Meal plans for my man - help!

Kazmerelda

Hi All,

I am doing ok diet and exercise wise, and losing weight and feeling so much better.

My man - not so much! Long story short he had a major illness as a child which meant he didn;t take part in any form of exercise until he was in his teens and by then it was too late. He hated it. He also loves his food, and we are not talking necessarily sweet things or lots of bad stuff but he loves it when I cook meals. They are healthy, good lean meals which he would typically eat a couple of portions of.

He wants to lose 2 stone, he loves walking now and will go cycling (I have bought a bike to encourage him out too). However right now he is not losing any weight. He has stopped gaining which is fine, but I want to encourage him to feel better about it all.

So any good ideas? Typical meals would be stews with lots of veg and lean meats, I make chilli regularly with rice (just switching to brown rice), we have steak (again lean he hates the fat anyways) with sweet potato wedges and veg or salad (only have balsamic dressing on the salad). Pasta bake (with gluten free pasta as I am a coeliac) with homemade tomato sauce and roasted veg and bacon.

I use hardly any oil, I have a spray and I parcook things like spuds before they go in the oven to avoid extra oil where I can.

He loves most foods, should I be upping the protein? He is finding himself tired all the time as well, we both have stressful sedentary jobs that require alot of out of hours cover so time is of a premium. I have only been to the gym about twice in the last month due to it, although it should be better now that things are calming down.

Thanks for any help, it is appreciated.

TavistockToad

if he wants to lose weight he just needs to eat less... this is up to him to do, not you...

sadrithmora

Having protein is never a bad thing really, it will prevent from losing actual muscle. If he's not exercising too much, you can slowly cut out some carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes) and replace with more fibre-full options like veggies, and some good fat. I'm always tired and hungry if I don't eat my fats. Fatigue can also be a sign that his body isn't absorbing all the nutrients that come from his food, and you might need medical advice on that. Going grain free helped me with that, so now I don't feel tired anymore. Hope it helps.

martyqueen52

Mass prep chicken breasts (bonless / skinless) by the 3 or 5lb bags.

Cook it up on a Sunday, store it in a container, and take out however much you want throughout the week.

Top chicken with salsa, light mayo for wraps or sandwich, hot sauce, mustard. Pair it with a huge *kitten* salad, and a small greek yogurt.

Laura732

Agree with above re: mass prep. However, use one of the weight loss calculators to verify how many calories he should be eating, and then make sure he is. Also, instead of 3 meals, try maybe 4-6 to see if it helps w/ his energy levels. This may also help him cut down on portions at meals, too. 40% Carbs, 30% Protein, 30% fats is a good place to start as far as the macro balance goes.

slk_5555

If he is not losing weight, then he does not have a deficit.

My husband is in the same boat right now, he has stopped gaining, but is not loosing. I feel that unless he takes some control & starts tracking, I cant do it all for him. He does want to loose weight, but I guess it is a question of how committed he is.

I cook for my husband some of the time, but he is quite a fussy eater compared to me and he wont plan ahead. It gets to dinner time & then he asks me what is available, like I can magically offer a 6 page menu of options for him?? Portion control is important too - my husband could eat potato until he is about to burst. Also my husband will eat good for a few days & then just starts eating takeaways & does not seem to realize that he is just undoing any good work from earlier in the week - hence staying the same.

I'm sorry I don't have much advice, but I can sympathize. If I don't track on MFP, then I don't loose. I believe if my husband really wants to loose weight, then he needs to do the same.

1PatientBear

if he wants to lose weight he just needs to eat less... this is up to him to do, not you...

This. You bought him a bike and you're cooking all his meals?? Good grief. Does he have the ability to do anything for himself?? He needs to take ownership in losing weight. The more you try to do it for him, the less effort he will make and ultimately, neither of you will get what you want.

oregonzoo

This is his thing. Not yours. You sound like you are taking good care of him. Let him take it from here.

MegE_N

So far I've been losing weight with little exercise - just walking, mostly.

The big thing that we did was cutting grains from our dinners. Instead of having chicken and rice, we'll have chicken and salad, or chicken and sauteed veggies, or chicken and grilled mushrooms. Or tacos with soft shells and salad. It really saves us on the calories.

Although to real nutritionists I'm sure it makes NO sense, but we're sort of modeling our diet after the 'revised food pyramid' concept that has veg as the base of the pyramid, with grains further up in smaller portions. So we aren't thinking of this as a 'low carb' lifestyle but rather as altering our diet to meet new recommended standards. So far it's going well for both of us.

Best of luck!

MissFit0101

if he wants to lose weight he just needs to eat less... this is up to him to do, not you...

gypsy_spirit

If he wants to lose, steer him to MFP and let him set up his own account. Then he will be able to invest his time into getting healthy. You have to steer your own weight loss wagon. If you try and drive it, he's gonna bail.

GiveMeCoffee

My husband said he wanted to lose weight, I helped him sign up for MFP create an account, and showed him how to set his calories, log his food, and use the food scale. I do occasionally harass him to go for a bike ride with me, but that's only because it's in my contract to annoy him so many times a day. Other than that he is on his own, if he wants it, he'll do it, if he doesn't he won't. I'm not his mother and he can take responsibility for his goals.

SonicDeathMonkey80

Is he an invalid? Leave him alone. You're not his mom.