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

doctorregenerated

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

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

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

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

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

Real food is a healthy option. And teenagers should learn to cook.

rainydays5

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

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

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.

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! ) - it's food. You want to eat in a way that is sustainable, not temporary.

Fit_Housewife

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.

summer144012

He could have gotten those healthy fats from lean steaks I would prepare in one sitting. He could drink whole milk or even 2% milk with a good balanced cereal. No, he chose to eat Pop Tarts and BK. BK may be food too but it is loaded with sodium and fat. He loves junk food and if I ate like my son who has pretty much 0% body fat, I would be way over 200 pounds! I agree eating fast food or ice cream or chocolate in moderation is the key to healthy living. Heck so is my wine drinking. Moderation is key.

I may eat a McDonalds hamburger once a month if I am out running errands and am hungry but that is my limit. I know what my body needs to stay healthy and I was not going to compromise my health once he hit his teens and could drive and start making his own food choices. Plus, when I did prepare the foods he loved, I would eat them and over-eat because the truth is I love them too. I couldn't stop at one serving.

I am in my 50's and not on any type of medication. I am healthy and have been eating this way most of my life. If my son wants to eat that way, that's fine with me but some day it may catch up to him. We shall see.

SuzCSFA

My fiance came from an ex wife who only cooked hamburger helper and anything out of a box. He may be a thin, "fit" man but his eating habits were out of control.I always like to remind him that just because he's thin, doesn't mean that he doesn't have a heart and arteries. When we got together, he didn't realize that he liked vegetables at all. Now he's eating EVERYTHING from asparagus to kale to brussel sprouts. Every week I write out a menu filled with lean meats and veggies with 100% whole wheat pasta, brown rice, couscous and quinoa. We go grocery shopping and buy what's on the list. It saves time, money and the headache of not knowing what's for dinner. Nothing ever goes to waste and we have a great list to pick from when we're not sure what we're feeling for the next evening. I have a huge selection that I pick from and we are never found eating the same things. Sometimes I throw in some not-so-good choices for one dinner and have a tiny bit myself while he finishes the rest. It keeps me honest and gives me more motivation to work out. It surely works for us, and he's excited to actually eat healthy food!

Athijade

I would be eating the crab cakes and pasta. So I really don't see the issues.