Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if this sounds snarky but if you were to drop your DH into a deserted island and come back 3 months later…you’d find a much thinner man. I think as Americans we tend to be in denial about what a “normal” amount of food and snacking is. Baked chips, English muffins with jelly, etc.. is not healthy food. He needs to cut back on the snacking and also his overall calorie intake.

OP here, and yes, you are likely correct. I think part of the issue is that years ago, he went to see a nutritionist, and that person mentioned that for some people, eating small meals every 2 hours was the best approach. I think he uses that rationale to justify eating all the time, and since it is small - a few pretzels/carrots and hummus, an english muffin with PB and jelly, etc - that it prevents him from overeating at dinner. Which it does, actually. However, the cumulative total of calories in is too much.

An English muffin with peanut butter is not a small snack. It’s a meal.

Read Always Hungry, by Dr. Ludwig. He probably needs more protein and fat, and fewer carbs, to feel full.

Anonymous wrote:I bet you will find he is deficient in a bunch of vitamins - ask the doctor to check at least his vitamin b and d levels, also ferritin, magnesium. I have a theory - call me crazy - but a lot of obese people are constantly hungry because their body isn't getting what it needs. If you snack on chips and junk food all day (or if you did as a child) you are taking in food but your body is saying, "nope, that's not it, send something else." And you are constantly tired because your body isn't getting what it needs despite all the calories you are taking in.

I think your theory is onto something. If the food we eat is not nutritious, we eat a lot more of it in an effort to satisfy the nutritional needs of our bodies.

Anonymous wrote:We live in a culture where we think that we need to snack. Every time Americans bring their kids anywhere, they are toting a snack.
I would recommend cutting out all snacking. It is most likely boredom or habit rather than a hunger. Redirect his energy into something else - a hobby, sleep, sex, exercise, whatever. Good luck, it is very difficult to change bad habits.

I think there’s a lot to be said about this. It was one of my big takeaways from Weight Loss for Busy Physicians. We seem to think there’s something wrong with getting hungry in between meals. We control kids’ behavior by keeping them constantly fully sated. “Hangry” is a character flaw.

I try and limit the snacking for myself and my kids. Don’t get me wrong, if we’re going a long time between meals or if we’re doing something strenuous that’s completely different, but we try and stick with gum and water in between meals.

as very last resort, he could also try surgery if other methods (re diet) doesn't work.

I bet you will find he is deficient in a bunch of vitamins - ask the doctor to check at least his vitamin b and d levels, also ferritin, magnesium. I have a theory - call me crazy - but a lot of obese people are constantly hungry because their body isn't getting what it needs. If you snack on chips and junk food all day (or if you did as a child) you are taking in food but your body is saying, "nope, that's not it, send something else." And you are constantly tired because your body isn't getting what it needs despite all the calories you are taking in.

We live in a culture where we think that we need to snack. Every time Americans bring their kids anywhere, they are toting a snack.
I would recommend cutting out all snacking. It is most likely boredom or habit rather than a hunger. Redirect his energy into something else - a hobby, sleep, sex, exercise, whatever. Good luck, it is very difficult to change bad habits.

Anonymous wrote:My husband is 5'8 and 240. He asked his doctor to check his thyroid function and it was normal. The people in his immediate family all seem to just have a "slow" metabolism.

DH usually eats 2 meals and maybe one snack. I eat more like OP's DH and weigh 115. There may just be a genetic component.

He is likely eating more than either of you think. Have him weigh track and measure everything he eats for 2 weeks to see how many calories he is really eating.

A few thoughts...

1. Have him eat in a window of time (2pm-8pm) with no restrictions. See if this intermittent fasting works.

2. Check his gut health. Your stomachs biome plays a huge role in weight gain and loss. Add probiotics and prebiotics

3. Hormones could be at play..has he had his testosterone checked?

4. Start a solid supplement routine that helps the body burn fat. Some adaptogens are great at this.

5. Eliminate nighttime snacking altogether. Tea with honey if he needs something sweet. No alcohol after 8pm.

6. Incorporate high intensity exercise. 20 minutes of oh my god ,I can barely breathe. On for one minute, off for one minute.

7. Lots and lots of non-sugar hydration

8. Sauna/hot bath plus super cold showers. A huge metabolic boost.

Best of luck to him.and his long term health

My husband is 5'8 and 240. He asked his doctor to check his thyroid function and it was normal. The people in his immediate family all seem to just have a "slow" metabolism.

DH usually eats 2 meals and maybe one snack. I eat more like OP's DH and weigh 115. There may just be a genetic component.

Clench a fist. Portions should be no more than this size.

OP, I hate to say it but the diet you describe is pretty much what I would expect for someone who is obese. There isn’t much difference between baked chips and regular potato chips. He’s consuming a big volume of food and he is a big guy.

Portion size matters.

(Sorry)

Maybe an electronic food scale to measure portion sizes would be a good starting point for him? They are easy to use and available on amazon.

OP, I echo all the previous sentiments about your husbands eating habits.

I also suspect your husband is sneaking lots of unhealthy food too. Probably at night when you’re asleep. I have several obese people in my family and we *only* see them eat healthy food when we’re all around. I’ve long suspected that they eat in secret when folks aren’t around. What we’re seeing them eat isn’t enough to sustain 400-450 pounds of weight.

Even "healthy" food has calories. If someone is gaining weight they are eating too many calories. I am a pretty firm believer that the actual foods you eat matter much less than the calories you consume.

The eat every 2 hrs to lose weight is based on the notion that you shouldn't get too hungry to avoid overeating. But is isn't magic. If you eat 3000 cal/day it doesn't matter if that is over the course of 1 meal, 2 meals of 10 meals. All that matters is the overall calories consumed.

He should work on eating just 3 meals a day, no snacking, no eating after 7pm.

Get him the “Beck Diet Solution” book to work on the psychology piece.