Cooking meals for others while you're on a diet?

I am raising my teenage sibling on my own due to our family situation. I need to watch what I eat for dinner and can't have a "normal" dinner that my brother eats (he can eat whatever and not gain anything). This is so hard when I'm already suppressing my desire to eat real food instead of the healthier options. Anyone else going through this? How do you deal with it? (Honestly do you really LOVE eating your broccoli, lean meat and brown rice while making crab cakes and pasta for your family? After a few days I get pretty depressed and sad about it!!)
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Replies

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Cook large portions of lean meat, broccoli, and brown rice so that you and he can eat the same foods.
    For between meals, have lots of good "snack" foods available for him to grab: bagged fresh veggies, fruit, bread, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, hard boiled eggs. He will be fine.
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    is he mentally disabled or do you just choose to be his...


    let him make his own food or starve. Hes not 5.

    yes, broccoli is good... I like Lawry's seasoned salt on it. And who doesnt like filet mignon, chicken, bison, etc?
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,862 Member
    I cook for a family of 6, including me. They eat what I make. Lean meat, whole grains and lots of veggies are good for them too! I am not on a diet, I am changing a whole lifestyle and anyway, my 4 kuds have always eaten well.
  • proudjmmom
    proudjmmom Posts: 145 Member
    I have to agree with the person above me. This is a lifestyle change not just for myself, but my family, I have a husband and 4 children (only 2 are mine). I cook 1 main meal per day (dinner), and for the most part we all eat the same. Breakfast and lunch is whatever they like. My main meal consists usually of lean meats, a grain/starch, and a veggie, every day. They deserve to have a healthy meal too. I've also slowly started buying more healthy snack options for everyone, veggies, and fruits. No complaints here that anyone is hungry.
  • Yep same here. Just me and my husband but he eats the same as me, either as a bigger portion or with an extra potato etc.
  • Cook the same healthy meal for both of you! Healthy does not mean boring and flavourless!
    He is a growing teenager, which is one of the reasons that he does not put on weight. However the nutrients from good foods will contribute towards his development. When he is 30, and and either gaining weight due to eating too much lasagne or staying lean to his choice to eat raw broccoli, it will be due to his taste-buds that have been developed during his developmental years.
    As a PT, one of the wonderful stories i heard is of a nutritious-healthy family whose son raids the fridge to steal broccoli and asparagus!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Same here. I just make some noodles or rice on the side and don't necessarily have some. Or we make tacos and I have a taco salad instead of taco shells or tortillas etc.
  • jess17587
    jess17587 Posts: 153
    yes i really do like eating broccoli but i think you should do separate meals or find healthy meals you both like i mean the teen cant only like burgers
  • schmanciepants
    schmanciepants Posts: 62 Member
    I echo the others in saying that there shouldn't be separate meals for you and everyone else.....

    There are ways to make the broccoli, brown rice, and lean meats more satisfying for you, and also enjoyable for everyone else.

    -cook rice in chicken broth/stock
    -add buffalo sauce and a bit of blue cheese crumbles into lean ground turkey for buffalo turkey burgers (with a light bun, or lettuce bun)
    -add some parmesan cheese to broccoli

    Bottom line, if you check out the recipe section (or google healthy recipes) you can find things to make that all of you can eat together.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I do the cooking all days but one and they eat what I cook.

    I put less sour cream and cheese on tacos. I eat more sauce and less pasta. Yeah, we like broccoli. And marinated chicken. And there's hardly ever any asparagus left over.

    It's about portions more than making terrible, bland food.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I'm with everyone else here. My daughter is 14. If she doesn't like what I'm cooking, she can always get up and fix herself something! Generally, as teenagers tend to be lazy, she ends up eating what I cook. Believe me they get plenty of "junk" out there on their own.
    Making healthy food does not mean making "bland" food. Fortunately I love cooking and I'm pretty creative. Introduce more spices if things are tasting boring.
    Good luck!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    last night was grilled chicken that was marinated in lemon juice and zest, some oil, and garlic and salt. side was a sauceless spaghetti mixed with grape tomatoes, fava beans, and spinach. and grated cheese.

    how is that not healthy and delicious? and if your teenage brother is super picky, just don't mix the veggies in with the pasta, and serve it to yourself.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    I'm already suppressing my desire to eat real food instead of the healthier options

    what does that even mean???
  • asciident
    asciident Posts: 166 Member
    I do honestly love lean meat, broccoli, and brown rice. Sounds like the start of a good stir fry to me, lol. That said, I love pasta too. I still eat it. Just in a smaller portion than I used to have.

    He can eat what you eat and you can eat what he eats, just at different portion sizes. And losing weight doesn't have to mean your food needs to be bland and boring :)
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    I do honestly love lean meat, broccoli, and brown rice. Sounds like the start of a good stir fry to me, lol. That said, I love pasta too. I still eat it. Just in a smaller portion than I used to have.

    He can eat what you eat and you can eat what he eats, just at different portion sizes. And losing weight doesn't have to mean your food needs to be bland and boring :)

    Yep. You can cook the same things as you did before and eat smaller portions or modify your recipes to be lower calorie while still tasting great.
  • emilyisbonkers
    emilyisbonkers Posts: 373 Member
    Just give him whatever you have, if he doesn't like it, he will soon learn to sort himself out
  • OP, I totally understand your frustration. My teenaged son will not eat my healthy way of eating and always had wanted me to fix him creamy pasta dishes, wedding soup, calzones..anything that had high fat content. He always wanted fresh Italian bread and butter in the house. I like to eat very clean and low fat most of the time. I love grilled chicken, fish, lean meats, tons of veggies, fruit and nuts.

    He would always complain and I always tried to teach him about nutrition and eating healthy. I found out I was not going to win this battle with him so I pretty much gave up but would fix his fattening meals only on occasion and buy him those types of foods at the grocery store for him alone. When he started driving, I gave him an allowance of food money so he could buy whatever he wanted and that included going to the grocery store himself and coming home to cook it himself or eating all his junk fast food. Most of the time now he eats out and I remain eating healthy.

    Funny thing is now he is taking a Nutrition class at college this fall semester and I laughed and told him I hope THE CLASS now will teach him how to eat healthy because I sure couldn't even with all my healthy eating habits and excellent role modeling. Good Luck!
  • kaischu
    kaischu Posts: 12 Member
    I've been cooking for both myself and my boyfriend. We both used to eat out almost every day and initially when I made the change to be healthy he didn't join me, but lately he's been trying the foods I've been making and he's excited to do it with me now! There's no reason a healthy meal can't be "normal" and super yummy. Plus I agree, if they dont like what you're making they should be able to cook for themselves.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It seems to me that your perception of "healthy" is exceedingly narrow.

    Personally, I see nothing wrong with crab cakes or pasta. I eat pasta at least once per week...there is nothing inherently wrong with pasta. If I had access to crab meat at a reasonable cost in the desert, you can bet your *kitten* I'd be making some crab cakes too.

    20140719_180641.jpg

    My dinner last night....^^^....I went to the grower's market yesterday morning and picked up some tomatoes, zuchinis, cucumbers, red onions and potato kaiser buns. I whipped up a Gazpacho and served that with a bacon sammich that also happened to be loaded with strips of zuchini I did on the grill as well as grilled onion, some fresh basil from my plant, and delicious tomatoes.

    Personally, I thought it rather "healthy" and I even washed it down with a Session lager to cool down in the summer heat.

    20140718_202219.jpg

    Here's Friday's dinner...^^^. I grilled up a London Broil which is a pretty lean cut of beef. I sauteed some zuchini and asparagus in a bit of avocado oil and did some roasted potatoes. You don't need crap tons of oil to make good roasted potatoes...I use about a Tbsp for 4 servings.

    Again...this was a very "healthy" meal...all of my family ate it...I don't make separate meals. There is more to nutrition and eating "healthy" than just plain old chicken breast with brown rice and steamed broccoli...way more. To boot, context and dosage are extremely important when you're talking about matters of nutrition and "good" or "bad" or whatever. I suggest embracing more research into proper nutrition and what constitutes proper nutrition.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I also have someone to cook more who can and needs to eat more than I do at my current deficit eating amount of calories. My husband works a manual labor job full time out in the florida heat and humidity. Not only does he get more calories for maintence per day because he is male and works a hard labor job, he wont let me "diet" him as he says. iTs not a problem however. What I do is switch it up a lot and try new recipes and make sure I cook a lean meat with dinner. I give him two properly weighed out portions but only give my self one. I also server two vegies with dinners now. I give him the choice of a bread or potatoe/pasta side. Not both. I just forego that extra carb on my plate. I server my own food on a smaller plate too. He always wants a dessert before bedtime so I make myself an almond milk/fruit/flax smoothie instead of having an ice cream and 2%milk shake like he wants. FOr the most part we eat the same things I just give him bigger portions. He wont budge on the milik thing so unfortunately we have to buy two separate milks. its okay though. I always make sure we have lunchmeat on hand. The only breads I bring in the house has the ingredients of whole wheat flour, not bleached flour. He likes the popchips I buy from wheat thins for his chips in his lunches. I keep fruit on hand in the fridge and freezer too. I only buy lower calorie cheeses too. We both like the velveeta sliced cheese. I always keep lettuce and tomatoes on hand for salads. ALso the biggest advice I give to you, is to never say to someone that something is good for you or healthy. Just make it and they will eat it. IF you make it tasty and smelling delicious how can anyone resist?
  • doctorregenerated
    doctorregenerated Posts: 188 Member
    I will admit that I am in a similar boat.
    My husband does agree to eat my healthy meals, although looking at his unhappy face sometimes throws me into a tailspin.
    He will not eat beef or pork, so we do a lot of chicken. This week I am putting my foot down and making beef for myself, which means I'll be making two meals.
    My kids do not make mealtime a happy time for me.
    My son has speech apraxia and autism, so he has a lot of feeding trouble. He has a limited amount of foods he can chew, and he's very picky on top of that. My daughter wants attention so much that she mirrors her brother's picky eating because she thinks that's a great way to get attention.
    So on most days I am making meals for me and my husband (except if he turns his nose up, and then its two meals) and then two separate meals for my kids.
    Its exhausting.
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    Honestly, OP sounds like the teenage brother. Good grief! What is gross about fresh veggies, fruits, delicious fish and meats, dairy and whole grains? Edit to say : Those are real foods! You can make healthy lifestyle changes and still have cheeseburgers, chocolate, ice cream etc...
  • Jess__I__Can
    Jess__I__Can Posts: 307 Member
    I cook for my family and make enough for 3 adult servings. I get one serving, my kids (age 5 and 1) split a little less than one serving, and husband gets a little more than one serving. If he doesn't like it, he is free to make his own food. Which he never does. Except on Sundays when he cooks ribs. I don't like ribs.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    I am raising my teenage sibling on my own due to our family situation. I need to watch what I eat for dinner and can't have a "normal" dinner that my brother eats (he can eat whatever and not gain anything). This is so hard when I'm already suppressing my desire to eat real food instead of the healthier options. Anyone else going through this? How do you deal with it? (Honestly do you really LOVE eating your broccoli, lean meat and brown rice while making crab cakes and pasta for your family? After a few days I get pretty depressed and sad about it!!)

    you should really eat the same things. it makes no sense to cook two separate meals. Plus it is way too expensive to do so. I see it as if you love them then you will also want them to eat healthy as well right? Look into making those crab cakes and pasta more low cal, what can you sub out in the recipes to make them less calories? I find that by tweeking your current recipes into more low cal its good for everyone involved. IT takes trial and error but in the end its so worth it.
  • aledba
    aledba Posts: 564 Member
    OP, I totally understand your frustration. My teenaged son will not eat my healthy way of eating and always had wanted me to fix him creamy pasta dishes, wedding soup, calzones..anything that had high fat content. He always wanted fresh Italian bread and butter in the house. I like to eat very clean and low fat most of the time. I love grilled chicken, fish, tons of veggies, fruit and nuts.

    He would always complain and I always tried to teach him about nutrition and eating healthy. I found out I was not going to win this battle with him so I pretty much gave up but would fix his fattening meals only on occasion and buy him those types of foods at the grocery store for him alone. When he started driving, I gave him an allowance of food money so he could buy whatever he wanted and that included going to the grocery store himself and coming home to cook it himself or eating all his junk fast food. Most of the time now he eats out and I remain eating healthy.

    Funny thing is now he is taking a Nutrition class at college this fall semester and I laughed and told him I hope THE CLASS now will teach him how to eat healthy because I sure couldn't even with all my healthy eating habits and excellent role modeling. Good Luck!
    Teenagers should be taking in 25-35% of their daily calories from monounsaturated fats. He craves what his body needs. He is growing! Eating "clean" isn't real. People eat food. Whether it's fresh from a garden or made at BK - it's food!
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    Real food is a healthy option. And teenagers should learn to cook.
  • rainydays5
    rainydays5 Posts: 217 Member
    I cook for me, my husband and 5 kids. We all pretty much eat the same thing. I do however make other things that the kids love maybe once a week and I eat leftovers. The biggest struggle for my kids was no more chips. I do buy veggie straws and they like those (well except my 5 year old). My kids love, LOVE fruits and veggies! I can get them to try just about anything (except for the 5 year old haha). I know you have probably read this before but it really is true, its a lifestyle change not a diet. I truly believe this! If I can not sustain the healthy eating when I am done losing the weight than I will just gain it all back. I also agree with a previous poster, let him cook for himself.
  • kxll01
    kxll01 Posts: 10 Member
    My approach has been to change the way we all eat, not just me... At home I cook, you eat what I make.
    Therefore, grilled chicken, lean meats turkey bacon etc. I have found lower calorie sauces etc. I love to eat just
    The unhealthy processed stuff.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    when I'm already suppressing my desire to eat real food instead of the healthier options
    What do you consider "real food"? And what are you eating now when you'd rather eat something else? You need to learn to eat "real food" in proper portions and in any circumstances if you want to lose the weight and keep it off. :smile:

    My family eats what I eat, and it's real food. Last night we had grilled pork tenderloin, grilled zucchini, and rice pilaf. Two nights ago we went out for pizza and I ate three slices and had a beer. Both of these meals fit into my daily goals. Fried chicken, burgers, pizza, desserts - these things make regular appearances in my diary - not every night, but on a regular basis - and I have lost the weight and kept it off for over two years now.

    This is life - you want to lose it for life, so you need to find ways to eat normal food in proper portions - no matter what anyone else is eating or how much. There is no "good" or "bad" (well, most "diet" food is terrible in my book! :tongue: ) - it's food. You want to eat in a way that is sustainable, not temporary. :smile:
  • Fit_Housewife
    Fit_Housewife Posts: 168 Member
    while I agree with many who posted that your siblings should be eating healthy with you this may not be realistic. I started eating healthy a few years ago so it's a little easier with the younger kids because I just give them healthier options. It little harder with my older daughter she's already use to eating a certain way so I try to compromise with her she get a Debbie cake and a fruit with lunch and try to offer up healthy options although luckily she does like a lot of healthier stuff. As for dinner I do not run a restaurant so if someone wants something else then they can figure it out on their own. I do try to make stuff that we all like and may have healthier options. Like tacos I cook ground chicken with the taco seasoning you can't taste the difference I have it in lettuce wraps but offer taco shells and cheese and sour cream for those that want. I also make chili with hidden veggies And ground chicken or turkey. I eat mine alone but others can have it with cheese and rice. If I make burgers I put it in a lettuce wrap and others can use a bun. I also keep on hand snacks and quick cook ingredients like I may have a protein shake and make a grilled cheese for the kids. You can also start to introduce them to healthier options like my whole family likes turkey bacon and eggs, green smoothies and I add honey for the kids I make ice pops out of the smoothies also. Peanut butters a great snack with banana or apple slices.