Is it harder to cook for your family, when your on a diet?

workoutgirl23
workoutgirl23 Posts: 267
in Food and Nutrition
do you find it harder to cook for your family, when you are on a diet.? i used to cook really good, fattening meals for my family before i started my diet. now its harder, cuz i sort of eat my own diet food, so i have to make different food for me and then cook something for my husband and kids. i wish we could all eat the same things. but they need more calories than i do. what about you.
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Replies

  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    Yes. My mom and I are trying to lose weight but my grandmother and brother like fatty horrible foods. Grandma gets sick of all the "diet food" and wonders "when we'll start eating good again." So yeah, I can't wait to move out. I'll lose weight much easier when I'm the only one bringing food into my place.
  • Flab2fitfi
    Flab2fitfi Posts: 1,349 Member
    No - I cook the same for everyone. Most of our problems were eating too much and snacking so still have some of the same food as before just smaller portions.

    I'm also lucky as they dont mind me trying new stuff and will give me feedback on something new.
  • wasveganvictoria88
    wasveganvictoria88 Posts: 249 Member
    Could you not do a 1 pot meal for the family? Like casserole and then they could have a jacket potato, and you could have it without or with leafy greens?

    Although I haven't got a huge family (just the two of us haha) I make 1 pot of something, and then he has extra whatever, rice, mash...that way I still feel like were eating together :)
  • rachey_v
    rachey_v Posts: 127 Member
    Hello, there is a website called

    nhs.uk/change4life/

    If you google it you will see that it's an nhs site for healthy living, it gives you family recipes for under £5 such as Chilli, different pasta, risotto, roast etc. I hope it helps.
  • Ravenesque_
    Ravenesque_ Posts: 257 Member
    If they want their own meals, let them cook it.

    Lead by example. Making your family healthier by cooking healthy for them will only do them good. They will thank you in the end!
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I do most of the cooking for my boyfriend and I, but he's been very agreeable since I cleaned up my eating. He actually finds he can't stomach fatty or rich foods anymore like he used to. I think he's just happy to have food to eat. Before we moved in together, he was living off fast food and bologna sandwiches.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    I do not subject the kids to my restrictions, but do not allow junk food, soda or candy in the house. I will allow them kid friendly foods like chicken nuggets, burgers, hot dogs and the like. None of my kids are at all fat. We have 5.
    It's a struggle getting everybody fed.
    I eat much cleaner and reached a point where it's no biggie. They eat well, and I am not tempted, so all is well.
    A weekly "free day" helps.
  • karenjoy
    karenjoy Posts: 1,840 Member
    cook healthy meals for all of them, the children should be eating healthy anyway, so why is it a problem? If your Husband wants to eat badly, tell him the food is now healthy as you are doing the best for you and the children, he will come around I am sure
  • emtron500
    emtron500 Posts: 102 Member
    I just give my husband larger portions of the same foods I eat. He's easier to cook for than a kid though because he's not picky :)
  • Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel
    Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel Posts: 175 Member
    It's just my son and I, but he eats the same foods I eat. I eat normal foods, not "diet foods", so there's no reason to cook anything different for him. Why not make the same foods, but watch your portions? I just don't understand why it is hard. I am trying to teach my child to eat healthier, so I don't feed him a bunch of garbage. He does get processed foods every once in a while, though. Again, like I said, we just eat the same things at each meal, and occasionally, he will have a special snack. I choose not to deprive myself of anything, I just modify things to make them a little healthier.
  • JanSmelly
    JanSmelly Posts: 143 Member
    No, we all eat the same thing. There is no such thing as diet meals in our house. I make healthy meals for everyone and we start every dinner with a salad. Since I am the cook and do the grocery shopping, you can take it or leave it. That goes for even the smallest one in the house.
  • workoutgirl23
    workoutgirl23 Posts: 267
    I eat a lot of lean cuisine meals for myself, because its just easier, to count how many calories i'm actually consuming.
  • momma3sweetgirls
    momma3sweetgirls Posts: 743 Member
    I really haven't had to change what I eat, just 'how much' I eat. An example is spaghetti. I make spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic cheese bread, and cesar salad for my family once a week. I eat my measured 1 cup of pasta and 1/2 cup of sauce. I usually have a tiny helping of salad and skip the garlic bread. With other meals, I might substitute the carb (pasta, rice, bread, potato) for a salad. I still eat tacos, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. I just don't eat 4 helpings.
  • TinaBaily
    TinaBaily Posts: 792 Member
    I have found that the word "diet" is the best way for me to fall off that way of eating. I've made a life change and am eating healthier, not to lose weight specifically, but to be healthier for life. I cook the way we should all be eating, and as others have posted before me in reply to your question, I just eat smaller portions of what I make. I'm learning how to season vegetables with spices and not salt, making them quite delicious. You might find it easier to just make the same food for everyone in your family and if you find yourself REALLY wanting to enjoy a hotdog or burger or whatever it is you really miss, have a meal once a month that includes that food. You will likely find that the longer you spend eating healthier, the less your body craves the foods that aren't the best fuel for our bodies.

    Here are some examples of recent meals in my home:

    Spaghetti with homemade sauce and sauteed green peppers and onions as a side dish
    burritos using home baked pinto beans, partially mashed (no oil added), rice, cheese, hot sauce and diced tomatoes, with salad
    potato, onion and sausage sauteed together, served with homemade bread sticks
    chicken breasts braised in a frying pan with diced tomatoes, onions and basil, served with rice

    Best of luck in your journey to achieving a healthy weight!
  • rachey_v
    rachey_v Posts: 127 Member
    I eat a lot of lean cuisine meals for myself, because its just easier, to count how many calories i'm actually consuming.



    The recipe tab on this is my favourite feature, it's a bit of a pain to start, but once you enter a recipe with all the seperate ingredients once and save it, you can select it whenever and all the nutritional info is already there. :D
  • Josephina57
    Josephina57 Posts: 170 Member
    No, we all eat the same thing. There is no such thing as diet meals in our house. I make healthy meals for everyone and we start every dinner with a salad. Since I am the cook and do the grocery shopping, you can take it or leave it. That goes for even the smallest one in the house.
    this.
  • chocoholicdiva
    chocoholicdiva Posts: 345 Member
    It's tricky in my household, I still live with my parents for health reasons (neurological, I have epilepsy) and I'm the one on the diet. You think it's easy trying to come up with meal ideas in the house when I'm usually a picky eater and when my mom and I like something my dad doesn't? Huh, every day can be a war zone.
  • amanda_ataraxia
    amanda_ataraxia Posts: 400 Member
    It is not hard for us at all. My son is 2 years old and loves fruits and vegetables. But, I think I am lucky when it comes to that.
    And I have a supportive husband. He has always been on board when I try to eat healthier and does it for me. Even though he is fit and has nothing to lose.
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,327 Member
    Not really. Sometimes I will make something for the b/f that I dont like so I make myself a sandwich. Now last night I made a really healthy shrimp stir fry with broccoli, cauliflower and carrots... no rice. I gave it to him and he just looked at it and I told him he better eat it....LOL! So he tried it and I asked him if he liked it and he said it was good. I ate my portion and left the table, leaving him to finish. Awhile later, he said, "I must be done." I said why? He replied, "Because there isnt any food left". Sure enough, he ate the rest of the stir fry that was in the pan. So much for my leftovers... :D But at least he liked it....and it was good for him.
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    No, we all eat the same thing. There is no such thing as diet meals in our house. I make healthy meals for everyone and we start every dinner with a salad. Since I am the cook and do the grocery shopping, you can take it or leave it. That goes for even the smallest one in the house.
    Love your style! I warned my husband that as soon as we move into our own place it will be the same for us.
  • kitinboots
    kitinboots Posts: 589 Member
    Oh I've got this down! I make the same for both of us but easily switch between healthy and less healthy.

    1. Fajitas
    Chicken and bell peppers cooked in the spice mix.
    Small tortillas or even homemade ones.
    I fill mine half half with chicken and peppers, top with salsa and lettuce then wrap.
    He fills his with chicken and just a little pepper, salsa, cheese and sour cream. he also makes more of them than me.

    2. Stir fry
    Chicken and veggies stir fried.
    I take tons of veggies and plenty of chicken with just a small amount of noodles.
    He gets a heaping mound of noodles and loads of chicken and veg, and the soy sauce bottle to add more.

    3. Roast chicken
    I take breast meat only, with gravy and roast/steamed veggies.
    He gets thigh and extra skin (from my chicken breast) on a mound of roast potatoes and gravy.

    4. Chicken pot pie (for roast chicken leftovers)
    I fill my pie pot with veggies and chicken, a dribble of sauce and lay a couple of strips of pastry on top, served with veggies.
    He gets a full crust, almost all chicken and loads of sauce with hasselback potatoes and mini pies made from what would be leftovers.

    I realise these are all chicken examples, but you get the picture. It's not difficult at all. The only problem is when he wants to cook for me and I have to sneak in and microwave steam some veggies to fill half my plate before he serves.
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    no. i eat what they eat, but make a carb (rice/potato) for them

    if they don't like the protein/veg i make, tough.
  • hooperkay
    hooperkay Posts: 463 Member
    No - I cook the same for everyone. Most of our problems were eating too much and snacking so still have some of the same food as before just smaller portions.

    I'm also lucky as they dont mind me trying new stuff and will give me feedback on something new.

    this is what i do. No snacks in house, no sodas. I have 4 teenagers at house and they have actually lost weight with me. They have not complained. (they know better :) ).
  • DianneBoo
    DianneBoo Posts: 226 Member
    No. When I cook, I cook for me and always make extras for left overs or for my family to join me. I live in a house with 2 other adults, so if they don't want what I am cooking, too bad. They are big enough to make something for themselves. In regard to when I have kids in the house, they really don't know the difference unless it is something they don't eat anyway. So, unless I am making something completely different than the norm, they can eat what is made or wait until snack time. Normally do not have any issues with the kids. The adults complain 150% more!
  • Bethee101
    Bethee101 Posts: 99 Member
    We have slowly been incorporating new foods into our household. Like no white pasta, more organic foods, whole wheat breads, and we have been buying less processed crap. Our kids are young enough that they really haven't noticed or missed anything. They eat what I cook because I am not a short order cook, ( well I try not to be ;P )
  • karylee44
    karylee44 Posts: 892
    my kids are a bit of a pain in the butt.. my oldest has pddnos (he is on the spectrum) and triing new foods is an issue.. i usually make the same food.. just take his out before combing them in a cassorol or something.. for example.. he will eat chicken, brocoli and rolls but wont eat my chicken,cheese, brocc stuffed rolls.

    i do that with most foods.. just keep a portion out for him.. he likes it all plain and not touching.
  • Vercell
    Vercell Posts: 437 Member
    I no what you mean I was having the same problem, but now my husband does most of the cooking for him and the kids, and I fix my own. Its easy now, When I was doing the cooking I got cook books on healthy eating and was making them better food some things they like some they did not. My husband loves meat and fried food and I cant eat either one so thats why he cooks.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    I cook the same for everyone, including my 3 year old. That said, I make lots of delicious things -- none of them particularly diet. We practice portion control and eat lots of fruits and veggies -- it's a pretty satisfying way to live.
  • Vercell
    Vercell Posts: 437 Member
    my kids are a bit of a pain in the butt.. my oldest has pddnos (he is on the spectrum) and triing new foods is an issue.. i usually make the same food.. just take his out before combing them in a cassorol or something.. for example.. he will eat chicken, brocoli and rolls but wont eat my chicken,cheese, brocc stuffed rolls.

    i do that with most foods.. just keep a portion out for him.. he likes it all plain and not touching.
  • Vercell
    Vercell Posts: 437 Member
    Wow lol that sounds like my youngest, to funny I was thinking she was the only one that way.

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