Working towards starting my 12 week plan from this weekend (Fingers Crossed!!).

[joewee]

After putting up my first post yesterday, from all the comments, I've decided to give it another go. Its not the easiest as my wife doesn't do veg or fruits and I can try just about anything. Its got to be a complete life changing decision for me as we eat together and kinda from the same plate since we started together so me saying I'd be eating separately is scary. I would need to find a diet that would work for both of us I guess but she is more of an African kinda diet person. Rice based, Yams, eggs and other starchy foods.

To make things worse, we eat late and at odd hours and portions are not good as work gets us coming home hungry and tired and then its late dinner and crash afterwards. Kinda been the lifestyle for years now. Hence the added weight and discomfort.

I don't know if anyone has got tips on what to replace African diet with that I could try OR any diet/exercise plan that could work in this kind of situation...anything at all.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

If you Google low carb African diet/recipes, you'll get dozens of ideas, joewee.

Are you able to microwave meals at work, so that your main meal could be midday?

Does your day start early and finish late, or could you have a bigger breakfast and a lighter evening meal?

Could you prepare your meals and freeze them, so that they can be reheated and eaten as soon as you get in, to keep the time earlier?

Could you fit a walk between eating and sleeping?

Would your wife be willing to meet you half way?

There's always a solution, we just need to find it

[joewee in reply to moreless]

Will look into the options you have mentioned and hopefully come up with something that can work. No doubt, it will take a bit of work and doesn't look like it will be easy

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to joewee]

It's just about getting into a new routine, because if we always do what we've always done, then we'll always get what we've always got!

[joewee in reply to moreless]

Very true. Nicely put

[Tiggerr in reply to joewee]

I've been making many of my own meals and only eating what she makes when it's not all pasta, cheese and cream or some variation of that. At the end of the day I couldn't let someone else's ideas effect my move towards living more healthily.

You've got quite a bit to sort out there and I hope it all pans out for you.

[joewee in reply to Tiggerr]

Thanks

[joewee]

I will start by weighing myself and getting all the necessary meal plans and recipes in place I guess

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to joewee]

Good idea! Join today's weigh-in and log onto our Daily Diary, to keep you on track and for support and motivation

[katy9617]

well darling let me tell ya... ok maybe just tell you what I do. I am on a low carb diet as my hubby is diabetic and that is what he needs to eat. you may should go shopping with your wife and help buy groceries so you can get what you need as well as what she will eat. It is hard eating separate things but if it is necessary you may have to. I eat a lot of veggies and some fruit on my low carb diet to supplement what I am already eating. as far as the time you eat, I don't know how much affect that has but I do know that they have told me exercise is good but only about 20 or so percent of weight loss so I don't sweat it too much. I have to work on my feet 8 hours a day so when I get home I tired. I live in Texas so all the portions we eat are like huge. I use a smaller plate which helps with portion control. if you like or at least will try things, try some veggies you have not eaten before as long as they are not real starchy. I love broccoli and asparagus and cauliflower myself. you can make a fake mashed potatoes out of cauliflower that is delightful. any way you got some great advice here from the others and I think you should hang out with us to get the hang of this new life style... post and read... it helps me tremendously. Good luck and Chin UP!!!

[joewee in reply to katy9617]

I intend to hang out with you guys for as long as possible and hope I don't get discouraged out of it for anything. Thanks all and hopefully we can all get what we want out of here.

[Cymrawes]

Like you, we always-always ate together. For many years ,I worked and hubs could not .He saw it as his duty to feed me well after a terribly stressful day. Every meal home-cooked from scratch with the very best of ingredients. A casserole,curry? Always started with 2lb meat. Rarely did any make the freezer! No-one can say that my fat is 'cheap' ha ha! Now,we mostly eat together but he is not fat like me .Yesterday I had a 600 cal lunch out with a girlfriend which left me very little for tea. He got a hand-made chicken & smoked bacon pie with tiny garden peas .I got a plate of cabbage as I was too tired to cook. This morning I had lost a little .Today I will cook properly for both of us but sometimes , well- I have to accept that for now-I cannot always eat like him .