Who hasn’t heard the dieting advice “Well just don’t buy it. Don’t keep that kind of food in the house. If it isn’t there it won’t tempt you.” That’s great if you live alone or your family has the same healthy goals you do. In many families that just isn’t the case. If, after making the case to your family, they still aren’t on board with making healthy eating and exercise a goal for them, how can you be successful anyway? Here are a few things that might help.
Try a heart-to-heart talk with your husband, wife, or close friend. It may not work to tell them that you will be eating healthier from now on because, more than likely, this isn’t the first time you’ve tried. They may humor you and be thinking “Oh no, here we go again. She’s on another diet!” Try something more compelling like describing that time you were going out to dinner and you kept trying on clothes that were too tight or that showed all your bulges. You cried silently when you realized that you had been trying on outfits for thirty minutes. In frustration, you put on the ugly dress that would fit and felt bad about yourself all evening.
Set some boundaries. Tell them what you expect. You might make a rule that no one may comment about what is on your plate. “That green stuff on your plate looks yucky” is not something that is okay to say. In return, you won’t comment on theirs (as hard as that might be). Remind them that they must put away their snacks after eating. Leaving them lying around to tempt you is not acceptable. You might even designate a special cupboard for their snacking items. This goes for adults in the family as well as children.
Don’t expect them to support you. While that sounds like the opposite of what was just said above, it really isn’t. You may get their complete support or maybe partial support or maybe it will take them a while to come around. In the meantime, you need to figure out ways to reach your goals anyway. Some ways might be to join a support group either in person or online, team up with a friend, join the gym, or whatever gives you what you need. One fitness expert said “Get a hobby.” That sounds like good advice.
Don’t lose hope. They may come around yet! While you don’t want to hear them describe how delicious that ice cream is including every detail down to the chocolate syrup and the cherry on top, they don’t want to hear about your healthy food or be nagged into trying some. That doesn’t mean you can’t do experimenting with food, learn to make new things, and put them on the table. Sometimes a spouse or adult child may secretly want to lose weight and will be willing to try something on their own.
Motivation doesn’t have to come from all of your family members although that would be nice. You probably have someone who supports you even if they aren’t the otherwise loving family that lives in your house. Try some of the strategies above and make a plan to do it with or without their help.
Teri
Latest posts by Teri (see all)
- Sleep Is a Necessary Part of Wellness - February 1, 2018
- Nutrition on the go - January 25, 2018
- Home Workouts: Lower Body - January 18, 2018
