Do you make your meals separate from the rest of the family?

nzchikky

I do. I just can't seem to figure out how to count my calories properly say if I make a large pot of stew and I have a portion, I don't know exactly how much of what is in there. Or sometimes people in my household get sick of my "diet food". It gets a bit time consuming sometimes> Does anybody else do this or just me? lol

gemmamummy

Me son and I eat the same food. My husband cooks him own food for the day (his choice). My son will happily eat rice. I just weigh the rice for both of us before cooking. Then weigh the rice after its cooked an work out the ratio that he eats of the total rice and take it off the scales, same with chicken. So out of 100g of dry rice he'll have 40g and I'll have 60g Now I write it out it sounds bit mental!!!

MoveAlong365

I sometimes feel bad that I do, but yes. I live with my fiance and he is lean and can basically eat whatever he wants. He is also very supportive, so whatever I want to eat, he is fine with it. He does not always eat with me, but is OK with me cooking for myself.

It is kind of funny to stand in line at the grocery store and having healthy stuff and unhealthy stuff in your cart, where the healthy stuff is all mine and the unhealthy stuff is all his. You wouldn't say looking at us :P

GiveMeCoffee

No. I make one meal for myself and my husband, I just eat less of it than he does. I don't eat diet food, and would not subject my husband or myself to that.

If it's a meal you are making either log the ingredients or create a recipe in the recipe builder.

gypsy_spirit

No. I make one meal for myself and my husband, I just eat less of it than he does. I don't eat diet food, and would not subject my husband or myself to that.

If it's a meal you are making either log the ingredients or create a recipe in the recipe builder.

Good advice. Start today and learn to eat appropriately for your goals/macros while eating the food you plan to eat forever. This does not have to be hard or a punishment. It can't be if you expect to do it for the rest of your life.

olong

Sometimes, but that is mostly because I like some vegetables that the rest of my family doesn't care for. I definitely weigh all of my food. For the most part, though, I eat what the family is eating for my children's sake. They certainly do not need watch their portions as they are all very active. The lesson, though, to my daughters is that they can see that I eat in moderation and limit the junk food while not limiting vegetables and fruit. One day, they may find the desire to lose weight and I want to be the example that it is a matter of not only what you eat (quality) but also how much (quantity).

Calliope610

something like stew an be a challenge, but if you don't use the recipe builder, you can get a fairly good calorie estimate by weighing the cooked components.

pick out the meat, weigh that, tar out the scale, add the cooked potatoes, weigh, tar, do the same for the carrots, and other stew veggies (which since they are veggies are prob low cal by definition), then measure out the liquid. Now you have the weights and measures off the stew, just figure out the calories for the meal total.

I know that's a bit of a hassle, but it's easier than cooking another meal for yourself AND you and your family eat a cohesive meal together.

ETA: If you serve casseroles, use the recipe builder. Other meals (meat entree, veggies, grain/bread) etc and be weighed as you add to your plate. That's what I do. DH and I eat the same meals, I just eat less and maybe add a salad or steamed broccoli or other veg.

Francl27

Typically we eat the same thing, except those freak days when I'm starving at 5pm (husband doesn't come home before 6pm).

I use the recipe builder for recipes.

snowflake954

I eat different things than the rest of the family mainly because I eat leftovers and they hate them. :ohwell:

pangepange

I usually eat the same food as my husband during meals, just my portions are smaller and weighed/measured specifically while he can eat pretty much as much as he wants without worrying about portion size. I use a salad plate and my husband uses a dinner plate. I love having a full plate, so using the salad plate just makes everything look more filling.

The recipe function is really useful when making a one-pot casserole, etc. I usually eat 1/3 of a recipe while my husband eats 2/3, so I can just use the fraction to calculate my meal.

Liftng4Lis

I cook just one meal. Use the recipe builder, it's fantastic. You can look at that pot of stew and say "Okay I'm going to get 8 servings out of It" and if you end up eating half a serving, so be it.

Snip8241

Sometimes, but it's only because what they are eating won't fit in my macros for that day. Say if at the last minute they want take out pizza and I haven't planned for it by exercising or watching calories during the day. I always have grilled chicken and veggies ready. That way I can have a quick meal.

All that being said....it's hard to eat grilled chicken with pizza on the table....

Otherwise day to day, we all eat the same thing...I plan menus around meals where I know the calories etc and I portion mine carefully. The skinny taste website has lots of good recipes.

I also put my own recipes in the database here.

jenny24012014

I eat the same meals as the rest of the family, though if it's something with chips I'll have salad instead (e.g. fish and chips).

I use the recipe builder to work out calories - it's fantastic. I couldn't be bothered (or afford) to make two separate meals every night.

cheripugh1

I do. I just can't seem to figure out how to count my calories properly say if I make a large pot of stew and I have a portion, I don't know exactly how much of what is in there. Or sometimes people in my household get sick of my "diet food". It gets a bit time consuming sometimes> Does anybody else do this or just me? lol

You can put in the ingredients in a calorie counter and how many servings it makes and it will give you all the numbers per serving so you can keep count. (link below, make sure to put the number of servings the recipe says not how many you want, if it makes 6 servings put 6 it will break it down for each one)

I am not on a 'diet' I have made a lifestyle change, there are some foods my roommate won't eat and some I won't so I make different then, but the rest of the time I make normal meals/choices, just LESS on my plate while I'm losing weight. I figure this is real life, I will eat with my family/friends when I get to goal so I need to learn NOW how to judge those foods.

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php

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allanakern

Sometimes I cook my husband and I separate meals, otherwise I just weigh out my portions and stick to that much. It's not too time consuming right now but some day when we throw kids in the mix it might get a little more complicated

HelensBeads

Another vote for using the recipe builder here. I cook big pots of stews and casseroles (never have figured out the difference), put the ingredients into the recipe log, work out how many portions it is for a 'decent' calorie count (I have a pork, bean and chorizo in the slow cooker at the moment, I was hoping that it would be 6 portions but it's a bit high in calories for that so it's going to be 8 portions), then when I dish it out onto plates I have the 4 family plates and the relevant number of freezer boxes on the worktop. The pot gets split equally and the spares get labelled and go in the freezer for lunch or meals later (homecooked 'ready meals', all calorie counted, plus zapped frozen veggies makes for a quick and easy lunch). My carb accompaniments get weighed and logged as normal, hubby and kid's just get put on their plates. As others do, I swap out chips for salad if I've not earnt enough calories that day and if they want something that I don't fancy (back to the takeout pizza) I'll have 'something from the freezer'.

ninja8tofu

Nope. Nothing separate here. I just use the recipe builder.

F00LofaT00K

No. I make one meal for myself and my husband, I just eat less of it than he does. I don't eat diet food, and would not subject my husband or myself to that.

If it's a meal you are making either log the ingredients or create a recipe in the recipe builder.

90% of the time, this is what I do when meals are prepared. My schedule is very hectic though, so most dinners are just a frozen entree. . . I'm getting REALLY tired of frozen entrees. . . and I miss cooking. :sad:

But for real, learn how to use the recipe builder on MFP. I change the amounts of ingredients each time. I made beef stew a few weeks ago and looked at the weight listed on the package of meat. The servings are estimates for some things; bulk crockpot meals are difficult to weigh out and get down to a specific serving size, but you can separate the food into single serving containers and see about how many you get. I'm okay doing this because all calories are estimates anyway. Eating 12g more stew than I did yesterday won't make me fat again.

ponycyndi

Rarely. Usually I make my casseroles piecemeal - ie, sauce separate from meat and pasta. Then I can adjust the amounts in each serving- for one, it's no meat, for another less sauce. Then I make a ton of steamed veggies in the microwave. My portion is usually half veggies, since I watch my carbs.

And sometimes my kids just won't eat what I made. I let them make a sandwich or eat cereal. Same for my husband. I'm not a short-order cook.

muggzie399

Think what you will. I buy a regular selection of low cal foods. Add a lot of green, fruit, and I eat cottage cheese with pineapple everyday. My hubby picks me up 5 days a week that we eat out due to neither one of us having to cook for anyone. It costs us so much more to shop for food to cook. Menu's are pretty much pre choice. He eats everything, I eat light. It works for me. I cook for me on Wed. and Fri.

We just have a very crazy situation. HAPPY, happy, happy. MFP has done wonders for me.

Lleldiranne

Nope. Been there, done that, it's miserable and not sustainable. Besides, I want to teach my family, especially my daughter, to eat properly in general and maintain a healthy body. Children learn to eat healthful food by eating it with their family. And it doesn't have to be all "diet/healthy foods" ... real, normal food in the right amounts, with emphasis on vegetables and protein and allowance for things you enjoy, is the best way to lose weight, to maintain weight, and to have a healthy relationship with food.

Lleldiranne

And sometimes my kids just won't eat what I made. I let them make a sandwich or eat cereal. Same for my husband. I'm not a short-order cook.

Yep. I try to always have at least one thing they like in the meal. (I'm lucky ... we all love broccoli, so that is an easy one). When the kids were little, I'd fix them a sandwich if they didn't fill up on the veggies or whatever. Now, it's their own responsibility. But they eat most of the food I fix.

seltzermint555

I sometimes feel bad that I do, but yes. I live with my fiance and he is lean and can basically eat whatever he wants. He is also very supportive, so whatever I want to eat, he is fine with it. He does not always eat with me, but is OK with me cooking for myself.

It is kind of funny to stand in line at the grocery store and having healthy stuff and unhealthy stuff in your cart, where the healthy stuff is all mine and the unhealthy stuff is all his. You wouldn't say looking at us :P

oh man I can relate to this. When I was with my ex husband though, we were both very obese but I ate so much healthier and for many years that's how it was...cart full of healthy/unhealthy. I must admit though even though I was just as heavy as he was or close to it, I had way less (no) health issues.

My husband now eats like I do, though, or I eat like he does...hard to say!

RunnerStephe

I completely eat my own meals. I love to cook, but most of the time I'm on my own. My wife tries to eat healthy, but rarely has any interest in what I eat.

Oxmarqt

No. I make one meal for myself and my husband, I just eat less of it than he does. I don't eat diet food, and would not subject my husband or myself to that.

If it's a meal you are making either log the ingredients or create a recipe in the recipe builder.

Good advice. Start today and learn to eat appropriately for your goals/macros while eating the food you plan to eat forever. This does not have to be hard or a punishment. It can't be if you expect to do it for the rest of your life.

Double good advice. I actually try and eat approx. 20% than what my TDEE will be at my goal weight. That way I will have already become adjusted to the quantity both physically and mentally. I can then either choose to eat a little more or exercise a little less once I reach goal weight and still be in the correct range of calories consumed.

bajoyba

Nope. My husband is super busy, so I usually cook dinner for us, and I'm almost always over at my mom's house in the evenings, so I often cook dinner for her and my dad as well. I cook enough food for everyone to eat, and we all eat the same thing. I use the recipe builder if I'm making something like a soup, chili, or sauce, and if it's a meal with lots of individual components (like tacos or pasta), I just use my food scale to be precise.

onefortyone

Thankfully we're losing weight together so we eat the same. I could never cook two separate meals, just don't have the patience or skill. But I have some tips for serving stews/casseroles/slow cooker stuff!

Before I start to cook, I know how many portions something's going to be based on how much I put in there - 8oz of meat, 12oz of potatoes, and a few cups of veggies is 2 servings, easy to just split in half. If I have 1lb of meat, I make 4 servings, and serve us half, and put the other half into a tupperware container. For 6+ portions, the scale is helpful for getting the containers/ serving bowls roughly even. I second the usage of the recipe builder also, so you can put in your 1 serving based on the whole recipe. So if you stay mindful about serving sizes and buy a bunch of tupperware, you won't have to cook separate meals

Ginger046

Its just me and my boyfriend and yeah almost everything is done differently. I have to eat gluten-free anyway though so we have to cook pastas etc separately! And he is so picky and doesnt want veggies! It just makes it easier! We usually have a variation of the same thing.. Like steak and chips but my chips are homemade - he cooks his in the fryer, and ill have some peas on the side! Or chicken and peppers ill have it with rice and salsa and he will have flour tortillas instead

Cause theres only 2 of us its fine but I think if I had kids too it would be more difficult!

Edit: Also I cook mine and he cooks his at the same time in the kitchen.. If he wants something different to me then he can make it and thats that! I dont cook 2 separate meals by myself every night!

La5Vega5Girl

i make one meal and everyone can eat it or starve. :devil:
there is no way to please everyone and i'm not breaking my back for 5 different dinners. no one has dared complain!
:laugh:

cwolfman13

I do. I just can't seem to figure out how to count my calories properly say if I make a large pot of stew and I have a portion, I don't know exactly how much of what is in there. Or sometimes people in my household get sick of my "diet food". It gets a bit time consuming sometimes> Does anybody else do this or just me? lol

This is where the recipe builder comes in very handy. And no...I don't make/eat separate from my family...who has time for that kind of nonsense? I am the cook in my household.