How do I tell my family..?

PaperThinLips

that i'm only eating healthy foods?
like, they always have everything covered in butter and deep fried and stuff
and i've been avoiding eating w/ them for a while (and lost a ton of weight, the healthy way!)
but now i'm broke so i have to eat w/ them now and i tried telling them that i don't eat butter or fried foods, white bread, etc
they tell me not to worry and i do need to put some meat on my bones *shivers*
what's the best way (while being polite) to tell them that i don't eat unhealthy foods?

megimoops

I have no help for you at all,
it's because us mums like to see our children eat
whatever their age,
you could offer to do the meal one day, see what happens after that,
sorry HollyannRose, but I'm thinking of you

graciemom828

Does it help to discuss nutrition and what problems you could be avoiding by changing dietary habits?

Jersey_Devil

just tell them what you told us.

stacygayle

Tell them it is the way you eat now, and you worked hard to get the meat off your bones lol. I like the idea of offering to make the meal a few times and cooking your way and seeing how that goes. Also, tell them that they are increasing their risk of stroke and heart attack eating that way on a constant basis. it wasn't until my Grandpa had a stroke and quadruple bypass that my Grandma wised up and quit cooking like Paula Dean (I'm from the South too so we always ate like she cooks)

Audi68

Maybe if your readdress your message as actually wanting to just eating healthier and not about losing weight they will listen. When you explain to them and teach your family about what certain foods can do like the cholesterol issue with butter and the unhealthy bleach used to make white bread they may be more open. Right now they are hearing about you wanting to lose weight and taking into consideration only the vanity issues of it and not the actual health issues. You need to help educate them.

Maybe go grocery shopping with them and cook a healthy dinner for all of them.

j77r68

offer to try some new receipes or at least do what you can to lighten the calorie-laden foods by eating extra raw or steamed veggies or a load of salad. slowly you might be able to impress your new wealth of health info on your family. good luck on your journey and your family

PaperThinLips

bump!

TheRadiantChile

Have a family meeting. Sit down with your entire family and have a serious conversation. Tell them how you really feel and how them not respecting your dieting needs is hurting you. Also you should learn how to cook for yourself! I'm currently in the process of teaching myself how to cook because it's the same with me. My family eats whatever they want but I cook my own food so I don't have to worry about anybody forcing me to eat anything I don't want. Hope that helps

slkehl

Healthy eating can be really overwhelming for people. You could encourage them to start small, like baking chicken instead of frying it. Also offering to help cook would be a great idea. Sometimes you will have to compromise though. They should respect your choices, but that doesn't mean they need to completely change how they eat to accommodate you.

Weaz66

I would thank them for their generosity, but explain...as much as you enjoy their meal and hospitality you don't want to hurt anyone feelings by eating a smaller amount of what they have made or possibly not eating it at all. As suggested maybe you can offer to help cook, that way pending the selection you can keep a serving of something back before they add butter, sauces, gravies, etc...making it alittle healthier and still eating basically the same meal. Offer to prepare a dish, and make it your style. My sister is highly allergic to tomatoes and anything with tomatoes in it. It took a long time for her inlaws to grasp this concept as they were always making spaghetti, lasagna, etc....It wasn't until the saw her with a reaction that they finally grasped the concept. So now when they make spagetti they keep some plain noodles off to the side and/or make sure there is another selection for her to eat when visiting.

jazzalea

The best way is often by not really saying anything at all,

First, you said yourself that you had been avoiding them, but now that you're broke you're having to eat with them more...... so lets be fair..... Beggars can't be choosers...... and it's you that's needing their help not the other way around.....


If you are eating with them on a daily basis, then even as broke as you may be, for twenty dollars you can pick up a LOT of healthy fresh veggies and a loaf of whatever bread is making you feel better than white..... and try and use that to bulk up your meals.

Look at what they are having for dinner and choose a portion that you are comfortable with, and then have that with a salad. It might not be the ideal, but by quietly taking healthier portions of what they are having and choosing a salad to go with it you are showing them that you are serious about your health. Chances are that they will start to rethink there own choices and options and then THEY will start asking YOU what other choices are out there......

"Don't expect other people to work harder or care more than you do to fight your battle" :flowerforyou:

susannamarie

Yep.

Expecting your family to modify their dietary habits to the way you want probably won't go over really well.
Work on taking the choices most like what you want and supplementing.

If you're cooking, you can make it your way. If you're HELPING cook, you can make part of it your way. For example -- let's look at my mother's mashed potatoes. When she mashes them, she puts in a pint of cream and two sticks of butter. If I wanted to reduce fat, I could pull out a couple of potatoes before she mashed them and have steamed potatoes. If we were having roast turkey, I could just not eat the skin. If we were buttering the vegetables, I could pull them out before they got buttered. et cetera.

TheWinman

I think most families want their kids or siblings to eat healthy, but they have not been able to do this themselves because of lack of discipline. My 15 year old daughter has been eating way healthier then me by her own choice for the last 3 years. I knew I had bad eating habits and I did not want my daughter to follow down the same path, so I embraced her choice as long as I knew she was eating enough. I eventually caught on to her good eating habits and we are now once again for the most part eating the same meals.

Tell them you want to eat healthy, don't mention any weight loss. IMO

ironanimal

The easiest way I found was to do your cooking yourself, and not ask for too many extras to what would normally be on the grocery list. If you can come up with dishes your family will enjoy as well, that is the BEST way to get them onboard with your thinking.