Eight Ways to Turn Off Your Man

Another Valentine's Day has ended. Do you want to spend another Hallmark holiday with the same sweetie? Hoping this year together will be the best ever? Then avoid these common relationship mistakes.

8. Insisting that something is wrong between you and relentlessly asking what it is

Is your guy being quiet today? Maybe it has nothing to do with your relationship. Maybe he has acid reflux or work is stressing him out or his friend's annoying girlfriend has ticked him off again. Chances are he's not thinking about you every minute. He could be thinking about fishing, guitars, his favorite team, or even fantasizing about Scarlett Johansson. The point is, if he is coming home to, or coming to visit, you, he wants to be there. But when you pick and pry to find out why he is in a mood, or appears to be, he will want to be anywhere else but in the interrogation room. Think of how you feel when someone calls you a liar. This is essentially what you are doing when he tells you nothing is wrong and you argue that something must be. Being accused of lying makes anyone angry and distant.

7. Worrying aloud about your appearance

We've all heard the cliche that no sane guy will tell you if those pants make you look fat. The truth is, if he is in love with you too many pounds (or too few) are endearing. We all have a wildebeest of a sister-in-law who has been blissfully married for a million years, as well as a friend who was on the homecoming court in high school but gets dumped spectacularly every six months. Looks really are not the most important factor in relationship success. And for God's sake don't keep the lights off while you're making whoopie. This is as silly as the phrase "making whoopie." Everyone knows men are visual creatures. If he is with you, he wants to see you naked. When you put yourself down you are indirectly putting him down because you are saying he made a bad choice when he chose you.

6. Constant obsessing over food

Okay, maybe you want to eat cottage cheese and carrot sticks til summer. But you don't need to give your man the details of every thing you ate that day, unless you want to watch his eyes glaze over like that donut you're not eating. Keep a food diary if you need to talk about diet woes. And we all know guys don't like it when they take you to a restaurant and you order salad and water. Inability to enjoy food foreshadows some inhibitions in the bedroom. This turnoff is doubly harsh if you are obsessing over what he eats. Until he asks you for help with motivation, let the man enjoy a sane portion of ribs or the cheesecake he can eat for breakfast without gaining a pound. Hopefully, you're not his mother so don't treat him like your little boy. Unless you both are into that sort of thing.

5. Speaking ill of his mother

No matter what she does, no matter what he says about her, never say anything bad about his mother. Unless she is coming at you with a knife you always have to pretend that you like the woman. He can say whatever he likes about his family. He will never forget, however, that you said it was a good thing his mother's Easter dress distracted you from looking at her face.

4. Refusing to kiss him after you put on your lipstick

Men love to leave their territorial mark on you, hence the desire to kiss you when you just perfectly applied your favorite shade of ruby red. You can put on more lipstick but you can't take away the rejection he feels when you push him away.

3. Complaining about his friends

You don't have to be best friends with his friends but you do have to tolerate them. If you live with your boyfriend, and his friends are on your couch more than you are, it's time for a conversation. But as long as he spends more time with you than he does with them, remember he has to have interests other than your relationship. Don't sulk when he has a boys' night out; when you let him go, he'll be glad to come back later. Finally, if his friends are really that bad, maybe you shouldn't be with a man who would associate with those hyenas.

2. Pretending to like things just because he does

If you pretend you like Sheryl Crow's music now, you're looking at a life sentence of "Everyday is a Winding Road" on long trips.

1. Refusing to tell him why you're upset

I know, I told you not to pry when your man gets too quiet. But if you are sighing, rolling your eyes and covering up tear stains, don't keep saying nothing is wrong. I'm not telling you to be a beeyotch all the time; its okay to let some things go. But if something really needs to be fixed, taking the attitude that "if he doesn't know, I'm not going to tell him" doesn't help either of you. Plus, you insult his intelligence when you pretend he's not fluent in your body language. So go ahead and gently tell him you don't like that position during which he stands you on your head. Buy him a new shirt to replace the torn Iron Maiden '85 World Tour relic. Hell, let him have it for leaving his socks in the living room again. But when you do, remind him how sexy his smile is.