Is this enough food?

[Babysafari]

This is what me and dh had for dinner. A whole baked potato each with butter, grated cheese, 1/2 a tin of beans each and 1/2 a tub of coleslaw plus 1/2 a bag of scampi each.

Dh is still starving but is very overweight and wants to cut back. He'd usually have a whole bag of scampi to himself.

Before anyone tells me off I know it's not the healthiest meal but it has to be something quick and easy on Mondays and it was what I fancied.

[BuggersMuddle]

I like a baked potato with beans & cheese, but would probably just have it with a side salad. It's not a topping I would personally choose when actively trying to lose weight. I'm not sure what size half a bag of scampi is, so can't really comment on whether that's loads or not.

We do really big crunchy salads as they take ages to eat (my 'full' switch is a bit faulty at times so I do tend to ). Also make things like our own celeriac coleslaw (pretty quick if you have a food processor) which gives more control over the amount of added fat.

The other thing I've found helpful is eating more pulse based veggie dishes like bean bakes, chick pea stews, veggie chilli. I find the pulses mean I feel full, but because a lot of the food is not calorie dense, a portion is a fairly big plateful of food. Dried are cheaper, but a lot of dishes can be flung together using tinned beans / chick peas fairly quickly.

YMMV if he likes his meat, but I know other people 'cut' traditional meat based dishes with lentils / more veg to reduce fat / calories.

[KatieHopkinsAteMyHamster99]

Your DH needs to take responsibility for his weight OP, not you. I mean it in the nicest possible way, obviously it's good that you want to help him but long term he has to find his own "diet" that suits him to lose weight, not rely on you or what will happen as soon as he is out without you? He needs to take control of his own eating. Can you encourage him to do his own reading on the subject. There are some good suggestions on this thread . The Blood Sugar Diet website is really good I think for a straightforward explanation of why low carbing works.

[Spottyladybird]

I make slaw instead of coleslaw.
Grated carrot, cabbage, spring onion. Mix with soy sauce and white wine vinegar and season. Leave for 10 minutes. Eat! Filling without the calories.

[DataColour]

My DH would eat that much food and eat again near bedtime (but he would not eat things like baked beans or scampi). But he cycles 20miles a day and is on his feet all day long too. He is skinny.

I would eat the baked potato, 1/2 tin beans, cheese, small portion of coleslaw and that would be just right for me, preferbaly with a green salad too. I wouldn't eat the scampi as it's mostly breadcrumbs. I'm a size 6/8.

[bumbleymummy]

"Normally you would just have one of these, so butter and cheese OR beans OR coleslaw"

Really? I think two toppings is fairly standard.

[fourquenelles]

I have lost 5 and a half stone so far on Slimming World. I know you said you can't persuade him to go to meetings but you can use the basic principals. Use fry lite instead of oil for cooking. Limitless pasta, rice, potatoes, cous cous etc but cut out the butter, cream etc. Limitless vegetables and fruit. Limitless lean meat and fish (not smoked mackerel though). Look for less than 5% fat mince and all meat sausages/burgers. Drink at least 4 pints of water (you can flavour it) a day. I eat huge portions. I am very rarely "hungry" and then it may be that I just need to drink some more. I still have treats but I am mindful of what I eat these days (no more boxes of Magnums in one sitting!).

[Degustibusnonestdisputandem]

It's a lot of food if you're trying to lose weight, but I'd happily eat it for a meal (5'9" size 12, greedy!)

[BarbaraofSeville]

I'm really surprised by the people say thats loads? And they'd be stuffed after half of it? Do people really get stuffed after one potato? I've a bmi of 21 (size 8-10) and tbh that dinner sounds fine for me

It's not just one potato though is it? Going by the rest of the portions described, it's reasonable to assume that the potato is not tiny, maybe it is one of those baking potatoes sold in bags of 4?

Then there is all the toppings and other things. Normally you would just have one of these, so butter and cheese OR beans OR coleslaw, or maybe scampi and chips that are equivalent to the potato.

And half a tin of beans is really a lot to put on a potato or have as a portion when there are other things in the meal too. Half a tin of beans would be the right amount if they were the main part of the meal, eg beans on toast, not as a side dish, where you would share between 3 or 4. Same for coleslaw.

[gamerchick]

That's what I do frazzled eat until satisfied. You're not supposed to eat until full or stuffed.

My husbands similar to yours OP feeling deprived if not given a big portion, its took years to train him down to smaller plates and we're still not there yet,

[LadyAntonella]

*or is that a bit harsh (new phone auto"correcting" me).

[LadyAntonella]

he binned them? That's so silly! Why would he self sabotage like that? He sounds like he doesn't care about his health at the minute for some reason it is that a bit harsh?

[Babysafari]

Ill try to add more protein and veggies/salad to all of our meals.

Btw I had some tiny plates from Asda for this very reason and dh binned them!

[user1465023742]

A whole bag of scampi to himself? Disgusting gluttony!

[Frazzled2207]

Wow I think you have the right ideas OP but your dh is now used to eating until he's stuffed which is IMO the problem.
I had to train myself to eat until nicely satisfied- I used to eat till full and was overweight. It's hard work but as pp said the motivation has to come from him.
What about a health check at the gp and some gentle "threats" about what might happen if he doesn't do something?

[LadyAntonella]

*shocking amounts not shucking

[LadyAntonella]

Oh yes and I agree with above. Though it's not a healthy choice of meal and probably is too big especially if you're trying to lose weight, it's not exactly shucking amounts of food. I'm sure your average person puts away double the calories at Xmas dinner or if they go on a big night out on the lash followed by takeaway. I think it's as babyganoush said a few pages back.

[charliethebear]

I'm really surprised by the people say thats loads? And they'd be stuffed after half of it? Do people really get stuffed after one potato? I've a bmi of 21 (size 8-10) and tbh that dinner sounds fine for me.
Maybe try homemade coleslaw with a non creamy dressing..essentially salad but sounds more exciting. I think tbh if you cut out the coleslaw that meal would be completely fine, so just a healthier version or salad.
If he thinks the meal is too small hes going to start looking for other food even if he really is full, so I think lots of low calorie foods on the plate plus plenty of protein to actually fill him up.

[LadyAntonella]

It does sound as if LCHF (low carb high fat) might suit him OP. I personally think lots of fat (so long as he is eating low carb) is more important than lots of protein. There is a low carb boot camp on here (I'm sure it's been mentioned already). Even if you don't bother following the boot camp thread the rules are posted at the beginning of each thread. It's really quite easy to follow and the results are amazing. I know a doctor (a surgeon, so not really involved in sorting out people's diets, but still), who swears by the health benefits of a ketogenic diet, aside from the weight loss. A lot of his colleagues follow it too. The only downside is there is a lot of meat eating which bothered me a little ethically, but I think there is a veggie version too. Read the Diet Doctor's site, also Christine Cronau, My Big Fat Low Carb Life, Mark's Daily Apple are all on FB and worth following if you do decide to do LCHF.

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

it's hard to judge without knowing the various sizes of things. True bumbley

There will also be quite a large difference in calorie requirements for a small woman compared to a large man, before taking activity levels into account.

Even as a small man, what my dad would eat compared to me as a small woman is quite different. Hence my championing of myfitnesspal.

When it was working for you, what put him off using it. OP?

[00100001]

Definitely eat more protein!

My DH suffered and we went very low carb. We had lots of high protein snacks on hand for him. and highigher proteing melas filled him up
(We removed all crisps, biscuits, popcorn, bread etc from the house)

Meals:
We would up the veg to replace the potatoes/pasta etc. So I'd make a chicken casserole say, and replace any potatoes/dumplings with broccoli and cauliflower for example.

We would have fajitas, but use lettuce as a wrap instead of flour tortillas.

things like chilli and spag bol would be served with things like sweetcorn or peas or cauliflower 'rice'

PACKED LUNCHES:
He would have either leftovers, or a 'giant' salad - he loves his salad and will take a big tub of it to eat, with some sort of protein in it (salmon, tuna, cheese, eggs, ham etc)
a small tub of no salt nuts
a couple of boiled eggs
cheese and ham
Cold omelette

He snacks on:
Boiled eggs
pre-cut/portioned cubes of cheese
Salad sticks (carrots, celery, peppers etc) and 'pure' peanut butter.
cold meats (sausages, ham, chicken etc)


Sweet treats:
We have found that things like sugar free jellies or skyr scratches that itch :)


He found himself to be fuller for longer and lost weight really easily without feeling hungry.

[SeemsLegit]

If he's secretly eating he could have a food addiction. I recommend a book by gillian riley called "say goodbye to overeating". It switches your mindset from losing weight to eating less. Might be worth getting him to have a read

[MiniCooperLover]

When you make things dish up and then pack away the leftovers straight away. If they're already in the fridge would he be less likely to go for them? I generally think it tends to be laziness that people go back for extra portions.

[MLGs]

Or have a salad with it.

[MLGs]

Just agreeing with everyone else that it's loads. I kept thinking the list would be over and it kept on!

I would lose the scampi and then the coleslaw.

Baked potato with beans and cheese is plenty.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Second all the Slimming World recommendations - there are a lot of information on their website and a section on here. They also do a magazine so it is possible to get the basics without going to classes.

He would be able to eat huge amounts of the right food so he isn't hungry and doesn't feel deprived, but the hard thing would be controlling what he eats while at work.

He could have a lean fry up (low fat sausages, bacon with fat cut off, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, poached eggs) at home for breakfast but a sausage and bacon baguette from a sandwich shop would not be OK.

He could take a tuna pasta salad with a bit of low fat mayo and fat free yogurt dressing and fruit for snacks, but he couldn't have a bought sandwich and crisps for lunch for example.

You could have your meal, without the scampi, but plain prawns would be OK with a measured amount of cheese, home made coleslaw dressed with fat free yogurt and a bit of low fat mayo, and as much beans, potato and salad as you like.

So not massively different from what you are eating now, although its best to cook from scratch so you can make sure there is no fat or sugar, but what you do have to strictly limit is things like white bread, processed food, alcohol, crisps, chocolate and other sugary fatty crap.