Honey, Could You Make Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes with Gravy?” . . . Seriously?
You ever have one of those days where you think things are going downhill only to find out they are exactly the way they are supposed to be?
I love my husband. I REALLY love my husband, but one of the issues I have identified as being a part of my weight problem is that not only do I love food, but my husband does too. Neither of us is strong for the other when it comes to food. All it has ever taken for a diet to fail is for one of us to suggest dinner out “just once more before we get serious about our health”.
Well, today is day three on the program. My husband has been good, eating what I’ve been eating and surely he will see some benefit. Then today he asked for fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. He also put in his request for the weekend. He asked for homemade Irish stew with homemade rolls, chili with cornbread and a number of other yummy things. I was so frustrated I was close to serving him the toy versions in the pic. (but I’ve gotta remember he wouldn’t want the green beans — ha)
I know there are healthier versions out there, and as good as that sounds, it is NOT what he wants. I told him things are going to be different. I told him that eating like that once in awhile would be fine, but we can’t eat like that every day. (I’ve home cooked 1-3 meals a day forever!) then I sat back and waited for the complaining.
It never came! He thought about it and I guess he realized I am serious and that we really need to see to our health. He finally came back with — “you wanna try a lean ground turkey chili with beans so we have more fiber?”
I was shocked. I couldn’t believe it. All these years I thought there would NEVER be a day he would eat something like that and here he was open to compromise. I sold my husband short presuming he would react a certain way if I pushed my health goals onto him. How sad that I didn’t give him the benefit of the doubt. How many years earlier might we have tackled our health issues if we had just kept the lines of communication open instead of presuming to know what the other would want.
I guess my message to all of you is “Speak up for yourself and give your significant other the benefit of the doubt…you shouldn’t have to this alone!”
