My Mums tips for weight management

Whitezombiegirl

I was thinking last night about how my Mum used to cook for the family. She was a professional cook and liked to make sure that the family maintained our weight. She loved to cook but she explained to us that cooking at work was very different from cooking daily at home- because if she ate the food she cooked at work every day she would gain weight. She would explain to me that all the added little ‘extras’ that make a meal taste extra-special were for exceptions- not every day. At 5ft0 and slim she (and us) had no room for those every day. She would try very hard to make lower calorie meal that were very tasty. (P.s she didn’t ‘do’ low fat or diet anything). So here goes:

My Mums tips:
- She didn’t double-up protein sources e.g. no meat and dairy in the same meal. One or the other.
- She didn’t double-up carb sources e.g. pasta, rice, potatoes, pastry, bread OR oven chips in a meal- never more than one, sometimes none.
- She did do lots of green veg with every meal
- She grilled, baked, boiled, poached and steamed where possible
- She was an expert at mixing flavours and using lots of herbs and spices (her spice, and condiment cupboard was enormous!)
- She didn’t do dessert in the week (unless 2 or 3 tinned peach slices for sweetness or an apple, maybe a small cookie if we had to) – but did bake a proper pudding on a Sunday and indulged in a regular-small sized piece, often with custard or ice cream.
- She also practiced portion control- and if we left any of our dinner, we had to finish it (cold- no microwaves back then) before we could have a snack or dessert. No seconds! Ever!
- She drank once a week- 1 -2 glasses of wine on a Sunday.
- She skimmed most of the fat off food and cooked with a minimum of added fat.
Most of all- for a regular everyday meals:
- She didn’t add the extra garnishes e.g. cheese on top, parmesan shavings, honey drizzle, sprinkle of seeds or nuts, swirl of cream, drizzle of olive oil, crisps on the side, salad dressing (only neat vinegar), butter on vegetables, sugary sauces, fried onions, cream or ice cream on the side, bacon-wrap/ topping, croutons, dips, garlic bread, dinner rolls- and NO mayonnaise etc.

She also had a tonne of tips for feeding a family on a budget – maybe I’ll write those up too.

On a similar note: since my Mum passed, my dad has been trying to re-capture some of her, through cooking (I think) and making every meal a gourmet feast. He’s also doubling the portion sizes as he’s cooking for one now, not two. He’s piled on the weight (morbidly obese) and already has a heart condition. I worry for his health- but it seems like cooking is his way of feeling close to her- any ideas to help? P.s I don’t live with him.

middlehaitch

Hi @Whitezombiegirl What a great mum you had. Sorry you lost her so early.

How about you try to recreate your mums recipes, write them down and take picture of the meal- correct portion size for your dad. Then make it into his very personal cook book. Photos of your mum in the kitchen or at the dinner table would make a nice inclusion.

Cheers, h.

Sued0nim

middlehaitch wrote: »

Hi @Whitezombiegirl What a great mum you had. Sorry you lost her so early.

How about you try to recreate your mums recipes, write them down and take picture of the meal- correct portion size for your dad. Then make it into his very personal cook book. Photos of your mum in the kitchen or at the dinner table would make a nice inclusion.

Cheers, h.

That's a really lovely thought @middlehaitch

nicoiam69

What a great post. My Mum was a fantastic cook, and I'm now a qualified chef. Mum always served a small portion of protein, a green vegetable, a red, yellow or orange vegetable and a white vegetable or side. Like your Mum the extras were reserved for Sunday lunch when we had a fancy meal and sometimes a glass of wine. Takeaway and processed foods were almost non existent in our home.
I believe the fact that she cooked from scratch and didn't use processed foods kept us all very healthy.
For my own family, I follow many of my Mums ways - lots of vegetables, some protein, try to avoid processed food and the extras we add in the restaurant. Eating my restaurant cooking daily is how I'm now 25kg overweight!!!!!!!