what can I do about my emotional eater DH

[SarfEasticated]

My DH eats a lot of sweet, buttery, creamy food and is carrying quite a lot more wood over the tool shed than he should. He eats for comfort really, and I don't know what to do to stop. I don't feel I can bring it up with him as it is an emotional issue, and I don't know how to phrase it without hurting his feelings.
I can't just stop buying butter etc as he just goes out and buys it himself, or eats lots of toast while I'm in bed. He is pretty good at exercising but he is getting too big to do much exercise without hurting his joints now.
I'm worried about what this is doing to his heath, that he'll have a heart attack.
I'm at my wits end now, any thoughts would be appreciated.

Are you a perfect weight - if not could you go on a diet and suggest he joins you.... and then do it together?

How overweight is he? Can you say you are really worried about his health?

I'm not overweight, so it would seem like tokenism if I pretended I was IYKWIM. I would say he is a good 3 stone overweight, in XXL clothes and they are a bit snug on him.
He is quite down about it and it is having a big effect on his confidence (which makes him eat more), so I need a way to get it sorted.
I feel pretty out of my depth.

Well how about a whole family healthy eating plan? Switch to Low GI foods - pulses, wholegrains, lots of lean protein, veg, fruit etc. Works well. Is very healthy as no major food groups are cut out. It's also filling so he is less likely to be peckish and snack a lot.

If you know he is down about it presumably he talks about it?

No he doesn't talk about it, I can just tell by the way he holds himself. Sad.
Any Low GI books you can recommend?

Hard as it may be, you might just need to sit him down and say that you can see he is down, and that you suspect its about his weight! Say it makes you sad that he is down and explain that because you love him you want to help?

If he's anything like most overweight people with slim loved ones, he'll see right through the GI family plan and think you want him to do it for you.

He's lucky to have someone who cares about him so much!

Yes you're right, picking the right words is v important isn't it, they are all pretty loaded aren't they. Will try tonight.