I love my husband to bits. I still find him attractive. We have been together 18 years and have no kids and have, for the most part, enjoyed a reasonably good sex life despite our busy lives.
We have always been faithful and I don’t look at other men but over the last 4-5 years he’s put weight on.
I’ve always been fairly fit and made an effort because - if I’m honest - I’m the wrong side of 40 and I don’t want him to look at younger women and compare me too unfavourably.
For the first year or so of him being a bit overweight I didn’t say anything. I’ve always cooked healthy meals but he snacks a lot. In fairness he does put on weight quite easily.
I am NOT a fat snob and I’m not saying he’s massive but I don’t find him attractive the way I used to and it’s not very arousing for me these days when we are intimate.
I did nag him about his weight for a while (4 years ago) and I accept that was a bad move and I shouldn’t have done it and after that I stopped.
Anyway - we’ve been having sex a lot less often in the last year or so and he keeps bringing it up and saying I never make advances towards him any more - and it’s true - I don’t.
He’s mentioned it so many times over the last year that I finally opened up and told him that I don’t want to hurt him but I find him less physically arousing because he’s let himself go a bit. I don’t recall what exact phrase I used but I tried not to be too harsh but I think I worded it badly and inevitably he wasn’t going to want to hear it but he’s clearly very upset and then got angry.
I feel that he could maybe have made a bit more effort to exercise and not eat so much junk, like I do for him - but he says that’s my choice.
He’s hurt that I said anything and I replied by saying I’m sorry he’s hurt but can’t he also see that for me maybe it doesn’t make me feel too great that he seems to have stopped making an effort and I think he doesn’t care about me.
That was the final straw. He says I’m “insane” and he’s leaving me and that it’s “ludicrous” for me to feel that it shows he doesn’t care about me just because he’s put a few stone on.
I’m sure I have been unreasonable and I am so sorry I have hurt him - but my question is - am I unreasonable to think he could have made a bit more effort and that would have made me feel special and made me want to have sex with him more often? Am I being selfish?
He works fewer hours than I do and I cook a meal every night and have less time than him but still do my best to exercise. Maybe I’m being unrealistic.
Thanks for any input. I don’t want to talk to my friends about it because I don’t want to embarrass him. He’s a very good man and I do love him - I just didn’t want to keep pretending and making up reasons not to have sex.