My husband and I both finished phase 1 of South Beach yesterday. I love this plan and am very successful on it. In fact, the only time in my life I have lost 50lbs and kept it off for 6 mos. was SBD. It was not until I strayed from the plan and began experimenting with other plans that I started packing back on the pounds. I have come to realize this is THE lifestlye/plan for me and this is the way I will eat the rest of my life.
DH is not so enchanted with it. He lost almost half what I did in p1 and is frustrated. He has followed Weight Watchers with me in the past and likes it, so today he signed up for WW Online.
I am a little worried about us each following such different plans. I just hope we can meld our respective plans into a joint healthy lifestlye! I realize that each person is different and will respond differently to certain plans, so I am doing whatever I can to help and support him.
Hubby and I have different plans. I use a reduced-carb exchange plan, and he is reducing portions his own way.
Our strategy is to buy healthier foods, and for the most part fend for ourselves for most meals. We do prepare some shared meals, but we talk about it to decide who is cooking, what they're making, and whether it's something the other person wants to eat. Pretty informal.
I eat a much more restricted diet than my partner, who is almost at maintenance. Since we only eat together for the evening meal we have agreed on sticking with my plan for dinner then she eats whatever else she feels like (or drinks alcohol) in addition to our very healthy and delightfully shared meal.
Also, since I'm a known sucker for sweets, she keeps her treats either out of my sight or chooses things that I have not interest in - like licorice (blech).
Combing SBD and WW is certainly doable but is going to take some planning and negotiation. It's good to have a weight loss buddy in-house.
haha... my SO is on a HIGH calorie, HIGH carbohydrate, but still high protein, low fat, low refined sugar diet... just a very clean and organic diet. I am on a high protein, low fat, LOW carb, LOW calorie diet. Dating a lean and skinny athlete does have it's challenges during meal time.
We can eat together because we make lots of veggies and proteins and then a carb/grain side. I just go heavy on the veggies and skip the carb side.
We normally eat at least two meals a day seperately anyway, so the fact that I am on a low-carb program and he isn't, doesn't have much effect. I cook for myself at home. Working second shift, he usually goes out. On his days off, when I cook, it's low-carb. When he cooks, I only eat the part that is low-carb, and leave the potatoes, tortillas, etc. for him.
Last edited by LovebirdsFlying; 01-17-2010 at 08:25 AM.
Reason: typo
OMG this is the best site ever. I am thinking I will have to do a plan different from my husband. He needs variety and I have to be strictly confined to certain foods that I know the calorie count.
We are both counting calories but I don't do well if I don't know what I'm eating for the entire day. I tend to think I've eaten too much or I will eat too much experimenting.
haha... my SO is on a HIGH calorie, HIGH carbohydrate, but still high protein, low fat, low refined sugar diet... just a very clean and organic diet. I am on a high protein, low fat, LOW carb, LOW calorie diet. Dating a lean and skinny athlete does have it's challenges during meal time.
We can eat together because we make lots of veggies and proteins and then a carb/grain side. I just go heavy on the veggies and skip the carb side.
I am in a similar situation My husband is a lean man who is lifting weights and trying to add bulk to his frame. He eats many delicious things that are higher carb and high protein but I pretend not to notice. I try to make meals that work for both of us but it can be tough sometimes especially with two fussy children in the mix too. He is very supportive of my diet though and will try to eat his treats in a different room if necessary
Last edited by sweetnlow28; 01-17-2010 at 01:19 PM.
It isn't unusual for DH and I to have different dinners. I tend to eat my biggest meal of the day at lunch while he will have something more substantial at night. I also try to avoid carbs like rice or pasta at night especially and his dinner typically has a starch.
Until recently my DH did not have a plan...unless you count daily visits to Mickey D's a plan!
Finally...he's on board with a healthy lifestyle. He's started going to the gym and learning to eat healthy.
We are both calorie counters. I've been doing this for a while and I have my own favorites and know what works for me. He's learning and figuring out what works for him, but ultimately we are doing the same thing. Dinner is really the only meal we plan together.
I'm hoping he sticks with it and we can do this together!
My boyfriend follows a very different plan than myself: Eat whatever I want, when I want!
That is to say, he's not dieting. But he doesn't need to either. However, since I can't eat as much as I'd like, I actually try shoving food his way! It's like I'm trying to live vicariously through him. In fact, I just sent him out to get like six or so donuts. I can't eat any, but I'll be satisfied just watching him eat them... It's weird.
I think WW and SBD can be very compatible if you both negotiate especially as you move in to phase 2. The high fiber nature of SBD works well with WW.
Like maybe the meals you most commonly eat together (dinner?) can be more SBD style and also maybe a meal where you incorporate one of your starches more regularly. And he can allocate a few more points for that meal (SBD tends to run a bit higher in fat). Really a nice piece of grilled fish, some roasted veggies and a bit of sweet potato works into almost any plan.
Then maybe at lunch he can have some of the non-SBD approved foods and he can either keep them at work or keep them somewhere they wont tempt you. (i.e. Sandwich bread freezes well, just make the sandwich with frozen bread, it will be thawed by lunch and still fresh and soft)
My husband doesnt watch what he eats, but he eats what I make for dinner and if he wants something else he eats it at lunch.
I am doing weight watchers, while my husband is not on a plan of any sort. We have dinner together every night, and usually we have the same main meal with different (or different amounts) of side. So he'll have like, a huge baked potato or something, and I'll have a small potato with no add ons and some veggies.
It also helps that I do all the cooking, so I'm able to use extra lean ground beef and the like. So far, he hasn't noticed a difference
Thanks for the replies. It is good to know so many of you are making it work with different eating styles. We have talked about it at length and he has told me that he wants to keep eating in the SBD "style" (lots of veggies and lean protein, good fats and carbs in moderation), but for him he needs the structure of counting points to keep his portions under control. This will work well for him because he has to eat out a lot for work and he has a dining out guide where he can look up WW points. At dinner, we will eat the same meal but I might opt out of the carb. I think it is going to work well! Now if I can just get him to figure out the online points tracker so he can quit bugging me for help with it, we will be set!
You should be proud of your husbands taking any healthy course in eating. My husband is a Southern Meat and Potatoes Man, so it has been hard for him to make changes. He has made some, and I am proud of him for that, but I truly feel he will never make complete and total healthy changes. He was raised differently and loves his foods. Sooo, that being said, he does try to help me when he can with my healthy eating. For example tonight he made me a plate of sliced applies, with a sliver of peanut butter and yogurt.
Everyone has great suggestions. My husband and I are not following a specific plan. I guess the closest to what we are doing is a mix of clean eating, low carb and calorie counting.
I have found that the diets that say you can't have something, or have phases tend to not work for me. I have lost the weight I have so far, by mostly making healthier choices and watching my calorie count.
Anyone whose spouse follows a different plan?
My husband is a lean man who is lifting weights and trying to add bulk to his frame. He eats many delicious things that are higher carb and high protein but I pretend not to notice. I try to make meals that work for both of us but it can be tough sometimes especially with two fussy children in the mix too. He is very supportive of my diet though and will try to eat his treats in a different room if necessary 
But he doesn't need to either. However, since I can't eat as much as I'd like, I actually try shoving food his way! It's like I'm trying to live vicariously through him. In fact, I just sent him out to get like six or so donuts. I can't eat any, but I'll be satisfied just watching him eat them... It's weird.
