Getting fit is a team sport!

For years, my DH has been a major roadblock to my various get-fit activities. In his opinion, running takes me out of the house too much, batch cooking my lunches on Sundays is too much work, and going to the gym at 5 AM is crazy.

In reality, batch cooking takes much less time, my gym time is hours before he and DD wake up, and my Sunday crack-of-dawn long runs are done before anyone else is ready to even think about the day. He just gets a little cranky when my get-fit efforts go well, as he’s been less than happy about his own body for a long time.

WELL, this year my employer started a new program that pays us to get our annual physicals. Excited by the promise of an extra $300, DH happily visited his GP for his first well visit in years.

You see where this is going, don’t you? After the visit, DH qualified for an employer-sponsored research study on weight loss with an internationally recognized weight control expert, with the promise of another $300 after a successful return trip to his GP.

Of course DH signed up, and immediately began following the major tenants of the study: keep a log of everything you eat, weigh in daily, and commit to a small amount of exercise every day. (Geez that sounds familiar… where have I heard all of this before, fellow Sparkies?)

Because committing to a 1500 calorie diet is a HUGE undertaking for someone who’d been eating closer to 3500, I told DH that I would commit as well. So together, we began watching our portions and finding healthier options for his favorite meals. Cooking dinner became a team effort, and I ramped up my meal-planning efforts to find new veggie-packed recipes that we’d both like. We began experimenting, roasting veggies on my pizza stone, grilling them, and making homemade salsas to serve with grilled chicken.

We’re currently 5 weeks in, and I’m thrilled to report that DH is down 17 pounds!

The unexpected benefit is that my weight also started to drop. Because we’re in it TOGETHER, I had to step up my own habits in order to support DH and I also wasn’t being influenced by his bad habits. The weight fell off seemingly without effort, and I’m now down about 8 pounds from my highest weight this summer.

Also, after a cranky start, DH is now in a place where he can return the support. The pinnacle was this past weekend when I was scheduled for an 11 mile run as part of my training for an upcoming ½ marathon. DH helped me plan my route, made suggestions for a safer, more scenic course, and promised that he’d pick me up if any thunderstorms popped up (meteorology in New England is an imprecise science…).

Pre-run, DH made sure that I had enough nuun and gu, and reminded me to start refueling before I felt that I needed it. When I made it home – drenched from the rain I’d been assured would not happen by the aforementioned meteorologist – he reminded me to stretch and use the foam roller. He said that he’d actually come to watch my race this year!!

While I’m sure that we’ll still hit an occasional rough patch – and he continues to joke that I should take up an easier sport, like ping pong – I can’t put words to how happy I am about our combined success. I’m excited about our weight loss, but I’m thrilled by the TEAM we’ve become in the last few weeks.