How Major Weight Loss Impacted These 4 Couples’ Love Lives
“I didn’t always want to hear, ‘Do you really need to eat that?’” (Photo: Shutterstock)
When you undergo something as life-changing as losing 80 pounds or more, it’s kind of a given that more than your BMI is going to be affected. And when you’re part of a couple, you can bet that your slim down will impact your relationship, too—for better or for worse.
To find out how love also undergoes a makeover when one partner sets out to drastically improve her health, we spoke with four couples who have been there, done that, and lived to tell about it.
Kelly Lost 115 Pounds in About Two Years
The good: “When Kelly and I both decided that we needed to lose weight, we really motivated each other to keep making healthy choices. Since we have a small child, we had to learn how to collaborate better so that we could both fit exercise into our schedules and take care of our son. We didn’t have as much downtime together, so we really started to miss each other. That made our shared time more special, though.” —Don
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The not-so-good: “Don really helped hold me accountable while I was on my way to losing more than 100 pounds, and though that was nice, sometimes it was hard because I didn’t always want to hear, 'Are you still hungry?’ or 'Do you really need to eat that?’” —Kelly
“The time apart was hard to get used to; it was tough feeling like a single parent sometimes.” —Don
Roxie Lost 123 Pounds in 13 Months
The good: “Helping to motivate her to work toward her goal was something I really enjoyed. I encouraged her to go to the gym with me and helped push her during her workouts. I love that she feels more confident in herself. Sometimes, I look at her and can’t believe how far she’s come. I won’t lie; I’m more attracted to her than ever.” —Peter
“Before I lost weight, all I wanted to do was sit at home and do nothing; I was very depressed. Now, Peter and I are always going to the gym together and pushing each other to keep up our healthy habits. After losing 122 pounds, my loose skin makes me self-conscious about being naked, but he’s always super supportive about it and makes me feel good about myself.” —Roxi
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The not-so-good: “There were some weeks when she was upset that she wasn’t losing any weight, and it was really, really hard to see her go through that. I just tried to stay positive, but it didn’t always help.” —Peter
Elisha Lost 82 Pounds in About a Year
The good: “Now that we’re more active together, I would say that intimacy has definitely improved. It’s probably because we actually both ended up losing weight after she set out to lose 80 pounds. We feel better about ourselves now. —Brian
The not-so-good: "There was a period when Brian wasn’t trying to get healthy with me, so I would have to cook separate meals for myself and he would bring soda into the house, which really annoyed me. I felt like he didn’t understand how important living a healthy lifestyle was to me. That was stressful.” —Elisha
“When we get super busy and Elisha doesn’t have time to work out, I do notice that she gets a little cranky, which is something that never happened before she started getting in shape.” —Brian
Jennifer Lost 175 Pounds in 18 Months
The good: “Brett was really supportive when I set out to lose about 175 pounds. He encouraged me to skip the fast food and start eating home-cooked meals. He knew that I had tried a bunch of diets before that didn’t work, and he told me I shouldn’t give up and that I was losing weight to get healthy, live a longer life, and be able to keep up with our newly adopted son.” —Jennifer
“Before Jennifer started to lose weight, I would go on walks by myself, but now I really enjoy her coming with me. It gives us more time together, and it’s been really cool to see her progress. When we first met, we went on a long hike together, and she could barely finish it. Recently, we did the same route with no problem at all.” —Brett
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The not-so-good: “When I would question her for picking something that wasn’t exactly healthy at the grocery store or going over her calorie intake, I felt like I was being mean, but I just wanted to be helpful because I knew that losing weight would make her healthier and happier overall.” —Brett
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