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

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.

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 ).

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 )

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.

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.

It can be, depending on the flexibility of your family.

Personally, my husband is really thin and has such a fast metabolism that he can consume countless calories and not gain a damn pound. I swear I smell food, and manage to gain weight. Currently, our god children are staying with us, so the generic meal plan has been to cook them dinner first, then after I finish the dishes, I embark on the "adult dinner".

Their ages are 22 months, 3 years, and 6 years old, so much of the food is either over their head, or not as appetizing.

I pack my husband high-calorie lunches, and make sure he has a high-calorie breakfast. So by dinner, the meal we share together (I'm a housewife) I make something healthy in between 200-500 calories.

This set up works for us, since while our food is cooking, I'm bathing the kids and getting them settled with a movie before bed, and have 2 of them down to sleep by the time hubby is home, and they're generally all down by the time dinner is ready.

For dinner they eat what I eat, but don't tell them the recipes are healthier than what I used to serve for dinner!

Nope - we eat what I cook, and if someone has a problem with it they are welcome to go cook their own food. (That, for the record, NEVER happens.) If they need more calories, they can eat larger portions - but likely, they don't need significantly more calories than what you're eating, either, unless you're eating way under your BMR.

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.


EXACTLY THIS!!!:happy:

No, my weightloss doesn't mean I need to cook different meals. My kids are small freaks of nature and love trying new foods, right now i've been tasked with cooking octopus, snails and soft shelled crab (not all at once). If they want to try it fine, but you won't see me eating a snail anytime soon, so i need to make something different for myself