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Posts: 476
6/8/09 11:16 A

Since I do the grocery shopping, my family doesn't have a whole lot of choice except when eating away from home. They complain but I tell them how important it is to be healthy.

current weight: 123.5

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Posts: 143,408
5/17/09 12:17 A

it is not very easy.............the road is plagued with many obstacles but can be overcome/compromised.........

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Posts: 5,871
5/15/09 11:54 P

How Do You Live with Someone Who Doesn’t Eat Healthy Foods?

I was in that position big time. I hit myself really hard upside the head & now I've lost 30 lbs.

current weight: 184.0

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SparkPoints: (88,552)
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5/15/09 11:22 P

I suppose I am fortunate that way, living alone most of the time. But when I do go home, it is only for a few days, then I am surrounded by sodas etc. I am able to ignore them for these few days, I dont know how I would manage if it was all the time.

Pounds lost: 33.0

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Posts: 405
5/15/09 10:20 P

It definitely makes things a little more difficult. I am living with my fiance and he is a VERY VERY picky eater. He doesn't like any vegetables (except potatoes and corn, which are barely vegetables) and loves junk food. I, on the other hand try to eat whole foods and am mostly vegetarian.

To deal with this I:

Keep the fridge semi-segregated. I keep all of my vegetables and fruits in the crisper drawers so I can access them easily.

When he has snacks that don't need to be refrigerated I put them in one of the resuable cloth shopping bags we have and keep the bag out of site in the kitchen. Most of the time I forget that the snacks are even there.

I try to talk myself off the ledge-- though it can be harder to stick to your goals when you live with someone who doesn't eat healthily, I find it's a good exercise for your will power. Now, when I am around junk food in other settings I am used to ignoring the temptation. Sometimes I give in, but it's getting easier.

I think that the key is compromise-- He has stopped getting the snacks that I really disapprove of (like the barrel of cheese balls- yikes!!) and I don't guilt trip him for not eating tofu. I try to make him the things he likes a little healthier and he agrees to try them. There is a way to make it work, it just take some effort and a lot of will power.

Edited by: EINAFETSJ at: 5/15/2009 (22:35)

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Posts: 2,650
5/15/09 12:14 P

I think the idea of having the non-healthy eating person hide their food. My dad is much taller than I & he could put his chips & other junk up on a higher shelf. Also, he usually eats his ice cream & other junk at night when he watches TV in the lower part of the house (our finished basement.) I rarely go down there, can't be bothered, there's a 2nd fridge/freeze there so he COULD keep his junk downstairs.

My bigger problem is cooking meals. If I cook something healthy for myself & my mom, my dad won't touch any of it. So I end up cooking TWO meals & that's a hassle. A lot of times I just don't bother cooking a healthy meal because I'm too tired to tackle 2 meals. Sometimes I can slip stuff by him, but not always.

for example, eating meatles for most nights in a week. He'd NEVER do that! I'd love to eat chicken one night, fish another, and vegetarian the rest of the week - and beef once or twice a month.

How do I live w/someone who doesn't healthy? With great difficulty!!!

Posts: 20,854
5/15/09 8:27 A

"Eating Clean Works" is a helpful blog and the latest one looks like it could be the start of a helpful thread for our SparkTeam!

"How Do You Live with Someone Who Doesn’t Eat Healthy Foods?

eatingcleanworks.com/how-do-you-live-with-
someone-who-doesnt-eat-healthy-foods.h
tml

Everyone has different living situations and for some with families, eating healthy meals is somewhat easy when everyone is willing to try. However, there may be those who live with someone who isn’t into healthy eating habits. What do you do when temptation surrounds you because you share a home?

It certainly isn’t easy to live with someone who eats whatever they want. It could mean junk food everywhere from candy to soda. Temptation is literally in your face so what can you do?

These are just some ideas from the top of my head. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments."

You can read suggestions at the link above, but it would be super for folks who have struggled with this to post their strategies at this thread!

Don

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