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.

[BluePitchFork]

that's a lot.
I would just eat the potato + toppings.
can you microwave some veg instead of the scampi? like a cauliflower or brokkoli?

[Babysafari]

Thanks everyone. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat baked potato and scampi as one meal again and definitely not beans and coleslaw together. I'd always think of this thread.

[princessconsuelabannahammock]

My DH is a big bloke, he is losing weight following my low carb diet - i cook and he has two choices eat it or dont! I also do all the shopping so i no longer buy the junk. Sadly for him he gets little say as i am not messing about cooking 2 meals, luckily for me he is easily pleased, eats anything and doesnt mind me being a bossy control freak. He also realises that he needs to sort his weight out.

For breakfast he eats, scrambled eggs with butter and mayo. Sometimes an omelette or bacon and eggs or greek yoghurt or porridge (not low carb but doesnt affect him)

Lunch is dinner leftovers - i set him aside a portion when i plate up. Or he has salad with meat, cheese, avocado, bacon, tuna etc. Homemade soup with lots of added fat.

Dinner is meat and veggies. Generally green veg with butter and fatty meats, no carbs. I make cougetti instead of pasta, cauliflower rice instead of normal and use cauliflower or swede to replace mashed potato.

He has lost a stone in a month! He never feels hungry unless he cheats. He does cheat sometimes - work meetings, sweeties, cans of d coke but still loses weight.

He loves the diet and now longer eats a tub of ice cream or a large bag of crisps a night and doesnt mooch around for something to eat. He is also down a trouser size and very happy.

[Babysafari]

I'm sure he would eat lentils if I made them. I'll look for some recipes.

[Babysafari]

I think low carb would suit dh I could go with it myself for a while. I could lose 1/2 a stone.

[KissMyArse]

If he likes curry then something like Tarka Dal is tasty and filling. Lentils have a bad rep as being hippy food but when they are properly prepared they can be delicious, full of protein too.

[bumbleymummy]

I actually don't think it sounds that excessive. Some of you seem to eat very little. (Although I've noticed that a lot in England) I guess it depends on the size of the potato, the bag of scampi and the tub of coleslaw. I would occasionally have a jacket potato with beans, cheese, coleslaw and salad for lunch. It fills me up nicely but I wouldn't say I was stuffed. It's not ideal if you're trying to lose weight though. I've always been thin despite having a big appetite.

[FurryDogMother]

Low carb is amazing if you love food - how about prawns instead of scampi (hence avoiding the breading) with mayo - add a tsp of low sugar ketchup to get 'pink' sauce (I like a dash of brandy in mine - also low carb, believe it or not!), as much lettuce/cucumber/spring onion as you can eat, drenched in a flavoured oil (I like chilli or garlic) and a chunk of cheese? I hate coleslaw, but if it's mostly cabbage with a small amount of shredded carrot + mayo that would be fine too. Try getting some green/French beans, rolling them in a little olive oil, then roasting until they go a bit brown and crispy - they taste a lot like chips - really! If you serve that lot up, he can eat loads, and the protein/fat combo will fill him up.

Not so good if he's eating bread and stuff during the day of course, but there are recipes out there (Google!) for low carb wraps and so on, mostly egg based. He hs to want to improve his diet though, otherwise he'll just sneak the bad stuff in when you're not around :)

[KissMyArse]

Some of you seem to eat very little. (Although I've noticed that a lot in England)

Really? Maybe they are all secret eaters seeing as how a high percentage of Brits are overweight.

Everyone's appetite is different. Mine has definitely decreased over the last few years. I probably eat 2/3rds of what I used to but that might be after I switched to a meat-free diet. I find wholefoods fill me up a lot more than the foods I used to eat.

[Pinkheart5915]

Can't see how your DH was hungry still.
pregnant me would only eat the potato with 1 topping and maybe a little side salad. My DH is very muscular and a regular at the gym and he normally has jacket potato with grilled salmon or chicken with beetroot & salad.

It's not an ideal choice if your DH is trying to cut back, I know you say it's because it was quick but things like stir frys with lots of veg are quick too.

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

If he's going to suffer with hunger pangs (I sympathise, hunger is the worst feeling imo) then adding in plenty of veg will help. Does he eat all veg? It's good to get a dark leafy green on the plate, and a couple of colours, with the veg that is.

I can't overstate how useful myfitnesspal is, website if you don't have apps.

So your planned chicken meal, I'd serve a fist size of italian herb chicken, a fist of boiled potatoes, and self serve to appetite: broccoli, carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot. Something like that work for both your tastes?

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

I would occasionally have a jacket potato with beans, cheese, coleslaw and salad for lunch.

Exactly - you wouldn't have added half a bag of scampi and still been hungry. And as you'd had salad, I doubt you would have had half a tub of coleslaw, which could be 250g or more depending on the tub size. So really, even by your standards I think you would find their meal large.

I'm not trying to put the boot in OP, I'm really not. And I recognise it's often a difficult and slow process changing what has become habit to eat, especially when so many of us have complex emotions tied in with what we're eating.

I truly wish you and your partner well. And I'm positive that making one change at a time, you can adjust to a diet where you're satisfied and happy to continue to eat that way, rather than crash then yo yo diet, which is worse for the body than just staying a steady slightly overweight.

[DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease]

Would he be open to soup? I often have just soup for as meal. But, if you were to serve a small bowl of tomato soup before the cooked meal, he's likely to feel fuller sooner.

Agree with pp that smaller plates can help, psychologically your eyes confirm you're getting a proper full plateful.

[Baconyum]

'Believe me every time I suggest anything he can't or doesn't want to.'

That adds to my feeling that he doesn't really want to.

I'm also wondering if there's a medical issue, especially if this is a recent development (and it's a nightmare getting men to go drs) or an emotional/psychological one. Less a case of slimming club than OA, and I'm not being flippant, the several portions of chilli is genuinely worrying.

You need a proper discussion with him about this op.

[GarlicSteak]

I eat mountains - I'd probably eat more after that meal - and I don't diet. But it's helpful to know a few basics about dieting ... like coleslaw's a killer. It's the mayonnaise: there's a ridiculous amount of calories in that stuff. If you just stop having mayonnaise, you can save hundreds & hundreds of calories. If you really like 'dressing' on your food, vinaigrette or yoghurt are better options.

Was the scampi fried in breadcrumbs? That's another killer. Frozen fish in breadcrumbs or batter - the kind you put in the oven - have about half the calories as the same thing fried.

Crisps I don't think are too bad; they get a bad rap. There's about 120 calories in a single-size bag, they can fill your need for a crunch, and there's enough fat in them to make you feel like you ate something.

I'm totally with everyone who said apples are good (I eat carrots the same way, too) and that it's best to try a glass of water before deciding how hungry you are - especially while it's warm.

He works long hours. Did you know that tiredness makes you crave carbs? (I should know, I have CFS.) Your brain goes "I need more energy! Gimme carbs!" It's actually quite logical - carbs do give you a quick boost and if you are pushing beyond your limit, then you'll use them up. For anyone working a long day, it's a great idea to have a solid breakfast that contains protein, fat and carbs because these will metabolise at different rates, giving your body a steady flow of energy until your next meal.

Good luck. Try not to get worked up about it :)

[bumbleymummy]

Decaf I said I have salad and coleslaw and, depending on the size of the tub, it could easily be half a tub of coleslaw. Adding half a bag of breadcrumbed scampi (depending on the size of the bag) for dinner (which, for me, is usually a larger meal than lunch) wouldn't push me over the edge. As I said, it's hard to judge without knowing the various sizes of things.

People feeling full on half a jacket potato with 1/4 can of beans and a tiny bit of cheese seems very strange to me. That would never fill me up.

[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.

[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.

[MLGs]

Or have a salad with it.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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.