She’s watching his weight

Dear Amy: My husband and I have been married for nine years.

When we were newly married, we had the luxury of running after work and hiking on the weekends. We did not have a lot of stress.

Fast-forward to two kids, a home, careers, a life out of balance — and my husband has gained about 60 pounds.

I am not judging him, as I understand stress eating, aging and having too little time to work out. I’ll love him no matter what.

My issue is his health. I’m terrified of him having a heart attack or a stroke.

He is a smart guy and knows he needs to lose weight, but he won’t try.

He eats bags of cookies, brownies and fast food. He refuses to go to the doctor because he says he “needs to lose weight first,” but he won’t make the effort to do so. He hasn’t had a physical in more than seven years.

I cannot bring myself to tell him that he really needs to lose weight, as I don’t want to make him feel worse than I know he already does.

I’m guessing it’s partially an emotional issue.

It’s getting to the point where something has to change.

How do I address this with him without making him feel ashamed or judged? Worried Wife

Dear Worried: Your husband knows he has an eating and weight problem. He has expressed as much to you, because he says he is avoiding getting a checkup because of the dreaded scale at the doctor’s office.

First, you should urge your husband to see his doctor and ask not to be weighed, if being weighed makes him uncomfortable.

People overeat for a variety of complicated reasons. If a person is committed to decoding these reasons, it can help them to regain control. A nutritionist can help to reset behaviors through education and coaching; a therapist can help by talking about stress and offering coping techniques.

Assure him that you love him, that you’ve got his back, and that you will make space for him to pursue any endeavors that might help him to regain his good health. If he doesn’t want to discuss it, leave the topic alone. He’ll get there when he’s ready.

Dear Amy: My legal given name, “Jan,” is a form of a common name, “Janet.”

I’ve always used my legal name; my family and friends call me Jan. It is the only name I’ve ever known.

A woman living in my town always calls me “Janet,” even though my daughter and I have told her many times what my real name is.

Yesterday in a grocery store she called me “Janet” twice, and I didn’t answer because my back was turned so I didn’t see her and — hello — it’s not my name.

She then came up to me, addressed me as “Janet” and asked me a question. This really bothers me! Should I remind her again, or just put up with it?

Bugged in Small Town

Dear Bugged: I wonder if you’ve ever told her that your “Jan” is not short for “Janet.” She may know a Jan/ Janet and reflexively revert to a name that isn’t yours.

The next time this happens, be patient: “You always call me Janet, but I get confused because that’s not my name. My folks named me Jan. It’s not short for Janet. It’s just Jan. So you can call me ‘Just Jan’ if you want, but I don’t answer to Janet.”

After that, if you continue to be misnamed, I think you should accept it as a quirk, and greet it with a sigh.