Is it possible for a husband and wife to agree on a diet?

[babymonkey]

My wife and I can never agree on what to eat. I think it is that we just don't know enough about dieting. We both work out together. She is a model and wants to either lose weight or not gain weight and I on the other hand am puny and want to gain (muscle). Given the fact that we both work out and do cardio, are there any meals we can both eat together and achieve what each of us want?

 

[FitFossil]

If she's a mainstream model (e.g. Vogue-type) rather than a fitness model, you may just have to agree to disagree. Your goals are at opposite ends of the spectrum. You probably want more muscle and to be ripped, whereas she probably doesn't want much muscle and doesn't want to be ripped, just firm and lean.

Other than portion size and total calories, how far apart are you on what you're each currently eating? Based on the fact you're male and wanting to get bigger, try not to rub it in w/ her how much more you get to eat than she does. (Even though I eat far more than the average woman and don't feel deprived, my husband is constantly amazed by how "little" I eat. He's not trying to be mean, but still I don't enjoy him pointing this out to me )

Does she eat much protein, meat, etc? What would be a sample day's diet for each of you?

 

[babymonkey]

We eat what ever is in the house. Breakfast is usually cereal or eggs or pancakes. Lunch would be deli sandwiches or lunch at a restaurant (chicken, pasta, etc...). Dinner is pizza (if we don't cook) steak, stew, chicken, spagetti, or just regular stuff you would cook. She tries meal replacement with shakes but that isn't to fair when she is drinking a shake ant I'm eating a steak. She is 5' 10 118lbs so she isn't fat by no means but she complains about excess weight on her outer/inner thighs, lower back and lower stomach (I don't see a problem but in the business you have to look too skinny). There are a couple a pics in my profile.

 

[FitFossil]

Yeah, that sucks about the fashion industry, but that's the look they want, and if she wants to work, she has to fit in. It's ironic that the super skinny look and the means typically used to achieve it (skipping meals, excessive cardio) can contribute to increased fat storage over time, because these same methods contribute to muscle loss, resulting in a lower metabolism.

At 5'10 and 118 lbs no one could call your wife fat, but if she thinks there's excess jiggle in certain places, it's possible her body composition has changed to a less favorable ratio of muscle to fat. This can happen even if body weight remains constant (or drops).

If she wants to get extra fat off trouble spots, she needs to replace that fat with muscle. Added muscle will raise metabolism. Replacing fat with muscle will not make her "big". A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat, because muscle is denser.

As for diet, some people think the more complicated or painful the better. Different things work for different people, but I really like the Body for Life diet, similar to the Zone diet. 5-6 mini meals a day and basically each meal contains a balance of protein, carbs, and fats. The trick is eating the right kinds of proteins, carbs, and fats. Doing this keeps blood sugar steady, so you'll avoid energy lows and hunger. It allows for lots of variety. My husband likes it too. It doesn't even feel like a diet, but it works for us.

 

[babymonkey]

Thanks for the responce. I will look up that diet and see how we like it. I keep telling her, when we are in the gym, that even if she does my routine she isn't going to blow up. I wish it were that easy to get muscle mass. I'm going to start really researching this board to find out what is good fat and what is bad fat and how much carbs to take in and so on. I just want a healthy lifestyle that want lead into a eating disorder.

 

[gwl9dta4]

in short the answer is YES, and oh yea i almost forgot, NO.

See the paradox?

 

[Ceebs]

This may be an inane question, but why SHOULD you have to agree on a diet? Can you not simply buy and eat your own foods? I'm the only vegan in a house of carnivores (albeit health-conscious ones), and aside from arguing over stove time - I want to steam my broccoli when someone else wants to brown their ground turkey - we've never had a problem.

Your wife is gorgeous, by the way.

 

[gwl9dta4]

Yeah, what Ceebs said.

 

[babymonkey]

This might be fine if I wanted a temperary diet but instead I want something long term. And cooking two seperate meals everyday, everytime we cook seems to be a little too much. Also, I think it is a little unfare to eat pizza in front of her while she is spreading fat free butter on her broccoli. I'm sure their are main courses we can both eat and accomplish our goals the other things can be minor. Thanks for the compliment. No matter how many times you may tell her she is beautiful it never goes to her head. She might not mind me spending so much time on here now if people have nice things to say about her.

 

[NorwayFitness]

I think you can eat the same all the time, but you can just double or triple the size of your meal and simply eat a lot more than she does. If you want to build muscle I would say that brown rice and chicken is far more better than eating a pizza !

NF