Vegetarian with a BF who cannot be filled

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  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Why would I buy meat, if I can't eat it? He's welcome to buy it himself and cook it in his own house.

    You're setting up a "me or the meat" situation that seems unnecessary since you said you don't even have an ethical objection. You might not always like his choice and he probably doesn't want to choose.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Why would I buy meat, if I can't eat it? He's welcome to buy it himself and cook it in his own house.

    Why can't he buy it himself and cook it at your house? I get that you don't want to spend time preparing meat for him since you'll never eat it, but at the beginning it sounded like you were fine with meat around you. Now it seems more like "No meat in my house!"
  • irenehb
    irenehb Posts: 236 Member
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    My husband who is 49 and my son who is 17 have never eaten any meat, the same with every family member on hubby's side since they are Hindu. Whilst none of them weight wise are as large as your BF it can be done.
    I eat 500-600 calorie meal and put a bread roll, more cheese, more oil, larger servings, more avocado, extra dessert etc for them.
    But if your BF wants meat and you have no ethical objections, maybe he can buy some meat and cook it at your place (maybe have a separate pan) for it, if you have any issues with that.
  • mymuffin88
    mymuffin88 Posts: 14 Member
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    Best way to figure out what satiates his hunger is to ask him when You two eat. "Do you want more of this next time? Do you want more of that? Is there anything in particular you would want in the fridge other than what is there?" And so on. He doesn't have to have multiples of the same foods you are having all the time, really, unless he wants to go vegetarian himself. If you feed him what he himself likes or is craving, he will fill up faster. It should show improvement from the very beginning, and then you two can fine tune what he wants to eat and drastically improve the situation in a little more time.

    Another thought, making him eat vegetarian is like making you eat meat! I'm sure he loves you and so is being polite in eating vegetarian all the time. But if you want him happy and content, 'ask him' what 'he' wants. You do not have to eat the same thing.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    Just break up.
  • callyart
    callyart Posts: 209
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    Does he have an active job?
    I don't know.

    My partner is the same. He eats three times more than me but burns 600+ calories a day as a postman. He is 186lbs (which is great because when I met him he was borderline anorexic)

    He gets really hungry all the time, and the reason is because he is not having what he should be having in his diet. I give up trying though, give him what he wants, then when I get healthy, he'll realise how easy it is ;)

    Will you allow meat to be cooked in your house? If so, make him cook his own meat, or bring his meat with him. I couldn't imagine having such a different belief as my partner, I don't think I could cope. It might be a problem if you two want to move in together in the future :/
  • wordena
    wordena Posts: 177 Member
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    If he wanted to bring meat over and cook it himself that would be fine.
    As we maintain two separate residences, and he is in theory living at his own house, I buy groceries just for myself, as he still buys groceries for himself at his house. If he wants food at my house, he eats what I have in my house as any guest would do.
    As many have pointed out, we're both adults. If he wants different food he can buy it and prepare it himself. Even at my house. It seems a bit absurd to buy a bunch of food for my own house that I cannot eat.
    He actually does prefer some vegetarian meat options, than the real meat himself. Ex: in his own home he buys himself soy sausage and soy hot dogs.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Don't cook for him or tell him if he's over he just needs to eat what you cook a snot bring over extra take out. It's not your job to feed him. He's a grown *kitten* man.
  • LexiMelo
    LexiMelo Posts: 203 Member
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    Why would I buy meat, if I can't eat it? He's welcome to buy it himself and cook it in his own house.

    He can't buy it himself and cook it himself at your place? I'm not saying you have to allow this, but being all hell no about meat in your home doesn't bode well for future cohabitation

    This is exactly what I was thinking. If you got married you'd be buying him meat when you go grocery shopping.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I have no problem with him eating that huge take away. I just mentally added up the calories and realized I just don't feel capable of cooking THAT high calorie of meals. There is no lifestyle choice problem here, I merely cannot eat meat due to a meat intolerance in my digestive tract. A 500 calorie meal is for myself. I hand him a triple portion, that equals 1500 calories...... I realize that he is a lot bigger than me, and thus give him much larger portions. I also try to make an effort by including things like beans, cheese, and whole eggs in his foods for protein.

    So why not just add a steak to his veggie meal?
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,171 Member
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    im vegan however my bf isnt, he'll ask for things like tofu or faux meat in stuff i make sometimes so i think its more of that theres something missing, you need to think of what to replace the meat with, so something high protein and "meat like" but yeah you could try faux meats and see if that helps :)

    if all fails massive bowl of mac and cheese, thats aught to fill him up

    but yeah ask him what he likes, i.e. my bf loves falafels and hummus so i make that quite a lot for him (or buy when im lazy) and he's totally fine with us not having meat in the house when we live together but he can get it when he goes out and gets lunch at work and so on.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
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    Don't cook for him or tell him if he's over he just needs to eat what you cook a snot bring over extra take out. It's not your job to feed him. He's a grown *kitten* man.

    And no woman should ever be a housewife. They're grown *kitten* women and should have jobs.

    i.e. everyone's lifestyle and values should match my own . . .
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
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    I am a vegetarian and do not prepare meat in my house, though I have no problem with people or loved ones consuming meat around me. My BF is around a lot, and I generally end up cooking for him most days. He is a very large man, not fat, but easily 230 and not dieting. I am at a total loss what to feed him. I prepare food for him and myself. I make my normal portion size, usually a 500 calorie meal and then I just triple his portion for him of the same foods. Yet the man is still hungry! He even gets 2nd meals!
    I just about threw my hands up and gave up today, when I saw his huge order of take out. 3 cheese burgers, french fries, milk shake and chicken nuggets. This was a large meal that day, but there is just no way I am ever going to be able to compete or feed someone that amount of calories on a vegetarian diet
    -frustrated and at a loss here

    Why are you feeding a grown man? You are not responsible for his stomach and/or what he chooses to put in it. Cook for the both of you, if you must, then let him take care of his extra food.
  • Cheri0830
    Cheri0830 Posts: 37 Member
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    I would say don't worry about his diet, let him worry about it, and you keep doing what is right for you. As hard as it might be, let him cook his extra calories, or protein's.
  • zapampnmp
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    I keep coming back to this… I am kinda surprised to be honest by all the don't feed him posts. I have never had a friend or family over, much less a lover, and not offered them food or drink especially during meal time. It is part of being a host{ess} and nothing to do with being susie homemaker or grown assed woman with job or grown assed man who needs to forage for himself. My kids offer their friends dinner if they are still around while I start fixing it and they are young so this definitely isn't a generational shift. Seriously you are hanging with some friends and it gets to be dinner time and it is fend for yourself these days?

    I have too many friends that are vegan or gluten free or what not who have a hard time at dinner parties finding something acceptable to eat. I get that hosts are not expected to cater to all your dietary needs but offering something they might like is good. It seems she is offering food her bf likes but is concerned he isn't getting enough calories/fat without the meat and wants some strategies to up those factors. I agree that she shouldn't have to go out and buy a side of beef for him but having some seasoned nuts or something as an appetizer to up the protein and fat isn't such a horrific chore.

    My sister comes and visits for a weekend and I make darned sure there are things she likes. Same with my mother~ red wine and coffee {neither of which I drink}. My daughters invite friends I buy some soda and chips for them to offer. Seriously do you guys expect a guest to bring their own drinks and food to your house?
  • ShoshanahM
    ShoshanahM Posts: 50 Member
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    I won't go extreme and say that you should give up on him altogether, because I know that sharing meals is something important for couples, but you also shouldn't worry yourself sick about him getting enough. He can make his own decisions. He knows what you cook and should prepare accordingly. For example, my husband is a vegetarian, which is a way I enjoy eating most of the time, but once and a while I just need roasted chicken. I warn him ahead of time, and he puts on his big boy pants, microwaves a veggie burger, enjoys the potato and veggie sides, and peace prevails in our house. Would you be okay with him getting a frying pan for your apartment and cooking up a meat side for himself when you share a meal? He could even get his own scrub pad for it.

    I understand you are concerned, because you love him, and I, too, fall into the guilt trap of worrying whether my husband is getting enough protein, B12, etc, or is too tired from work or too inexperienced in the kitchen to make something for himself. But at the end of the day, being a vegetarian was his choice, and it is his job to educate himself, and he will know if he is not getting enough energy from his food. I'm working just as much as he does, and if I never give him the opportunity to cook his own dinner, I will set up a situation in our relationship where I will never get a break from cooking. I'm sure you two can find a compromise, whether it is him chipping in for food, or you allowing him to cook some meat on the side.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    After reading the post and replies, I'm still not sure what the problem is.

    Are you frustrated with him for eating so damn much, or are you frustrated with yourself because your cooking never seems to satisfy him? Your first post seems to imply that he is the problem (and maybe that he's setting himself up for getting fat by eating too much), but your later answers (more fat, more salt) implies that it's your cooking.

    If it's the first, but he's not gaining weight, then you just need to recognize that some people need far more food than others, depending on their height, body composition, and activity level. While it might not seem fair that he can eat so much and you have to count calories, the world isn't always fair. I have friends who eat like birds, and friends who will take seconds or even thirds. When they're over for dinner, I just accept that what I consider to be a normal serving isn't what everyone else thinks.

    If it is the second, then look into adding more fat in your cooking. If you want to avoid much extra fat yourself, but you don't want to make two versions of things, give him side dishes, like a bowl of peanuts or cashews, some olives, a bowl of olive oil with bread for dipping, etc.
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
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    I'm another one who doesn't really get what the issue is.

    Talk to him. Find simple stuff he likes to eat and tell him to buy a bunch of it and keep it at your place to supplement meals that you're making if he wants (I'm thinking pasta etc). Or let him just keep adding junk food to what you're serving if he's not in any need of watching his health or weight (not a choice I'd go for but if you're both ok with it.

    I'm a vegetarian and I'm small and I'd struggle to feel satisfied with 500 calorie meals but if I was visiting I'd be more than happy to just have a snack when I got home to to bring over my own food to supplement what you gave me. I just spent a week visiting friends and the first day I went out and stocked up on food to supplement their meals (and to contribute). They're good friends and they were totally ok with that.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    My BF and I are in the same situation, and honestly everyone just compromises a little. He eats more veggie-based meals than he would otherwise, and I'm happy having some scrambled eggs + whatever sides he makes if he really wants a steak.

    We make a lot of meals where it's easy to add/subtract the meat, like fried rice so he can add cubed chicken to his portion and I can add extra eggs to mine, or we'll have the same pasta sauce, salad and bread, but he'll make chicken tortellini and I'll make cheese tortellini. I'll keep breakfast sausage in my freezer because he really likes it and it's easy to add a side of sausage to his meal so he fills up but I don't add extra calories to mine.
  • Ryokosith
    Ryokosith Posts: 1 Member
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    If the concern is the quantity of what he eats in general, that's going to be a part of the package you accept by
    being in a relationship with this particular man. Either he just needs more food to function than the average person, or he's not eating in a way that is healthy for him. Which ever it is, communication is key. That and the realization that even if he is loading up on foods in amounts which eventually might make him sick, ultimately it's up to him if, when, and how to change his eating habits.

    If the concern is he's simply not satisfied with the meals you prepare because he's still starving, add fat to his portions. If you're serving soup, perhaps add a dollup of coconut oil? Is it something you can add cheese or sour cream to? How about cream cheese, heavy cream, or mayo? As he's not dieting and I don't think you've indicated that he has a problem with gaining weight, these might be options for him.