How do I keep on the food plan when husband wants pizza?

[KathleenGD]

Just started 2 days ago and keeping with the program.  He is very skinny and I need to lose >100 lbs.  I told him to go out to 5 guys or go out and get some supper as I sure don't want a pizza around.  I'm going to make myself a grilled cheese.  That's not enough for him. 

Suggestions?

[kflannery]

My husband's weight has changed by about 1 pound since we have been married 41 years...lucky devil...i have lost 88 pounds and had his backing all the way so in many ways i am lucky...but i don't cook special things for me, he has a baked potatoe with dinner, i have a small baked sweet potatoe(with no toppings) his salad is smaller than mine, i lighten up recipes by substituting ground turkey for hanburger etc...I do buy silk almond milk and puffed rice for myself and he has his favorite cereal....I am the one who buys him coffee cake, which doesn't bother me...we go out to eat and i order differently than he does but that works for us....The fact that you need to lose 100+ pounds means that in order to live longer and keep him company he should support you, but that doesn't mean you have to eat the same things...most pizza places have salads also and one with one slice of pizza shouldn't wreck your plan...stop thinking of it as a diet and think of it as a lifestyle change...

[shunt]

Well I have lived with a picky husband (now ex) and currently am raising my son who needs lots of food cuz he and his dad have crazy fast metabolisms. I will say that I do not believe in making 2 dinners for husband or children. That is a rediculous time and money commitment. And it is just as important for your children to eat healthy as it is for you. I will say that maybe you should look into changing how you eat. Pizza and grilled cheese are not something that should be a regular part of a diet. BUT you can eat good without eating bad!!!! And you can make good food that tastes delicious!! For starters...you want pizza? Go buy whole wheat spinach tortilla's, tomato sauce, sliced fat free ham (maybe a spiced type for added flavor), pizza type veggies, sharp flavored cheese (sharper the flavor, the less you need). Toast the tortilla in oven, then make your pizza on it. Cook until done. Its absolutely to die for. My kid loves them, my cousins loves them and I love them. Delicious diet food!!! Grilled cheese? How about tuna asparagus melts instead? Toast one piece of bread first. Put your tuna on (prepared with mayo and cottage cheese instead of straight mayo), lay out asparagus and then put shredded sharp cheese on top. Broil open faced. I put more cheese on my son's than mine. He loves it, I love it. Win win. You can find things to make if you are open to trying. If your husband is still close minded....well you have to decide if making yourself healthy is important and what you are willing to do to get there. I would not make 2 meals and I would not be interested in someone rubbing pizza in my face when I cant have any...that is being very inconsiderate. I would highly recommend buying a weight watcher cook book. They have amazing recipes that are real food and taste delicious AND are healthy!!!! Good luck 🙂

[nottaken101]

A cheese sandwich may not be the healthiest dinner choice, yet I'm not sure about the logic behind suggesting that pizza and burgers/fries (the original poster said Five Guys but didn't reference what was being eaten there) are as healthy/low calorie as a cheese sandwich. 

According to FitBit, a Five Guys one patty burger has 700 calories with no toppings. Just mustard, ketchup, onions, and pickles probably brings that tab up to 800 calories. A Bacon Cheeseburger, with two patties, takes you up to at least 1300 calories.

A large size of Five Guys Fries is 1464 calories.

So even if you have a diet soda you're looking at a 1500 calorie dinner here assuming you're sharing fries and getting a small hamburger with no toppings.

 A slice of fast food pizza seems to run 700+ calories. 

Fast food salads are often high calorie so a piece of pizza and a salad would bring you up to 1200 calories.

So even conservatively, the pizza/salad or Five Guys meal will top 1000 calories and have a lot of fat and sodium.

By contrast, the highest calorie fast food cheese sandwich that I could find topped out at 464 calories.

[steff]

Calories are not the only consideration.  Fat doesn't turn to fat, but the bread will, protein slows the absorption rate of the carbs.  Plus there are a few veggies.  But feel free to paint the worst case scenario, but the fact is, a small burger (and I never said have the fries, go back to the beginning and read the original response) is better than a grilled cheese.

[Pril]

How hard can that be, It's hard, to cook different meals and be tempted to eat poorly. 

As someone who struggles to gain weight I can relate to hubby side of things as well.  And adding healthy fats to your body will help him increase weight and you lose weight. 

I would look into cooking healthy meals. so you can eat more of them and learn to make them taste so hubby likes them too. 

my sisutation is slightly different. Me and my husband aim to eat healthy most of the time. My mom is on a healthy heart diet that she doesn't stick to. My husband and I adhere to this more then she does.  

Since she lives with us i make the healthy foods and she makes the unhealthy foods. I can't yell at my mom telling her to stop making unhealhty foods. I just tend not to praise her as much when she makes a nothing but meat meal. 

so be flexable and talk with husband about a meal plan you both can agree upon. Work TOGETHER on creating a healthy menu for the week! 

[LCHFmom]

Here is my two cents -- from a woman who does cook / make slightly different meals for varied members of the family.  On the whole, I dont think our meals are all that far off the mark.  Weekend lunches are usually the "problem" area.

I will say, though... I believe each person needs to understand that making these decisions is about choice: 

• You choose to eat healthier
• You choose better options for meals- even if its only your own
• You choose to allow temptations to get the best of you
• You choose to pass on foods not good for you
• You choose to be you

I also thought it good to define support: Support is understanding others needs - even if they are not your own.  IMO, and on the flip-side, support is also not forcing the rest of a household to either adopt the diet plan, or to feel bad about their own choices.

One day at a time, one meal at a time..... just like the tortoise.

FATS: I only use healthy oils and fats in my house.  Butter, Olive oil, coconut oil.  So, we all benefit from that with my cooking.

GRAINS: Since I cannot have them, I typically do not cook with them.  On occasion, I will make homemade mac n cheese; Rice is served with tacos/burritos.  Its one I will omit from my own plate.  I do not eat pasta while my family does. Same with bread.

PROTEIN: We all get that.. we just get our own portion sizes

FRUIT or VEGGIE:  We all get that.. we just get our own portion sizes

STARCHES: I slowed cooking these items as well.  Maybe 2x a month, I make homemade french fries for the boys in my T-fal Actifry ( with EVOO)

Take-out / Fast food :  We really dont do it.  If my family MUST, then I eat leftovers from the fridge or  Ihave a salad.  If we go out to fast food places, we go where i can get something off the menu ( again, we dont do it much)