Influenced

Kaylavm99
Kaylavm99 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Motivation and Support
My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and 5 months and I am at him house with his mother and sister most of the time. His mother and sister make seriously bad lifestyle choices and have very bad eating habits. In the pantry would be 4 large packets of potato chips, chocolate, biscuits, in the fridge would be white bread a fatty foods, in the freezer would be a 1L tub of ice-cream and magnum ice-cream. For dinner we would eat a heck load if carbs, and I basically fell into these habits and I can't get out of it.

Replies

  • Bex953172
    Bex953172 Posts: 4,253 Member
    edited November 2018
    Could you not prepare your own food?
    Or get things in the shopping to replace the carbs.

    For example my kids and my partner eat potatoes and pasta and stuff. And I cook that for them so say its.. Beef and potatoes and veg, instead of the potatoes ill have salad with beef. Or spaghetti bolognese ill spiralize a courgette (zucchini) for courghetti (zoodles).

    I think with these things although it's bad for you, with the right portion control you could still lose weight, it would just be a bit harder as they are quite high in calories. So you'll have to have much less of it.

    Why should someone else's eating habits reflect your own. It's your body so put what you want in it. I think it's time to have a word with your boyfriend and his family.

    Also when my partner makes dinner I still prepare my own plate with salad and weigh it all out, I don't expect him to do that for me as its me who has chosen to eat differently
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,174 Member
    edited November 2018
    Carbs don't make you fat and although those foods aren't overly nutritionally dense, you can still lose weight eating them. Weight loss is about calories, so if you're eating these things in portions that fit your calorie goal you will still lose weight.

    However, and this may come across a little harsh, but just because the food is there, doesn't mean you have to eat it. Try thinking of it as their food. If you want to eat more nutritionally dense foods, take some around with you, if you're eating dinner there that's devoid of fruit, veg & protein plan better for breakfast & lunch. You are the only person responsible for what goes in your mouth, take responsibility.

    I'd disagree with what previous poster said about speaking to him and his family, they are not responsible for your weight loss and they shouldn't be expected to change their lifestyle because you want to change yours, especially as from the way I read it, you don't live there, you're just hanging out there?

    All of the foods you've mentioned above are not inherently bad on their own, they can fit quite easily into a balanced diet in moderation.

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  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    It’s very tough to change eating habits when your life is entwined closely with other people. I experienced something similar with my ex boyfriend; I took on his fast food eating habits when we started living together. I honestly almost did the same thing with my current boyfriend. Luckily I went to behavioral therapy and she helped me make small habit changes each week to jump start my healthy journey (more water, breakfast every day, lunch prep, calorie tracking, setting aside time for exercise, etc). But it does take some planning and habit formation (for example, I always bring my workout clothes to my boyfriend’s house the night before I work out. When the morning comes, I change directly into those clothes, drive home, and do a home workout first before breakfast.) Little habit changes you make can be easier to keep up with if you create a cue for yourself to remember the habit.

    Is it possible that you can set aside time every weekend to go to your house/apartment to plan out your week of food? You can plan your meals, grocery shop, and cook every Sunday (or whenever you have a consistent day free). Then you can keep small breakfasts and meal prep lunches in their refrigerator for yourself. You can probably still have their dinners as long as you keep your breakfasts and lunches relatively small in portion, and you control your portions of their dinner. (This is just an idea; this kind of eating doesn’t necessarily work for everyone and you know your eating best.)

    If boyfriend/his mom/his sister ask you why you are hanging out at their place less, just say that you are starting to focus on meal prep ( you can even say you’re trying to save money, or you’re trying to learn to be a better cook, etc, if you don’t want to talk about weight loss yet).
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Whats in their house is not their problem.
    If you are in weight loss mode....it is for YOU to be prepared and to move away from the junk.
    Maybe you could be their example.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,848 Member
    Yep. Lots of people eat that way.

    Do you have a question? I think you've gotten good suggestions above. Fix your own meals, or bring your own food. You can't change other people - just work on your own stuff. :)
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