same time.
Come up with rewards for small achievements
A great way to stay motivated is to reward yourself when you achieve something no matter how big or small.
Treating yourself and self-care is so important for anyone. Don’t be overwhelmed by large goals, make sure you set some smaller goals, like drinking a glass a water each day, or taking the stairs instead of the escalator or lift. Then reward yourself.
This can range from self-love (like a long bubble bath), to a physical reward (such as some fancy tea bags), but it doesn’t always have to involve buying something. There are LOTS of healthy snack options within The Healthy Mummy recipes that you can enjoy while still keeping your healthy eating on track. There are so many options to help you celebrate the small achievements and when you do it will help keep you both motivated when losing weight after pregnancy.
Whether your partner has put on a few extra sympathy pounds or you’re just looking for some support losing weight after pregnancy doing it together will help you stay on track and may even help your relationship.
If you need some help to get started sign up for our next 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and get a fully customisable meal and exercise plan that includes thousands of delicious budget-friendly and family friendly recipes.