How to Diet with a Husband whose Extremely Picky

SparkPoints: (18,722)
Fitness Minutes: (15,986)
Posts: 1,485
9/22/12 12:03 P

Hi MELISSASUE91011.

Lots of good advice here. I will say a Special K bar is not the most substantial breakfast, especially for a tall, strapping guy! How about some scrambled eggs w/ avocado slices and a little shredded cheese? Maybe do like a restaurant and put a few berries or orange slices to the side of the plate. You can gradually increase the space they occupy in time. Or a healthy breakfast sandwich using a whole wheat bagel thin, an egg, a couple slices avocado & a Laughing Cow chipotle cheese wedge spread? How about a toasted whole wheat Bagel thin topped w/ chocolate almond butter and thinly sliced apples?

I can give you some hope: I was not the most adventuresome eater until I had a job in which I had to take clients to lunch. I had an international roster of clients had to learn to try new foods as I certainly didn't want to offend.
I didn't like spices, either. Now I grow my own herbs and frequent a specialty spice shop.
Gradually, I've introduced some of these new finds to my brother who was 10 x's more white-bread than I ever was. And even he is coming around now!

Hang in there. Peruse the recipes on this site for creative inspiration. Make it a fun adventure so he gets invested in broadening his horizons. Maybe if he sees you eating your lovely, healthy creations, he'll want to try them.

Lastly, I can tell you I was never a big veggie eater as a kid. I have done a 180 in that I see how instrumental they have been to my weight loss & health success. Vegetables ROCK!
Maybe you could incorporate some raw crunchy ones (snap peas, sliced bell peppers, etc) into a veggie & dip assortment. Gradually start making the dip more & more healthy (he doesn't even have to know at first) by using things like hummus, greek yogurt, spices, etc. in lieu of tons of mayo, etc.

Good luck!

Posts: 84
9/22/12 8:38 A

It's a little telling that you posted asking for advice about your husband and people are responding with stories about their children.

I know you want to be supportive, but your husband's not a four-year-old. He's a voting adult whose health is ultimately his own responsibility. I'm not saying you can't be supportive of him; what I'm saying is that if you use his weight issues as an excuse to self-sabotage your own weight loss efforts because you're "too busy" trying to navigate his, you may both wind up angry, resentful, and still obese.

It is completely possible to be a loving family full of togetherness and dinnertimes where everyone nonetheless cooks their own meals. It can even be MORE togetherness time, because you're both in the kitchen. Eat what you need to eat and let him eat what he's willing to eat. You may find that once the pressure's off him, he'll be more willing to try new foods.

With regard to him being hungry during the day - if he's been eating unrestrictedly and he cuts back on his food, he will be hungry for a while. This will happen. It's not pleasant, but it will certainly not kill him, and after a while his body will adjust to taking in fewer calories. He shouldn't be afraid of letting his stomach rumble for a couple of hours in between meals and neither should you.

Posts: 242
9/21/12 12:46 A

There are some good suggestions here - I too have someone who is picky - so I prepare accordingly but cook the items he doesn't like ( onions, mushrooms, salad) separately for his Dad's and my enjoyment.

I agree with those that indicate that your husband has to take some initiative in this process as it is his body, his health issues, you can only accommodate what comes out of his decisions, you have your own personal health goals to focus on...I'm sure your successes will help motivate him too.

Would your husband sign on to SPARKS? If he would and just track his food initially, it may help him understand what it takes to have a healthy lifestyle.

Slow and steady, with small goals every week will help you stay the course.

Pounds lost: 0.4

0 12.25 24.5 36.75

49

SparkPoints: (31,943)
Fitness Minutes: (30,298)
Posts: 1,178
9/20/12 11:30 P

I have a son who had a very limited diet growing up. Part of the issue was his mothers cooking. Now is is a young Chef and most of the food he avoided are back on his list. A lot of it was preperation. I love eggplant he does not like the texture. I finally made a couple of eggplant dishes he actually liked. If you could get your husband to agree to at least experiment use this site and other recipe sites to find recipes that are based on the ingredients he does like. If you are both not willing to experiment you will never get out of this mess. Good luck.

current weight: 184.9

285 257.5 230 202.5

175

Posts: 7
9/20/12 11:02 P

Thanks everyone for the advice...He eats breakfast like a Special K bar and then morning snack he eats apple or banana lunch he eats 2 turkey wraps afternoon snack almonds or jello, then dinner we usually do some sort of chicken and veggies...This is just an example of what he eats...I will say though he went from drinking TONS of sweet tea and sodas to water with flavoring...he's working on it...it's just trying to get him to try different things.

Pounds lost: 1.2

0 15.75 31.5 47.25

63

Posts: 31
9/20/12 3:22 P

I give my wife the same problem. I used to only like canned vegtables but have moved frozen (BTW, Whole Foods has the best frozen corn). I too generally only like corn, peas, carrots, green beans, and will tolerate a few other things. In our case, I do over half the cooking and I focus more on the main course and make/eat the vegtables because I know I should.

With frozen vegtables, its easy to make single serving portions. So if she wants okra or something I don't, its pretty easy to fix.

For during the day, its not clear to me what he is doing. Is he having breakfast? Any snacks? Or is just a turkey wrap. When I need a more subsantial snack, I like a 1/4 cup of almonds and 1/4 cup of raisins. Otherwise, an apple usually cures my afternoon hunger.

Edited by: NUKE64 at: 9/20/2012 (15:23)

current weight: 201.0

220 200 180 160

140

SparkPoints: (112,939)
Fitness Minutes: (179,360)
Posts: 17,413
9/20/12 12:52 P

MELISSASUE91011,

Why not start with the fruits and veggies he will eat. If he'll at least eat canned veggies like corn and peas, get him to eat more corn/peas. What about frozen veggies ? Quite honestly, if you cooked some frozen peas or corn, he probably wouldn't notice the difference. So, try serving some frozen veggies. take your pick, you can find frozen broccoli, spinach, corn, peas, carrots, etc...

How about sweet potatoes ? I'm a big fan of sweet potatoes. They're not just for Thanksgiving. Sweet potatoes are loaded with fiber and vital nutrients. Maybe make some sweet potatoes. You don't even have to turn on the oven. I "nuke" my sweet potatoes. A mid size one takes about 4-5 mins.

How about having him look at the Spark Recipes section ? There are recipes for yummy healthy enchiladas posted. Take the recipes he already eats and find ways to make them more healthy using the Spark Recipes.

I know many guys think they have to eat "diet" food to lose weight. This is a misconception. He doesn't have to eat cottage cheese. He could eat a burger if he wanted. Just make a healthier version using either 5-10% lean Angus ground beef or even turkey. Ground turkey is low in fat and tastes great as a burger.

The fact is, if he wants to lose weight and become a healthier person, he's going to have try new things. We all had to come out of our comfort zone when it came to eating right or exercising. he's going to have to do that too.

SparkPoints: (11,097)
Fitness Minutes: (7,214)
Posts: 331
9/20/12 11:50 A

I had a similar problem with step-children. They only ate chicken nuggets for dinner. Over the course of 6 months, I served their chicken nuggets but asked them to take at least on bite from a food they have not tried before. I started with just cutting up some fruits and vegetables and progressed into more complicated dishes. After finding foods that they actually liked, believe it or not beans was a favorite, I started making dinners with all the foods they showed some interest in. Now they ask for things like Pasta and bean soup, qunioa and cucumber salad, London Broil, and Baked chicken with brown rice and asparagus. I also have a high powered blender that I use to emulsify vegetables into some sauces or what I call creamy soups. Over time you may be able to incorporate some healthy items into his eating. If you can find some healthy snacks that you can give him for work he would be better off. I would think that he may like something as simple as a couple ounces of Almonds or pecans to snack on at work. You may want to go to the heath food store and buy some protein meal replacement drinks. Try some different brands and see if he likes any of those. These drinks can really satiate hunger during the day. When you do find some healthier options, let him eat more of the stuff he likes. It is almost impossible to go from 4000 calories per day down to 2000. Take your time and keep trying.

Pounds lost: 13.0

0 6.75 13.5 20.25

27

SparkPoints: (7,841)
Fitness Minutes: (2,813)
Posts: 638
9/20/12 11:39 A

Well, sadly I think only you and he know what he will eat. It is hard for us to make suggestions because we don't know his specific likes and dislikes.

I will say one thing and it isn't what your husband will want to hear: sometimes you just need to grow up and eat the food you don't like until you come to like it. Picky people can teach themselves to like new foods, they just have to find the motivation to do it. It sounds like your husband has the medical motivation to do so...227 at 6 foot is not really an 'only' and it may be your husband's pickyness that got him to where he is. If the doctor thinks his health is on the line, he probably needs to force himself to struggle through fresh veggies.

I've taught myself to eat so many things that I couldn't stomach before: tomatoes, grapefruit, green peppers. Apparently there are parenting books about sneaking veggies into meals, but really, your husband need to just man up and commit to this. Take it slow, have him agree to try one new food a week (but he has to eat it multiple times doing the week to get used to it). This is part of being an adult!

current weight: 133.4

162 154 146 138

130

SparkPoints: (158,833)
Fitness Minutes: (112,042)
Posts: 46,222
9/20/12 11:36 A

Hi Melissa,

Encourage him to keep trying new foods. He's still new to this journey and if you try to force him to eat foods he is not ready to try, he may only rebel at your suggestions.

Below are links to some resources that help you, help him.

www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=family_ea
ting_dealing_with_the_picky_eater

www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=learn_to_
love_vegetables_8_tips

www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=the_reali
ty_of_adult_picky_eaters

I hope this helps!

Coach Nancy

0 Days until:  The Historic MC 1/2 Marathon

50 37 25 12

0

Posts: 7
9/20/12 10:32 A

Where do I start....I have been trying to diet for the past 6 mo or more, and I haven't been able to stick to one diet...well last week my husband went to the Dr about severe back pains and she told him that he was obese he's 6 ft tall and only weighs 227, so now he wants to eat better and try to lose some weight. Well we are trying to find foods that he will eat because he is EXTREMELY picky...he wont eat veggies unless out of a can and the only ones he will eat are green beans, corn, and peas...and fruit is apples, oranges, and bananas. He eats Chicken, but doesn't like spices or anything like onions or peppers cooked with it...I don't know where to go from here and help him choose things he eats. So far he has been eating wraps with turkey and cheese for lunches, but he gets so hungry throughout the day...is there any suggestions that anyone could give on how to help him out? I want to support him, but it's hard because I am struggling myself trying to find the right fit for me. Any reposes would be great!!!! Thanks !

Pounds lost: 1.2

0 15.75 31.5 47.25

63