How Do U Deal With Cooking For Your Family?

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lolacan
lolacan Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I shop and make all the meals for my kids and husband. Im sure that is not unusual. Im just wondering how you handle cooking and feeding your family while youre trying to diet. Im starting Optifast but its always been hard to make meals for my family without putting anything in my mouth while doing it. I do it to taste it for seasoning or because it smells so good I cant resist or because im hungry. How do you NOT do this? Its always been a problem. Dieting was much easier when I lived alone!
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  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
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    I cook healthy meals for the whole family. No short order cook here--if you don't like it, help yourself to the cereal. I also don't buy junk food, no chips, cookies or candy. We rarely eat out or get take out, I plan ahead and cook every day. (and yes, I have a full time job as well). The whole family is healthier as a result.
  • Lakerlady5747
    Lakerlady5747 Posts: 77 Member
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    I cook the same meal for my family. I'm not on a diet, this is my lifestyle. I don't eat special "diet" foods -- I eat foods that I can eat for the rest of my life. Also, try chewing gum while cooking dinner. It cuts down on the snacking while cooking.
  • jennegan1
    jennegan1 Posts: 677 Member
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    I tend to sample taste new dishes when I first cook them...As I know the taste I dont do it time and time again but other then that like the others said. I still cook and eat normally and just like my family, I just eat alot less, smaller portions now. Last night I made soup and believe it or not I took out a measuring cup to make sure it was 1 or 2 cups that I was eating....Best advice use measuring cups and spoons to measure things and if not buy a digital food scale to weigh other foods as I hear measuring a cup with a food scale throws off the calories a little
  • pteryndactyl
    pteryndactyl Posts: 303 Member
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    Eat a snack before you cook, so you're not so hungry, or leave out a bowl of grapes or celery for you to munch on while you're in the kitchen.
  • nickylee76
    nickylee76 Posts: 629 Member
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    I cook it.... You eat it or go hungry. Of course there are certain times I'll allow my kids something different. Like if I want something "spicy" then they can have a grilled cheese. But usually we all eat the same meal. Why should I only cook healthy for myself? Doesn't their health matter too?
  • silken555
    silken555 Posts: 477 Member
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    I cook once. If someone is with me and they don't like it they can order out.

    I'm not on a diet. I eat anything I want in moderation. My food is already portioned before it's even prepped let alone cooked.

    If you want to be sucessful then you need to change the way you see food. There's no such thing as bad or good and you shouldnt be depriving yourself.
  • CharityGC
    CharityGC Posts: 499 Member
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    I make healthy meals that my husband likes as well. If either of us doesn't like it, I generally won't make it again. I will taste things as I cook or have my husband taste it.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I cook once. If someone is with me and they don't like it they can order out.

    I'm not on a diet. I eat anything I want in moderation. My food is already portioned before it's even prepped let alone cooked.

    If you want to be sucessful then you need to change the way you see food. There's no such thing as bad or good and you shouldnt be depriving yourself.

    This!
  • Mlmessick
    Mlmessick Posts: 8
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    The best way to cook for you and the family don't eat anything from a can, box or bag. Fresh food and limiting eating out to once every other week. Good luck.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
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    I have young kids so have to think about what they will like but we all eat the same thing. If I make a 4 serving meal, I eat one serving and my husband eats 1 1/2 because he is trying to gain muscle. Since my kids don't eat much I usually have a serving left for a lunch. I sometimes give the kids a yogurt, banana or something to supplement the meal if it is something they don't love.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I don't have kids, but I cook for myself and my boyfriend quite often. I measure everything before I cook and divide into equal portions afterwords. There's no reason your loved ones shouldn't eat healthy, even if they're not worried about their weight and perhaps eat larger portions.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    I cook a lot. I cook for my husband and myself. I cook pretty much the same way I cooked a few years ago --- well, my skill in creating tasty food has increased, but I digress.

    The only difference I have made between a few years ago and now is the fact that I log the recipe on here so I know how many calories are in the foods I cook so I can log them properly when I eat them.

    I have not cut anything out of my diet. It's not necessary.

    Happy cooking!
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
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    I would rather just eat a salad for dinner (because I love salads) and make my family something else, but I need to make sure my girls know that you don't have to have just a salad to be healthy. I make healthy dinners that we can all eat. Eating healthy is a lifestyle that we all deserve.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,525 Member
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    I don't think I could do any kind of smoothie or special food diet. I eat what my family eats. I have several ways to manage my NET calorie intake, and I use a combination of those techniques:

    1. Cook and eat mostly healthy foods.
    2. Control my portion size
    3. Eat my largest meal with my family (usually dinner, except on weekends), and make the other meals small to accommodate. I shoot for keeping breakfast and lunch combined under 600 calories. That means I get at least 600 cals for dinner, more if I exercise. Most days I can prepare a reasonable dinner for 600-700 calories.
    4. Exercise when possible so that I have more calories to eat.
    5. Don't waste too many calories on empty snacking (this one is the hardest for me!)


    I vowed when I started that my new lifestyle would only impact my family in a positive way, and that I would eat what they eat for the most part. (Occasionally I will have a day where I have yogurt or oatmeal for dinner, and they eat regular dinner food, but those days are few and far between! And usually it is Sunday night, when we have had our Main Meal at lunch.)
  • lolacan
    lolacan Posts: 4
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    Just to clarify, I do cook healthy meals for my family. I don't make pre-packaged boxes or anything like that. I try to make the healthiest choices I can for them as well as me. Im starting Optifast so I wont really be eating meals for a while but will still be making them for my family. So I know it will be hard to not eat anything while im making it. I do like the chewing gum suggestion. I think that's I good idea.
  • Saramelie
    Saramelie Posts: 308 Member
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    My family eats the same food as me, and me as them. I just calculate my portions, that`s it. I never understood people who would make 2 or 3 different meals.... I mean, you don`t run a restaurant. That said, my husband eat really well (healthy) and my kids are young, so maybe it`s easier for me that, let`s say, in a house with a junk-food loving husband and 2 cranky teenagers!
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    If I cook it, I have to eat it! I don't have that much will power. I find that Mexican food is the easiest way to make something healthy that everyone loves. Chilli, tacos, spicy chicken burritos, (pinterest recipe) taco salad, etc. It gets boring after a while, but there's other healthy meals I make too. All with lean ground beef or turkey. :)
  • mom2rpkp
    mom2rpkp Posts: 182 Member
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    I cook healthy meals for the whole family. No short order cook here--if you don't like it, help yourself to the cereal. I also don't buy junk food, no chips, cookies or candy. We rarely eat out or get take out, I plan ahead and cook every day. (and yes, I have a full time job as well). The whole family is healthier as a result.

    What she said. Well said. I have a 14-year old athlete and a 3-year old, and they eat exactly what I eat. The only difference is I weigh and measure and they eat until full. If they don't like what's for dinner, they will get a meal again or are welcome to get piece of fruit. That rarely happens, though. We hardly ever eat out, cook almost everything from scratch, and eat lots of vegetables. And, before anyone asks, I'm a single parent, have a full-time job and a part-time business...lots of folks in that situation but that's just a way of saying it can be done. A short adjustment will be worth it when you consider that your children (and husband) will be learning how to stay healthy for life. BTW, teenagers are at an ideal age to learn to eat healthfully, considering they will have to steer their own ship soon. I find she eats what I buy. If I buy junk, she'll eat that first. But if i don't, she'll choose something healthy. That's not to say there are never treats - this is a lifestyle, not an obsession. Tonight my daughter had ice cream, and I saw her reading the label for the portion size when she was dishing up for her and her little sister. You can do it!
  • AmandaTerry11
    AmandaTerry11 Posts: 22 Member
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    We all eat the same thing. As most said, it's all moderation. I don't eat diet foods but I don't eat a lot of junk either. I plan out our meals a month in advance and shop once a month. Of course I have to go out for periodically for fruits, bread and milk. Most of my veggies are canned (homegrown) or when I buy I chop and freeze. We hardly ever go out to eat either. You can have boxed or bagged meals and still lose weight. It's moderation.

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