Dear Abby: My wife and I went for our annual checkups seven months ago. We were both overweight and told by our respective doctors that we needed to make some lifestyle changes to improve our health. Since that time, I have made the needed changes.
As a result, I have lost 40 pounds, and all of my vitals are in a healthy range. My wife has not made any changes. There has been no weight loss, and she has to take medication for a couple of issues.
While I have made sacrifices, she has made excuses. I love her dearly, but I am very frustrated. I have been positive and encouraging, but it doesn’t seem to help.
We are both at an age at which we need to take our health seriously. This isn’t about looks or appearance; it’s about health. I really want us to have long and healthy lives together.
If there is any advice you can provide, I am open to hearing it. — Fitter in Indiana Dear Fitter: Other than modeling healthy exercise and eating habits for your wife, there is nothing you can do to force her off the trajectory she is on. Changing one’s lifestyle (or not) is a personal choice.
Motivation has to come from within, and she has to be determined to make the effort. Her doctor, not you, should discuss making those changes with her and the reasons for it. Even small changes can make a big difference.
Dear Abby: I have a 7-year-old great-granddaughter, “Emma.” She’s beautiful, smart, happy and just wonderful. Her dad, my grandson, and her mother are no longer together,.
