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Eating differently than your family?

Old 05-05-2012, 09:02 AM
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Default Eating differently than your family?

I wanted to see how people deal with this issue of eating at different times/different things than the rest of your family?

For me the issue is that I'm going home from college for the summer and my mom does most of the cooking and shopping. This is the first time I'm gonna be home for three months since I've left for college and I will gain a lot of weight if I eat what my family eats (too many carbs, even if they are complex carbs). I also eat at very different times than them. Suggestions?
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Old 05-05-2012, 09:11 AM
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You could turn it into a positive and offer to do some of the cooking and shopping for the family, and at least eat your way part of the time. And you'd be showing them how to eat healthier too.
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Old 05-05-2012, 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by nobe
You could turn it into a positive and offer to do some of the cooking and shopping for the family, and at least eat your way part of the time. And you'd be showing them how to eat healthier too.
Excellent suggestion nobe!
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Old 05-05-2012, 05:25 PM
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There will be a lot of pressure on you to eat with them but you should be able to eat WITH them at least once a day without eating what they eat. You just have to be firm about the fact that even though you enjoy your family's foods that your doctor has told you that you must stick to a certain diet but that you still want to enjoy their company as you all eat.
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Old 05-06-2012, 07:50 AM
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I was in a sort of similar situation last summer when I had to live with my mom for a month before I moved across the country. My mom is naturally really thin. She has been working nights for 35 years and pretty much subsists on coffee and cigarettes. She'll eat one huge meal a day around 5pm and that's it. Usually it's brown rice, spinach and black beans -- so not really unhealthy, just very basic and unvaried. Since she lives alone, she doesn't really like cooking for herself (though she is actually a great cook) and she feels like eating a healthy, varied diet is a luxury she can't afford/doesn't deserve.

My situation might be a little different from yours, but the same principles might apply. When I moved in, I tried to motivate her to "rediscover" food. She hates grocery shopping, so she'd give me cash and I'd go get whatever I thought we should eat. I took her to the farmer's market every few days and we picked out the most beautiful produce, locally baked breads, some really memorable honey, etc. We cooked, we baked, we ate something different almost every day -- It was an amazing experience! The best thing was, she became really interested in the various qualities of different foods -- like what flavors are unique to chard versus kale and so forth. The change has been semi-permanent even though I moved away.

So, my advice is this -- don't underestimate your family's ability to take interest in the way you eat and, perhaps, adopt some of your habits. I second the advice to do some of the shopping and cooking, but I'd say take it further than that. Talk to the fam about how healthy eating makes you feel, what qualities of certain foods or food combinations are interesting or exciting. Stick with your plan, be positive and avoid being critical. Really try to be an advocate of healthy eating and appeal to their senses, because that's what eating really is to most people -- a sensory experience.
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Old 05-06-2012, 03:02 PM
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Default Different from my family!

I know what you are saying. I have the same situation with my family. What i do is i still sit with them at the table and maybe sip some water or eat some of the protein bar i have.
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Old 05-10-2012, 07:45 AM
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You could try eating some of what they eat and substituting in your own fruits, veggies, lean protein or whatever else you need more of. I had to do this when I became a vegetarian and no one else in my family was (or is). Going shopping with your parents is an excellent idea too!
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Old 05-11-2012, 05:04 AM
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thanks everyone! all of this was helpful to me and many others I'm sure. I've already brought my family strides from where they were- we only use whole wheat flour and EV olive oil now. I will keep trying
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Old 06-04-2012, 09:42 AM
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Eating with family is a wonderfully important ritual. The way I handle this when I visit my mom is to have a large salad, glass of unsweetened iced tea, and a half serving of whatever my mom served up as a main course. I can still have my parents' company, I'm not being a snob about her delicious, lovingly prepared food, and I don't look like a weirdo.
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