Living with the "Steak and Potatoes" kinda guy

He sounds the same as me!

And I've never felt stronger/fitter/healthier. Does he exercise? Does he take vitamin supplements?

I feel your pain as this guy ^^^ belongs to me. He eats crap too and says he feels great. Fruits and veggies...nope. Meat and potato...and snacky stuff.

I have always had a one bite rule thank god. If I cook it...he has to try just ONE bite and see if he likes it.

Sometimes there isn't anything you can do. Just keep offering the healthy foods and prepare them in a way that makes them as appealing as possible. That's all you can do really.

He sounds the same as me!

And I've never felt stronger/fitter/healthier. Does he exercise? Does he take vitamin supplements?

I feel your pain as this guy ^^^ belongs to me. He eats crap too and says he feels great. Fruits and veggies...nope. Meat and potato...and snacky stuff.

I have always had a one bite rule thank god. If I cook it...he has to try just ONE bite and see if he likes it.

Sometimes there isn't anything you can do. Just keep offering the healthy foods and prepare them in a way that makes them as appealing as possible. That's all you can do really.

Hey, i never said i want to be "healthy"! Just "healthier"! And if eating this way has made me lose this fat with minimal muscle loss, in a way that is totally sustainable for the rest of my life, surely thats better than forcing myself to eat "healthy" and not sticking with it!

True. You didn't. I, however DO want you healthy. To that end I'm hoping that after a while of trying a bite of this and that the healthy food will appeal more. If not, that's your choice. I will keep making it and offering it and hope.

We have all kinds of issues in our household of three...myself, husband and daughter. My husband is doing a low-carb thing with no rice, potatoes, bread, pasta. My daughter is vegetarian. I'm doing the "everything in moderation" approach. So what I do...is make some kind of lean meat for myself and my husband, vegetarian alternative for my daughter. Then I make two sides...potato or rice, steamed vegetable of some sort. My daughter is in charge of maintaining the salad stuff...chopping veggies, washing lettuce, and she makes the salads every night with dinner. So I get a little of everything, my daughter gets a little of everything but her vegetarian protein instead of meat, my husband gets double veggies and no potato/rice. Seems to be working and doesn't seem to be that bad of a bother. I usually get a little of everything for leftovers for my lunch the next day.

My boyfriend is the same way....and we have 2 kids, so I understand your difficulties. I used to cater to his tastes, and make separate meals since I can't eat that much red meat, but I finally put my foot down and said "if you don't like what I cook, make something for yourself". It was getting way too time consuming and expensive, and I felt like a short order cook.

He's gotten used to the food I cook, and he's now eating fish, chicken, and veggies, although he does complain that he can't stand chicken

I suppose it will take time, but your daughter should be a huge motivator. Also, you should research the health issues people face when not getting enough fibre and stuff that you get from veggies. Eating too much meat can have negative effects on your health that won't necessarily show physically.

If you ask me, he doesn't sound picky. He sounds close minded and incapable of expanding his world. His loss, really.

I say, let him cook his food, and you make yours. He'll eventually either become the best steak n potatoes cooker there is, or he'll learn to accept your foods. If he whines about this? Oh well.

As far as your daughter goes, I'm sure you already know to cook lots of healthy goodies for the both of you. I'm the lead cook in our house, and I have a set-in-stone rule with my 3 daughters: You don't have to like it, but you do have to try it. My wife is somewhat like your husband, and grew up with a painfully narrow food vocabulary. So she whines and groans when I make foods different than what she grew up with. I do not want to describe the fight that ensued when I stopped bringing home wonder bread. Oh My GOD. Her choice - if she wanted that garbage, she'd have to go get it herself. Now she eats whole wheat bread.

I compromise a little. We still eat regular pasta, though I'm slowly switching us to the 51% whole grain stuff. And I still make pancakes and waffles for them. I try to use healthier mix, but it's not 100% whole wheat at all. So there's some compromise.

I hope this helps, and good luck. Spouses ingrained in their ways, and incapable of changing and/or supporting your change can be very difficult. I really do wish you luck.

Why cant people see the difference between "picky" and "simply cannot stomach"....

mmmmh i love steak and potatoes! I could eat that every day too lol

Sounds like a typical husband. I'm blessed with a guy who will eat anything I give him short of tofu and sprouts, but he definitely prefers a good steak & potatoes meal. I take his tastes into consideration - I know he's not a fan of tomatoes, so I don't use a lot of them. I know he likes the whole-wheat pasta, but hates the whole-grain, so I skip it.

Learn to creatively roll with it. (... and please don't nag, you're not his mom ) Cook meals based on a main dish you all enjoy, and then add sides that you like. There's nothing wrong with steak - just don't eat twelve ounces of it! Mix it up with fish and chicken, but if you know he's more of a basic kind of guy, start slow and don't go all crazy with fancy cooking and spices that you know he won't like.

If he eats it, great, if he doesn't, then there's always cereal. (Not sounding mean there - I swear every guy I know is quite happy to have cereal for supper. lol) And just try to avoid cooking things that you KNOW he really despises.

If your daughter complains, tell her she can choose her own food when she's a grownup, too, but for now you're the mom and what you say goes. (Remind her that Daddy had to listen to his mom, too.)