For whatever reason, on my drive home today, I started thinking about whether it's easier to stay on plan with your eating if you live alone or if you live with others. I live alone, and I thought for a second that it would be a lot easier to avoid overeating if I lived with others.
Living alone, no one sees you overeating, and you might eat because of being bored. But...Then I thought that because I live alone, I have complete control over what types of food are in my home, and maybe that makes it easier to stay on plan.
What do you guys think? Is it easier to stay on plan living alone or with others?
I would argue it's more difficult to cook meals with multiple people and try to stay on plan. Like tonight, for dinner. I made a big roasted pan of vegetables for dinner - that's great for me, but not necessarily what a family would want. It's also much easier for me because I get to control what comes in the house - there are no chips or ice cream or cold cereal or chocolate or anything that I would have a hard time resisting. If I know it's an issue, I just don't buy it, but if I lived with someone, I couldn't really tell them they could never have ice cream at home again!
I actually have a much easier time sticking to my plan when I'm on my own. I could say that my darling BF is a bad influence, but I'm just impressionable and cave easily :P
Before I started spending a significant amount time with him, I could go from work straight to the gym and then straight home and no one would suggest chocolate and no one would get it for me if I asked and it was a LOT easier to stay focused without an outside distraction. I am currently pretty much living by myself (my roommates are very organic, but are gone most of the time- double bonus) for a summer internship in a different part of the country, so no distractions. I'm finding a much easier time sticking to my routine.
hmm i seem to be opposite ... i do better with people ... .its an accountability factor with me ... my DH sees what i eat and therefore i know that i am kinda of being "watched"
Yeah, I've done both. I'm alone now and it's much easier to be in control of what comes into the house. Besides if I really wanted to overeat, having others in the house would not stop me from getting creative. Not to mention having to deal with the whining of others if I even THOUGHT of introducing something healthier! LOL
Well I live with my 3 teenaged daughters and hubby. i can't very well kick them out, though every now and then I wouldn't mind. Just kidding. In the beginning they were very gung ho and kept all junk out of the house. I sat them down and told them I really needed their cooperation and they were willing to give it to me. Ummm, but that has been slowly fading for a few months now. They know I have gained control, so they now bring home the occasional pint of ice cream and try to hide it from me. They bring home pastries and cookies as well. I pretty much ignore it. It doesn't bother me too much. Just every now and then. As far as meals go, I very often make a separate meal for me then the rest of the family. It's extra work, but it keeps everyone happy. Luckily they really like lots of the stuff I make. They really love roasted veggies. But they need more variety then I do. It's easier to just make them something else. I suppose it would be easier if I lived alone in the food/diet department, but I am thrilled to have their company and wouldn't want it any other way. Well, that's not entirely true. I'd love to have their company and have them eat and enjoy the same healthy foods that I do. I would also like them to clean up after themselves and do the dishes and the laundry and stuff. Oh well. You've got to take the good with the bad.
Having my SO around definitely helps keep me honest. Despite the fact that he isn't really paying attention to what I eat, I know that if I ate half a pint of Ben & Jerry's Fish Food for dinner (which I definitely used to do when I lived alone), he'd notice. And while he might not care, it would bother me.
Another advantage is that with him around, I plan out all of our dinners and take the time to find healthy foods that we both like. When I lived alone, it never seemed worth it to cook dinner for just me. I had two primary dinner menus: one was half a pint of Ben & Jerry's or Haagen Dazs; the other was a big plate of pasta with a lot of Gruyere or parmesan cheese (sometimes with the half a pint of ice cream for dessert) . That was practically all I ever ate for dinner. A big pan of roasted vegetables just never happened. I really worry that if I lived alone; I would go back to my ice-cream-and-pasta eating ways.
And while he does have all sorts of food around the house that I can't eat, I never have trouble resisting it. It is his food, so I don't eat it. That wouldn't be nice; it would be like taking someone else's lunch out of the fridge at work. I have my own food that is off-limits to him (and I get really irritated if he eats it).
In fact, sometimes it's nice because while I can't eat a lot of his food in any quantity, so I could never have it in the house if I lived alone, I can have a little bit here and there. I buy him samosas, parathas, and freshly baked pastries from the farmers market and I always get a litte bite each. I'd never get to have that if I lived alone.
I was just thinking about this the other day. I have never lived alone and might next year for the first time. I hope I can stay on track.
I think I like being "watched" as nineteen just said.
Whenever I binge or lose control it's always when I'm alone.
I find being alone is a lot easier for me. Like other said I can control what is coming into my apartment and I don't have to listen to other people whine about what I am making. Also I don't have the negative influence of other people saying it's ok to eat that brownie. Lastly now that I've lost a significant amount of weight I find that I feel other people are judging what I am eating and commenting on it a lot more, which makes me uncomfortable.
I live with someone, and we've had to go our separate ways as far as meals are concerned. This works best. My roommate is a naturally thin person who can eat carbohydrates without a thought other than enjoyment, but my metabolism is the opposite.
It would be easier if we could eat the same meals, but we tried that--and her weight stayed the same and mine kept going up and up.
So, whether you live with people or live alone, it sounds like there are challenges. You just have to make up your mind to do whatever it takes!
I live alone, and I like only seeing healthy things in my cabinets -- I like having complete control over my enviornment. If I had a roommate or a boyfriend, I just could imagine the scenario of them saying, "oh, I didn't like {insert high calorie tempting goodie} -- you can have it." "I brought home pizza -- want some?" I also see me getting into a bingy mood, eating their food, and going out and buying a replacement. I've done that at my parents' place before. I doubt I'll ever get a roommate, or a boyfriend who doesn't eat healthfully.
I live with a hubby that is a fellow food addict (and overweight) and also his brother, who is not overweight and can eat whatever he wants (and it is usually junk). With the hubby, he will eat whatever I fix because he is trying to lose weight, too. The downside to this is that if he gets a craving and says it outloud, I tend to fall to that craving too. Now, with my brother-in-law, it's pretty bad. He will come home with blueberry mini muffins, ask me if I want some then leave them on the counter (he's developmentally disabled, so it isn't like he is deliberately sabotaging me). I have had to ask him to take them up to his room because it's just too tempting for me at this point. Not the muffins but the chips that he brings home. I guess if I lived alone, I wouldn't think that it was worth it to cook for just me...so I might eat out more. But I also might buy Lean Cuisines and that sort of thing. I think all in all, it's better that I live with someone but only if they are also on a healthy lifestyle change.
live alone vs. w/ others-easier on plan eating?
. That was practically all I ever ate for dinner. A big pan of roasted vegetables just never happened. I really worry that if I lived alone; I would go back to my ice-cream-and-pasta eating ways.
