How to feed a husband?

orthodiva · 09-12-2010, 02:01 PM

I recently got married and have discovered how much I love our food processor. I spent a good portion of Friday morning with the food processor chopping things for a salad. Then I sliced some zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms and made a large egg-white frittata and cooked some fresh green beans as a side dish.

I cut 1/6 of the frittata for myself, another 1/6 for my husband, gave us each a side of beans, and sat down to eat lunch. While I was still working on my plate, he got up for seconds. I think I saw him get up for thirds. I saw him stirring to get up for fourths and I had to run to the kitchen and intervene. There was only 1/6 of the frittata left meaning he had ate 2/3 of it and just a little bit of the beans. I told him he couldn't have anymore because what was left was for my lunch at work on Saturday. And then I got a little mad because I had figured the frittata and beans would've lasted us for at least 2 good meals!

How do you ladies feed your husbands? Anytime I make anything remotely tasty (and it's usually healthy), he devours it like crazy! He doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand portion control and could definitely stand to lose some weight. Sometimes I miss the days when I was single and microwaved frozen veggies with a chicken hot dog was good enough for dinner.

At least we still have the salad left.

Nitchevo · 09-12-2010, 03:54 PM

My husband is the same way. What I've been doing is making one pot rice and/or bean dishes, which are easy to weigh or measure for portion sizes. Then I measure out individual servings into little tupperware containers and stack them in the fridge. Then we both take a container for work or have for dinner. This has worked pretty well because he is lazy, so he just grabs a container and microwaves it.

WebRover · 09-12-2010, 04:02 PM

Not so much DH, but when my son was still a teenager, and now when he comes home for a visit, food just disappears. I always forget how much food he eats! I think he eats as much as the three of the rest of us together. He's physically active and just burns it off.

SeaWave · 09-12-2010, 04:16 PM

Not so much a problem with my husband, as he understands portion control. My teenage son, however, is another matter. He's doing 3 hours of 'boot camp' at school (it's a pre-law and security course), and goes through the carbs like nobody's business. When he has friends over, even worse!

With regard to "planned leftovers", I try to get them into my specific containers (for freezing or lunches) as soon as I can and label them. Then the extra doesn't disappear (although I often hear "Mom, what's there to snack on?")

joyc21 · 09-13-2010, 10:27 AM

I have a family of 6 (me, husband, 4 children) so anytime I cook I always make large amounts. After I fix everyone's plate, I put aside whatever portion I want to save for my lunch/dinner later in the week. That way if husband or the kids want more, they're not eating from my already planned portions.

mortonpixie · 09-13-2010, 02:34 PM

Really - all you can do is lead by example. Once my husband started seeing me weight things and measure with a measuring cup he started to as well. Good suggestions by pp's to take your leftovers out first. If he eats his "tomorrow's lunch" portion then he just has to deal with PB&J.

It's hard to have a mate who is not coming along with you for the journey. Just keep it up and it will sink in.

Terre · 09-17-2010, 08:25 AM

My hubby does the same. But remember men need more calories than women do. My hubby eats atleast twice what I do and lost 65lbs to my 93lbs. But he didnt need to loose as much as myself.

Jeff DeJesus · 09-24-2010, 07:55 AM

Well I say, guys, support your women. If you want them to have the physiques you both dream of, the least you can do is leave their diet control in tact by not scoffing all the foods they prepare to help them stay healthy. Better still, find out what it was she cooked that you liked and get her to teach you how to do it yourself then you can prepare something nice for her for a change. Ladies more power to you. Jeff X

khykel · 09-24-2010, 03:24 PM

I am in the same boat. My husband has no well power what so ever. If it is good he thinks he needs to stuff himself. I have started to immediately put us each a meal in the ice box for the next days lunch and then try to limit him to one plate. He gets to fix his plate, so it is usually pretty full but at least he is not going back for a second helping, like he usually would.

evoo · 09-25-2010, 12:17 PM

Maybe you just need to cook more? I would never expect my family to cater their appetites to my "leftover plans". If they're hungry, they're hungry. They need to eat. And many men require a LOT more calories than their wives. Last night my husband ate five times the amount I did for dinner. That is not an exaggeration. Whenever I am cooking I figure 1/2 of whatever it is will be eaten by my husband at that meal. The other half will be split between me and our two daughters and then whatever is left of that will be leftovers.

Granted, my husband is healthy, active and in good weight, but even if he needed to shed a few pounds I'm just not sure it would be MY place to have him doing that via portion control. If you turned the tables and, before you had decided to lose weight of your own accord, your husband had started portioning out your meals for you would you have been happy with him? I can tell you right now, my husband would find his things in the front yard if he started policing my diet. His place is to love and support me, not control me. And vice versa.

I know a couple where the wife limits the husband's portions and has for quite some time and I can tell you right now that alone has spurred some very unhealthy marriage dynamics. He regularly eats away from home and doesn't tell her about it. He keeps secrets about what snacks he chooses when she's not around, etc. I would never want that for my marriage.

stacygee · 09-25-2010, 01:57 PM

Well, my husband tends to eat every meal like it is his last and it is so irritating. I have decided I am creating the nice healthy meals for me and he can have hhis portion. Then inevitably every night he follows it up with 2 bowls of cereal. If he supports my diet by not complaining about the foods I am making then I am letting him do what he wants. I hope it isn't a terrible attitude but I need to keep myself in check. I don't want to fight with him over all the food he wants to eat... but also he has lost more weight without trying on my diet then I have!

StarGetsFit · 09-29-2010, 10:27 PM

My husband does this also. I usually just portion what I want for lunch before I send him to fix his plate. Or I say, "Don't eat that. I'm taking it for lunch," and he is respectful of that. My husband also needs to lose weight, but it's for him to decide when he's ready to do that, not me.

If he eats something he was supposed to take for lunch, then he knows to take the frozen burritos I have in the garage freezer for just that reason. I only make his lunch once a day. I have other things to do and he understands that.

ValRock · 09-29-2010, 10:44 PM

Is your husband healthy?

My husband eats nearly 3/4 of the dinner I make for the family leaving 1/4 for me and 2 kids :P. But he's not overweight so I let him eat.

BUT, if I make a big enough portion to save some for lunch the next day I put it away in the fridge before the meal hits the table. I only put out what I'm willing to have him eat in one sitting lol.

It was kind of shocking when we first got married, actually!

BigDaddy · 09-29-2010, 11:41 PM

Being a husband that does 100% of the cooking in our house, my wife drives me crazy because I give her what I think is a regular portion and she hardly eats any of it. I always think she didn't like it, but she just eats like a bird, LOL. This drove me crazy for the first 5 years of marriage, but now I get it. I've always been a plate cleaner, now on Weight Watchers though, I start with a less full plate.

SassyPoppet · 10-01-2010, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stacygee

Well, my husband tends to eat every meal like it is his last and it is so irritating. I have decided I am creating the nice healthy meals for me and he can have hhis portion. Then inevitably every night he follows it up with 2 bowls of cereal. If he supports my diet by not complaining about the foods I am making then I am letting him do what he wants. I hope it isn't a terrible attitude but I need to keep myself in check. I don't want to fight with him over all the food he wants to eat... but also he has lost more weight without trying on my diet then I have!

Stacygee - I could have written this myself! I call my DH the "cereal killer", and even got him a Tshirt that says this as a joke - he totally slams the cereal and it kills me. I've tried making more for dinner, but the more I make the more he just eats!! We're both trying to eat more slowly to see if that helps...

I just giggle when he complains about not being able to lose the "last 20 pounds"... he'll after to figure it out himself. Considering he's lost so much weight so easily.. and I say easily because it was VERY easy for him... a little struggle will do him well enough