Do you make yourself a different meal than you do the rest of the people in your house? If you are doing this then I urge you to apply at Denny's as a cook... because you are acting as a short order cook at home! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?
When you make yourself a different meal than the rest of the family, and I am mainly referring to dinner time, then you are on a diet. You are not taking your goals to be healthy seriously, and you are not learning anything from what you are doing. You are going to go backwards when you decide to start eating with your family again. This is why women tend to lose weight and then gain it all back again. They diet, and eat something different than everyone at the dinner table, and then go right back to what they were doing. Well, what you were doing didn't work, so why would you go back to it? Insane right?
When you make yourself a different meal you are also teaching your kids about dieting. You are teaching them that it is okay for them to eat the fatty and unhealthy meal you made them (because why else wouldn't you be eating it if it was healthy, right?) You are teaching them that it is normal to diet and be unhealthy and you are teaching them this horrible cycle when they are young. Don't you want to stop the cycle and be a good example for your kids? Don't you want them to NEVER have to worry about dieting and NEVER have to struggle to lose weight? Well you can teach them this, but YOU ARE THE EXAMPLE. So it's time you start acting like the example and do something about it.
I am a mom of 4 and I do not feed my kids or my husband any different foods at the dinner table. Now I will admit I have a few exceptions to this rule, but the majority of the time we are all eating the same thing. This is what a healthy lifestyle is all about. It's not about me dieting and eating a salad every night while my family eats lasagna. Not only does that lead to them seeing that I am on a "diet" but it also makes me feel deprived and unsatisfied. That leads me to feeling like it all isn't worth it and I will give up. See the cycle? Why would you do that to yourself?
Sit everyone down that lives in your house and talk about how you are going to be making changes to benefit everyone's health. That you are going to make one meal, and everyone will eat that meal or they will be hungry. Do you have picky eaters? That is your fault. I am sorry, but it is. You provide the food and the nutrition in your house, your kids don't go to the grocery store or pay the grocery bill! So at some point you decided that when your child didn't want to try something that it was ok. You gave in. Picky eaters are created, they are not born that way. I have 2 kids that tried to be picky, but they just simply can choose to eat what is put in front of them or not. They have gone to bed hungry and angry, once. It only takes once for them to see you are serious and then they will eat the healthy meal and try more new foods. My kids hated salad, not sure why maybe because it just doesn't look fun to them! I finally put salad on their plates, and only salad, and a few HEALTHY dressing choices on the table. I told them to try each dressing by dipping their fork in the dressing then the salad and find one they like. I also told them they would not get the main meal until their entire salad was in their tummy. I ignored all the complaints and crying about being hungry. They have food in front of them! And I only mean about 6 bites worth to start. Now, after about the 4th time, my kids found that they actually like salad! And they quickly realized they wouldn't get the lemon chicken or the bbq pork chop until their salad was gone, and cold food isn't as tasty. I don't have to do this anymore, they get it all at once because they eat their salad too! I am not saying it is easy and this topic is getting into parenting, which is not what the focus is. But just remember, that you are the parent, you are the one teaching them right now how to be healthy, how to like a variety of foods, to try new things and to be proud of what they put in their body. That is your job! If it is your husband that is holding you back because he wants only meat and potatoes because that is what his mother made... too bad. Then he can go back and live with mommy! LOL! Does he want a healthy family, a wife that feels good about herself and feels sexier and healthier? I think the answer for any man would be yes, so he should support you in this as well. And the reverse is true for men out there that are the cooks in the family!
Make your meals simple. Pick your protein, like chicken, pork, steak, fish or whatever it is. Are you going to season it with fresh lemon or lime juice and fresh or dried seasonings? So many varieties to change the flavor! What vegetable are you going to have with it? Mashed cauliflower is awesome! Steamed veggies, roasted veggies, sauteed veggies. Again so many varieties and so many ways to prepare them. I almost always serve a salad too. Does this seem like a lot of vegetables and your kids don't like vegetables? When you make it different each night and constantly try a variety I bet their tastes will change. Did you know that it takes a person 5-7 times of being introduced to a food and trying it before they start to like it?
Can you never have something like lasagna or casseroles again? I am not saying that. Find healthier recipes for some of your favorites. Make a large salad and steamed veggies with every meal. Fill every one's plate with salad and veggies to fill it 3/4 full and then add the lasagna or casserole. Use the salad plates for dinner. They are big enough! Sometimes we use the salad plates for the main course and steamed veggies, then a small bowl for our side salad. No 2nds until salad and veggies are gone! That goes for you too! And another tip, don't put the serving plates on the table... leave the lasagna on the cook top away from the table. Better yet, put it away after you dish out healthy serving sizes. Box it up and put it away! You are less likely to overeat and get more if it's already in the fridge!
These types of behaviors not only keep you on task to reaching your goals and being healthier, but they teach your entire family the importance of eating healthy. What an invaluable lesson to start teaching your kids now! So stop making separate meals for yourself and find the power within you to take charge of your health and your family's health!
Yes, I am working on a cook book.... stay tuned! :)
