How do I stop eating as much as my husband??

It's nearly impossible. We're at dinner and he just eats and eats and eats and I end up picking at things until I've literally eaten double of what I should have eaten. I know if I was by myself it would be fine, but we eat together. HELP!??

Mon. Oct 15, 12:38pm

Smaller Plate?

Hey, I know what you mean... My hubby can pack it away too. When we eat at home I try to grab a smaller plate than him, then just say no to seconds. If the meal is something I know I should have a smaller portion of, I make a salad to start my meal with and steam up some healthy side dishes - like broccoli. That way I heap my plate up with greens and only have a serving of the main course.

Try eating slower... that way you and the husband are done eating at the same time.

Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:53 PM

Dinner is NOT a competition!!!
Get that fixed in your mind, and you've won the battle.

Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:57 PM

Me too! I have 2 strategies.

1. Get up, take your plate to the sink and pour yourself a cup of something warm to drink (tea/coffee). Sit, relax and enjoy your after-dinner tea or coffee while he finishes.

2. Don't serve food at the table. Instead take your plate to the kitchen, take a resonable serving and then go eat it in the dining room. When the food is gone, do not get up and go get more (because it will take a trip to the kitchen yes?).

I simply cannot eat like him and it's taken me far too long to really own my behavior and to recognize that I will keep eating as long as he does if the food is in front of me. Best wishes!

Monday, October 15, 2007, 12:57 PM

Eat what you need to be content, not overfull, then add conversation to your dinner time. If he is eating while you are talking . . .

Monday, October 15, 2007, 1:32 PM

all the suggestions are great! i had the same problem and i not only controlled my portions but set a better example for him using a salad plate instead of a giant dinner plate.

Monday, October 15, 2007, 1:36 PM

My problem is with snacking. When we buy some sort of snack that we both enjoy I feel like I have to eat just as fast as he does in order to get my fair share. Now to combat that I always split the snack into two equal portions as soon as we get it home. He can eat his as fast as he wants, usually it's gone in a day, and I can take my time and eat it over a week or so. Then I don't feel like I have to keep up with him.

Monday, October 15, 2007, 2:59 PM

Oh please I know exactly what your talking about. When I first met my hubby I ate as much as him. After a few years I realized I had gained over 50 pounds and was just this big fat chick. I was horrified and tried to figure out how I had gotten so fat. Low and behold at dinner one night I saw it all right in front of me. It was hard but I was eating enough for a 200 pound 6'3 man and then some. Its like our life centered around food. And all this on top of my 35 pounds I was already overweight. By the time I did something about it I tipped the scale at 240 pounds, pretty fat for a 5'2 lady. Its been a long road and lots of control but I am down to 150 with 25 more to go. My biggest step was portion control. Start there, eat off a small plate and fill your plate with half veggies, a quarter protein and quarter carb. Find some fiber packed snacks. Hopefully you haven't gotten as far as I did.

Monday, October 15, 2007, 4:46 PM

I have the same problem! If I take too little food though, he tells me not to starve myself and puts more on my plate! I know he means well, but it doesn't help.

And then when he goes back for seconds he offers me more and, well, I can't resist my own cooking... ;)

Monday, October 15, 2007, 8:19 PM

I had this exact same problem - my husband can eat anything and not gain a pound! Grr!!

I came up with two solutions. The first has already been mentioned - but I take it to another level - serve the food onto plates in the kitchen, and put the leftovers away in individual-sized tupperware into the fridge before you sit down to eat, if that's reasonable given the food you're serving. Then it takes real effort to have seconds - you have to reheat and everything, and if you don't have seconds, then you have lunch to take to work the next day already!

The second was a bit harder b/c I had to get my husband's help. I made a rule that he's not allowed to offer me food. He can eat/snack on whatever he wants, and if I want some, he's not supposed to tell me no. But, he's not supposed to offer me any, or offer to make me some of whatever he's making (unless it's an actual meal). I've found it's easier to just not have any than it is to turn down food that I've been offered. Sure it's a mental game, but it works well for me.

Third, I have him put the junk that he likes and I shouldn't eat on a shelf that I can't reach, but he can. And I tell him which of his favorite junk foods I don't like much, so he should buy those more often than ones that I love. Then I don't care if he eats it all and I don't get my share.

I know I said 2, but I guess I really had a couple extras. The first two are the biggest though, for me.

Monday, October 15, 2007, 9:31 PM

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