Husbands and healthy food.

Mine is the opposite - I'd love the occasional fry-up, but he will only eat it grudgingly.

He eschews butter and will only eat margarine which is especially for reducing cholesterol. (Horrible stuff - I prefer a decent helping of butter!)

I suppose the answer in your case would be to take small steps. Next time he's at the doctor, see if you can get his blood tested for cholesterol, and get the doctor to explain the consequences of high cholesterol.

Fry things in a non-stick pan with ever-decreasing amounts of oil - to give the impression of greasiness, spray a little olive oil on before serving. Not that I have any idea if that would work, or even taste right.

Go for a short holiday to Italy where the food is simple, tasty and healthy, he may want to try some when back home.

Do you have children who eat with you occasionally? Can you include the children in brainwashing him? They will no doubt have many thoughts on healthy eating if they in their turn have children of their own.

Or go the other way - up the grease and fat till he can't stand it, then put him on the salads to "cleanse his palate"!

Just had another thought. Make sure he wears shoes with laces - bending down over a pot belly to tie them gets harder and harder!

Mine's diabetic and sometimes comes home from the shops with a pack of 5 doughnuts which he scoffs over 2 days because he 'couldn't resist them'.

If you buy his clothes, get his underpants a size too small. Wash his favourite woollen jumper in water that is too hot so that it shrinks. Then comment on his increasing waistline while he is with sight of a mirror.

If you are out for a meal, take obvious notice of a slim young waiter.

I sympathise as I have one similar, he even had a life threatening health scare 2 yrs ago and although he did lose some weight at the time and has managed to keep it off he still eats rubbish all the time. I've tried and tried over the years but now I've stopped nagging and decided he's an adult and quite able to do it but doesn't want to so its his choice much as I disagree.

MrsMopp I think you will have to creep up on him so to speak with small subtle changes to your shopping and cooking regimes. My Dh is the opposite wont eat any processed foods, anything with fat on, cream sauces etc BUT if there are biscuits in the house he will woof them - so I don't buy them!

I don't like slaving over a hot stove but I do like healthy food so I've subscribed to Hello Fresh - a bit pricey perhaps but no waste and no petrol to get to the shops. Cooking is only about half an hour which suits me down to the ground. We have a choice of recipes each week [5 choices and you pick 3] and they're written so people like me can understand them. I've learned a few little tips. DH really likes it and has taken to it better than I thought as he's normally a meat and 2 veg man.

Apparently it's 'my fault' because I give him too much to eat although I don't put the food on the plates, I let him help himself to however much he wants. "What - no pudding??"!
It couldn't possibly be the sly bits of cake, iced buns, chocolate bars or few pints of beer he seems to consume weekly of course. Oh, and an occasional fry-up.

ps I don't buy or make the cakes and buns, they appear on his plate by magic if we go anywhere for a coffee.

DH is a bit of a cake monster - I made eight scones yesterday while he and DS were at the match. When they came back, I had one, DS took two home as he was in a hurry, and DH had one with me. Now I was never good at arithmetic at school but even I know that there should have been four left last night but ?! There is only one. Now who could have eaten the others, I wonder? Add to that the dish of whipped cream and the jam he must have to go with them and you have a recipe for a heart attack! When challenged, he puts on this "greedy, moi??" face, and says "well, you always say they don't keep!" He can't walk out of the supermarket without two packs of custard tarts ("they're two for a pound!"). And the thing that really galls me, is that he is a consistent twelve stone and gets a pat on the back from the surgery for keeping his weight stable! When we go out to eat, I will have some healthy fish dish and he will have either a large helping of pie or a burger. You can't win.

Mrsmop, use a few sprays of fry light instead of other oil or fat when doing a 'fry up'.
Eggs will fry on a low heat with a lid over them. Bacon and sausages really don't need any extra fat.

I have a DH who loves everything fattening such as cakes, scones, crumble, fruit pies - would love suet pudding but I severely restrict what I make in those lines as anything made is eaten fast!

Mine has high blood pressure and cholesterol, father had heart problems (4 heart attacks), and he pops pills for both. He is not supposed to eat sugary/fatty stuff but if he had his way it would be chips with everything, any fried food. He will eat a cooked meal, sometimes pudding and then eat biscuits with his cupppa. Nearly every time he makes himself tea he has biscuits or cake with it.
He has gradually got more trouble walking, not helped by dodgy knees, and has put on weight.
I have given up trying to change his habits.

Husband and healthy food is an oxymoron.

OH will not eat (or at least only in small quantities and under protest or hidden in a dish as you would for a toddler!): salad, vegetables, fruit, soup, pasta.

OH will eat: meat pies, sausages, curry, rice, chips, fried fish, chocolate, cake, custard.

And he still weighs under 8 stone - yes you did read that right!

The hospital says I should help him gain weight, so I feed him all the unhealthy stuff in the hope it will put weight on - but no!

I finish up cooking separate meals as I love pasta, vegetables and fish and eat virtually no red meat. And I am nearly 11 stone - there is no justice in the world!

goldengirl - can you tell me more about Hello Fresh please? How would it work for me with my no red meat?

Oh and I'm supposed to be proud of him for being 'economical' cos pork pies, sausage rolls, doughnuts and other junk are 'on special offer' or buy one get one free, "I've saved £2.50 on this lot." he says proudly... Aaaagggghhh!

ginny you are assuming that Mrsmopp kindly does her DH's fry-up for him

If my DH wants a fry-up he does his own (and on rare occasions, if I do fancy one, he does mine too ).

Not me, the master chef does it himself, full flame under the frying pan, kitchen full of smoke, HP sauce on the table, at least he does toast and not fried bread!
What is it with men? I couldn't eat that to save my life!!

I have muesli with yogurt and blueberries!

I can eat it when I'm on holiday but generally I have yogurt and fruit or a poached egg on toast.

perhaps you should enter him for Master Chef

I'm reading a book by Raj Persaud. He used to be the resident psychologist on morning TV if anyone can remember?
He claims that the only way to change habits is not to rely on the person or willpower. You need to change the surrounding environment. In this case, it would mean buying only healthy food and not bringing home the unhealthy options or leaving them anywhere where your husband could find them. You literally have to change your kitchen environment by changing how you shop.
Makes sense.

dont buy things he shouldn't eat ,always freeze home baking as soon as its cool,its much harder to scoff things that are rock hard.My OH had a hear attack 5 years ago ,he's active walks between 5 and 10 miles a day and we eat mainly mmade from scratch ,he's cut down on cheese and sweet stuff,I make flans with fresh fruit and sugar free yoghourt and jelly ,but he's still got a wee pot belly he didn't have before .Now thinking swimming might be the answer

It's amazing what can get tucked underneath other things in the shopping trolley

My BiL was the same. He did the shopping and the cooking, and the eating and drinking and wouldn't be told.

He's been in hospital since February 20th, exactly a month now. Had the inevitable heart attack, open heart surgery, triple by-pass. Isn't recovering well.

He can't talk. He can't swallow, even three weeks after surgery. Being fed via a tube. Has had to have his heart shocked back into a proper rhythm twice since his operation. The wound in his leg where they took the veins for the bypass isn't healing well.

Not funny

I'm so relieved others have this problem - thought it was just me!
I feel so guilty eating all the healthy stuff, while he stocks up the fridge with all the unhealthy treats he actually enjoys and chooses. Also he's the one that should be looking after his health, but it just makes him miserable to look at anything remotely green on his plate.