I have an appointment to start IP when we get back from vacation. For those of you with families. Do you just cook 2 meals? This would be so much easier if it was just me! Thanks.

I agree.
I make stir fries that are healthy for all of us, then I make rice for my husband and daughter and I either eat without or use "cauliflower" rice. I also use the stir fries with my IP protein in case I had my protein for lunch.

in short, I try to make something we all can eat and sometimes add something "forbidden" for my husband (usually the starch - potato, rice, pasta). It IS doable with just some extra work and yes - he might lose some weight too!

Sometimes I make 2 separate meals. I always try to cook ahead, for example have extra protein already cooked up for me such as chicken breasts, pork loin steak or hamburger or all of the above available for me to warrm up and then add a salad of the various veggies on the list of approved vegetables. Some nights, I cook supper and I have meat that I am cooking for everyone plus veggies and I make the rest of the crew a starch- potatoes, rice, toast, pasta. It seems like a pain in the beginning but it gets easier and routine after a couple of weeks. The key is be prepared and have food ready that you can have so you don't have to be tempted with the things you should avoid. We have a family of 5 and I have been doing this since the end of janurary.

I have 3 kids and a very hungry husband. We usually have sort of the same thing. I just only eat the protein, veggies and salad and everyone else has carbs with theirs. Week 7 and it has been not too difficult. Nobody has really noticed the different spices and less sauces.

Personally I make 2 different meals.
I have 4 kids, a hubby and a niece in my house. I am the picky one, and it's just easier to cook for them, and cook for me seperately (but honestly I was doing that before IP 75% of the time anyway.)

The only meal we eat as a family during the week is dinner so I try to make things the whole family can enjoy - then I will add an extra side for the family that is usually starchy so I have salad instead. Hasn't been too difficult so far .

I work full time and am responsible for all the shopping and cooking at my house, so I told hubby and pre-schooler that they had to suck it up, support Mamma and eat the healthy food I'm eating because I just don't have time to chop 5 lbs of vegetables every night AND cook something for them. I have nuked a potato or hot dog separately for them on occasion or bought a vat of potato salad at the store, but I'm sure not cooking a separate meal! My husband grouses about it a little, but he is happy to be losing weight as well!

pretty much what the others have said. I cut up bazillion fruits and veggies, I cook a batch of wild grain rice and couscous, sometimes make a macaroni or potato salad. Then when I stir-fry veggies and grill meat, Hubby can just add a carb. He has lost more weight then me and he isn't doing IP. lol

Tacos - I dice up zucchini, peppers, eggplant etc in the meat and cook it up as normal. I have romaine lettuce wraps they have shells

Meatloaf - add shredded zucchini, they have mashed potatoes, I have mashed or twice baked cauliflower

Stir fry - just add rice to family's

Kebabs and grill veggies - just add pasta salad or rice to family's

Turkey meatballs with WF maranara and zucchini ribbons, family has pasta a nd tomato sauce

It's really easy to cook as a family and no one even notices the extra veggies...and I know my hubby can afford to eat healthier

I always have a couple different meals going. My husband and kids would never eat all the veggies I do but it's always been that way. If we grill or something we al will have the same meat but they might have a potato or corn on the cob while I have my roasted veggies. Some nights I will make them spaghetti or something they are hungry for and I will try to find left overs or make myself something completely different. It's been that way for over a month now so it's just the way of life. My sister in law is starting today so I won't have to totally eat my own thing when we have get togethers now so that's cool.

I don't have kids, but I'm married, and my husband eats mostly just Indian food. While Indian food can be really healthy -lots of vegetables and lentils- it is not IP friendly. (lots of curries are onion or tomato based). Anyway so I find I have to cook different foods for him sigh.

Not only is this time consuming, but the first week it was a huge challenge to cook without tasting the food to see if the spices were right. I just ended up telling him I couldn't try the food anymore.. and he would have to deal with the result. He was fine with it :P

The way that I save time if to cook MY food in batches, ie I'll cook 1lb or ground turkey at a time, and that lasts for 3 days. So yeah, it's more work, but it's worth it.

My hubby and I have the same meal each night, but he adds brown rice or roasted potatoes. He eats super healthy, so it's been a blessing.

My kids generally eat what I eat. My hubby works seconds, so I don't have to worry about him.

They complained a lot a first, told me "I'm not eating that!" But I always asked them to try it, and most of the time they end up liking it. And have even asked for specific IP meals again.

I will cook alot of IP food at one time, and eat off of it for 3 days...I'll either cook separate for everyone or try and make it work for all by just adding a side starch I don't eat.

When we grill burgers, I'll make the BigMac Bowl for myself; most of them time I don't feel that I'm missing something. When I do, I remind myself of all the great things...feeling thinner
clothes fitting better
blessings of being able to prepare almost any veggie
in a country of such abundance
being healthier and living longer better
that there are lots of "cheat days" at the end of the
phases, so it's not for every meal forever

and so on.

It can work, just experiment!

I mostly echo what the others are saying. Generally everyone eats the same. If I have an extra chicken breast in the fridge, I'll have a salad with it and fix kids PBJ w/ fruit or grilled cheese. Husband travels all week long. On weekends, if he doesn't like what I fix, he fixes his own. He will often grill us all IP friendly dinners on the weekend. I'll buy some potato salad or something once in a while for them to enjoy. A couple of weeks ago my son asked for spaghetti, so I made it with a few tweaks to make the bolognese IP friendly. I just ate it without noodles & a salad.
Once you get used to what is allowed vs not, it's really easy.