Don't Put Other People's Needs Ahead of Your Own

Most women do it - especially if they have children.

And let me tell you that's a mistake. Children need to hear "no" once in a while. If the mom is always giving the kid the last bit of food on the plate (or allowing the kid to stroll into the room and change the TV channel from what the mom is already watching to what the kid wants to watch - a pet peeve of mine as that's what my sister allows her son to do) - it is only bad for them, as they grow up believing that what their parents want - and particularly what their mom wants - doesn't matter.

Well, let me get off that rant.

When two people are married, or living together, eating habits change. Always remember that a guy can typically eat more than a woman without gaining weight because they have faster metabolisms and more muscle mass (which burns calories faster).

Guys will attempt to "sabotage" their mate's dieting. According to 10 Habits That Mess Up A Woman's Diet, a guy will think that if his girlfriend/wife goes on a diet, he'll have to do so, too. So it's not so much that he doesn't care what his woman looks like, he just doesn't want her to care what he looks like.

There's some truth to that. It's always easier to lose weight and maintain weight if you have a partner who is with you every step of the way, and it's much harder to lose weight if you're relaxing in bed with an apple while your partner is gorging on a hot fudge sundae!

The solution to this problem is up to you. There's such a cliche about women nagging their husbands to do this and not do that... I personally would prefer a man to keep his weight within the normal range for his height, body frame and age... I don't find pot bellies attractive...but it's important for women to realize that they are not going to lose the love of their partner if they dare to put on 5 extra pounds!

But one thing to do with spouse and kids is to eliminate food gifts. For bithdays, mother's days (and father's day) no chocolate - just flowers. Split desserts in restaurants instead of each person having their own dessert (which kids, very likely, won't finish on their own, anyway.)