Hello

My name is Kady, and I am new to this site. I have an issue that I am sure is not unique, but I need advice on ways to work through it.

I have a fairly substantial amount of weight to lose, and I had lost quite a bit when I lived alone. However, now that my boyfriend is living with me I am finding it difficult to stick to a set diet.

I am a 23 year old full time college student and full time secretary. I work a full 40 hours and have an enormous workload for classes. I am on a limited budget because I am putting myself through college so that puts a damper on being able to buy precooked meals or expensive ingredients. I enjoy cooking for myself and my boyfriend, but he doesn't diet. He is ex marine corps and he is in good shape. I do okay for my breakfasts and lunches because I am eating those on my own, but I am at a loss as to things that I can cook for the both of us that will satiate his appetite, not cost an arm and a leg, and be healthy enough for me to eat and stay on a diet.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Thank you!

Would your boyfriend have a problem with you cooking things that were healthier....like non-fried lean meats, lots of veggies, etc? If you haven't talked to him about your desire to do so, you might be surprised. These things can be plenty filling, and he might be just as happy with anything you cook for dinner.

That being said, I had the same problem initially. My husband doesn't want to lose weight at this point, as much as I'd like for him to. I began counting calories and limiting my intake of the things we'd eat sometimes for dinner that weren't as good for me as I wanted them to be...such as anything he wanted fried. I could still eat the things I cooked, but in moderation. Now I'm slowly moving more and more toward healthier ways of eating. We're rarely frying anything at all, and are packing in more veggies and leaner meats.

Thanks for the help

My boyfriend doesn't have a problem with eating healthy foods, but I am at a loss as to how to keep some variety going because he gets bored easily. I often cook baked chicken strips seasoned with various spices and vegetables, but I don't know many other things that would be good to make that would be satisfying for everyone. Any ideas on that?

You can also try altering your meal a bit. For example when you make tacos, he has his with tortillas, you have a taco salad. Think of other ways to adjust, where he might get rice or pasta and you get more vegetables?

That's a good idea too. I guess that when you are cooking dinner it's easy to get into the mindset that you need to be eating the same thing as everyone else. There isn't really anything stopping me from eating a larger helping of veggies instead of the things he prefers like mac and cheese or rice.

HybridRainbows , There is a great recipe for "Hearty Turkey Chilli" at weightwatchers.com. I tried to post the link put im too new and they wont let me! I don't know if your into chilli but you can find many great recipes on weightwatchers.com. I like the chilli because you can sneak in a lot of veggies and the beans really fill me up! Good Luck!

Thanks Vixxi!

That really helps alot. It's so frustrating to not feel like I can get enough variety in my diet to satisfy someone that doesn't need a diet. I don't want to make him feel like I am trying to put him on a diet too. It just makes things harder for me to have the crap food around the house that he likes to cook for dinners. These recipes seem like they would be a tasty compromise.

I have somewhat the same problem, I have four ravenous teenagers in my house and I'm trying to diet! It's so tough to cook for them, and not eat as they do. Plus, after the birth of my little one (she turned two yesterday) the baby weight I put on is NOT going!

I'm trying one or two new foods a week, and so far it's not going well. The eggplant was a disaster. I liked it, as did #3 son (15) and the little one. #1 son (19) said it tasted like cooked caterpillars - as if he's ever eaten a caterpillar... #4 (daughter -13) didn't like the texture, and #2 son (18) wouldn't even TRY it. It was good, I baked it first, then added some marinara sauce and FF mozzarella cheese.

Then for the little one's birthday yesterday I disappointed EVERYONE by baking a carrot cake instead of the Dairy Queen ice cream cake they all wanted...I bought two different kinds of ice cream for them, but I wanted to have the choice of having a piece of cake but not the ice cream.

I don't fry things, but I do cook lots of meat and potatoes and sauces and noodles. I'm trying to add more veggies, and I'll continue to try.

I have a similar issue. If anything, my husband has to work to keep weight on. I usually just alter serving size. My plate is full of veggies, and has small portions of rice and meat, and his is the opposite. Or, I will add something to his meal. Like, if I make a soup (which is a great low cost way to feed people!) I might do up a few biscuits for him to have with it.

Play around, visit cooking websites, and you will be amazed at the options there are out there.

Sparkrecipes.com has TONS of recipes- my family eats a healthy dinner regardless of whether they like it or not lol. If I take the time to cook then they have to eat it or figure it out themselves.

Sparkrecipes not only has a ton of variety and so far the things I've made have all turned out well

Also try eatingwell.com- I'm trying their irish lamb stew (gonna use beef) and so far it looks delicious!

These are all truly fantastic ideas. I really appreciate the help. I have found several recipes that look great for both of us. You guys are lifesavers!

I have lots of Weight Watchers cookbooks and they keep me from being bored with cooking all the time (they give you the calories, etc plus the points so anyone can use them) I just adjust the ingredients a bit to include whatever servings I need. My husband is an ex marine too, he was all for the whole family doing the healthy lifestyle.

I don't want to sound all crazy, but why are you doing all the cooking and meal planning? It is hard to come up with something yummy, healthy and not boring for every meal - even if you were just cooking for yourself. Get him involved, make him at least help you plan the menus.

As for as yummy, healthy, not boring things you can eat together - there are literally thousands of healthy recipes online, just right at your fingertips. The Cooking Light website is a GREAT resource. Some things I like to make:

1. Home made pasta sauce over whole wheat pasta (or polenta). You could add meatballs to his and parm cheese

2. Stir fried veggies with a lean protein over brown rice (make his serving of the protein bigger)

3. Healthy meatloaf - recipes do exist! With a steamed green vegetable and mashed cauliflower (put more butter/milk in his cauliflower to taste more like mashed potatoes)

4. Quesdillas - one filling my boyfriend loves is grilled chicken, sliced red onions, BBQ sauce and sharp cheddar cheese. I add more veggies to mine and reduce the amount of cheese to just enough to stick everything together between 2 whole wheat tortillas.

5. Maple glazed salmon - delicious and easy. I serve it over brown rice with a steamed vegetable.