“I want to eat healthy but my husband doesn’t.” It’s a statement that’s been uttered by many a woman, including me! So in this blog post, I’ll share what I’ve learned after 10 years of marriage and how we make it work.
A few months after my husband and I started dating, he told me that he was eating so much healthier since meeting me. I remember looking at him and responding that I was eating so much worse!
And that’s how it’s mostly been during our 10-year marriage, but we’ve finally figured out how I can eat healthy even if he doesn’t. While it would be a million times easier if my husband wanted to join me in eating well, the reality is that he doesn’t.
He’s not a bad husband, and he’s not unsupportive of my goals. It just means that we have to put in more effort so that we both can eat the way we want to.
So if you want to eat healthy when your husband doesn’t, here are five specific tips that have taken us years to figure out!
1. He eats unhealthy food when you’re not around.
You don’t need to make your husband stop eating unhealthy food; just ask him to eat it when you’re not around.
Ryan will go through the drive thru at In-N-Out when I’m not with him, and he’ll eat it before he gets home and then throw the wrappers in our outside trash can. Or he’ll order pizza if I’m not going to be home for dinner. Sometimes we’ll both go to an ice cream shop for an occasional treat rather than keep ice cream in our house.
2. He keeps unhealthy food at home where you don’t see it.
It’s your husband’s house, too, so he’s allowed to have food that he likes. But ask him to keep it somewhere you don’t go so you don’t see it.
My husband keeps his favorite chocolate cereal in a cabinet in the garage, and he’ll eat it in his office. He does it so our kids don’t see it.
3. He buys alcohol you don’t like.
When your husband drinks alcohol at home, have him buy kinds you don’t like. That way you won’t be tempted to drink it.
My husband drinks beer and whiskey at home because I don’t like them. (I like some beer, but not the kinds he buys.) But a gin and tonic is a lot harder for me to pass up, so he rarely makes them at home anymore.
4. Make a list of restaurants that work for both of you.
Make a list of restaurants you both like before you’re hungry and trying to figure out where to go. My husband gets really hangry when we can’t agree on a place to eat.
I always say that he’s a picky eater, but he told me once that I’m actually the picky eater. And he’s right. He can find something he wants to eat at many more restaurants than I can. He eats the way a lot of Americans eat, which is why there are so many more eateries for his tastes.
Chipotle is one restaurant that works for both of us. They even have Whole30-approved lifestyle bowls. Or sometimes we’ll pick up takeout from two different places and go eat at the beach.
5. Eat the same main dish at dinner with different sides.
Make the main dish at dinner something that both of you will eat, and then add your own sides.
For example, our dinner usually consists of meat for the main dish, which we all eat, with rice and vegetables for the sides. My husband eats the rice, my kids eat the rice and vegetables, and I eat the vegetables. I also will sometimes make myself a side salad.
My husband also likes to make pasta with meat sauce, but he’ll scoop out a portion of meat sauce for me before adding it to the pasta. Then I’ll eat just the meat with a salad or the veggies we give the kids.
It’s important to us that we eat together as a family, especially for our kids. But I learned that we can still eat together without eating exactly the same thing.
Final Thoughts on How To Eat Healthy When Your Husband Doesn’t
Your husband doesn’t have to eat healthy for you to achieve your wellness goals. It makes it easier, for sure, but you CAN do it if you’re both willing to compromise and work together.
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This blog post explains how to eat healthy when your husband doesn’t.
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