Working around the rest of your family

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Mncyguy
Mncyguy Posts: 4 Member
I'm just curious how other people with spouses and kids work to accommodate them with your lifestyle changes. My wife also struggles with her weight, but the approaches that work for us couldn't be more different. I have been most successful when I go al out and eliminate as many loopholes back to bad habits as possible; she needs a less harsh approach to keep her morale up and sustain change. She finds diet plans and participating in Weight Watchers helpful; I get driven mad if I start sniffing pseudoscience and want more control over my personal plan.

We also have two kids and while they aren't terribly picky eaters, they are still 4 and 2 and not always on board with a bunch of salads or something.

Just curious if others run into the same and how you deal with it.

Replies

  • Tripaway
    Tripaway Posts: 71 Member
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    Yeah, I would be interested to hear of other people's plans as well. My wife and I are in a similar situation - two kids, and neither of us can find time to really commit to exercise. Eating healthier is not a problem, but we both need the physical exercise. We're going crazy trying to figure out when we'll be able to get to the gym for something more strenuous than taking the kids for walks or to the park!
  • kevinhparker550
    kevinhparker550 Posts: 17 Member
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    I found this to be a good source for healthy recipes

    http://www.thefoodee.com/tag/whole30/

    We have an 18 month son, and live with my in-laws to help with some medical needs so I get the struggle. Would love to share some thoughts, but what are you looking for more specifically?
  • lmgroupiegirl
    lmgroupiegirl Posts: 10 Member
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    Definitely take the time and find some yummy recipes that are better for you. I have 5 kids and a husband who loves food (who is also blessed with a high metabolism), and they would scoff at a "lighter" choice of salad or something, but I've managed to find some pretty substantial meals that are a better choice and still satisfy the masses.
  • haleyholland12
    haleyholland12 Posts: 5 Member
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    We've started doing meals in courses. I have a 3 year old and a 1.5 year old. We start with a veggie of some sort, and you have to eat that first before you can move on to the next course. We try to keep the kids' servings small so it is a surmountable task, since the goal is really for them to taste it and get used to the flavors of different veggies. Our 3-year-old is also surprisingly rational -- sometimes we just have to tell him it will make him strong and healthy to talk him into it.

    As for exercise, my husband has started jogging the two miles home from work in the evening, which I think is helping him. (I know that's not a possibility for everyone, but it's an idea). We've also been working hard in the garden. I'm the stay at home mom and as a result I'm having a hard time finding time and energy for exercise. So far sticking the kids in the stroller and going for a walk has been the easiest but it's hard to find time even for that, especially in the summer heat. I really like yoga but it's just asking for disaster with two toddlers climbing on me and clamoring to be picked up. Yeah, I'm not really sure what to do there.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
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    Because my husband and I eat so differently, we came do an agreement LONG ago that "mealtime" had to be "mealTIME" and not "MEALtime." It's the time we spend together that is important; not that we eat the same things.

    We typically agree on many things (simply prepared veggies, little or no fried food, lighter meats such as chicken and fish), but also diverge in several important ways.

    I typically eat about 3X the veggies he does; and he typically eats about 3X the meat that I do and 4X the bread that I do.

    So, a typical meal at home for us is an agreed-upon protein --say fish or broiled chicken with no skin-- and then he'll wrap his in a tortilla and make tacos, while I'll take mine and put it on a big pile of greens and call it salad. Or if we share a crock-pot pot roast, he'll have more meat and potatoes; I'll eat more of the carrots and celery.
  • Yabbo1138
    Yabbo1138 Posts: 4 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Eating healthy doesn't mean salads for dinner. I opt for a breakfast high in fiber, a salad with chicken for lunch and some Greek yogurt - so that's high protein - and then just a sensible dinner. Put more veggies on your plate than your starch. As far as finding time to exercise, I walk a few times day with some people a work for about ten minutes each, and then I go to a gym for about 30 minutes or so after work. You have to allow yourself to be selfish! It's your health! And your spouse or partner should be supportive about that. And then do the same for them. Your schedule is going to have to allow for it. With a little creativity, you can do it!
  • rosey0104
    rosey0104 Posts: 20 Member
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    I bought smaller dishes and started just doing more active things together. More nightly walks, Sunday morning nature walks or walking around the city instead of driving from place to place.
  • daj150
    daj150 Posts: 815 Member
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    No kids yet, but I have pets with health issues that takes up just as much time. Meal planning is a nightmare, as the daily calorie difference between my wife and I are so dramatic. I make sure we have similar breakfast (high protein, moderate fat, slow digesting carbs), a smoothie for lunch, and then dinner is kind of a cluster right now. I have given up on planning out meals. We will be trying the route of "keep common items on hand and play it by ear". So the plan is to have enough nutritious items in our pantry and fridge so we can make yummy and diverse meals without the planning. We'll see how it works. For exercise, we have completely different schedules. My wife typically works out super early AM or at night while I take care of the pets. I usually get my workouts at lunch during the week and shoot for AM on the weekends for my long workouts.
  • Deftness
    Deftness Posts: 12 Member
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    Its incredibly hard since my husband has a lot more willpower than me when it comes to dropping bad eating habits but I am always more willing to eat healthier food options. I get derailed with treats and cheats. I have found success in weight loss with the 21 Day Fix (don't worry I'm not a beachbody coach). Its really simple because it takes all the guess work out of portions and what to eat. That means each of us sticks to the amount of containers we individually need for the day. My issue comes in sticking to it. I crave sweets like crazy. With the kids, they end up eating what we eat or they have the option to eat something else. With my teens, they can make it themselves if they don't want to eat what I made. The littles pick at everything but I might just end up making them a pbj or something else later if they ask.

    I think the biggest thing is that you have to advocate for your own lifestyle change regardless of what everyone else is doing. Even if it means more work, like making separate meals for the kids. And sometimes it also means not worrying about what your spouse is doing or if they're on track.

  • Deftness
    Deftness Posts: 12 Member
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    Tripaway wrote: »
    Yeah, I would be interested to hear of other people's plans as well. My wife and I are in a similar situation - two kids, and neither of us can find time to really commit to exercise. Eating healthier is not a problem, but we both need the physical exercise. We're going crazy trying to figure out when we'll be able to get to the gym for something more strenuous than taking the kids for walks or to the park!

    What my husband and I use to do was go to the park and take turns running while the other watched the kids. Now, we just pay extra at the gym for childcare. When our contract is up there we are moving to another gym that offers free childcare.
  • bedevil
    bedevil Posts: 2 Member
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    I'm a father of 3 (14, 13, 2), and husband of one. I'm active duty military and my wife was as well until recently for over a decade a piece. I'm on your level when it comes to commitment and implementation and my wife is probably more in line with yours. The happy medium for us is control of my kids breakfast, reliance on smart at school meal choices for lunch, and compromised dinner choices for all of us. I prep my own lunches and snacks and do the same for about half of my wife's meals and she eats something out or from her hospital cafeteria on night shift. The only secret I have to success is compromise brother, I have to cave and save some carbs or some fat from the day to waste on the evening so my teenage girls can help me make quasadillas for supper on a random Thursday with too much snow to try and run it off. I justify it in my head with the 80/20 rule. My girls and I cook a lot of our meals together as a family activity and they like stuff teenage girls are going to like, so we buy skinless cuts, lower fat meats, random concessions to make things a little healthier then I just practice portion control. Most of my workouts are in my garage with kettlebells or other equipment I have and I'll plan meals that need to bake for 30 minutes or so around evenings I want to knock something short out so we can prep together then they can Netflix and monitor the oven with my 2 year old while I pick things up and put them down.
  • sh5408
    sh5408 Posts: 4 Member
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    This is really hard for me too. I moved back home to save money after college, and my mom is a big foodie/amateur chef. She has better self control than me, but she also isn't concerned about being a little heavier than I want to be (now or when I'm her age). There are snacks around EVERYWHERE in the house, especially high carb and sugary snacks. I try so hard to come home from the gym, make my own healthy dinners, and put my blinders on to the tempting foods around me. I even have my own shelves in the pantry and fridge where I keep my healthier foods, and *mostly* stick to only grabbing food from those places. But whenever I'm bored or stressed, I find myself snacking on the treats she brings home. I am grateful for the opportunity to save money at home right now, but I wish I had more say over the groceries we bring (or better, don't bring) into the house. Anyone else going through something like this?