Fixing more than one meal?

coasterqueen wrote: I've noticed many times on here some say that they eat a different lunch or meal than their children. How do you do that? I guess why I'm asking is because my girls, especially Kylie, seems to get mixed messages when I fix something different for myself. She either thinks A- what I fixed her isn't as good as what I fixed myself or B-she gets the idea that if she doesn't like what I fixed for the family that I'll fix her a seperate meal. KWIM?

I am dying to get back to eating my WW frozen meals so I can count my points easier, but I had to do away w/that when Kylie started eating solids. I've tried a few times to fix myself the WW meal and then the rest of the family something else and I encountered exactly what I described above. I can't eat at a different time because we have a rule that everyone eats meals as a family, together.

SO how do you do it? Does your children not question you eating a different meal? Got any tips on how I could get away with it?

luvmykids replied: A lot of the time I wait to eat until they're having their rest time just so I can avoid the questions

eta: We eat breakfast and dinner together at the table, lunch is casual at the bar in the kitchen so I stand there and talk to them, I just don't eat.

redchief replied:
I like this rule.

It's one we had while the kids were growing up and it seemed to solidify the family.

Anyhow, I understand the trouble you're having with the meals and everything you said is true at Kylie's age. The only thing I can suggest is that you make good, healthy meals for the whole family until she's old enough to understand you're on a special diet.

coasterqueen replied:
Thanks Ed. We do serve healthy meals...most of the time , just so much harder to calculate the points, which I'm sure you know...and I tend to eat more. but don't tell anyone that.

kit_kats_mom replied: I usually let them try mine first & if they like it I just grab one from the freezer & they split it. Thats at lunch. for dinner they usually eat what I've made for dinner. However, if it's something that I know they wont eat (spicy foods or some fish typically) then they can have chicken nuggets or fish sticks in the place of the item they won't eat

holley79 replied: I was thinking about this the other night. It's hard to prepare a mean and figure up the points for it. I bought a WW meal cook book. The meals are great and you can make enough servings for the entire family. Works great for us and DH doesn't know he's on a diet.

redchief replied:
I don't have to tell... you already did.
I know the calculations are a pain, but I don't really see any other way until Kylie is able to understand.

coasterqueen replied:


I really don't know if I want her to understand. KWIM? I don't want her to understand that I'm 'dieting'. I pray that she never lets herself "go" like her mommy did and she'll never have to diet. A gal can dream can't she?

Kaitlin'smom replied: Karen shame on you...you had childern and did not let yourself go, and your tring to get it back, that says alot about you.

One thing I do, is we normally all have the same meat, they already proportioned (thanks to schwans) and I can figure those points easy, the I fix side items and you eat what you want of them. I LOVE steemed carrotts no one else does, Kait will occasionaly try them but wont really eat them. I try not to make a big deal of it she can have what ever is fixed. Heck sometimes we all have different meats.

coasterqueen replied:
Accctualllly I let myself go when I quit smoking the first time around..many years before I had kids

Hillbilly Housewife replied: What's mine is mine, and what's theirs is mine.

Nah - seriously... they eat what I fix, period. If, for some reason I'm eating something different (which I try not to) if they ask to have some of mine, I will usually give them some.

Little story... it ticks me off to no end when we go somewhere and they have a different menu for children. In restaurants, we usually order normal food to give to them rather than the crap off the kids menu... well one time (before we had Naomie), we went over for dinner at a relative's house, and this relative had older children (around 14 or 15) and so everyone was eating the dinner - chicken with rice and something else, can't remember.... but my kids had been given a grilled cheese sandwich. Not onlyh that, but we were all around one big table, and my kids were at this dinky little plastic one about 6 feet away. My kids like grilled cheese sandwiches... but they wanted to eat what we were all eating, and at the same table. So, daddy took Zach and I took EMilie on my lap - and we wfed them from our plates. The "hosts" were really ticked off. Well - what do you expect?

3_call_me_mama replied: We all eat teh same thing at dinner time. I put their stuff on theri plate and serve it to them. Same for DH . Only thing I generally eat different is tha tI might have salad and they might not or i might have extra veggies that they might not. But the basics are teh same. I usually just take a smaller portion so i can count it bettter. A sfor lunch. i feed them lunch at 11:30 or 12;00 and visit with them while they eat. And at 2 or so i eat lunch, while they are having quiet time.
But teh basic rule in our house is that you eat what you are served adn you dont' ask for somethgin different. If they don't liek what we are ewating (which is incredibly rare) they jsut sit with us while we eat and they eat whatever part they do like. There isnt' dessert so they really arent' missing anyhting if they don't eat. Although they still oculd get a snack later (usually a piece of fruit or a small bwl of cereal. ) ]
Oh and Rocky- I so hear ya on teh separate meal thing, liek totally separate food and seating. I hate when we go somewhere (liek a friends or relatives) and they make special kid food for the kids. My kids are taught ot eat what is served and I dont' really serve alot of kid foods so i dont' want them thinking that every time we go somewhere there will be junk for dinner in place of the meal. (liek nuggets or easy mac ) I dont' mind them sitting at a separate table IF THEY WANT but i hate when they are told. "that's the kids table, you need to eat in there, let your parents eat in peace"

Brias3 replied: When I used to eat the Healthy Choice meals, I would try to cook as similar a meal to the frozen one I was eating as I could. That way, no one felt jipped. Of course, this isn't always entirely possible so I usually ended up having the frozen meals for myself a few times a week making a similar family meal and then sticking to a healthy one the other couple of nights. Just an idea!

Cece00 replied: My kids dont really question me, and sometimes I will sit WITH them while THEY eat and eat something different later.

I dont fix seperate meals for them. If there is not enough of what they are eating, or I made them something THEY like but *I* dont like, or I want to eat junk food (I dont let them have too much junk...) then I will eat something different, but unless I ask what they want to eat, my kids do not get a choice in the matter of what is on their plate for mealtime.

AlexsPajamaMama replied:
Thats what I do too, I eat lunch by myself if I want something differant...or if I dont mind sharing what I am having or dont mind eatting what I make him I will eat with Alex
Breakfast and dinner we all eat together at the table

I also love the frozen WW meals.