Preparing meals for non-dieting significant other

courtneylyn1

Hi all,

I was just curious as to how others on diets prepare meals for their significant others who are not dieting. Do you make them something separately or make enough of the healthy meal you will be eating for them also(providing they can make something additional if they would like)? Also, when at the grocery, do you buy only healthy options or consider the fact that they are not dieting? I can't imagine how much of a struggle this may be for a person who is trying to diet but still cooking the not-so-healthy meals on a daily basis. Is this an issue for you or is it easy? I never had to deal with this as I have always been a strict vegetarian and the stuff my husband splurges on, I want nothing to do with. Lol. I have always cooked something separately for him knowing that him and I will never be on the same page when it comes to food. I do love to bake though, so when I am making brownies or cupcakes it is a real struggle for me to pass for a healthier option. Also, if you are not the cooker, but the eater(LOL) does your significant other take into account that you are dieting? Just curious!

rainbow118

For us, I make my healthy meal and then he makes whatever he feels like making himself. We go grocery shopping together and we get my healthy food and his crappy food! Most of the time he eats a late lunch so he's not real hungry when I make my super anyways. This works for us. I try to get my husband to eat better but its a no go for him.

melimama2

The hubby and kids eat what I eat. He eats larger portions but he doesn't complain about what I cook. The only thing he complains about is the lack of "snacks" in the house. I have a hard time ignoring chips, cookies, etc. if they're in the cupboard so I just don't buy them anymore. I do buy some snacks for him occasionally but I make him take them to his office.

jwdieter

I just cook food and we eat the amount we want to eat. We often have leftovers. It's not terribly complex.

HeadsPoppingOutOfCups

Husband is actually really health conscious and used to complain if food was too unhealthy anyway. Honestly what I make hasn't changed much, I'm just eating less of it and avoiding the occasional take out, maybe grabbing lean pork or fish instead of steak. I already used ground turkey instead of beef anyway. I just make sure to have pretty small breakfasts and lunches to save the calories for dinner.

VeggChick

While my fiance is dieting, somewhat, he has a much smaller goal than myself and a much higher calorie count. Sometimes what I'll do is make enough of the healthy meal, but make enough so that he can have a better portion. Like tonight we made veggie burgers with a side of cucumbers and steamed cheesy veggies. I made sure that he had two of the burgers rather than one, and that he got the higher calorie bread. We were still able to eat the same meal and still able to consumer a good amount of calories for our bodies.

Mcgrawhaha

well, I have a husband and 5 kids... so, I prepare dinner as usual, and then make my own meal separately.

ncmedic201

We eat the same meal. I may make my boys an extra side depending on the meal.

KRB28

My family eats what I eat. Hubby actually likes it because he loses weight with me

MrsSchimmy

Since we adopted "clean eating" awhile back, my husband and 3 kids eat what I eat. They do have more snacks and have syrup on pancakes when I do not... things like that but it is generally the same food I eat. We all have one meal. When I adopted this lifestyle, I didn't do a "diet" mentality. I want to eat more healthily and why would I shove crap into my kids mouths that I wouldn't eat myself? We still go to fast food about once a month... they still get treats... but we eat well. My kids know WHY we eat this way and they have become very fond of my homemade desserts (carrot cake protein bars, pumpkin protein bars, banana muffins, etc).

amandatapar

I make food for my husband and 4 kids and then make my own. There is all kinds of food that I don't need but I just don't eat it. It doesn't tempt me like it used to.

acstansell

I cook the same way I always did, I just watch my portion size and substitute things like mac&cheese w/more veggies...

gracielynn1011

I still fix the same types of food, I just use healthier cooking methods and recipes. The longer I keep at it, the more I have been able to switch him over to healthy foods. I do all the grocery shopping, so I do still buy him sweets and some junk that he loves. I just try to balance that out with my healthy things. Just whatever you do, do not shop hungry!

Athijade

I would never tell my significant other what he could or could not have in our house. It is my choice if I do not want to eat something and I do not have the right to make that choice for another adult.

For me, meals are about portion control and having healthy options. If we have tacos (for example) I eat fewer of them with little (or no) cheese and sour cream. Spaghetti? I make sure to limit myself to a serving and then fill the rest of my plate with broccoli. Not hard at all.

VioletNightshade

For me, taste trumps all. I always go out of my way to make whatever I'm cooking tastes good. If I don't like it, I won't eat it - period, end of story.

Most everything I make has some sort of yummy sauce or is otherwise very flavourful. Whether I'm watching what I eat or not, I've never had people complain about the food I make because it's always important that it tastes very, very yummy.

I don't eat meat, though, and if my kind of sort of SO wants to add meat to the dish for himself, he has to cook it, himself. I won't touch it or prepare it. I do remember cooking times for meats, though, so if the flavours are supposed to marry, or bake together, I will go out of my way to make sure to set a portion aside, and call him when the meat is to be added to his separate dish, so that he can have his the way he wants it, and have it be done at the same time so we can eat together. However, if he wants whatever I'm making the way I want it, I'd always be happy to make more and share.

A little part of me does hold out hope that he'll come to the dark side and stop eating meat. It would make things a LOT easier. On the other hand, I'm sure he'd prefer I still ate meat, so I'd cook him his meat-based meals like I used to (I've caved and I'll make him my spaghetti with meat sauce sometimes, since it's his favourite thing on this and any other planet, and just set half the sauce aside before adding the meat so I can enjoy it, too)

Watching what I eat can't feel like a punishment for me, or I won't continue with it. It has to be fun, taste good and be satisfying or I'll ditch it and find something else.

SyntonicGarden

We shop together and try to make good choices. There are some things that he buys that I don't eat (meat on 4 feet) and things that I buy that he doesn't eat (much of the stuff grown on a plant and not frozen or in a can). We eat a lot of poultry when we cook for each other and make compromises with the rest. We agreed to divide a plate into 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch and 1/2 non-starchy/low starchy veg. I personally don't see the big deal in him grilling up a steak while I grill up some tofu or chicken for myself, so long as the veggies are on the plate as well. What's one more pan other than just something that makes both of us happy?

We try to keep the crap - like chips - to a minimum, as one of us is a mindless, boredom eater and the other binges when she's stressed. When we buy ice cream, we pay more to get the single serve cups, since it's less damning to the scale than a seemingly bottomless 1/2 gallon, but it's seriously curbed our ice cream consumption without having to give it up completely.

JourneyingJessica

For dinner, He eats what I eat~ I just give him larger portions & yummy stuff (like cheese guacamole etc).

He does get a higher calorie lunch. It may be two sandwiches made with whole grain regular cal bread with fruit. He also gets snacks like granola bars to take to work (i have no self control if its around ill wanna pick).

phoenixgirl81

For the majority of the time, I make us both the same meals.

E.g.

Breakfasts, unless specifically stated otherwise, I make us both toast and spreads of choice, or both of us porridge or both of us a cooked breakfast of the same thing (different quantities if desired). If cereal is being had, then it's cereal of choice. If I'm leaving for work first, and well before my partner wants to eat, then I just make myself food and leave her to her own devices. I've also been known to pack her off with an Up & Go for her drive to work in the car rather than make her breakfast. If we go out to eat for breakfast on the weekend or on a day off, we order what we want.

Lunches - I pack the same or similar foods for lunches. Sometimes I just pack her off with snacks and she gets her own lunch at work. Usually she has whatever she wants for lunch! lol

Dinner - I cook one meal and we both eat it. If we go out for dinner, we often order two separate dishes and share so we get to experience the different flavours.

She has been a fantastic support to me the whole way and if she cooks then she always writes down the weights of everything and always asks how many calories I have left for the meal and then she either makes a dinner within my calorie goal or we make a plan to walk off the excess after dinner together. I know. I'm extremely lucky.

I don't see the point in making two separate meals. If you want something different to what I'm eating, there's the kitchen. Make it yourself.

princessrisariri

This was so hard at the supermarket, I want to start by making little changes to lighter versions of the normal food I eat and gradually change my habits, but he won't even switch to 'lighter' bolognaise sauce or 'lighter' cheese or anything.
Everytime I reach for the slightly lighter option he moaned about it having no flavour etc.

I just insisted, and what I plan to do is cook up huge portions of food, give him a large portion, myself a small one and freeze the rest in little boxes to take to work.

candylilacs

He eats what I eat, but he's always welcome to eat more than one serving. He put on about 20 pounds in the last year, so he's trying to get that off. So far, he's down 10.

I also suspect he eats candy and soda at work!

dakotababy

We often have the same protein (chicken, steak, pork) and then we pick different sides. He may have potatoes and corn, I would probably have a salad with cucumbers.