She asked what about me?

msradio
msradio Posts: 165 Member
edited November 12 in Motivation and Support
Ok so I started dieting, my daughter and boyfriend are fit as a fiddle! To start off my weight loss I brought alot of lean cuisine meals and snacks. My 14 yr old daughter was like what about me? She eats some what healthy and i feel guilty making her eat what she's not use to. So how do I still cook for my family without getting tempted with what their eating? Someone please help!
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Replies

  • umachanxo
    umachanxo Posts: 926 Member
    I cook my fiance a lot of the foods that I eat, but I still buy him separate things and cook it for him. For example, I'll make a steak and potato dinner for him and I'll have a chicken Cesar salad. I just have a tiny bite of his to settle any cravings if I have any.

    edit;; also, try to only cook enough for them. If there's leftovers, you will be more tempted.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    Cook real, healthy food and eat less of it.
  • logicandlove
    logicandlove Posts: 191 Member
    If you're going to be cooking anyway, just look for healthy recipes you can eat too! It'll probably be even better than lean cuisine because those can be loaded with sugar, and healthy food can be tasty too, trust me.
  • Bmontgomery613
    Bmontgomery613 Posts: 200 Member
    My husband and my kids eat whatever I'm eating. The only exception usually is lunch or schoolday breakfasts. But, for dinners, whatever I make is what we have. www.skinnytaste.com has some delicious recipes on there.
  • Vince_1964
    Vince_1964 Posts: 359 Member
    I think home-cooking is still the answer. My wife and I cook (most nights) pretty much what we used to cook before counting calories -- now we just measure or weigh our portions, and eat more veggies and fruit than starchy carbs. Last night I made a chicken piccata (reduced fat by using only about a TBSP of butter and no olive oil) and pasta. But instead of a whole (half) chicken breast and a heap of pasta, I had about 5 oz chicken and 2 oz (dry weight) pasta.
  • msradio
    msradio Posts: 165 Member
    Thanks so much for the support the feedback is great!
  • naku
    naku Posts: 109 Member
    This is an opinion of a daughter: You are making the effort to cook your family their meals, probably after a long day at work. On top of that you are now making them healthy and nutritious. The only thing coming from their mouths should be "Thank you mum!".

    If not, they can cook themselves.
  • msradio
    msradio Posts: 165 Member
    @ naku so true luv it!
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    Ok so I started dieting, my daughter and boyfriend are fit as a fiddle! To start off my weight loss I brought alot of lean cuisine meals and snacks. My 14 yr old daughter was like what about me? She eats some what healthy and i feel guilty making her eat what she's not use to. So how do I still cook for my family without getting tempted with what their eating? Someone please help!

    Lean Cuisine isn't particularly healthy. What you might consider is finding some good, real food, recipes, and cooking healthy for you and the whole house! "Dieting" is a bad idea. Healthy lifestyle is a good one. Both for you, and your fourteen-year-old.
  • bkandisjj29
    bkandisjj29 Posts: 172
    My husband, who does most of the cooking at dinnertime, fixes the meat and the vegetables to be as healthy as possible for me, and then he usually fixes a starch and some bread for himself to add to the other for him.
  • amzasmommy
    amzasmommy Posts: 26 Member
    Skinnytaste.com has a lot of recipes for lighter healthier versions of meals. I've made 6-7 dinners and no one has complained yet on those nights! Actually last night was a baked ziti from there. Everyone ate all of it (including my 5 year and teens) including the spinach in it.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    Skinnytaste.com has a lot of recipes for lighter healthier versions of meals. I've made 6-7 dinners and no one has complained yet on those nights! Actually last night was a baked ziti from there. Everyone ate all of it (including my 5 year and teens) including the spinach in it.

    ^This!
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
    Cook real, healthy food and eat less of it.

    Yes!!!
  • huizenm
    huizenm Posts: 74 Member
    This is an opinion of a daughter: You are making the effort to cook your family their meals, probably after a long day at work. On top of that you are now making them healthy and nutritious. The only thing coming from their mouths should be "Thank you mum!".

    If not, they can cook themselves.

    THIS! My family eats what I make them and if they don't like it, they don't have to eat it. Eating healthy is a family affair and my girls have learned to LOVE all kinds of veggies & healthy options because of it. My youngest daughters favorite food??? - Asparagus!
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    If your daughter already eats healthy, then you cooking healthy meals shouldn't be a problem for her or for the rest of your family. She can just eat more than you do. :smile:

    When I was still working to lose weight, I did most of it by cutting out a lot of carbs. I still cooked rice, potatoes or pasta as a side dish, I just didn't eat them or took a very small amount. I filled up on the meat entree, veggies and salad while my husband and son ate some of everything.

    I have to agree that Lean Cuisines aren't really all that great. Many of the varieties are loaded with sodium. I have a couple types that I'll buy on occasion just to have in the freezer here at work if I get stuck with no other option but I stopped eating them a few months after starting MFP because I realized they were not really a good option.
  • LauraLouFace
    LauraLouFace Posts: 56 Member
    Check out a cookbook called Cook This Not That Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals. A lot of them are healthier low calorie versions of things you would find at popular restaurants, and there are some VERY tasty recipes in this book! There is also a lot of variety...

    Good luck!
  • Tishy78
    Tishy78 Posts: 108 Member
    I just try to make healthier options of the stuff we always ate.

    For instance, we still have pasta - I just use Barilla Plus or Fiber Gormet instead of the regular spaghetti noodles and we'll have some turkey meatballs with it for extra protein. We will still have burgers, but we make them with extra lean beef (or turkey burgers!) and instead of fries on the side, will have stuff like corn on the cob and salad with it instead.

    Some small changes like that can make a huge difference :)
  • sollyn
    sollyn Posts: 179
    My husband and my kids eat whatever I'm eating. The only exception usually is lunch or schoolday breakfasts. But, for dinners, whatever I make is what we have. www.skinnytaste.com has some delicious recipes on there.
    I have just looked at this site.:love: Yummy!
  • slrrese
    slrrese Posts: 180 Member
    I use the recipes from the Healthy section at: http://www.myrecipes.com/
    My husband eats what ever I cook, just more of it than I do. I try to make some recipes ahead if they take longer (the night before) and he puts them in the oven when he gets home because he gets home before I do (we both work). Then we eat, take the dogs for a walk and I make the meal for the next day or we have left overs the next day. I have to keep it simple because we both work, but I MUCH prefer a home cooked meal instead of something already prepared.
  • mslack01
    mslack01 Posts: 823 Member
    I cook a lot of recipes from skinnytaste.com. They are tasty and if you eat decent portions they are low-cal. My hubby eats whatever I cook, but he just eats three portions. LOL
  • cuatromommy
    cuatromommy Posts: 120 Member
    The key is to not tell them it's a diet meal...just cook it and be excited about it and they will follow. It's all about perception!
  • mzjandiace
    mzjandiace Posts: 162
    Hi mom of 6 here! First off get rid of the lean c. You can cook everything that they sell. Now you know we went from soul food to healthy soul food. My kids eat everything i cook. There are sooooo many recipes out there, and its all in the seasoning. Trust me she will eat it or be hungry. My husband said i tricked him cause the food taste even better, but i still buy them treats like ice cream but i buy skinny cow, so just plan it all out. My oldest kids are very fit and athletic, now they appreciate it, and my grandson lovessss broccoli and skinny cow ice cream
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
    My hubby doesn't think he needs to eat healthier, so I've just been making substitutions to make my normal meals healthier. Turns out, we weren't eating all that badly, mostly too big portions. I've cut back (or even completely out) the salt, started replacing ground beef for ground turkey, and swapped canned veggies for frozen veggies. Hubby doesn't cook most of the time, so he has no idea that I've made the changes.
  • LFDBabs
    LFDBabs Posts: 297 Member
    Cook real, healthy food and eat less of it.

    ^^ This.........look at the Lean Cuisine Labels!! The sodium content is insane and NOT healthy for you, especially if this is a main staple in your "diet". You could cook the same stuff at home and be able to have possibly more of it and it'll taste a heck of a lot better and not have nearly as much sodium and other crap your body doesn't need!

    This isn't about "dieting", it's about learning sustainable changes. If you can't keep real food in your dietary plan, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Eat Fresh!!
  • samandlucysmum
    samandlucysmum Posts: 320
    One word,,SALT...ready made meals have a really hogh salt content, try using the meal ideas, adapt them to suit your family, and then put into freezable containers, a healthier option.
  • Dlynndavis
    Dlynndavis Posts: 17 Member
    Cook Real Food! Most people turn to lean cuisine/healthy choice meals to try to establish portion control but it simply doesn't work because the food is not tasty enough to squash any cravings you may have and it certainly doesn't fill you up. You end up feeling like you just ate 320 calories of nothing! There are a lot of healthy eating options and start with no fried foods and smaller portions. Those two adjustments make a world of difference. Counting your calories on MFP really helps to put things in perspective too. I always have a calorie deficit and I'm always pleasantly full and satisfied by eating regular, healthy, well portioned meals. Once you're done with this batch of lean cuisine meals, get cooking to get and keep the whole family healthy! Good Luck!
  • sthrnspirit
    sthrnspirit Posts: 51
    Cook real, healthy food and eat less of it.



    Exactly! No trick to it. Log what you eat. Those 'frozen' dinners have TONS of sodium. Be very careful. It only took one month of me eating those before I was asking my doc why my hands were so thick....build up on the sodium. Quit eating the frozens and it dropped off in a couple of weeks.
    Cook healthy meals for you AND your family. They will benefit and continue to benefit....with you.
  • _Iffer_
    _Iffer_ Posts: 13
    Cook real, healthy food and eat less of it.

    I agree with this!
  • faylenechung
    faylenechung Posts: 107 Member
    My children's doctor said that I can cook healthy for everyone and just give the kids more of what I am eating. she said they need more servings of veggies and fruit a day.
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 445 Member
    First off, I love your initiative here! the fact that you are asking for help and thinking about things like this shows that you will be successful!

    I'll try and keep this short. Health is not only about the scale and the mirror, but your ability to fight off sickness, have a healthy heart, all the things you cannot see.

    Anything in a package is not ideal. We weren't meant to eat it.
    Go with natural foods. Head down to the farmer's market and see what is in season. I've heard it said, don't cook the things your mom made you, cook the things your grandma made!

    For weight loss, cut back on the carbs. This includes: sugar, bread, pasta, rice, oats. Eat more natural fats (ones from animals or plants) and really eat protein. Protein will help you feel full longer and not be snacky so much.

    good luck with everything! We wish you and your family the best!
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