What do you do for your main meals when everyone else prepares high calorie food?

spacetreemonkey
spacetreemonkey Posts: 171 Member
in Getting Started
And when they don't want to tell you the ingrediants they have used, or how much of things? I'm living with my parents who had highly physically active lives growing up when they were learning how to cook and they haven't shifted to lower calorie meals or healthier meals.

Should you just guess what you are eating, or start making your own dinners? I'm wondering if I should just have toast, or porridge for my evening meals while I'm losing weight, although that may not be sustainable long term, and I would be unintentionally cutting out meat.

My dad suggested I take over the cooking, but wouldn't that make it more challenging when I have to weigh/figure out my portion?

Replies

  • Elphaba1313
    Elphaba1313 Posts: 205 Member
    absolutely take him up on taking over the cooking, or doing it together. Then you can track the ingredients, put it in the recipe builder, and work out what is in each portion size. AND you will be learning a life skill as well as having quality time with your parents.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,892 Member
    Cooking yourself would give you ultimate control of what you're eating and knowledge of what's in it. Sure, it's a bit of work, but way more accurate.

    I really don't recommend eating porridge or toast as a replacement meal:
    - not enough protein
    - not learning how to eat in a normal way (doing things temporarily during weight-loss meals it all the more likely you will regain after 'going back to normal')

    Another option I see (compromise between taking over the cooking and staying in the current situation): taking smaller portions of their high calorie foods and larger portions of lower calorie foods. If there aren't any lower calorie foods available, consider preparing those yourself. For example: instead of two hamburgers, eat only one, but have a large salad on the side. You could have them still preparing dinner, but you make a lower calorie vegetable side to go with it,.
  • spacetreemonkey
    spacetreemonkey Posts: 171 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Another option I see (compromise between taking over the cooking and staying in the current situation): taking smaller portions of their high calorie foods and larger portions of lower calorie foods. If there aren't any lower calorie foods available, consider preparing those yourself. For example: instead of two hamburgers, eat only one, but have a large salad on the side. You could have them still preparing dinner, but you make a lower calorie vegetable side to go with it,.

    I talked to my Dad and he's making cauliflower cheese, mashed potatoes, stirfry veges and chicken breast with tinned tomato and onions.

    I'm going to have cauliflower without the cheese (it would be hard to know how much cheese he's added, and I've already had cheese today), a plain potato, maybe stir fried veges or frozen corn/peas and the chicken.

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