Dh and portion sizes - disregard

[imogenlily]

nevermind

Edited by imogenlily - 4/20/11 at 4:42pm

[Arduinna]

COE?

[imogenlily]

Compulsive Overeating Disorder

[cristeen]

Some random thoughts for you.

At 6'2" and 300 lbs, is he a really unhealthy size or does it suit his frame? My DH is 6'4" and 300 lbs and it suits his frame, so i dont worry about the numbers.

How old is he? Age can really affect metabolism. Somewhere in his late 20s my DHs metabolism slowed way down and he had to relearn how to eat.

Do you sit down to eat a meal together? Is it served family style? I found when i started plating my DHs meals in the kitchen and not bringing the servng dishes to the table, he started eating less. It took time, but it worked. Getting up to get another serving is too much work for him, so he'll wait until i finish and offer him more. Since i dont offer for at least 20-30 min, his body has time to catch up. Do you pack his lunch or does he? Same concept. Start cutting back slowly to allow him time to adjust.

How much dietary fat is he getting in those rice/pasta/bean dishes? It may be that he just needs more fat to feel satiated. That is physiological, and just requires an adjustment in the way you cook.

And, looking at the menu you shared, i see a LOT of grains. Processed grains. Some people do not do well w them at all. Im like that. If i started my day w 2 bagels, i could probably wind up eating a similar volume of food. I would suggest trying to get him to eat eggs for breakfast, whether thats 2 eggs and 1 bagel or my DH really likes whole grain porridge w a poached egg stirred in. Or you can make egg muffins w scrambled eggs, cheese, veg in a muffin tin. 1 egg per muffin, pop them in the fridge and he can grab several for a quick breakfast. There are lots of options with eggs. They tend to be more filling and last longer in the stomach.

If your DH is sensitive to all these grains, he may be dealing with hypoglycemia or something similar where his blood sugar crashes 30 min after eating and he needs to eat again to get it back up. But if the next thing he eats is more refined grains, its just going to repeat. For me, even pairing the grains w protein/fat is not sufficient to avoid that. I actually have to restrict/remove them.

I'm sure theres more, but DS is crawling all over me. HTH

[Arduinna]

Originally Posted by imogenlily 

Compulsive Overeating Disorder

I think that is something he gets to decide for himself. Not a bunch of people on the internet.

[cristeen]

Oh, and meant to add that if he is sensitive to the grains, it doesnt even need to be hypoglycemia. Allergies/intolerances can present in all sorts of ways.

He may also be lacking some nutrient that his body is craving. Whether hes not getting in his diet or he cant utilize it because of an intolerance...

You say that he doesnt believe in waiting 20 min for the food to register, but you havent said whether you've discussed the effects of his eating habits on the budget or you (having to cook that much) or what its showing your kids. If you've had any of those conversations, what was his reaction?

[imogenlily]

I'm not looking for a diagnosis - I'm looking for insight into whether this is relatively normal and common or if it's something to talk to a doctor about. To be honest, I'm anxious about it, and have no idea what to do, or whether it will require just dietary changes, medical intervention, or no change at all.

Cristeen - I really appreciate your points on grain sensitivity and satiety. It's difficult for him to cook in the morning, but I could make something like quiche or breakfast burritos with eggs and beans that he could defrost easily.

[cristeen]

I do porridge in the crockpot so he just scoops it out, cracks an egg into the bowl, covers it w more porridge and then gets dressed. By the time he gets back the egg is cooked. He adds a bit of milk and butter and hes good. He doesnt have the time to cook either.

The egg muffins or egg custards will keep a week in the fridge. When i was working, id cook a week's worth on Sunday and breakfasts were grab-and-go all week. I also used to buy bulk sausage at the butchers (cheaper than link), form them into 2 oz patties and cook them on the weekend. Add one of those to a couple egg muffins and you have a protein packed breakfast.