My husband calls it the old bait-and-switch: a man and a woman in the dating stage of their relationship diet and exercise like crazy to keep themselves in prime physical condition - then, once the honeymoon is over, one or both gain 20 pounds. It's not by any means an intentional misrepresentation - as we all know, once kids come along, and household chores multiply, everyone has less time to go to the gym.
Still, that doesn't mean you should just ignore it if you feel your spouse has put on too much weight, or tell yourself all that matters is how beautiful he or she is on the inside. Not only can those extra pounds affect your beloved's health, but your relationship will suffer if you find him or her less attractive. So, how should you broach what is obviously a loaded topic?
First, according to a great MSNBC article on the subject, don't be critical. Nagging your spouse or snatching the cookie right out of his or her hand is, obviously, not likely to inspire him or her to slim down. Instead, a loving, supportive attitude is much more likely to succeed. Help keep your spouse motivated by watching the kids for an hour so he or she can work out, praising both the effort and the results, and stocking the refrigerator with healthy snacks.
And, needless to say, you lose your cred if you yourself aren't working to keep yourself just as hot as you were the day you met. So, think about finding a sport you can do together, like biking, running or tennis - there are plenty of ways to have fun and burn calories at the same time.
