Food from Mom

msarro

So, my mother is retired and absolutely adores cooking. She is diabetic(and while she claims its genetic, I honestly believe, looking back at how my family eats, that it isn't. The thing is, since she cooks so much, every time I visit there's a TON of food, and she refuses to let me leave without a ton of it - she even bought me a water cooler just to transport food.

Now, the hard part is, she's an amazing cook. The even worse part is I don't know what she puts in any of the food at this point. For instance, I just had a cup of her macaroni and cheese, and while it was delicious, i had to pour off a bunch of oil. This could likely either be butter, or from the cheese. But I'm way under on my calories for the day, so I figured what the heck?

How can i politely ask my mom to only send me home with fruits and veggies? I love her pre-made meals, but they're just soooo bad for me. And I despise letting food go to waste in my freezer forever

msarro

So, my mother is retired and absolutely adores cooking. She is diabetic(and while she claims its genetic, I honestly believe, looking back at how my family eats, that it isn't. The thing is, since she cooks so much, every time I visit there's a TON of food, and she refuses to let me leave without a ton of it - she even bought me a water cooler just to transport food.

Now, the hard part is, she's an amazing cook. The even worse part is I don't know what she puts in any of the food at this point. For instance, I just had a cup of her macaroni and cheese, and while it was delicious, i had to pour off a bunch of oil. This could likely either be butter, or from the cheese. But I'm way under on my calories for the day, so I figured what the heck?

How can i politely ask my mom to only send me home with fruits and veggies? I love her pre-made meals, but they're just soooo bad for me. And I despise letting food go to waste in my freezer forever

annhjk

Do you have any single friends? They might benefit from it and your mom won't get her feelings hurt.

julie737

I know what you mean about letting food go to waste, but I've learned it's better to throw food away rather than wear it! Or as my grandma always says, "Better to waste it on the outside than on the inside."

Giving it away is a much better idea, but perhaps your mom would understand how bad you want to lose weight. It's worth a try...

GravyGurl

I was going to recommend the single friends also. You could always put a lil bit in the freezer so you're still getting your homemade taste once in awhile when you want to splurge. Or else maybe take it to work and let people help themselves in case they forgot their lunch.

AJCM

I'm with Ann....

Can you also explain the whole "MFP thing" to your mom, and be assertive when it comes to taking the food, and take as small a portion as you can get away with (and give it to friends as Ann suggested)?

I wouldn't worry about it, and I look at it like this - there is nothing wrong with throwing excess food in the garbage, if the alternative is using your own body as a garbage can. Might as well dump it directly into the trash, and save yourself the workout(s) to get rid of it after (over) eating it!
:flowerforyou:

Good luck!

(I posted at the same time as the previous 3 message... so ditto to what you all said!)

AJCM

I know what you mean about letting food go to waste, but I've learned it's better to throw food away rather than wear it! Or as my grandma always says, "Better to waste it on the outside than on the inside."

Jules - I LOVE your grandma!
:flowerforyou:

auntkaren

It would be a good idea to inform her more about MFP and see if you can't get her to try some of the recipe's make copies of some of the information, with her being diabetic it would really help to know the nutrients in the meals, and how better fruits and vegetables . Share what you are eating by showing her your copy of your journals.:flowerforyou:

julie737

I wouldn't worry about it, and I look at it like this - there is nothing wrong with throwing excess food in the garbage, if the alternative is using your own body as a garbage can. Might as well dump it directly into the trash, and save yourself the workout(s) to get rid of it after (over) eating it!
:flowerforyou:

That's a very vivid image--using your own body as a garbage can. I think that'll help me in the future! LOL

emtink

my husband is the culprit here. he cooks all our dinners, and a lot of them were really bad. enchilada bakes, mac and cheese (with bacon on top), etc. i finally told him after one enchilada night that some veggies would have been nice too, and that enchilada sauce doesn't count. i explained that i love his cooking, and i love that he cares about feeding me delicious food, but that it makes my weight loss more difficult. he has really improved the meals since then. we still have 'bad' things, like skirt steak, but he serves it with steamed veggies and fresh salsa.

moms want to feed their kids, so if you explain what your goals, and offer healthier alternatives, i'm sure she'll come thru for you.

em:flowerforyou:

msarro

Thanks for the feedback guys I'm gonna give it a try. She's usually really supportive, but she also tends to be very sensitive when it comes to cooking (in a Soul Food kind of way, if any of you have seen the movie).

I still have about 90% of the mac n cheese left, and gosh was it good! Either way, tomorrow we're going walking if the beautiful weather holds, and then saturday is an airsoft day so I'll definately burn it sprinting through the woods!