How to diet while also feeding family and giving good messages to kids

[chelseabunny]

I am reading more about the evils of UPF and don't want my (fairly healthy eating and normally Bmi) kids to pick up on the concept of "being good" or being "naughty" or "cheat" days

But I am also depressed at my size (I gained a lot of weight during a season of actual depression during covid) and want to do something about it

I am dieting and low carb is the only way for me to do that as nothing else works. I just make normal meals and switch out the sides that DH and DD are eating for an alternative for me.

So if we're having spaghetti bolognese, I have the bolognese with green beans and mushrooms, or asparagus.

If we have roast dinner, I'll have the meat and a bigger portion of green veg but not the yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes.

I have lost nearly 2.5stones by eating more healthily and eating appropriate portions. There are no good or bad foods and I tell the dc that it's important to have balance. We eat together at the table and they see me eat normal food in proper portions rather than the bigger portions I used to eat. I've cut down on highly processed foods but need to cut down more on those. Pizza is always homemade from scratch as is pasta sauce and soups. Chips are homemade in the air fryer. I've recently made my own veggie burgers although they weren't great. Need to tweak that recipe. Yogurt is proper Greek yogurt with homemade fruit compote and honey. I bake my own bread usually. I teach them to cook and bake so they have those skills for life. They know the important of exercise and we walk miles happily and easily. We eat sweets, chocolate, crisps etc but as part of the balance.