To eat the same portion size as him?

[AlexiaSox]

When I dish up for me and DP, I always give us the same amount of food. Same if we eat out, e.g we'll both order our own pizza and eat the whole thing (we both have pretty good appetites), and maybe share a salad.

The thing is, he is a tall guy, over 6ft, and I am much smaller...

Neither of us are overweight but I guess I am at the very top end of healthy weight.

So my question is, AIBU and should I generally eat a slightly smaller portion than him? I hate the idea of a 'dainty woman's portion' but is it just common sense?

What do you do?

Those posters who give their partners a much bigger dinner portion because they ‘need it due to... x y z
Mine picks his own portions he makes his own dinner as I would give him less he likes extra and hides it, I pretend I don't notice bless him, yes he is overweight.

@ConstantlySeekingHappiness yes actually.....it isn't rocket science, the bigger you are the more calories you're allowed/need to sustain your weight, it's a sex issue in that generally men are bigger than women, but some of the outrage here is ridiculous. I wish I was a few inches taller or liked exercise enough so I could get away with eating more...but I'm not and I don't, so if I don't want to be fat I need to eat less than my DH who is several inches taller than me, does twice the amount of steps in his average working day than I do and he's a runner, I don't need a calorie calculator to work out he needs to eat more than me.

ConstantlySeekingHappiness

It's basic nutritional science that the average man needs more calories than the average woman. Each individual couple will be slightly different but it's rare that women need more calories than men.

For the last 9 months DH and I have eaten every meal together so I know what he's eating. I also know both our of daily calorie expenditure, based on our height, weight and activity level. It's not hard to figure out. If DH and I ate the same portions, either I'd be over overweight or he'd be underweight. Similarly my kids eat different portions from us and from each other. I have less idea what they eat in a day though.

I am 6ft 2 and taller than my H and we eat the same amount. His mother however insists on penis portions and will give me half a jacket potato and a quarter of an omelette for dinner so he can have the rest. I take snacks now

I eat much smaller portions than DH and DS who are both 6 foot. But that’s my choice. If I ate more I’d put on weight and I’m a little heavy already.

None of us are big eaters though. If we order two large pizzas between the three of us there is always some left over for DS to have for lunch the next day.

I think it's funny that the OP has phrased ths as if liberated women eat as much as big men.

There is a famous story about how Freud's nephew managed to promote smoking among women but portraying smoking as a symbol of being liberated. I was daft myself when I was young and so proud of the fact that I could drink more than a lot of men.

"When you eat out do they have ‘women’s size’ and ‘man size’ meals?"

Tbh I'd happily go for a smaller adult's portion, rather than either leave food or eat too much!

It would depend on activity levels, but all other things being equal a larger person will need more calories, a male will need more than a female the same size, and a younger person will need more than an older one.

That said, I still currently serve the same at dinner to my teenage DS who is the same height and weight as me, but he eats more snacks.

Just used a bmr calculator and my 14 year old DS who is the same size as me needs 200 more calories than me.

"When you eat out do they have ‘women’s size’ and ‘man size’ meals?

I rarely finish a meal when eating out, but also I don't eat out that often so it wouldn't matter to me if I over ate for occasional meals out, if I had the attitude of DH and I should eat the same for every meal, either I'd be fat or he'd be underweight, simple as that.

Eat less and be healthier
You dont need the same amount as 6ft1 husband..... you might want to, but you sure dont need to.

When you eat out do they have ‘women’s size’ and ‘man size’ meals?
I leave most of the chips or bread or equivalent and eat the bit I paid for. Or just have adapt the rest of the day accordingly if I'm eating out later, or still full from lunch.

My DP gets more than me, he’s bigger/needs more - it’s no different from giving different amounts of food to a 2 year old and a 12 year old.

When you eat out do they have ‘women’s size’ and ‘man size’ meals?

The first time we went to South Africa on holiday back in the late 90s, restaurant menus were pretty limited, generally offering a choice of steak, steak or steak. Portion sizes varied, however. You could choose between ‘Sirloin steak (300g)’ or ‘Ladies sirloin steak (200g)’. We enjoyed confusing the waiters by ordering the ‘wrong’ sizes . I wonder if they still do that?

I tend to have the same main as dh or slightly less but he has pudding every night which I dont and he has a lot more snacks during the day as well as a second breakfast (hes a hard working farmer)

Do what you want, but you are likely to put on weight if you eat the same day in day out as a person who is much bigger than you. If you don't care about your weight then this isn't an issue so don't worry what anyone else says.
I eat a little less than DH, I'm more active generally but he's 8 inches taller than me and definitely needs more calories to keep a stable weight than I do. I do remember being the smallest in the class (see username) and being really disappointed when they gave me a small portion of school dinners just because I was small. I ate like a horse as a child and was pretty skinny! When I hit my 20s I put on weight as I couldn't get away with it anymore. I'm in my 40s now and have gradually reduced my portion sizes since then to keep my weight healthy and stable, it's really important for my general wellbeing.

When you eat out do they have ‘women’s size’ and ‘man size’ meals?

I lived in the US about 30 years ago. Many restaurants would offer 2 sizes of some dishes - just labelled 'lighter bites' or 'smaller plates', not as women's and mens.

A few places in the U.K. do this, a bit, but it's still the exception rather than the rule. Hopefully that will gradually change.

The issue is whether you’re fine with your personal current weight, calorie intake/nutrition and health

For many years my BMI was at or just over 25, mainly due to binge eating issues. Waist measurement over recommended. Have been working on this and over 18 months lost 2 stone, BMI now around 22. Feel much better.

I could still v easily eat as much as DH! Choosing not to, for health reasons.

Eat whatever you want.

I can eat DP under the table.

If I am dishing up, I serve myself and dds less than dh and ds. There is always more on the stove, and anyone still hungry can help themselves. Dds never finish as much (despite being older than ds), and I don't want them to feel like they need to plough through a huge plate of food when what they wanted was half that. They sometimes go back for seconds, but rarely. Dh and ds pretty much always go back for more.

DDs are more active than ds - all 3 are all a healthy weight. I am more active than dh. We still don't seem to need as much food.

When dh cooks and dishes up, we all get the same - enormous! - portion.

we don't dish up dinner.
we out the food out on the table and everyone takes as much as they want.
only if we have limited items like expensive meat; those I will plate up. otherwise the hungry teens will pile high and no one else gets a look in.

My husband's portion sizes at home are larger than mine because he is taller and bigger than me and needs more calories. In restaurant we order the same size and we both eat how much we want inorder to feel satisfied/full.
If I ate the same amount of food s him all the time I would be fatter and potentially overweight.

I just put on my plate the amount I will eat and DH gets the amount he will eat (guessed from previous experience!). His is much bigger than mine but that’s because I have a smaller appetite. Although I’m now pregnant so my portion sizes have increased a little too much and now match his!

DH is 8 inches taller than me, we tend to eat the same if we're eating out or get a takeaway but I'll have smaller portions at home and tend to eat less overall with snacks etc so it balances out.