Dieting with a skinny husband

Seraph

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 3:54 am

Anyone manage to successfully diet with a skinny (or just non fat) husband? Did he “diet” with you? If not, how did you keep motivated when it was only you working on food self control? How did it work with making non diet food for your family and living off your diet foods? Any tips?

HooRYou

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 3:59 am

I don't think you have to make your DH diet with you but unless he is a real junk foodie if you do the shopping just try and not buy the foods that you find too tempting to resist. Even if he snacks outside the house it shouldn't bother you if you don't have to see it.

catonmylap

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 4:13 am

My dh is far from skinny, but we have different ideas about losing weight. I think you need to eat less and exercise and he thinks only exercise works.

My only dieting has been with just making "normal" meals and eating reasonable portions, and keeping junk out of the house. My dh usually agrees to the less junk in the house. If I would make a supper that is too healthy (ie veggie burgers), he will end up finding something else to eat later when he is still hungry. If I made a healthy reasonable supper, he can find something to eat himself. I do accommodate for ds at this point (but it's pretty easy to make him something simple).. I have been known to hide/hoard junk so he won't eat it and I can still get my "fix" or buy something he won't touch. He hates chocolate, so I can keep chocolate ice cream in the freezer and it lasts a really really long time. So, if you dh really insists on some junk, you can make some deal where he gets something you don't like or hides it.

If you want to cut down on high fat foods, etc, go from regular mayonnaise to diet or lower fat yogurts, there's nothing wrong with you each having your own. Until this past week, we had 3 types of yogurts, one for me, one for dh, and one for ds. Dh decided mine is okay and switched (when he ran out of his and tasted mine.)

I also found if they can't taste it or it tastes good, they won't complain. I can sneak whole wheat flour into cooking, and I can make more quinoa then rice, etc.

Seraph

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 5:30 am

Like if I want to do the fit for life diet, there are certain rules about when and how you can eat what, like only fruit until noon, then only veggies and starch (no protein) for lunch, and then only veggies and protein for supper... I can see my husband complaining if I make him lunch/supper that doesnt include both a starch and a protein as he'll say its not filling enough. He doesnt eat sandwhiches for lunch- I send him with real food, and generally I make two portions, and keep one for me and one for him. It'll be really hard to cook one thing for me and one thing for him all the time. Its hard enough watching him eat cake for breakfast while I'm eating next to nothing, etc... He says why should he have to suffer bec I want to lose weight- I try reminding him that He wants me to be skinnier, and he accepts that, but still doesnt get why he has to suffer for me to lose weight.

So it isnt just the issue of buying seperate mayos- its making differnet types of meals...

HooRYou

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 5:38 am

Its not necessarily 2 types of meals, you just have to cook in a smarter way. If lunch is carbs, veggies, protein then send all of them to DH and only eat the carbs and veggies yourself. Same thing with dinner. Also, see if you can cook anything double like the veggies and change the seasonings so that you don't get bored. DH and I eat very different kinds of diets and I think with your combo it is manageable to not have to double cook.

catonmylap

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 5:59 am

I agree with HooRYou, you can definitely just package his meals differently so you don't double cook, or cook a couple days at a time so you can give him a different lunch and dinner protein and starch.

Also, let him know how spoiled/lucky he is that you cook him 2 meals a day!

I only cook my dh supper, unless it's shabbos or we are both home. He finds lunch in the fridge himself (usually leftovers)...

Seraph

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 6:08 am

catonmylap wrote:

Also, let him know how spoiled/lucky he is that you cook him 2 meals a day!

I only cook my dh supper, unless it's shabbos or we are both home. He finds lunch in the fridge himself (usually leftovers)...

Ok, just so I'm not taking more credit than I deserve... I usually send him with last nights leftovers for today's lunch, but if there isnt any leftover, then I make him more food... I do pack his lunch daily though...
HooRYou, good idea, but only thing is- I'm the queen of one pot meals. I guess that might have to change...

benny

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 11:36 am

I did the fit for life diet with a very skinny husband. My husband needs a diet to gain weight- and trust me he eats tons of junk food! I always joke that being a married couple I should be able to give him my extra weight! Basically I made carbs and protein for supper and I only ate the protein. For lunch I made a big salad and carbs and we both ate it together. It really wasnt so bad. Now Im on weight watchers and I just try to even out my points so we can have normal meals together. I just monitor how much I eat and make more for him. (Im also lucky because he loves salad.) Good luck!

pretty

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 11:45 am

Since I got married, I'm on a diet - for health reasons, not really to lose weight. I'm not that skinny but my husband is very skinny. I cook meals that are good for me & b"h he eats anything I prepare for him. He isn't a picky eater & could not care less what is on his plate!

flowerpower

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 1:27 pm

Dh is a stick, hes so thin and he eats what he pleases. I watch him eat a danish and I gain the weight. I don't care what he eats. If I have the motivation then anyone can eat what they want in front of my eyes. I make normal suppers and eat the dishes that aren't so fattening. I usually make some frozen veggies for myself as a side dish and skip the starchy stuff.

Last edited by flowerpower on Tue, Jul 08 2008, 2:41 pm; edited 1 time in total

Beauticianista

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 2:39 pm

my dh is incredibly skinny, and I've always thought of myself as "chubby", not that I'm very fat... but I recently joined Weight Watchers and thank G-d my dh is very supportive. I usually make the same dinner for both of us, however sometimes I prepare it differently. For example, if I make breaded chicken cutlets I'll stick mine in the oven while I fry his...or if I make something like pasta with chicken I'll just take a little less for myself. One time I made fish and pasta and served him both (he won't eat pasta as dinner, says its only a side dish) and for myself I gave only the pasta (which I love and for me is considered dinner).

freidasima

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 2:44 pm

Dh is a zaddik (have I said that before?) and the most understanding and kind man I know. When I give him leftovers day after day he thanks me profusely for a great meal. When I open a can of tuna and give it to him with rice crackers and he takes a few scallions and a pepper and carrot, he thanks me profusely for a delicious meal which he ends with a diet popsicle that he takes himself from the fridge.

He lost 15 kilo or so this year and is thin, I'm trying to get there. He exercises daily between work and learning at night or early in the morning and has been encouraging me to exercise. Whatever I give him is fine, he never complains, and he just tries to keep an eye on what I eat and gently move me to stop if I go overboard ("freidasima I think we've had enough watermelon tonight, would you please cover the container and I will do the dishes for us"?)

So why aren't I thin yet?
More to come...

DefyGravity

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 4:33 pm

I'm soooo lucky. Even though my DH is thin, when I decided that I needed to eat better, he jumped onto the bandwagon and is my biggest supporter. Everytime he sees me eyeing something that shouldn't be brought into the house, he reminds me how upset I'll be if I eat it.

He has turned into such a health nut. His friends are shocked and really don't believe that he's made such a complete turnaround.

Clarissa

Tue, Jul 08 2008, 4:41 pm

My husband will eat whatever I prepare when I cook, and if he feels it's not substantial for some reason, he'll help himself to something extra, which he'll prepare. If I have the willpower to show some commitment to dieting, he's very supportive. He's naturally on the thin side and has a lot of self-control about eating the wrong foods. I have a feeling if I served dry toast and ice cubes he'd eat (and slurp), not say a word, and then just go into the kitchen to get himself something more filling. Much of the time he gets his own food, anyway, unless I'm cooking something.

HooRYou

Wed, Jul 09 2008, 4:06 am

Seraph, I still think you can cook basically one pot meals, but have some extras to throw in at the last minute. There are a lot of things like chicken or most grains that you can cook a bunch of at once and then use them. For example, if you make a buch of chicken and a bunch of brown rice. You can make a veggie stir fry for lunch and flake the chicken in for both of you. For DH you would serve it over rice, for you not. If dinner is a vegetable soup or stew serve over rice for both and flake the chicken in for DH. I usually cook a whole chicken for Shabbos lunch knowing that I will flake into dinner a lot of the week for DH. It might take a little more cooking and some planning but ti will work.