Want to put my OH on a diet!? Help!!

[Rudibaby16]

Hello, my OH has put a lot of weight on since we have been together and especially when I was pregnant! I can tell he very down about it and wants to loose weight. He exercises a lot but he eats all the wrong foods! He is such a picky eater so I find it really hard to cook healthy food for him! Has anyone got any ideas on what meals I can cook him! Baring in mind I have a 12 week old baby so I don't have a lot of time on my hands!
Thank you!

[MephistoMarley]

He should cook his own healthy food. Seriously. You're not going to help by controlling what he eats plus you have a baby fgs

[Rudibaby16]

My other half wants to go on a diet. I would like to aswell as I still have some baby weight. I would just like some ideas to help us both as I don't like seeing him so down about his appearance.

[motherinferior]

It's kind of up to him to take over the cooking, then, isn't it, if he's so picky?

[VimFuego101]

Agree, he needs to be the one to decide what to eat and cook it. You have a 12wo baby! What sort of things will he eat?

[Rudibaby16]

No because I have always done the cooking which I enjoy and he gives the baby a bath and puts him to bed every evening. I just want to help him and don't see any problem in that.

[Rudibaby16]

Also, I have asked him what he likes and waiting on a reply as he is at work. I just wanted some ideas.

[SpaceDinosaur]

Ok. You say he's "fussy"

Can you give some examples of quite how fussy you mean?

[sglodion]

What does he normally eat? Slimming world have some fabe "fake away" recipes. We're having turkey burgers and chips for tea tonight following SW plan.

[WellErrr]

How fussy?

I do agree with the others though, if he's so bloody fussy and he's wanting to lose weight it should be him researching this.

[Rudibaby16]

I'm just trying to help him. And he doesn't eat many vegetables, he doesn't like salad or much fruit. He is a big fan of chicken though! So I can cook him chicken and the veg he likes but I can see it getting very boring. He works very hard for a living and I know he always looks forward to dinner which is why I love cooking for him.

[PollyPerky]

its not that hard really, is it?

Just get the portion sizes right for a start, and cut right back on the carbs- so out go chips, pizza, white rice, pasta, cakes, biccies, crisps, sweets, puddings, too much booze, sugar, fizzy drinks.

Instead, eat fresh fish, chicken, baked spuds, vegetables, fresh fruit, wholegrain cereals, snack on unsalted nuts, full fat plain yoghurt.

[SpaceDinosaur]

What veggies does he eat? Let's come up with some meal ideas for you :-)

[PollyPerky]

oh and he needs to learn to like vegetables and fruit. I just don't get why grown ups say they don't like these foods. Just bloody eat them - they're nice!!!

[Rudibaby16]

They are nice! And he will eat carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, potatoes, green beans, baby corn, peas and sweet corn I just struggling with getting nice healthy sauces so it's not all dry :/

[mrsmortis]

Have a look at the Hairy Bikers diet food books. A friend of mine refers to them a 'diet books for blokes' so maybe the food would suit your DH.

[Rudibaby16]

Thank you Mrsmortis! I will take a look :)

[PollyPerky]

He doesn't need sauces all the time. If he will eat stir fry, just chuck in some soy sauce or most Chinese sauces are low in calories.

Have a look at Tesco online- they have a healthy eating section linked to on the Home page - might be under Recipes- and it will give you ideas.

[SpaceDinosaur]

Firstly, not everything needs a sauce. Bad habit!

Ok. That's a better range of veg then I thought you'd say.

Firstly, how large are your meal plates? To they have an inch wide "lip" around the outside or are they pretty wide with almost no lip? You may need to be aware of how much food your plates actually hold. Serve smaller portions (keep food back in the kitchen, no one will go hungry!) and ensure you both eat slowly whilst also drinking water. This allows you body to register "full" when it is full. If he's in the habit of wolfing because it's delicious then he's probably inadvertently overeating!

Ratatouille is a brilliant vessel for getting veg (and moisture) in! Ratatouille on a crisp baked potato is delicious. I would avoid butter but some grated cheese for protein and that's a fabulously good meal

Make an absolute tonne of it, freeze it in portions and use whenever. Put it alongside any baked, grilled meat or fish.

Homemade spag bol and lasagne using wholemeal pasta served with a side salad. Yes I know he doesn't "like" salads but it's not having just a salad, it's a meal accompaniment. Pack the meat component full of veggies like mushrooms, onion, leek, peppers, anything.
If you're feeling really clever then sub in some quorn mince (50/50) or replace beef or lamb with quorn. It's much much healthier.

DH and I have a version of "en papillote" (in parchment) because parchment is a pain in the arse... So we call it "en foilette" and make it in tinfoil!!!
Raw meat/fish on foil.
Slice lemon/tomatoes/herbs whatever goes with the protein on and under.
Small drizzle of extra virgin and season
Fold up foil to make a sealed package
Bake in oven.

It's brilliant. Meat stays amazingly moist (no need for sauce) and the cooked juices in the packet are flavourful and great on the plate.

Works amazingly with steamed veg.

To decrease carbs, perhaps use baby or Charlotte potatoes? They cover the same space on the plate but are much smaller.

[mrsmortis]

The other thing that you can do fairly easily if he needs a sauce with everything is make a tomato sauce. I do one that involves garlic, onions fresh tomatoes and passatta. If you make it in a non stick frying pan then you don't need to add oil. Cook it low and slow for richness and add salt to taste. Then you can freeze it in a ice cube tray and defrost at need in the microwave, instant sauce! If he likes hot stuff you can experiment with adding chilli or curry spices.

The easiest vaguely authentic stir fry 'sauce' that I've found is equal parts soy sauce and balsamic vinegar (or rice vinegar if you have it) and a splash (literally a capful) of sherry (or rice wine if you have it). The sherry adds a few calories but not many and it makes a huge difference to the taste.