Cooking for two different weight goals

Hello!

I have a unique problem in cooking for my husband and I. I am trying to lose some weight, while he is trying to gain. I am having a hard time finding a way to cook one meal for the both of us that has lower calories for me and higher calories for him. Any ideas on meals that are versatile enough for both of us?

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.
  • locaoca
    locaoca Posts: 41 Member
    I have that problem too. I stick with proteins and veggies for both of us that way he gains muscle not fat. I just watch the portions, he eats double what I eat.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.

    This.

    Sometimes my husband has a slice or 2 of bread with his, or a dessert.
  • LadyZephyr
    LadyZephyr Posts: 286 Member
    My boyfriend is trying to do the same, gain muscle. I eat more veggies and smaller portions, or he just cooks his own food, because I ain't no mans wench!
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Focus on foods that your boyfriend can double portion. That is what I do for my husband.
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
    That is what me and my girlfriend do... I weight 238 and eat about 4000 Calories a day, she weights (Momma told me not to ask or tell a ladies weight) but Far less than I do ... so we just make a double portion for me and a single portion for her.
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.


    research to back this up please.
  • CaffeinatedGlitter
    CaffeinatedGlitter Posts: 201 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.

    This.

    Sometimes my husband has a slice or 2 of bread with his, or a dessert.

    Both of these, while My hubby isn't gaining weight, he's not trying to lose either and still needs a lot more than me most nights
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    My boyfriend is trying to do the same, gain muscle. I eat more veggies and smaller portions, or he just cooks his own food, because I ain't no mans wench!

    This lol. My hubby doesn't care, he just eats what we're having (he's mostly the cook though) and has a bigger snack later.
  • Four_Leaf_Clover
    Four_Leaf_Clover Posts: 332 Member
    I have a skinny husband so I can relate - I just make less of the starchy side and more of the protein so he usually has larger servings of those and I have just a little starch and more veggies. Or I just pick things that are healthier (whatever I want to eat) and he eats two servings. He could always add condiments like avocado, cheese, nuts, or some olive oil after the meal has been prepared.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.


    research to back this up please.

    I laughed, thank you for this :)
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    Try cooking for two athletic teenage boys! They never stop eating.

    And of course, husband can eat double what I do!

    I basically cook healthy, since that is good for us all, and use portion control to keep my cals down. Also, I offer them more snacks and desserts. Sometimes it is tough to resist, but that is life.

    Also, I tend to eat smaller meals earlier in the day so I can have a regular meal with my family and still stay in my limits. This is important to me because at the beginning I knew I did not want to be eating something different than what my family was having at dinner time. (Not to mention there is no way I was going to cook two separate meals!) I knew that the only way to make this work was to fit my diet into my life.
  • pkinblue
    pkinblue Posts: 140 Member
    I can relate--my husband won't eat grains, my kids are constantly starving and like only a few veggies so I feel like I make 3 meals a night. I approach it like layering clothes. Lean protein and salad for everyone, extra veggies for hubby and me, then a 1.5 serving of grains (pasta, rice or bread) for the kiddos and a sm. grains serving for me if I have calories left in my day. Good luck!
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  • Amandatorie
    Amandatorie Posts: 93 Member
    If I'm making something like chicken and vegetables, I'll let him know that it probably won't be enough food for him, and that he'll need to make something else. He'll usually cook some potatoes, sweet potatoes, or a rice side dish.

    I also make a "pasta sauce" that's essentially a vegetable stir fry with a little tomato sauce in it...I'll essentially eat just that with maybe a little bit of pasta, and he'll have a big giant bowl of pasta with just a little of the "sauce".
  • Danny_Boy13
    Danny_Boy13 Posts: 2,094 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.

    ^^^ This
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.


    mind.........blown..........
  • lilmissymoo90
    lilmissymoo90 Posts: 324 Member
    same problem here my hubbys trying to gain we deal with it by him having bigger portions snacks when he wants and he usually has 1 more meal than me usually a sandwich toastie ect
  • jelk8881
    jelk8881 Posts: 49 Member
    Hey I am going through the same thing he is trying to gain and I want to lose. He eats bigger portions and I eat a single serving. And I try to eat balanced meals during the day so even if it is something that has a little more calories that night I will be ok with eating a single serving and exercising helps keep it down.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    My boyfriend is trying to do the same, gain muscle. I eat more veggies and smaller portions, or he just cooks his own food, because I ain't no mans wench!

    So a woman's wench then? Does he know this?
  • Kerri_is_so_very
    Kerri_is_so_very Posts: 999 Member
    Carb load his plate with rice, potatoes etc and no carbs and double veggies for you.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    He has a bit more than me, adds a snack later, and or has a big glass of milk. 12oz of whole, organic milk is 225 cals.
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    MEASURE IT OUT BEFORE U COOK
    OR AFTER
  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.
    [/quoTE
  • toaster6
    toaster6 Posts: 703 Member
    I usually just double his portion if we're eating the same thing. This usually happens as he likes my "diet" cooking. Sometimes I have him defrost two different main items and I just cook two main dishes at once while we share sides-- his portions being larger and having more dressings, butter, cheese, or whatever-- but then, I love cooking so making two meals doesn't bother me.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
    Hello!

    I have a unique problem in cooking for my husband and I. I am trying to lose some weight, while he is trying to gain. I am having a hard time finding a way to cook one meal for the both of us that has lower calories for me and higher calories for him. Any ideas on meals that are versatile enough for both of us?
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.

    So simple, yet so efficient. My kind of versatility, lol.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Bigger portions for him, smaller portions for you.


    ^^^^ditto!!!

    A cook healthy meal....and just manage the portion size
  • I make a bunch of extras, so my husband will get up early, eat breakfast, come home for lunch and have leftovers, get home from work around 4 and have an extra meal of leftovers, then eat dinner with me around 6. Then he'll eat a big bowl of "dessert" which is usually frozen blueberries mixed with some vanilla sugar, and milk or greek yogurt. He does a lot of weight lifting.