I would like some support

jerjer

I am here because I need support and motivation in losing weight. I live with people who do not diet and make it hard for me to lose weight. They always have junk food in the house and insist on eating it. My hubby and youngest daughter always want big, heavy meals and complain loudly if they don't get them. Since I am the mom I have to cook. I always try to please everyone, but in the end I suffer.

I could really use the support of a group of people who are in the same boat as myself.

Could you guys please send some advice my way?

Jer

jerjer

I am here because I need support and motivation in losing weight. I live with people who do not diet and make it hard for me to lose weight. They always have junk food in the house and insist on eating it. My hubby and youngest daughter always want big, heavy meals and complain loudly if they don't get them. Since I am the mom I have to cook. I always try to please everyone, but in the end I suffer.

I could really use the support of a group of people who are in the same boat as myself.

Could you guys please send some advice my way?

Jer

zenmama

The rule in my house "this isn't Burger King...it is my way or no way"...sorry....bad mom!

dd

jlruhlman

i cook for my family and eat lean cuisines myself. we still eat together and we have some left overs so i dont have to cook so much anymore!

Healthier_Me

I am here because I need support and motivation in losing weight. I live with people who do not diet and make it hard for me to lose weight. They always have junk food in the house and insist on eating it. My hubby and youngest daughter always want big, heavy meals and complain loudly if they don't get them. Since I am the mom I have to cook. I always try to please everyone, but in the end I suffer.

I could really use the support of a group of people who are in the same boat as myself.

Could you guys please send some advice my way?

Jer

If they want big meals, they should help you make it.
You have to let them know that you're not only trying to get healthy for yourself, but for them also and having all that junk food around isn't help you at all.
You should go through the recipe thread and add some to your favorites.
Plan YOUR meals for the week, you can even cook a few meals in advance and freeze them then all you have to worry about is your family's dinner... or vice versa.

~Joanna:flowerforyou:

babyhippo

I cook every evening for my family. (There all skinny.:grumble: )

Here's a few suggestions:

Don't put the food on the table. Fill you plates directly from the stove. Making sure your plate has small portions. Don't return to the stove for seconds! (I have found that if I put the food on the table in bowls that are 3 inches away from my plate, I'll just keep eating "just a little bit more".)

Drink a cup of water right before you sit down to eat.

Have someone else put the food away. It helps to resist the temptation to sneak an extra bite, or two, or five. (My daughter puts the food away while I wash the dishes.)

I've decided to stay away from the pre-packaged meals. I figured, when I am done loosing this weight, I would eventually have to go back to eating regular food. I need to learn now how to manage what I eat.

Also. my family use to have this habit of opening a bag of pretzels, chips, candy, etc. and letting the bag set out while they snacked on it all evening. (which tempted me) I have encouraged them to get a bowl of a few chips,.....and put the bag away. (Good for them as well as myself)

julie737

I have a similar problem, except that I have the support of my husband, which makes worlds of difference. :happy: The best thing would be to try to get yours on board!

Also, I've been able to lighten up some regular recipes and my kids don't even notice or care. I make a lasagna with spaghetti squash instead of noodles that is delicious and everyone likes it. Or I put stealth vegetables in some foods like meatballs or sauces. And I always have a healthy option on the table. Like spaghetti with a green salad. I eat a small portion of spaghetti but then have a huge salad with it. Or chicken with roasted veggies. I eat mostly veggies with a small amount of chicken and skip the rolls or biscuits. A lot of it is just being creative, and being willing to try new things or make a mistake once in a while! :laugh:

But I do put my foot down on some things. If I'm the one fixing the food I determine what we have. If they want certain foods, they can just suffer or fix it themself!

Good luck! I feel your pain!

hmmmm

I always only cook one main dish. I will eat that & portion it out if it has skin I take that off if its meatloaf I use a lot of veggies inside. I cook ground turkey instead of beef. For the sides I eat veggies steamed in the mic w/ lowfat dressing if the regular sides don't fit into my calorie budget. Fast and easy. Made mashed potatoes the other day with 25% potato and 75% mashed cauliflower and he didn't even notice he doesn't eat gravy either. I have also changed all my dairy to fat free or low fat if I cook with it no one notices the difference and I use pam instead of butter and splenda instead of sugar. Sometimes I will have a tablespoon or so of the side if I really really want it. But I put the leftovers away right away. keep healthy snacks on hand my favorite is the lowcal lowfat popcorn so It will eat that instead of chips. Those are some of my tricks. Good luck to you!!

NurseBarb

In our house "I" was the one that always wanted big heavy greasy meals so maybe I can help from a kind of backwards perspective.

I have learned that I can still make some really good meals that I love by just changing a few of the ingredients. For instance.... we all love chicken and dumplings, so instead of boiling a big chicken in its skin I now use the packaged fat free broth and pan cook some skinless, boneless breast meat in a pan. TADA, guilt free C & D! There's also a special spaghetti type dish that I like to make, so I started using the super extra lean hamburger meat and I am sure to weigh and measure my portion at dinner.
You could make tacos or taco salad with extra lean HB meat and to be honest if you watch your portion they will love it and not even realize that its not bad for them! Refried beans are suprisingly low in fat without even buying the nasty fat-free kind, and all the rest is veggies.... if you get yourself some lowfat sour cream and only have 1 portion of chips it's guilt free AGAIN!

Make it your personal mission to see how many meals you can make that are actually good for them that they don't know about, hehehe. Replace the grated cheddar with fat free cheddar. You can do it! And everyone here will suppport you. Actually I would love to hear what you are able to get away with.

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

jaxkipi

Hey there. I'm kinda in the same boat but not as much pressure. I don't have kids. I am married, however. I told my husband that when I shop now, it's for my diet plan and he is welcome to eat what I make. So far the food choices have been a hit. He supports me. I put my foot down and told him that if he wanted chips, cookies, ice cream, and what not, that he would have go to the store and get it for himself. He agreed and at this point is okay with it. I know he eats bad foods when away from me...such as McDonalds and KFC, but that's his choice. When I prepare my foods, I have MY salad dressing and my husband has his. When I ate chicken last night, he added his sauces and salt as he wanted and I ate mine according to my diet plan.

I'm sorry they aren't supporting you. How bad do you want this? Tell them that. It's important to you, they should respect that.

This website is packed with amazing people! You can do it!

:flowerforyou:

Eve23

You will find all kinds of support here. I cook for my family as well. I have changed my cooking habits over the years and they have had to deal with it. My husband loves bacon and when we first married he would easily eat a pound on his own. Now I have my family of 5 down to 1/2 lb for everyone. They don't miss it they just appreciate it more.

If you have a crock pot use it when you can. One of our family favorites is salsa meat.
Definately find ways to change your cooking habits.
I also fill the plates in the kitchen. I also have the kids put the food away. That way I am less likely to try and snitch a bite or two.

I hope those ideas help. You can do this and you might find that they are willing to follow you once they see your successes.

Good luck:flowerforyou:

catlover

I am the primary cook for two teen girls and a husband. The rule in our house has always been --the one doing the cooking, does the choosing. If they want something a particular way, they can come and make it with me. Since one daughter does not eat red meat and husband hates chicken, I have to do a small juggling act. I try to keep things very simple: salad, vegetable, fruit slices, lean protein. Once in a while I'll toss in rice or potatoes or a bread option, but never all of them. I look at the serving size and cook only that amount, keeping leftovers to a minimum: one potato per person, one roll, two cups of rice for the 4 of us, 4-6 ounces of protein, etc. If they want more, there are those veggies and a salad and some nice fruit slices waiting for them. I am slowly phasing out all of the high calorie and high fat junk foods as they disappear. Fat free popcorn and fudgesicles are a necessity for when I have a salt or sugar craving.

What was the question, I wish we could see the whole list and not just a few. Anyway, we'll be here to help you and offer all the support you can use. I've learned some very useful information and suggestion here and everyone is very nice. Just keep coming back and let us know your needs.:flowerforyou:

watch48win

I agree with everyone's comments.

I know the one big change that I did make was that I only purchase lean ground turkey, and use that in place of anything that calls for ground beef. Guess what, nobody even noticed! tacos, spaghetti sauce, even turkey burgers.

The 7 & 10 year old even ask for turkey burger now. I add garlic, grated ginger and cilantro to the turkey meat!

I swear if you make small changes, full fat to reduced fat items they will not notice!