The buddy system works well when you're to trying lose weight, but what happens when your partner is your spouse?
For Larry and Clare DeBoever, losing weight together has made the weight loss twice as nice.
"Doing it together has accelerated what we've lost and made us both healthier," Clare DeBoever said.
Her husband brought up the idea of losing weight 15 months ago.
"We talked about it and made a commitment to each other -- 'We're really going to do this,'" Larry DeBoever said.
He took over their meals because his wife gets home from work late. But his schedule allows him to shop for groceries and get home earlier to start dinner.
Clare DeBoever helps out in the kitchen if she gets home in time. If not, dinner's almost ready by the time she walks in the door.
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Cooperation, commitment and some healthy competition all work in the Dallas couple's favor.
"I'm still stunned at how quickly she was able to lose so much of weight because I was convinced I'd be better at this than she," Larry DeBoever joked. "I should've been better."
He said he has lost 52 pounds and is still working toward his goal. His wife has lost 68 pounds, more than her goal of 60.
But when couples aren't on the same page, it can create trouble.
James Conley, a fitness trainer and owner of Next Level Personalized Training, said he has seen it happen.
"It does cause some problems, and it some cases divorce," he said.
Conley said it's most often a difference in interests. As one spouse loses weight and gets fit, the other may not be at that point in his or her life.
"She's prone to do things physically active, and he isn't, and it causes some dissension between the spouses," he said.
Online articles on the topic talk about spouses who get mad or jealous, tempt the other with favorite foods and even accuse the other of betrayal and infidelity.
A WebMd article offers suggestions to make battling the bulge together easier. It tells people to recognize that biological differences between men and women will impact weight loss and suggests couples come up with a plan before getting started.
